Participant in the regional competition “Young Person of the Year – 2026” “Power of Management Decisions” category: Daria Velychko
Daria Velychko was born in the village of Temryuk in the Donetsk region. In 2013, she graduated from Berdiansk State Pedagogical University with a degree in “Practical Psychology” and later earned qualifications in the fields of early childhood education and speech therapy. She worked as a preschool teacher in Berdiansk and Mariupol.
In March 2022, due to active hostilities, Daria and her family evacuated from Mariupol through occupied territories to Zaporizhzhia.
At the end of 2023, she became head of the Children’s Services Department of the Nikolsk Town Council. After a two-year forced hiatus, the department had to be rebuilt from scratch: setting up document workflows, restoring access to government registries, and compiling archives. The key tasks included locating the children in the community, reestablishing lost connections with their families, and coordinating with law enforcement.
Daria now also coordinates youth programs for the resettled community. She organizes patriotic, educational, and sports events and collaborates with the Donetsk Regional State Administration, international foundations, and representative offices to secure resources to support the children and youth of the Mykolaiv region.