Participant of the Regional Competition "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the Nomination "Youth Worker of the Year" Hryhorii Andreichenko
My name is Hryhorii Andreichenko. My small homeland is the village of Vilne, Khlibodarivka community, Volnovakha district, where I was born in 2002. After completing 9th grade at Vilne Secondary School, I studied at the Economics and Law College of Zaporizhzhia National University, and then returned to my native village.
As early as 2015, when I was 13 years old, I joined the youth movement in the village of Vilne. I volunteered at the local cultural center, actively participating in the organization and implementation of youth events and projects. Since 2020, I have been a member of the public organization "Chas Vilnykh" (Time of the Free), which we created together with the youth of our Vilne.
From 2021 to the present day, I have been working at the Vilne Rural Cultural Center of the Khlibodarivka community, and since 2023, I have held the position of head of the youth center "Vilni" (The Free).
After the full-scale invasion and several months under occupation, I managed to evacuate and continue my activities in Zaporizhzhia. Together with my colleagues, we resumed the online work of our youth center, began creating cultural products, and implementing projects for the youth of our Volnovakha district.
I independently learned to play the guitar. In 2023, together with Svitlana Fomenko, we formed the band "Vilni." We write our own lyrics and music for our songs, and shoot music videos that gain tens of thousands of views on social media and YouTube. Through our work, we aim to support the spirit of internally displaced persons who, like us, lost their homes due to the occupation.
Since 2024, I have been a member of the youth council under the Donetsk Regional State Administration.
In 2024-2025, I led two projects that my team and I implemented for the youth of the Volnovakha district: "Chytalka Vilnykh" (The Free Reading Room) and "Holos Molodi" (Voice of Youth). These initiatives were implemented by the public organization "Chas Vilnykh" in cooperation with the youth team of the Khlibodarivka community as part of the "DIY Community" mini-grant competition, with the support of UNICEF and the Donetsk Regional State Administration.
Since 2022, I have been a regular blood donor in Zaporizhzhia. Every 3 months, I donate blood for the needs of the defenders of Ukraine.
I write poetry. In 2025, I became a multiple laureate and diploma winner of prestigious all-Ukrainian and international competitions for poetry recitation and musical and literary compositions. My active participation in youth and cultural life has been recognized with numerous commendations and certificates.
I successfully completed the "Youth Worker" program and received a certificate for completing the online course "Fundamentals of Volunteering" on the Volunteer Platform. I plan to actively use and implement all acquired knowledge and skills in my future activities aimed at societal development and supporting youth initiatives.
My work as a youth worker is not just a job or volunteering; it is a calling from the heart. I believe in the power of youth, their ability to change the world around them even in the most difficult times. In every project, every song, every poem – there is my voice and the voice of my community, our pain, our faith, and our hope. I strive to inspire, support, and create opportunities for those who are still seeking their path. And I am confident that there is still much important and interesting ahead for our Khlibodarivka community, for the youth of Donetsk region, for Ukraine.