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Back Trauma-informed approach programme as a response to the needs of young people in Ukraine

The Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” presented its work in time of war in Ukraine at the the international conference “Protecting the Human Rights of Displaced Persons: Current Challenges and Ways Forward”. The conference took place in Chișinău, the Republic of Moldova, on 5-6 November 2024.

Following the invitation of the Council of Europe Office in Chișinău, Olena Chernykh, Senior Project Officer, the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, contributed to the conference and the panel discussion on access to support services and the importance of psychological aid in the context of displacement. She presented the Council of Europe work in Ukraine in the field of youth in time of the war of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

Since February 2022, the Council of Europe contributes to the development of youth policy and youth work in Ukraine in time of the war through mapping the needs and series of training programmes on social cohesion, trauma-informed youth work, non-formal education, participatory youth policy. It addresses the emerging challenges in the field of youth, including massive displacement across the country, overall insecurity in all aspects of life. Her speech Olena started with a video story from the project “Voices of young people in Ukraine”, implemented by the Donetsk Youth Debate Centre with the support of the European Youth Foindation of the Council of Europe:

“Because it is the third time I have to leave home. First in 2014, and twice in 2022. And I could not understand why it had to be me?! Like, why?! ...I found the place called Space of Ideas [in Kremenchuk, Poltava region], very similar to our Free House in Kramatorsk. It gave me an opportunity to communicate with people, travel abroad as a part of youth exchange... It was cool. I met lots of people…*

Masha, Kramatorsk, Kremenchuk

Olena Chernykh presented the experince of development and implementation of a new trauma-informed youth work programme since 2022 as a response to the needs of youth workers and young people in time of agression of Russion Federation against Ukraine. The programme includes a manual for the training course on trauma-informed youth work, trainings for trainers, implementation of training activities in communities across Ukraine. Following the request, the manual has been translated and published in English.

The Council of Europe Project "Strengthening the protection of the human rights of refugees and migrants in the Republic of Moldova" developed and published the "Resilience Journal for Adolescents". Translation and editing of the publication into Ukrainian was carried out in co-operation with the Council of Europe Project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III", implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction" 2023-2026. The journal aims to help young people develop their confidence, self-respect, recognize their strengths, emotions, practice communication skills and to search for assistance when they need it.

In 2024, to respond to the needs of key national and local partners in Ukraine, the Council of Europe projects "Facilitating access to human rights and essential services for internally displaced persons and returnees at the community level" and "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" launched a one-year capacity-building programme “Trauma-informed approach in the context of access to human rights and essential services for internally displaced persons and persons, returning to Ukraine." The programme strengthens competencies to implement educational and awareness-raising activities on the application of a trauma-informed approach, in particular in working with internally displaced persons and host communities.

The first training for trainers of the Programme, which took place from 17 to 21 August 2024 in Truskavets, Lviv region, was attended by 24 representatives of youth centres and organisations working with internally displaced persons and returnees: youth workers, psychologists and social workers. Participants of the Programme represent 13 regions of Ukraine: Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Poltava, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Chernivtsi, Volyn, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Donetsk.

The project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" was launched within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2023-2026 “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction”. The project aims to ensure that young people in Ukraine benefit from participation in youth policy and quality youth work to strengthen their own resilience and well-being, to exercise their human rights and freedoms, democratic participation and citizenship in wartime and post-war times.