Participant of the regional contest "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the nomination "Youth Worker of the Year" Oleksii Sokolov
My name is Oleksii Sokolov, I am 24 years old and I am from the village of Novoselivka of the Cherkasy settlement territorial community. I graduated from Donbas State Pedagogical University, where I received two specialties: physical therapy and ergotherapy, as well as physical culture and physical rehabilitation. Previously, I was awarded the title of Master of Sports of Ukraine in sambo and Candidate Master of Sports in judo, and I have a first-class rank in freestyle wrestling. But today, my name is known not only in my community but also in many sports and youth circles of the Donetsk region and even beyond. Because for over 6 years, I have been working, living, and breathing every day to ensure that young people do not lose hope, remain active, grow stronger, and change the world around them, because I am not a guest at events—but someone who, together with the youth, conducts trainings, cleans up, creates, plans, invents, jokes, listens, supports, and inspires. I am with them and for them.
Since September 2021, I have been working at Oleksandrivka Lyceum, where I teach physical education and health basics. An especially important part of my work was my employment at the Inclusive Resource Centers of the Sloviansk City Council, through the support of children with special educational needs—sports, movement, simple trust, and humanity. Before the full-scale invasion, I was responsible for conducting the military-patriotic game "Sokil" ("Dzhura") at the lyceum, which forms students' national identity, respect for history, and faith in the future.
In 2018, I became the head of the "Initsiatyva" (Initiative) Youth Center—at that time, it was a space without an idea. Today, it is a place of strength for young people from all over the region. Something happens here every day: from serious trainings to art evenings, patriotic events, and simple, sincere conversations.
In 2019-2020, I participated in the project "Network of Changes. Restarting Youth Centers" by the public organization "Platform of Initiatives 'Teplitsa'"—this was a relaunch of youth spaces in the Donetsk region, a new strategy, a new breath.
In 2021, I represented the Donetsk region at the All-Ukrainian Forum of Youth Centers in Mariupol, and this year brought a great mission: I founded the public organization "Insha Molod" (Other Youth), and from this, real changes began in my community.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, there was volunteering. In 2023, there was the restoration of the youth space, which the youth so desired. "Tolokas," music evenings, art picnics, and more. And later, I became a member of the youth council at the Cherkasy Military Administration.
Helping others has become a familiar part of my daily activities. Especially important are the initiatives related to supporting children in difficult life circumstances. In 2023, I worked as a rehabilitator in the "Aurum Camp" and "Rukh" (Movement) recovery and recreation camps in the Lviv region from the public organization "Teplitsa" with the support of the "Voices of Children" Charitable Foundation, where children from hot spots in the Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions were invited. Through movement, trust, and physical practice, I helped them stabilize, recover their bodies, and simply be children.
The year 2024 was rich with projects aimed at supporting and developing youth. They covered a wide range of areas: from psychological assistance and dialogue with authorities to promoting European integration and creating mobile spaces for learning. These initiatives were implemented with the support of international organizations.
I had the honor of volunteering in the "Y.E.S.: Youth – a Pillar of Resilience" project, helping to implement trainings on the topics of "Resilience 2.0" and "Mental Support," because I had completed training not only in project management but also in psychological support for youth, facilitation, and providing first aid. I often attend workshops, forums, and intensives—everything that can strengthen me as a leader and trainer.
Also, this year, I completed training from UNICEF under the Mental Mana program. After that, I conducted 24 trainings in the community on topics that are often silenced: emotional burnout, sex education, and non-violent communication.
In the turbulent rhythm of life, I was elected a member of the youth council at the Donetsk Regional State Administration. But for me, these are not titles—they are an opportunity to make an impact.
I don't work for show. I live in my community; I know its pain and its strength. Every month, our center is visited by young people who are looking for support, opportunities, and inspiration. We invite soldiers, creative groups, and activists, and we hold concerts and profound meetings that leave a mark.
My special pride is the youth community that I managed to create in our community. And in 2025, they have already independently implemented their own project—"Green Loft" with funding from the Ukrainian Red Cross—with psychological support, landscaping, and arranging a space for youth in the difficult conditions of war. And this is at a time when it is difficult to keep 16-year-olds in the community or even at a single online event. This is a real victory of teamwork.
I joined the implementation of the "Pli-o-plich" (Side-by-side) project, helping the youth of the Drabiv community set up youth work in a newly built youth space, sharing experience, contacts, and partnerships for the common goal of a happy and developed youth for the future.
Volunteering is a part of my life. I always say: being a leader is not about status, but about responsibility. And this responsibility is to those who are having a harder time than we are today. One of the warmest examples is our annual campaign "Give a child a holiday." Together with businesses, patrons, active youth, and caring visitors to the youth center, we fulfill the most cherished wishes for St. Nicholas from children with special needs and children of soldiers, children from families in difficult life circumstances, form gifts, and personally hand them over to the little ones. This is not just a festive initiative—it's about trust, love, interaction, and the feeling of a miracle that we create together. And every year, more and more people join—because they see how the children's eyes shine. And that is the best motivation.
Everything I do is about changes that begin with specific people, specific actions, and specific responsibility. I don't just work with youth—I build the future of the community with them, a community in which one wants to live, act, and stay. And for me, this is not a temporary role but a choice for which I am ready to be responsible every day.