On November 27, 2025, the first meeting was held as part of a series of events aimed at researching and strengthening the role of internally displaced youth in Donetsk Oblast in the early recovery processes of the region. The event, organized by the public organization "Nova Druzhkivka" in partnership with the Department of Family, Youth, and Mass Events of National Patriotic Education of the Donetsk Regional State Administration and the Youth Council of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, took place in the city of Kryvyi Rih.
The meeting began with an interactive game called "Code of Donetsk Region," which evoked sincere emotions among the participants. This game became an effective tool for preserving the cultural and historical connection of young people with their native region and for creating an atmosphere of trust and support among people united by a common destiny and love for Donetsk region.
A key part of the event was a discussion of the early recovery of Donetsk region and the strategic role of young people in this process. It was extremely important for the event organizers to receive feedback specifically from young IDPs. Are young people ready to get involved in the recovery process right now? What factors motivate their participation? What obstacles exist that slow down their involvement?
The results of the meeting confirmed that the connection between Donetsk region is alive and strong, and young people are highly motivated to become the driving force behind future changes.
This meeting is part of the project "Code of Recovery: Youth Dimension of Donetsk Region," which is being implemented within the framework of the "Impulse" initiative with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation, the Eastern Europe Foundation, and funding from the governments of Norway (Norad) and Sweden (Sida).
The organizers continue to explore this topic and expand the geography of the meetings to reach more internally displaced youth from different parts of Ukraine. The next cities where the meetings will take place are Kropyvnytskyi, Kyiv, Poltava, Dnipro, and Kamianske.