How to ensure effective youth participation in decision-making? – “YOUNG CITIZENS” Project

“Young people are motivated to act in their communities, but they lack skills, time and supporters among peers and adults. They do not consider themselves authorized by the government and, moreover, are not aware of the opportunities provided by the government.”

* according to the analytical report “The Situation of Youth in Ukraine” compiled by the UN Working Group on Youth, 2019

To help remove barriers to effective youth participation in decision-making, Terre des hommes Ukraine is launching “Young Citizens – Community Engagement in East Ukraine” Project. We want young people to:

be aware of their rights and understand their role in the community • know how it can affect the situation in the community
participate in decision-making concerning them
be active and participate in the activities of public organizations and local governments.

Based on the best European practices of youth participation and the methodology developed by our colleagues Terre des hommes – Moldova, we:

provide civic education to teachers to enable them to pass on their knowledge and motivate young people to be active and responsible citizens;
conduct trainings for active youth aged 16-24, where young people learn about democratic governance, human rights, civil society and civic initiatives, and when they return home, they will be able to develop action projects to solve specific problems in their communities and receive funding for their implementation;
implement the “Take Over Day” initiative.

Terre des hommes Ukraine implements “YOUNG CITIZENS – Community Engagement in East Ukraine” Project within the framework of the project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) “Democratic Governance in Eastern Ukraine”, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).