60 young Ukrainians gained practical knowledge on how to engage in volunteer activities and influence decision-making in their communities using civic participation tools as part of the "Hackathon: Activists" project.

The CSO "Building Ukraine Together" organised three three-day hackathons for volunteers and youth aged 16 to 25 in Bucha (Kyiv region), Mykolaiv, and Lviv.

The goal was to strengthen young people's capacity to participate in community decision-making, engage in volunteerism, and provide mentoring support to implement their own projects addressing local social issues using civic participation tools (such as e-petitions, participatory budgeting, and others).

Among the issues addressed during practical exercises were increasing transparency in student governance, ensuring electricity supply to apartment buildings during power outages, improving accessibility for people with disabilities, combating nicotine addiction among youth, etc.

"This hackathon gave me the opportunity to rethink the power of my own actions through various civic participation tools. I also learned more about the platforms that can be used to influence decision-making in my community. I am very grateful for this experience," shared one of the participants.

6 teams formed as a result of the hackathons received mentorship from experts. Together, they analysed the knowledge gained and determined the next steps for implementing their projects.

In 2024, the NGO "Building Ukraine Together" received a grant from the Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine”. This grant aimed to support civil society organisations in Ukraine in strengthening citizen engagement in decision-making processes. Five Ukrainian CSOs were awarded this support.

The Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” is designed to support the implementation of the objectives set out in the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026) to strengthen the democratic processes and address the challenges public authorities are facing in the time of war and in post-war context through active and effective civic participation at the local, regional and national level.