Kyrylo Panasenko, a member of the Youth Council of the Avdiivka City Military Administration, took part in an expedition of the Ukrainian Leadership Academy (ULA) to EU countries. The purpose of the trip was to strengthen Ukraine’s international voice, build partnerships between the youth of Ukraine and the EU countries, adopt European experience, and get acquainted with the work of key European institutions.
During the expedition, ULA students met with representatives of key European institutions, the public sector, youth circles, and government bodies, and also visited the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of Europe, and the European Court of Human Rights. A separate important direction was advocacy on the topic of illegal abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia.
During a meeting in Paris, which took place in the National Assembly of France, Kyrylo Panasenko presented the President of the French organization Stand With Ukraine (SWU) Edward Mayor from the Avdiivka community with greetings and memorable souvenirs - symbols of our invincibility and cultural identity. "When I travel around Ukraine, I see so many inspiring people - with ideas, with potential, with vision," said Edward Mayor. He also told Kyrylo about his visit to Svyatohirsk. Kyrylo, in turn, shared his memories of how the youth of Avdiivka lived before the start of the full-scale war, about the Avdiivka FM festival, and about the initiatives that the youth of Avdiivka are currently implementing despite their geographical isolation from their community.
Such meetings with representatives of European institutions provide an opportunity to present the voice of Ukrainian youth, including the youth of Avdiivka, at the international level.