Within the framework of the project “Strengthening the Implementation of Youth Policy in the City of Kryvyi Rih, Communities of the Dnipropetrovsk District and Donetsk Region”, three focus groups were held with the participation of young people from the Donetsk Region - two of them took place in the city of Dnipro, and another one in the city of Kramatorsk.
The initiator of these events was the Youth Council under the Donetsk Regional State Administration. Within the framework of this project, the council is implementing an advocacy campaign aimed at developing the concept of the regional Program “Youth of Donetsk Region” for 2026–2030. The main goal of the campaign is to actively involve young people in the processes of forming youth policy, which will become the basis for its further development, as well as respond to current needs and challenges in the region.
Active representatives of the youth environment joined the focus groups. During the discussions, the participants shared their vision of the concept of the future program, expressed a number of ideas and provided specific proposals for its main components. In addition, a number of important issues related to the current challenges facing the youth of the Donetsk region were raised.
Among the priorities of the future program identified by the participants are support for youth initiatives, involvement of youth in decision-making processes at the level of state authorities and local self-government, development of youth work, increasing the level of media literacy, preservation and strengthening of mental health, support for informal education, as well as active national-patriotic education.
All the results obtained during the focus groups will be systematized and taken into account when preparing the concept of the regional program "Youth of Donetsk Region" for 2026–2030.
The advocacy campaign continues, continuing to promote an open dialogue between youth, the public and government representatives.