Youth is Changing Ukraine

Bohdan Hawrylyshyn concluded that it is the youth, with their energy and ideas, who would become the driving force behind Ukraine’s positive development. He channeled this belief into a program for patriotic young people, naming it “Youth Will Change Ukraine.” The program was launched in 2012 by the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Foundation and continued in 2017 by the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation.

Over the course of the program’s existence, more than 1,500 young people have had the opportunity to participate in its training. Today, they serve as members of parliament, work in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, ministries, city councils, and state administrations, lead large-scale social projects, and run their own businesses.

In 2023, the program was transformed to meet the new challenges brought by the war, helping young people strengthen their organizational capacity, build project management skills, and join a community of like-minded peers.

“We believe that the Ukraine of the future will need the ability to collaborate. Moreover, recovery and development are impossible without the skills to negotiate and co-create. That is why the program focuses on building these very skills.”

Anastasiia Shymchuk,
Head of Programs at the Foundation

Over more than 10 years of its existence, the program has developed an entire ecosystem that has helped changemakers grow and advance across various fields at both the national and local levels.

(since 2012) – Youth Will Change Ukraine

(2019-2021) – Creative Youth Will Change Ukraine

(2020) – Youth Will Change Ukraine. Sport

A special non-formal education project for young people involved in the sports sector in the Kyiv region who see their future in Ukraine, aspire to positive change for the country, and need knowledge and experience to bring life-changing ideas to fruition.

20 young people from 7 districts of the Kyiv region, active in the sports sector, successfully completed the program.

The program was delivered by the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation, the Youth and Sports Department of the Kyiv Regional State Administration, and the Kyiv Regional Youth Center, in partnership with the Kyiv Regional State Administration, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Youth Center, and the National Plast Training Center of Ukraine.

(2020-2021) – Youth Will Change Ukraine. Poltava Region

(since 2023) – Youth Will Change Ukraine. Poltava Region

Feedback
from Participants

Participating in the program was a defining moment for my career. In 2023, I have crossed the ten-year mark in governance and government consulting. I like to think that this program was the first step on this rewarding path.

The program inspired me, introduced me to a community of like-minded people, and helped me apply my professional skills in the right way. I stay in touch with a great number of alumni and know that many of them continue to use the experience they gained for personal and professional growth, and for helping our country.

The study trip at the conclusion of the program helped me see the importance of international connections from a broader perspective and witness firsthand what advocacy looks like – for both local and national initiatives.

Incredibly valuable knowledge in project management and the motivation to make a difference, along with meeting wonderful people. Some of them have become close friends and project partners. Now I have nothing but warm memories and immense gratitude to the Foundation for the opportunities and experience.

When the world was retreating into COVID isolation, the Foundation was creating opportunities for young people. We were the first to study online and the ones who witnessed the Foundation's transformation live as it unveiled its rebranding. Bohdan Hawrylyshyn wrote many wise words in his book. But it was at the program's finale that those words truly came to life.