On June 25, 2025, a meeting of the board of the Department of Family, Youth and Mass Events of National and Patriotic Education of the Donetsk Regional State Administration was held online. The board focused on three key topics. They discussed:
- Implementation of the Action Plan for 2023–2024 within the framework of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space in Ukraine.
- The work of the "Center for Unity and National Resistance" platform, which launched in November 2024 on the basis of the Donetsk Regional Youth Center.
- Development and preservation of a network of specialized support services for those who have suffered from domestic violence, gender-based violence and human trafficking.
The department's specialists shared the results of their work in the areas of youth and family policy. Despite the full-scale war, some youth spaces and support services were preserved. 16 such spaces and 9 specialized services were inspected. Unfortunately, many institutions cannot operate due to the destruction of infrastructure, hostilities or occupation. However, work continues online. Thanks to cooperation with the NGO "Building Ukraine Together" and other partners, it was possible to conduct educational programs, organize camps, visits and trainings. "SpivDiya" hubs operated in 23 communities, providing humanitarian, psychological and legal assistance. In total, more than 6 thousand people received assistance, including young people from among internally displaced persons.
Representative of the Platform "Center for Unity and National Resistance" Pavlo Fedorenko noted that it has become an important resource for training, communication and interaction with communities. More than 7 thousand people have been trained in security, first aid, mine action training and civic awareness. In July 2025, cooperation with the Center in Dnipro will begin, which will allow creating a single interregional model of preparing the population for military threats.
The third question concerned specialized support services for victims of domestic violence. In wartime, these services not only perform their direct functions, but also help those who have suffered from sexual violence as a result of the conflict. Day centers in Kramatorsk and Dobropil communities, relocated services in Pokrovsk and Novogrodivka, as well as mobile teams in Lyman, Kramatorsk, Kostyantynivka, Udachne and Dobropil continue to operate in the region. However, there is an acute shortage of personnel, especially psychologists. In such conditions, public organizations play an important role, in particular Coalition 1325 Donetsk, NGO "SMARTA", CF "Slavic Heart", NGO "MARTIN Club" and others. They take on case management, legal support, assistance with housing and transportation for victims. Information campaigns in this direction have reached more than 17 thousand people, including young IDPs.
After considering these issues, the board assigned the following tasks to the structural units dealing with issues of family, youth, gender policy, prevention and counteraction to domestic violence and/or gender-based violence, and human trafficking (namely: district state administrations, district military administrations, military administrations of settlements, and municipal institutions under their jurisdiction):
- To support youth centers and spaces in the communities of the region. In particular, to study the possibility of creating such spaces on the basis of humanitarian hubs in other regions of Ukraine. This is necessary in order to ensure easy access to humanitarian, psychological, and legal support, as well as consultations on professional development and non-formal education.
- To more actively involve youth in public and political life. To this end, various events will be held, such as forums, information sessions, trainings, and youth self-government projects.
- Continue to inform young people about how they can participate in civic and political life. This includes explaining how to create civic organizations and volunteer activities.
- Cooperate with the Platform "Center for Unity and National Resistance". It is important to involve people from communities in the events, exercises and trainings conducted by the Platform.
- Conduct information and awareness-raising campaigns on the prevention of domestic and gender-based violence, conflict-related sexual violence and human trafficking. These campaigns should reach as many people as possible both within the region and beyond.
- Engage public, charitable and international organizations in cooperation to expand the possibilities of providing assistance to the affected population.
- Promote the organization of joint activities to assist in the evacuation of property of specialized support services to safer regions, as well as assist with the placement of temporarily displaced persons and providing them with basic living conditions.
At the end of the meeting, the participants discussed problematic issues and ways to solve them. They especially emphasized the importance of interaction between various departments and established cooperation with public organizations.