Young people should actively participate in decision-making at all levels, from their local community to the national government. This goal is now being implemented by Ukraine. The new youth policy recognizes that an active youth is the driving force behind change. After all, it was young people who often became the catalyst for change. Let us recall, for example, the Revolution on Granite or the Revolution of Dignity.

With a new law young people had the opportunity to create youth councils under local self-government bodies and directly influence the future of their district, city or village.

How can such councils be beneficial for both the youth themselves and the communities in which they operate? How to join the advisory body under the local government and implement personally-developed projects? What prospects do representatives of youth councils have?

We have created a guide material for you with answers to the most common questions.

Regional youth councils: where did they come from and how did they “get a vote” in Ukraine?

The first document that granted young people the opportunity to be heard was UN Resolution 44/25 of 1989, focusing on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. A total of 191 countries committed to adhering to this document, which explicitly emphasized the importance of listening to young people. However, at that time, no one understood how to do it.

In 1991, the Council of Europe issued recommendations, the Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life. In 2003, the Council of Europe finalized its decision, and a revised version was ratified by Ukraine. This document outlines the process of establishing a youth council and, most importantly, emphasizes providing young people with full participation in making important decisions that affect them.

“The European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life is a key tool in implementing the system of co-governance at the local and regional levels,” says Liudmila Lukianova, a member of the board for international relations of the Ukrainian Association of Youth Councils.

In Ukraine, this format of partnership between youth and government has spread with European integration. The “right to vote” of young people was enshrined in the legislation, so they got the rights, opportunities and space to implement their ideas. For example, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the definition and functions of a youth council.

Youth Council is an advisory body established under City, Village, District, and Regional Councils to advise, develop, and implement youth policy. In simple words, the “youth council” is a bridge between young people and the authorities.

These offices are intended to represent the interests and needs of diverse groups of young people, including students, schoolchildren, members of children's associations, and participants in military operations.

As of today, 430 youth councils are in operation in Ukraine, and this number continues to grow. Over the past year, more than 120 of them have been created. Even the Council on Youth was established under the President of Ukraine has been established.

The optimal goal articulated by developers of youth policy legislation is to establish youth councils in each community.

The online map shows already created youth councils. If your council is not displayed there yet, you can add it.

Functions of youth councils

Youth councils have two goals: the ability to influence the decisions of local authorities, initiate decisions or proposals within their competence, and also to teach young people how to work in public authorities and contribute to positive change in their country.

Youth councils serve various functions; here are some of them:

- develop recommendations for the local council to address issues in the youth sphere,

- exercise public oversight to ensure that the authorities consider the proposals and comments of the youth council,

- contribute to raising targeted funding for the implementation of youth programs,

- develop projects and organize events, etc.

Joining a youth council. What is needed?

Individuals aged 14 to 35, who are citizens of Ukraine, may join a youth council if they are:

- representatives of public associations or their divisions, enterprises, institutions, and organizations engaged in activities in the field of youth policy,

- representatives of educational institutions, whose candidacies are submitted by the self-government of school or university students at each institution, can also join a youth council.

There are two ways to join a youth council:

• wait for the composition of the already established youth council in your community or region to be updated,
• initiate the process of creating a youth council in your community or region, if it is not available.

All details regarding the formation of the youth council can be found on the official websites of local governments. For example, on the Kyiv City Council's website, under the section Kyiv City Youth Council, you can find all the necessary information, including the procedure for joining the Youth Council, its composition, activities, and contacts. Drohobych City Council website has similar details by tag  #Молодіжна рада (youth council).

A corresponding initiative to establish a youth advisory body should also be implemented by local authorities.

To participate in the constituent assembly, an initiative group must submit an application, in any form, signed by an authorized representative of the governing body of the institute of civil society or the self-government of schools or universities. Additionally, the young person must attach written permission to be delegated to a youth council, a bio, consent to the processing of personal data, and other relevant documents. For an example list of required documents, see here.

We asked Yuliia Aleksieienko, the Deputy Chairman of Bila Tserkva Youth Council, how this happens in practice.

“I saw an ad on the website of Bila Tserkva City Council and wanted to become the part of the team. Initially, there was the stage of collecting documents, followed by their submission to the Department for Youth and Sports in our community, and finally, the Constituent Assembly for the selection of candidates for members of the Youth Council. After the approval of the composition of our Youth Council, there was a meeting to elect the chairperson, a deputy chairperson, and the secretary. Now I am a Deputy Chairperson of the Youth Council of Bila Tserkva City Council,” the girl shares her experience.

To get started, young people can choose a mentor from among the representatives of the municipality. However, it is crucial that council members become capable of conducting their meetings independently in the future.

⬇️ Step-by-step interactive guideline for creating a youth council ⬇️ 

No action for youth without youth

Ukraine is moving away from the paternalistic nature of relations, when residents, including young people, were not involved in the formation of youth policy. Firstly, there is a notable increase in the social activity of young people themselves. According to the results of research conducted in 2022, the percentage of young people who identified “being useful to their country” as one of their life goals increased from 6% in the previous survey wave to 37%. According to the overwhelming majority of respondents (72%), they are ready to participate in the recovery process in their community.

Another survey revealed that 31.4% of young people are familiar with the concept of a youth council, and over 24% have heard about it, indicating they possess some level of non-detailed knowledge. At the same time, 61.7% of the audience correctly identifies the main goal of youth councils: to establish cooperation between local authorities and young people, specifically to incorporate the ideas and suggestions of young people into the city's work plan.

Secondly, local authorities are willing to integrate youth initiatives into their decisions. The following requests are received from self-government bodies, among others:

• a youth council should bea real, not declarative body, which will show the position and opinions of young people,
• authorities do not have the right to ignore decisions made by youth councils,
• young people from youth councils are potential employees of self-government bodies, MPs, and powerful public figures.

Effective innovations in the field of youth policy will not be possible without the active involvement of young people. After all, only young people can influence how effectively their problems will be solved and whether they will be solved at all.

However, according to Yuliia Aleksieienko, Deputy Chairman of Bila Tserkva Youth Council, even the experience of one city illustrates that it is impossible for a single initiative group to address the problems of all young people. Young people are not homogeneous, they have different views and problems. Therefore, the main goal is to consider all the wishes as much as possible, and most importantly – to implement the right of young people to participate in the development of their native city.

Bila Tserkva Youth Council initiated a survey. Its task is to understand the needs of young people, what they require for personal development, the city's development, and the opportunities they would like to have. This will be the basis for further planning of youth councils' activities.

Together, learning to make decisions and take responsibility for them is the best and most correct form of developing democracy.

By implementing socially important initiatives, representatives of youth councils also get considerable space for personal growth.

Participation in youth councils gives young Ukrainians the following opportunities:

✓ influence the decisions of the authorities and generate their own ones,
✓ promote transparent use of funds for the needs of young people,
✓ learn democracy,
✓ implement reformist ideas,
✓ advocate for the interests of young people,
✓ create a comfortable environment for young people in the community,
✓ gain practical experience in project management,
✓ learn leadership and self-improvement,
✓ get a social elevator, etc.

This activity is win-win. After all, the community in which the youth council actively works receives:

• conscious and active youth,
• new promising ideas for community development,
• community promotion,
• an opportunity to assess the real situation among young people,
• personnel reserve for municipal government bodies, educational and cultural institutions, and businesses.

You will never know what you're capable of until you try.

Image (c) Support for youth councils

How do youth councils affect urban development? Examples

Youth councils are always fresh ideas. Even the difficult times of a global pandemic and a full-scale Russian invasion have not changed this fact. Young people are looking for new solutions and opportunities to implement them. And the bigger the challenge, the more options young people offer to overcome it.

For example, after a full-scale invasion, Sumy Youth Council has conducted a series of training sessions on basic first aid skills and is actively involved in the volunteer movement.

Bila Tserkva Youth Council initiated fundraising for the needs of the military. They are actively helping to equip our army with drones, among other efforts.  

Zaporizhzhia Youth Council is implementing Ukrainian Culture Counteroffensive project to preserve national identity and heritage, spread culture, develop respect for the past and understanding of the present.

Despite the occupation of the city, the Mariupol Youth Council has remained active and continues its work during evacuation. On a voluntary basis, young people have joined the All-Ukrainian online educational project “Tangle of Skills” as tutors to assist those who are unable to afford their studies. In addition, they presented a project aimed at promoting the development of youth policy to the President's Office. 

This is not a complete list of events organized and conducted by youth councils. These efforts promote social cohesion, enhance legal awareness, and foster patriotic education among new generations.  

Young people also help solve problems related to education, information and humanitarian policies, and join in supporting the defense forces.

In Dnipro the Youth Council has existed since pre-war times, but it has been most active for the last five years. Among the achievements of young people are the youth employment exchange, the volunteer project “Shot of Revenge,” which raised more than UAH 248,000 for the needs of soldiers, the establishment of a Resource Center for Youth Councils in Dnipro and Luhansk regions, and assistance to IDPs. Most importantly, young people initiated the creation of the “Platform of Youth Public Organizations,” which united 26 organizations. The youth community has already raised more than a million dollars of grant funds for the implementation of humanitarian projects.

Ternopil City Youth Council has been operating for the fourth year and is implementing educational, career guidance, and patriotic projects. At the beginning of a full-scale war, activists conducted training on volunteering, created a service for constantly sending parcels to the front. Ukrainian UP is one of the iconic projects with the slogan “Uprgade the Ukrainian Inside You.” It helps counteract the misinformation spread by Russian propaganda, while also educating young people about Ukrainian history, culture, and the contemporary creators shaping them. Among the speakers, there are also individuals from the Youth Council, including Lastivka, a well-known gunner of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the leader of a public organization.

Thus, a robust youth council signifies not only the successful implementation of initiatives today but also a substantial contribution to the future of the state tomorrow.