MykoMrii – Dreams for Mykolaiv

As an 18-year-old, I should be experiencing my first love,” says Oleksandra. “But instead, when the war started, I was given the
responsibility to protect my country. It’s hard, but I know I can make a difference.”

Oleksandra is one of a total of 145 young Ukrainians aged 15-21 who participated in the MykoMrii and KhersonMrii project, organized by our colleagues from the UkrainianDanish Youth House in collaboration with the Ukrainian Leadership Academy. The project aims to enhance young people’s opportunities to engage in the reconstruction of their local communities. Over a month and a half, the Ukrainians received online training in youth leadership, project management, and human rights, before convening for a seminar in Lviv and later in
Copenhagen.

The course has provided them with skills that they can utilize in the future, for instance, concerning participating in reconstruction projects in their respective hometowns. Despite the young Ukrainians’ willingness to make a difference in the reconstruction of their country, increased knowledge and expanded skills may be of great necessity. 45 out of the 145 participants in the project were chosen for a study trip to Denmark in December 2022, during which they visited Danish associations, colleges, and government institutions. On the trip, they learned about topics such as inclusion, democratic formation, and cultural exchange.

10 of the participants was interviewed by the Danish newspaper Politiken, during the visit to Copenhagen, find the full interview here (in Danish)

About the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House

Based in Kyiv, the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House works to strengthen young people’s democratic education, active citizenship, their participation in the reconstruction of Ukraine, and to build bridges across Europe. It is a platform for young people, by young people and with young people, focusing on dialogue, cultural exchange, and youth participation. A young team of employees is responsible for the Youth House’s day-to-day operations, funding, and ongoing support of active young people and organisations in Ukraine, as well as organising courses, cultural projects, and exchange programmes that strengthen the young democracy in Ukraine and Denmark. The youth house was established in 2020 and is run by a consortium of Danish Cultural Institute and the Danish Youth Council with an annual grant of DKK 11 million from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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