To celebrate International Youth Day, the USAID HOVERLA Activity has launched a series of stories called "Sparking the Stars" about young people shaping their communities.

Young, proactive residents who stay in their hometowns or villages and contribute to their development are the rising stars and the lifeblood of the community. To make this happen, we need to create opportunities to make them want to stay and be involved. This is a key focus of the USAID HOVERLA Activity, which has extensive experience and achievements in engaging young people in local government.

Here are some key figures:

120+ young people completed internships in 39 communities, with 17 securing employment.

600+ young individuals from 40 communities gained knowledge and skills for working in youth councils. In the Yasinia community, they plan to officially appoint the head of the youth council as a Youth Advisor.

170+ young people underwent training for youth workers and advocacy. As a result, a youth center is opening in Sarny (Rivne), and a youth worker position has been introduced. A similar position has been created in Dobroslav (Odesa Oblast), and the communities of Rokytne (Rivne), Irshava and Velykyi Bychkiv (Zakarpattia), and Shatsk (Volyn) are following suit.

200 teenagers from 20 communities completed training in project management and interaction with local authorities, developing 35 projects. This video course (How to Create Projects in Communities) is now available on Diia.Education platform.

Behind these numbers are real stories of young people who paved the way and through their motivation, ideas, and actions, are transforming their communities. Read the first story about how the Korets community employed four young people within just a few weeks thanks to the USAID HOVERLA Activity’s youth internship program, and how a 20-year-old intern is already developing youth spaces and promoting the rich history of her region at the local history museum.