The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the Government of Denmark announce recruitment for participation in the CREATE 2.0 project volunteer initiative incubator, which will take place on December 10–12, 2025, in Poltava.
About the format
The CREATE incubator is a three-day event for young people who want to create their own volunteer initiatives and strengthen the culture of mutual support in their communities.
Participants will work in a gamified format under the guidance of experienced mentors, developing roadmaps for their own projects. The program will help participants better understand the essence of civic volunteering and gain practical skills in project management, resource planning, and teamwork.
In the context of war, it is the volunteer activities of young people that have become a powerful manifestation of civic resilience, responsibility, and the desire to act for the restoration and development of their communities and country. UNDP seeks to help active young people move from participating in individual volunteer initiatives to creating their own sustainable projects that will contribute to the recovery and cohesion of communities.
This year's competition priorities include:
- development and restoration of civil volunteering in communities;
- creation of local volunteer support programs;
- strengthening self-reliance and mental health support for young people;
- involvement of vulnerable groups of young people in volunteer activities.
Selection criteria
Young people aged 18 to 35 are invited to participate if they:
- are involved in or seek to develop in the field of volunteering — individually or through youth councils, organizations, centers, or initiative groups;
- live in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, or Kherson regions (in territories controlled by the Ukrainian government), or are internally displaced persons from the Donetsk or Luhansk regions;
- have an idea or vision for a future volunteer project and are ready to learn and get involved in the recovery process right now.
A total of 40 participants will be selected, taking into account regional and gender balance and different areas of project activity. The organizers will only contact those who are selected.
How to apply?
To participate, fill out the application form at this link by 11:59 p.m. on November 16, 2025.
Contact email address for questions: [email protected]
Opportunities after the incubator
Based on the results of the training, teams will be able to apply for the UNDP project competition (December 2025 – January 2026) and receive:
- up to $5,000 in funding to implement their own initiatives;
- mentoring support from experts;
- the opportunity to implement their projects in communities in January–March 2026.
Support will be provided exclusively to non-commercial initiatives.
The incubator does not provide funding for the arrangement of spaces or the purchase of dual-use goods.
The event will take place in Poltava in compliance with all safety measures. Participants will work in a shelter equipped for training. Travel, accommodation, meals, and all related expenses during the program will be covered by UNDP in Ukraine.