Creating Youth Centres and Promoting Youth Leadership

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Creating youth centres and promoting youth leadership

Lozova / Balakliia / Pervomaiskyi / Chuhuiv / Kharkiv, Ukraine

The challenge Duration May 2016 – June 2017 Partner Municipalities of the cities of Lozova, Balakliia, In most municipalities, children and young adults do not have Pervomaiskyi, Chuhuiv; youth branch of the Kharkiv Oblast the possibility to engage in projects and activities that enable Red Cross Society them to be active citizens contributing to having a positive impact Project name Initiatives of the Infrastructure Programme for Ukraine on their communities. Young activists and leaders lack (IIPU): Psychosocial support and conflict management the skills and knowledge for developing ideas and projects while to strengthen Ukrainian communities hosting internally displaced people; Strengthening social infrastructure for the local authorities often do not have the funds to support youth absorption of hosting internally displaced people initiatives in their city. However, young people play an important Commissioned by Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and role in developing activities that facilitate the integration of IDP Development (BMZ) and other vulnerable groups into host communities.

Our approach • Four youth hubs were established in the municipalities of Lozova, Balakliia, Pervomayskyi and Chuhuiv. While the municipalities Together with the municipalities of Lozova, Balakliia, Pervomaiskyi provided the premises for the youth hubs and cover the running and Chuhuiv, IIPU supports youth activists in Kharkiv region. The costs, IIPU equipped them with furniture, IT, multimedia and overall aim of the cooperation is to foster social integration and sound equipment. social cohesion in these communities. To achieve this, the following • IIPU supported the youth branch of the Kharkiv Oblast Red Cross activities were conducted: Society in establishing a youth centre in the city of Kharkiv on • IIPU organized a training for 19 youth leaders from the partner premises provided by the city authorities. The premises were municipalities and the city of Velykyi Burluk. The participants refurbished to create an inclusive facility that can be used also learnt how to design and implement a project, how to calculate by young adults and children with special needs. IIPU provided the project budget and how to monitor and evaluate the activities. furniture, a small kitchen, IT and multimedia equipment for the Additional topics covered in the trainings include basic conflict center. They also funded activities like masterclasses, English management skills and information on youth and children’s rights language courses, computer and career counselling courses and in Ukraine. Part of the training was also a practical exercise where counselling sessions provided by psychologists. During the seven participants had to show their theoretical knowledge - they had to months of implementation, approximately 3,500 young adults design a small project in their community, to raise funds for it and and children participated in the activities organized by the centre. finally to implement it.

Testimonials Yevgen Kozyriev coordinates the youth hub in Pervomaiskyi city: ”Тhe IIPU’s powerful team assists not only with financial support but also facilitates further project development like our youth hubs.” Ivan Chubukin is youth hub coordinator in Chuhuiv city: “The "youth leader programme" changed my opinion about cooperation with young people. It urged us to establish and develop a youth hub in our city and make our first steps towards youth project realization.” © GIZ/Oleksiy Suprun

The results

IIPU and the municipalities established together a group of All of these activites contribute directly to social cohesion and 19 youth leaders who are motivated and who have the capacities to integration of IDP in the partner communities. design and implement activities for children and young people. The youth hubs' efforts start being recognized also beyond their The small projects implemented by them as part of the training municipalities: the hubs in the cities of Lozova, Balakliia, benefited more than 120 young adults and children already. Pervomaiskyi and Chuhuiv won a grant of UAH 15,000 by UNICEF The youth hubs provide a safe space for the development of in mid-2017 to implement an environmental awareness and projects and ideas of young activists. The four youth hubs in the protection project. In addition, representatives of all five youth hub cities of Lozova, Balakliia, Pervomaiskyi and Chuhuiv are expected will participate in a capacity development programme organized to serve approximately 4,500 young adults and children per year. by the prestigious Kyiv Dialogue. © GIZ/Oleksiy Suprun © GIZ/Oleksiy Shapovalov

The Initiatives of the Infrastructure Programme for Ukraine (IIPU) were commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to support crisis management and crisis prevention in municipalities in Eastern Ukraine. The programme is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and has four components: • Strengthening social infrastructure for the absorption of internally displaced people • Strengthening of Ukrainian municipalities hosting internally displaced people • Psychosocial support and conflict management to strengthen Ukrainian communities hosting internally displaced people • Strengthening of the capacities of the Ukrainian emergency service

Published by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Initiatives of the Infrastructure Programme for Ukraine Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH 26 Lesi Ukrainki Blvrd. 01133 Kyiv, Ukraine Registered offices: Bonn and Eschborn, Germany T +38 044 581 85 35 E [email protected] Project: Psychosocial support and conflict management I www.giz.de/ukraine to strengthen Ukrainian communities hosting https://www.facebook.com/IIPUkraine internally displaced people Project Director: Alexander Otto On behalf of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Project: Strengthening social infrastructure for the absorption of internally displaced people As of November 2017 Project Director: Bärbel Schwaiger

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