In co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Youth Centre, the Council of Europe Project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase IV" developed the competencies of eighteen trainers of the specialised training "Barrier-free environment in the youth sector" of the state programme "Youth Worker". The training took place from 8 to 13 June 2025 in Lviv, the European Youth Capital 2025.
The Council of Europe project developed the content and the training programme in 2024 in response to a request and in accordance with the National Strategy for the Creation of a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine until 2030.
On the first day of the training, Tetiana Lomakina, Advisor - Presidential Commissioner for Barrier-Free Environment, met with trainers and presented a historical perspective, key approaches and conditions for creating a barrier-free environment.
During the training, the trainers explored the conceptual and educational resources of the Council of Europe for the practice and advocacy of the role of non-formal education and youth work in the development of a culture of human rights, democracy and non-violence.
At the Experience Fair, trainers presented their own projects and initiatives that contribute to the creation of a barrier-free environment in the youth sector.
The trainers explored the potential of the Living Library format to overcome barriers. The format was organized on the basis of the methodology of the Council of Europe manual Don't judge a book by its cover. The Living Library provided an opportunity to meet with invited Books who openly shared their own stories and encounters with stereotypes and prejudices against young veterans, Roma youth, young IDPs, young people with autism, blind young people, LGBTI community, young Roma women, young representatives of national communities.
The training for trainers of the specialised training "Barrier-free in the youth sector" of the state programme "Youth Worker" includes 40 training hours in several stages in May-August 2025 and combines face-to-face and online training, an intensive scheme to support the development of the competencies of the trainers, mentoring.
The Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase IV” was launched within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026. News, resources of the Council of Europe in the field of youth, and open announcements for participation in Project events can be found here.
