From 9 to 11 June at the European Youth Centre Budapest, 25 youth workers and representatives of youth centres and youth organisations working with young people from Ukraine took part in the training seminar “Building resilience in young people: Youth work and non-formal education for mental well-being of young people affected by war”.
Over three days, youth work providers from Ukraine and from eight other Council of Europe member states working with young people forced to leave Ukraine examined the needs and challenges facing both young people and those supporting them. They discussed how youth work and non-formal education can support these young people, their families and wider communities, strengthen resilience, and provide practical resources for those working in the field.
The seminar also focused on trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive approaches to youth work developed within the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine”. The trauma-informed youth work programme, launched in 2022 at the request of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, addresses the needs of youth workers and young people amidst the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In particular, the participants explored the content of the training programme and manual, the visual tool for education "Зірки. Stars. Les etoiles", Resilience Journal for Adolescents, Posters for Resilience and Recovery.
Participants explored relevant aspects of the Council of Europe’s work on the rights of veterans and army personnel. Additional contributions were provided by the Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine, the EU–Council of Europe Youth Partnership, and the UNHCR Emergency Service.
The programme included an event on solidarity and co-operation with Ukraine, where participants shared their experience and expertise in supporting young people affected by traumatic events, as well as their broader work in and for Ukraine. The event also explored ways to deepen co-operation.
Representatives of state institutions, including the Ukrainian Youth Foundation and the All-Ukrainian Youth Centre, took part in the training seminar. Representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, as well as members of the Council of Europe co-management system — including the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) and the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ) — also played an active role in the programme.
The training seminar is part of the Framework Programme for Co-operation in the field of youth policy between the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine 2026–2030. The programme focuses on cross-cutting priorities during the war and in post-war recovery, including barrier-free environments, resilience among war-affected youth, belonging to Ukrainian and European communities, and the reintegration of displaced persons, young military personnel and veterans.
Expert support was provided by the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine”, part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery, and Reconstruction” 2023–2026, as well as by the EU–Council of Europe Youth Partnership.
