Leadership that builds a country: Youth Connect for Ukraine programme concludes in Kyiv

The five-day intensive Youth Connect for Ukraine youth leadership programme has concluded in Kyiv. The project brought together participants aged 16 to 25 from different parts of Ukraine at the relocated Mariupol State University.

In the context of war and the need for reconstruction, the development of human capital is becoming a critically important task. That is why the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Education, Science, and Sports, together with its partners, has created a platform where young people can convert their energy into real social change.

From idea to ecosystem

During the training week (2–6 December 2025), participants went through a full cycle of team building. The programme combined soft skills with rigorous project management. Young leaders learned to build trust, distribute roles, and work as a single, well-coordinated ecosystem.

The key result of the intensive was the development of their own social action projects. The teams went from forming hypotheses to creating the prototypes and fundraising upgrades. Participants mastered the logic of change, tools for finding partners, and preparing grant applications capable of competing for real resources. The strongest concepts will compete for funding from the British Council in Ukraine.

Three pillars of development: Education, Science, Sports

A separate layer of meaning in the programme was the Public Talk trilogy, which reflects the Fund’s priority areas of work. Speakers shared with young people their vision of how their fields influence the country’s sustainability:

• Science: Polina Limina, acting director of Insciense, spoke about critical thinking and a scientific approach to leadership.
• Education: Taras Finikov, member of the Council of the Fund of the President of Ukraine and ambassador of education, emphasised the importance of continuous learning and academic cooperation.
• Sports: Anastasia Klipachenko, Head of the UAF Women’s and Girls’ Football Committee, demonstrated the link between sporting discipline and successful management through her own example.

Young people are the future and the driving force of our present. Investing in their skills today is the key to the competent and systematic recovery of Ukraine tomorrow.

The Youth Connect for Ukraine project was implemented by the British Council in cooperation with the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Education, Science, and Sports. The executive partner in Kyiv was the All-Ukrainian Public Organisation Innovative University.