Participant of the Regional Competition "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the Nomination "Public Figure of the Year" Andrii Chastov
My name is Andrii Chastov. I am a public figure, Deputy Head of the Youth Council at the Pokrovsk City Council, Head of the public organization "Pro Molod" ("About Youth"), and a scout. I am 21 years old. My interest in public work began in 2017, while I was still in school, and a friend suggested I try scouting. I had my doubts, but I agreed, and my path began with my first trip to an event in Zaporizhzhia. The great company, new acquaintances, and the unusual atmosphere of the unknown added more motivation to act, and after returning to Pokrovsk, I decided not to stop. Around the same time, I had the opportunity to become a school journalist and, with my team, won our first grant to equip a school TV studio as part of the "Young Energy of Communities – 2" project. The won grant, the implemented idea, dozens of reports, competitions, regional events, necessary skills, and useful acquaintances—all of this was etched in my memory and gave me inspiration for my work.
I joined the Pokrovsk Youth Council in 2021, where, with a team of like-minded people, I began to implement various projects and events for the development of my community. A volleyball tournament, flash mobs, festivals, collection of items for children from an orphanage, cooperation with youth councils of other communities, and much more became part of my activity. At the same time, I enrolled at the university not just as a student, but as a person with a clear civic position. From the very first semester, I joined student self-government, not waiting for the right moment, but creating it myself. For me, activism is not about loud words, but about daily work for the sake of others.
My first initiatives were simple but sincere: helping in volunteer actions, organizing patriotic events, and greening the city. Gradually, the scale grew: film screenings for local residents, literary evenings, training sessions, and informal meetings—all to unite young people around common values. For this, I received a commendation "For participation in the organization of landscaping and improvement of the Square in the 'Lazurnyi' microdistrict, for an active civic position, enthusiasm, and persistence, for the invaluable desire to make the community bright and flourishing," and a commendation for helping to organize and hold the IV photo festival "Zalizniak-fest."
During the full-scale invasion in Pokrovsk, I involved local residents in volunteer activities by weaving camouflage nets and suits. On November 1, 2023, together with like-minded people, I founded the public organization "Pro Molod," which aims to develop patriotism, educate youth, activate the process of socio-economic development of communities, and increase the social activity of the population in solving social, cultural, environmental, medical, educational, psychological, and scientific problems.
I use the skills and knowledge I have gained in project activities aimed at supporting the population and involving youth in community development. The most interesting projects were the project "Youth in Action: The Path to an Active Community," with the support of the UNDP, the educational project "About Gender Equality - for Schoolchildren," with the support of UN Women within the project "EU4Recovery - Empowering Communities in Ukraine," and the project "Mental Support for Youth in the Donetsk Region," with the support of UNICEF.
Since August 2024, I have been forced to evacuate to Dnipro, but I am not abandoning my public activities here. I joined the public organization "M.ART.IN - CLUB" and am working on various projects aimed at supporting youth affected by violence and internally displaced persons. I am a member of the coordination council on the affirmation of Ukrainian national and civic identity, within which I, along with the "Pro Molod" public organization and the Pokrovsk Youth Council, developed and conducted a survey among Pokrovsk residents regarding their views on national identity, and participated in public discussions on the renaming of streets, squares, and alleys.
I am convinced that even one person can change their community—step by step, day by day. Being active is not about status or age; it's about responsibility to those around you.