22 young people have created a new team to multiply the approaches of the Council of Europe in the youth sector in Ukraine, implement a youth perspective and strengthen the participation of young people in decision-making processes at local, regional and national levels in the war and post-war period.
The Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase IV” in co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Youth Councils Association held training from 24 to 28 November 2025 in Lviv, the European Youth Capital 2025, for representatives of youth councils, youth centres, civil society organisations, educational institutions from 11 regions of Ukraine.
The training programme strengthened the competences of young people to participate in democratic processes, in particular through the study of approaches and standards of the Council of Europe and youth policy in Ukraine on the participation of young people in decision-making processes and the development of an inclusive environment, barriers and ways to overcome them for the participation of different young people. The training explored the role and possibilities of young people’s contribution to the processes of dialogue and co-operation between public authorities, local self-government bodies, civil society organisations, youth institutions and young people, and the planning of further steps and training needs for the multiplication of the Council of Europe’s approaches in the youth sector in Ukraine.
The participants also got acquainted with the practical side of the co-management system in the youth sector of the Council of Europe, which is a unique and living example of participatory democracy. This became possible thanks to a meeting with Nataliia Radchuk, Head of the Department of International Co-operation and European Integration of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, member of the European Steering Committee on Youth (CDEJ).
As part of the training, young people also took part in a round table with youth leaders from Ukraine and other Council of Europe member states on the topic “Towards Youth Perspectives: Youth Work and Youth Policy during the Reconstruction of Ukraine” and in the closing ceremony of the title “Lviv – European Youth Capital 2025” and its handover to Tromso, Norway.
The final session of the training took place at the MoloDvizh Centre of the network of youth spaces “Tvory!” in the city of Lviv.
In addition, representatives of youth councils, youth centres, civil society organisations, educational institutions had the opportunity to get acquainted with the projects of young people and youth organisations from Ukraine at the exhibition of youth initiatives funded by the European Youth Foundation “Tales of the Brave”.
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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. More information about the project, including news, youth resources and open calls for participation in the project, can be found here.
