Youth Connect for Ukraine aims to support young Ukrainians to lead fulfilling and purposeful lives now, wherever they are living. It aspires to support young people, including women, girls and those from disadvantaged groups affected by the war in Ukraine to have the skills and motivation to build connections in their local context and influence their own future and their communities.
We are designing training and activities to build leadership attributes that are needed in times of disruption and to support youth social development.
The programme’s ambition is to meet the needs of young leaders (aged 16–30) from Ukraine and Europe and equip them with the skills, resources and networks that they need to provide leadership in their current communities and in a reconstructed Ukraine as part of a European network.
In the first year of implementation, the programme will take place in Ukraine, Romania and Poland, where it will present Pop-Up Youth Centres in a variety of locations offering skills development and learning opportunities, access to information, support from experts and opportunities for networking and exchanging.
The programme is open to young leaders from Ukraine who might be internally displaced or who are currently living in Romania and Poland, and to young participants from the local communities who are interested in leadership and creating positive relationships within their communities.
In Romania, our activities will focus on Pop-up Weeks in Bucharest and Timisoara. The Pop-up Week programme is packed not only with essential training, but also with interesting, useful and practical workshops.
Pop-up Week Bucharest | 29 February–10 March 2024
National Youth Foundation, FNT Youth Centre (Str. Caderea Bastiliei 11)
The Leadership in Difficult Times training course is the backbone of the Pop-up Week Bucharest programme and is taking place from Thursday 29 February to Sunday 3 March 2024.
In addition to the course, from 4 to 10 March 2024 there will also be a series of happenings: personal well-being and mental health workshops, employment and financial possibilities presentations, as well as discussions covering university life, labour law and even a stand-up comedy club performance.
Partner
Our partner on this project is the National Youth Foundation from Bucharest.
The National Youth Foundation’s mission is to support young people to reach their full potential. The organisation is currently co-ordinating ten youth centres in the following cities in Romania: Bucharest, Suceava, Tulcea, Timisoara, Oradea, Targu Jiu, Ploiesti, Botosani, Targoviste, Ramnicu Valcea.
Since the onset of the Ukraine situation, the National Youth Foundation has been responding to the influx of Ukrainian refugees, providing humanitarian support, equipping transit centres and supporting young Ukrainians arriving in Romania.
To date, more than 2,000 young Ukrainians have taken part in activities and recreational services provided by the foundation.
Pop-up Week Timisoara | 18–24 March 2024
Timișoara Youth House (str. Arieș nr. 19)
The Leadership in Difficult Times training course is the main focus of Pop-up Week Timisoara. The course is followed by whole week (18–24 March) featuring a wide variety of activities aimed at fostering personal growth, well-being and community connections. Activities include sessions on political campaigning, exercise, improving presentation skills, colour therapy and theatre.
Join us for an enriching experience where you can learn, grow and connect with others:
Partner
Our partner in Timisoara is the Timis County Youth Foundation (FITT).
FITT is a non-governmental organisation established in 1990. It is an umbrella organisation for youth and student NGOs with 32 members.
The Council of Europe awarded FITT the Quality Certificate for Youth Centres (2016–2028).