Participant of the regional contest "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the nomination "A Heart Given to Donetsk Region" Daria Rostova
My name is Daria Rostova. I am a girl with a heart that belongs to the Donetsk region. My roots are in Kramatorsk, my convictions are in my daily work for the region, and my inspiration is in the people who, despite their losses, continue to live, love, dream, and create.
Art was my first language. As a child, I found myself in drawings, fabrics, colors—in everything where the soul could speak freely. This creative sensitivity became the foundation of my worldview: I believe that beauty and meaning are things we create ourselves, even from fragments.
After earning a degree in finance from the Donbas State Engineering Academy, I developed an analytical mindset, responsibility, and the ability to see systemic solutions. But my true challenge and calling found me during the war, when simply being yourself meant being a support for others.
Today, I am a volunteer at the "MyRazom" IDP Support Center for the Kramatorsk district in Dnipro—a place where every day brings new requests, new stories, and new hopes. I see tears and smiles, losses and rebirth. And each time, I become more convinced that support is not always about grand gestures. It's about attentiveness, consistency, and humanity.
After completing a UNICEF program on youth mental health, I became a trainer who not only teaches but also creates a space of trust. I have spent dozens of hours in dialogue with teenagers and young people from the Donetsk region who were forced to leave their homes. We talked about fears, dreams, fatigue, and faith. In these conversations, I saw the most important thing: young people don’t just want to listen; they want to be heard.
I became part of a team that implemented the projects "City Council: A Youth Format" and the youth debate space "Energy & MyRazom." These were not just initiatives, but platforms where young people from the Donetsk region learned to be part of the change, to form opinions, and to defend their values. We saw how the voices of boys and girls who were silent yesterday are now confident, hopeful, and eager to make an impact. These initiatives were brought to life at the "MyRazom" IDP Support Center for the Kramatorsk district, with the support of the public organization "ZAHODY," UNICEF, and the Donetsk Regional State Administration.
I am not a politician or a superhero. I am one of many who chose to act. To be there. To be part of the process. When people tell me that my work changes lives, I know it's not the work that changes them; it's love. Love for the Donetsk region, for people, and for the work you do every day.
I am not leaving my home in the past—I am building it in a new reality. For myself. For others. And I believe that a heart given to the Donetsk region will always find a way—even through the darkness—to the light.