Teenagers from Mykolaiv region implemented $25,000 worth of social projects in their communities

Teenagers from Mykolaiv region have implemented their social projects in communities affected by the war. To implement their ideas, they received financial support from the UActive programme partners — $25,000.

This was reported by the savED charitable foundation.

As part of the UActive programme, the participants received special training for 15 weeks, mastered project management skills, and developed ideas for initiatives with mentors. In the new season of UActive, students from five teams in Mykolaiv region received funds to implement their initiatives. Since January 2025, the teenagers have been working on the implementation of their ideas — projects of memory, learning, and leisure centres in communities.

As a result of their work, the «Free» team from the de-occupied village of Novokyivka created an Alley of Memory for the fallen defenders of the Russian-Ukrainian war and updated the historical museum in their gymnasium to display an interactive exhibition about the war in Ukraine.

Teenagers from the village of Lotskyne have set up a school cinema, on the basis of which they have launched a club «FilmART».

«There, students will be able to learn the basics of screenwriting, directing, acting, cinematography and editing. Currently, the students have already created their own documentary about the history of the village and the community during the occupation», the statement reads.

In the village of Chervona Dolyna, teenagers set up a Harry Potter-inspired canteen in the community centre, based on a temporary school. Two other teams of teenagers created physical activity centres in their home communities. The students from the de-occupied village of Peresadivka set up a school space where young people, parents and children can play sports and engage in an active lifestyle.

Representatives of UActive note that in each season of the programme, participants often strive to create relevant public spaces for the residents of their villages and towns — cultural, sports and educational centres.

UActive is an educational programme for teenagers about the development of small communities, which has been implemented by the savED Foundation since 2022. The initiative was initiated by the American non-governmental organisation «Spirit of America», which supports it together with the charity foundation «Together for Ukraine». Since then, 700 schoolchildren from three regions have joined the programme: Kyiv, Chernihiv and Mykolaiv regions. All participants completed the programme's training course, after which they presented their ideas for socially useful projects to a professional jury. Each season, after the pitching, the teams that have developed their projects the best receive seed funding — $5,000 each.

Earlier it was reported that a career guidance training was held for teenagers from different communities in Mykolaiv region. It was aimed at developing young people and local communities, as well as supporting activists who want to contribute to the recovery of the region through their own projects.