How to best support young people in Ukraine facing the challenge of the ongoing war of aggression by the Russian Federation was the key theme of a visit by a group of some 30 young activists from all over Europe to Lviv, Ukraine and Lublin, Poland on 10-15 October. The visit was organised by the Council of Europe Youth Department.
During the study visit to Lviv, the European Youth Capital 2025, ten representatives of youth organisations from eight European countries met with local youth stakeholders including the Lviv European youth capital 2025, the TVORY! Network, the Lviv regional youth centre and the NGO Feminist workshop. The young people also met with internally displaced families from Bakhmut and Mariupol at the Urban Camp community project to hear about their experiences and challenges they face, and paid tribute to the memory of Yaryna Bazlevych, a Ukrainian youth worker killed along with her mother and two sisters in a Russian missile attack on 4 September.
The visit continued in the city of Lublin, Poland (European Youth Capital 2023). A group of 30 people, composed of young activists and representatives of youth organisations, half of whom are from Ukraine, discussed youth work in wartime, mental health and access to human rights, peace education, and countering discrimination, as well as developing their practical skills. The ultimate goal is to enhance co-operation between young Ukrainians and youth in other European countries.
The activity in Lublin is part of the European Youth Foundation's ongoing efforts to support youth-led initiatives in Ukraine. Over the past two years more than 40 projects have been supported under the programme, involving more than 3,700 young people at a cost of more than 600,000 euros.
