In 2024–2025, the Department of Family, Youth, and Mass Events of National Patriotic Education of the Donetsk Regional State Administration ensured the implementation of state policy in the humanitarian sphere under martial law.
The department's activities focused on supporting young people, promoting Ukrainian national and civic identity, implementing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, combating domestic violence and human trafficking, and supporting families and children, including internally displaced persons.
Youth policy and infrastructure development
During the reporting period, the department, together with the structural units for family and youth affairs of district and local military administrations, ensured the stable operation of the region's youth infrastructure and the coordination of youth policy in the context of security challenges.
In total, in 2024–2025, more than 180 regional events were held in online and offline formats in the cities of Kramatorsk, Dnipro, and Kyiv, covering about 22,000 young people.
At the local level, 29 youth councils have been established and are functioning under the coordination of the department. Twenty-three youth spaces have been restored, 15 of which have been relocated to safe regions of Ukraine, while another eight continue to operate remotely within the region.
In the area of international partnerships, the administration facilitated the implementation of a number of programs and projects. In particular, the public organization "Zakhody" (Events), with the support of UNICEF, implemented the "DIY Community" program, within which 50 youth teams received mini-grants of up to UAH 40,000 each to implement their own initiatives in communities. The department coordinated interaction with local communities and involved youth councils in the implementation of initiatives.
Also, the public organization "Zakhody," with the support of UNICEF and the assistance of the department, implemented a program to strengthen youth policy, within which two training sessions on mental health were conducted for social educators and psychologists. The knowledge gained was scaled up by the participants through eight training sessions in each community. A separate four-day retreat was organized for youth workers, as well as a series of training sessions for youth councils, which included ten online sessions and three-day face-to-face workshops.
In partnership with UNFPA and the public organization MARTIN Club, and with the coordination of the department, the project "Y.E.S: Youth – the Foundation of Sustainability" is being implemented.
In partnership with UNFPA and the NGO MARTIN Club, the project "Y.E.S: Youth – the Foundation of Sustainability" is being implemented under the coordination of the administration (Kramatorsk, Cherkasy, Dobropillia, and Pokrovsk communities). A comprehensive survey on the needs of young people was conducted, professional training for youth workers was organized, and regular psychological support events for young people were provided.
A separate area of focus was the implementation of the project "Recovery Code: Youth Dimension of Donetsk Region," initiated by the regional youth council in cooperation with the public organization "New Druzhkivka" and supported by Norad, Sida, the International Renaissance Foundation, and the Eastern Europe Foundation. The project aims to involve about 1,000 young IDPs from Donetsk region in the recovery process. With the assistance of the department, three focus groups have already been held in Kryvyi Rih, Kropyvnytskyi, and Kyiv, and preparations are underway for a specialized Action Plan and expansion of the geography of events.
In 2025, the department launched the educational platform "Leadership for the Recovery of Donetsk Region." The 69-day training program included an online course, face-to-face sessions, and an off-site psychological support component. The program concluded with the defense of original projects focused on the post-war reconstruction of the region.
On November 27–29, 2025, in the city of Dnipro, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, together with the Donetsk Regional State Administration, held a three-day forum on the support and adaptation of IDP youth, which brought together 70 participants and became a platform for cross-sectoral coordination.
Interregional cooperation was strengthened through a joint strategic session of youth councils at the Odesa and Donetsk Regional State Administrations, which took place on September 4–5, 2025, in Odesa. A joint roadmap for action was developed during the event.
An important part of the work was communication between young people and regional authorities. On the initiative of the youth council at the regional state administration, 18 meetings were held between the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, Vadym Filashkin, and active young people from the region. Also, with the assistance of the administration, the media project "Strong Together" is being implemented in cooperation with the Orbita TV channel, and the photo exhibition "My Rights Violated by War" presented 36 documentary photographs from communities in Donetsk region.
Affirmation of Ukrainian national and civic identity
Under the coordination of the administration, more than 220 thematic events were organized in 2024–2025, involving more than 13,000 young people. A Coordination Council for the Affirmation of Ukrainian National and Civic Identity was created under the regional state administration, as well as corresponding councils under five district state administrations and 35 of the 45 military administrations of settlements in the region.
On the initiative of the administration, the Donetsk Regional Youth Center has launched a platform called the Center for Unity and National Resistance. Within its framework, training in mine safety, first aid, countering IEDs, and anti-drone work was conducted for 10,000 participants, and basic military training courses and a free course in Ukrainian history for 500 participants were organized.
Military-patriotic training courses "Unbreakable Warrior" and "Cadet Shield" have been resumed, and the project "Hear the Hero" is being implemented in cooperation with the Novogrodivka community, within which 10 meetings of young people with veterans and combatants have been held, involving about 2,000 participants.
In partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, two nationwide training sessions were held in 2024–2025, bringing together 150 representatives of military administrations and the public sector from all over Ukraine. An educational game called "Code of Donetsk Region" was also created, and 30 historical events were held in cooperation with the State Archives of the region.
By order of the head of the regional state administration, the head of the regional military administration, dated December 30, 2025, No. 910/5-25, a regional targeted social program for the affirmation of Ukrainian national and civic identity for the period up to 2028 was approved.
Countering violence and human trafficking
In 2024–2025, under the coordination of the administration and in partnership with public and international organizations, more than 15 training events were held for relevant specialists (more than 300 people) and information campaigns for the population and IDPs were conducted, covering more than 30,000 people. More than 10,000 information materials were distributed.
A network of specialized support services for victims has been established: four day centers (three of which have been relocated), six primary counseling services (three of which have been relocated), and two mobile teams (one of which has been relocated). With the support of the United Nations Population Fund and the MARTIN Club public organization, in cooperation with the military administrations of settlements, mobile teams worked in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, covering the surrounding communities, from December 2024 to April 2025.
Three specialized vehicles equipped for persons with disabilities were purchased with state subsidies (two are currently in operation). Communities were provided with methodological support on how to apply for subsidies.
In partnership with the Alliance for Civil Rights NGO, IOM, and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seven training sessions and 44 information events were held, covering 661 participants, including 147 IDPs. Comprehensive assistance was provided to 116 victims, and individual reintegration plans were developed.
Gender equality and Resolution 1325
In 2024–2025, the II and III Congresses of Women of Donetsk Region were held with the participation of the administration. The Third Congress, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325, took place on October 7–8, 2025, in Kyiv and brought together representatives of government bodies, the public sector, international organizations, and diplomatic institutions. As a result, regional guidelines for the implementation of the Resolution were updated.
A gender advisory system was established: a gender advisor was appointed at the regional level and 32 advisors in communities. In 2025, the regional competition "Woman of Donetsk Region" was continued, with 130 stories of women's leadership submitted, and the award ceremony brought together about 140 participants and partners.
A photo exhibition project, "Women and War: Stories 'Before' and 'After'," is being implemented, presenting 35 stories of women from Donetsk region, and is planned to be scaled up.
Family policy and support
In 2025, with the participation of the administration, a pilot competition of children's creativity "My Family: From Generation to Generation" was held, with over 400 entries submitted. It was followed by a family holiday for IDPs from Donetsk region at the Parkovy Exhibition and Convention Center in Kyiv, which brought together over 350 children and adults.
The regional initiative "Warm Embraces for Little Hearts" continued: in 2024, 2,400 gift sets were distributed, and in 2025, 2,890 sets were distributed to children from families of deceased, missing, and captured defenders of Ukraine.
As of January 1, 2026, the military administrations of the region's settlements issued 261 certificates to parents and 583 certificates to children from large families. With the support of UNICEF and international partners, families were provided with thousands of food, humanitarian, and non-food kits, appliances, and other necessary resources. In the first half of 2025, in cooperation with the Slovyanske Serce Charitable Foundation, measures were taken to raise awareness among families with children about safe evacuation.
We would like to express our special gratitude to the leadership of the Donetsk Regional State Administration for their consistent support of management initiatives and for creating the conditions for their implementation. We express our gratitude to the structural units of the regional state administration for their partnership and effective interagency cooperation. We also sincerely thank the territorial communities of Donetsk region, local self-government bodies and military administrations, public and charitable organizations, international partners and donors for their trust, cooperation and joint work.
It is thanks to the joint efforts in the difficult conditions of wartime that we are able to support young people and families, maintain important services, and continue our systematic work for the people of Donetsk region.