January in the Voznesenska community was full of events that laid the foundation for big changes. During the month, we explored the needs of the new generation, strengthened partnerships with local authorities, and hosted high-ranking international guests. We bring to your attention the key events of the first month of the year.

What young people think: Youth Bank conducted a large-scale survey on leisure activities in the city

The Youth Bank of Initiatives team conducted a comprehensive study, the main goal of which was to hear the voice of the new generation of Voznesensk. It was important for the organizers to learn about the real needs, interests and understand what exactly boys and girls lack for comfortable rest, development and self-realization. The questionnaire covered different corners of the community. The most active were residents of the Third District, who made up more than forty-three percent of all respondents. Residents of Lagery, Tsentr, Zeleny hai, Natyaghaylivka, Bolgarka and the Pryamoe microdistrict also demonstrated an active position. The results showed that almost half of young people try to spend their free time walking in the fresh air. A significant part devotes themselves to creativity and sports, and only a small number of respondents choose passive rest at home or devote this time to additional education. The most important conclusion of the study is that the city is acutely lacking modern thematic locations and spaces. Young people openly shared their dreams of computer clubs, educational hubs, and even original establishments, such as a cafe with cats. The Youth Bank team is already analyzing these responses. The results will serve as the basis for developing future grant competitions and creating new cool locations in Voznesensk.

A new level of cooperation: a memorandum was signed with the mayor

An important step for the development of youth policy was the official signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Youth Bank of Initiatives and the mayor of Voznesensk, Yevhen Velychko. This agreement opens up new opportunities for active residents of our city. The main result of this partnership will be the joint launch of a competition for youth projects. The main goal of the upcoming competition is to support cool and creative ideas of the new generation aimed at making Voznesensk safer, more modern and more comfortable to live in. We believe that young ideas can bring real and qualitative changes to the lives of the entire community.

Visit of UNDP and the Government of Denmark: focus on recovery and supporting people

At the end of the month, the Voznesensk community was visited by a distinguished guest, the UNDP Regional Recovery Manager in Ukraine, Ana Lukatela. This visit was entirely dedicated to reviewing projects and initiatives that are successfully implemented in our city with the support of international partners and the Government of Denmark. The program was as people-oriented as possible and studying their real needs. The visit began with a warm and frank meeting with veterans in the Veteran Family Hub space, where they discussed complex issues of employment, self-employment, and adaptation of defenders to civilian life. The next stop was the Adult Education Center. The UNDP manager inspected modern offices where internally displaced persons, veterans, and their family members receive new professions, undergo retraining, and take the first steps toward starting a new life. The guest talked with course participants directly during classes and highly appreciated the practical benefits of the project. The visit ended with a meeting in the modern youth space "VidNOVA:UA", which is a platform for learning, dialogue and implementation of ideas. This space operates within the framework of a large program of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Youth Center and UNDP with the support of the governments of Denmark and Japan. We are sincerely grateful to international partners for the consistent support that helps Voznesensk confidently move on the path of recovery.

#AnthillChange #impulse #impulseForNGO #VoznesenskaCommunityFund ​

February news digest: analysis of youth needs and raising 80,000 hryvnias for new projects

February was a month of deep analytics and big financial wins for our team. We converted community ideas into real plans, and also attracted significant grant support that will help bring the boldest ideas of our new generation to life. We invite you to learn about the main achievements of the reporting month.

From words to actions: how youth survey results kick off a new project competition

On February 10, a detailed analysis of the results of a large-scale analysis of the needs of the youth of our community took place. During the working meeting, the curators carefully processed all the collected data, highlighting the most pressing problems that concern the boys and girls of Voznesensk. This analysis made it possible to clearly understand what the next steps should be to improve youth infrastructure and leisure in the city. The results obtained did not just lie "on the shelf", but became a real guide. It was on the basis of the identified needs of the community that the team prepared and launched the long-awaited project competition. This initiative is aimed at financial and mentoring support for youth initiatives, where each active resident will be able to propose and implement their own idea that will make life in the city more comfortable.

Victory in the grant competition: 80,000 hryvnias raised for youth initiatives

The second half of February was spent in intensive teamwork to attract additional resources. For almost three weeks, the preparation and submission of a grant application for the small grants competition “Energy of Change: Contribution to the Future of Communities” from the National Network for the Development of Local Philanthropy continued. The main goal of this campaign was to find financial support for the activities of the Youth Bank of Initiatives and to ensure high-quality co-financing of future youth ideas. The team's efforts brought excellent results. The grant application was successfully submitted and officially supported for funding. Our community received eighty thousand hryvnias, which will be fully directed to holding a project competition for youth. This is a significant contribution to the future of the city, which will allow us to turn the cool ideas of our youth into real and successful cases.

#AnthillChange #impulse #impulseForNGO #VoznesenskaCommunityFund ​

March was a month of entering the big arena for the Youth Bank of Initiatives. After two months of careful analysis and planning, we finally launched a large-scale project for the youth of Voznesensk. This month will be remembered for dozens of meetings, the burning eyes of schoolchildren, and the beginning of practical training for future community changemakers.

Launch of the second grant project and major planning

It all started at the beginning of the month with a big strategic session. The Youth Bank team came together to work out plans for the near future in detail, generate fresh ideas, and prioritize initiatives that will soon become a reality. This meeting laid a solid foundation for the main event of the spring: on March 8, the team successfully launched its second grant project. Preparation for this event lasted two months, during which the participants developed the concept, planned the implementation stages, and prepared documentation. Thanks to joint efforts, the city received a high-quality tool for supporting youth ideas, which opens up real opportunities for every active teenager in our community.

School Marathon: How MBI's Information Campaign Reached Nearly 100 Leaders

Immediately after the start of the competition, the team went directly to those for whom this project was created - the students of Voznesensk. During the second half of March, representatives of the Youth Bank conducted a large-scale information campaign in the city's educational institutions. A real marathon of meetings covered schools number three, five, six and eight. During the visits, the organizers presented the grant competition, told in detail how to turn your own dream into a real application, and how to obtain funding to improve your city. The atmosphere in each class was incredible: schoolchildren actively asked questions, shared their first creative ideas and demonstrated a sincere desire to act. In total, during these meetings, about a hundred enterprising boys and girls of Voznesensk learned about new opportunities, who are now ready to change the space around them.

Tools for Success: Registration Now Open for Project Writing Training

We understand that having a good idea is only half the battle; it also needs to be properly formalized. That is why on March 25, the Youth Bank team announced the opening of registration for a specialized training in project writing. This event is aimed at both individual participants who are just planning to submit their ideas for a grant competition, and already formed teams that are eager to act but do not yet have experience implementing such initiatives. The training will allow you to improve your project management skills, structure your own thoughts, and prepare for public pitching. The MBI team is ready to support young leaders at every stage, helping to adapt ideas to grant requirements. Registration for the training continues until April 2.

The competition is held by the team of the Youth Bank of Initiatives of the Voznesensk Community Foundation with the support of the National Network for the Development of Local Philanthropy "Philanthropy" based on the results of the competition for small grant projects "Energy of Change: Contribution to the Future of the Community" within the framework of the project "Youth Banks of Initiatives", which is implemented with the support of the Fondation de France.

#AnthillChange #impulse #impulseForNGO #VoznesenskaCommunityFund ​

April was a month of intensive learning and transforming ideas into clear plans. The main focus of the Youth Bank of Initiatives team was to provide young people with practical tools for writing quality applications. We helped participants structure their ideas so that very soon the city would see new cool projects created by the teenagers themselves.

Project workshop: how twenty active residents conquered grant management

On April 3, the Youth Bank team held a large-scale practical training on writing grant projects, which brought together twenty of the most active young people in our community. This event was a logical continuation of the March information campaign and brought together teams that really strive for real changes in their city. During the training, the participants analyzed in detail the "anatomy" of a successful project application. They learned about the basic principles of document preparation, received explanations about the logical structure of the project, learned how to correctly formulate the goal, objectives, and calculate a realistic budget. A feature of the training was that the theory immediately turned into practice: teenagers worked in teams, completed interactive tasks, and learned to present their thoughts. And during a warm coffee break, the participants had a great opportunity to relax, chat in an informal atmosphere, and find new like-minded people. Now, after the application phase is complete, the teams face their next serious challenge — a public pitch to present their ideas.

Expanding the boundaries: an additional wave of informing educational institutions

Immediately after the successful training, the Youth Bank team decided not to slow down and carried out additional information work. The curators once again visited individual educational institutions in Voznesensk to further talk about the opportunities offered by the grant competition. This step allowed them to attract new participants who hesitated or did not have time to join earlier, and also significantly increased the general awareness of young people about what project activities are and how they work. Thanks to such targeted support, even more teenagers believed that their ideas matter, and the Youth Bank is always ready to lend a mentoring shoulder on the way to results.

The competition is held by the team of the Youth Bank of Initiatives of the Voznesensk Community Foundation with the support of the National Network for the Development of Local Philanthropy "Philanthropy" based on the results of the competition for small grant projects "Energy of Change: Contribution to the Future of the Community" within the framework of the project "Youth Banks of Initiatives", which is implemented with the support of the Fondation de France.

#AnthillChange #impulse #impulseForNGO #VoznesenskaCommunityFund ​

May was the culminating and most emotional month for the entire team of the Youth Bank of Initiatives and Youth of Voznesensk. Hundreds of hours of preparation, writing grant applications, and experiences were left behind. It was in May that we finally saw the results of this large-scale work: thirteen strong teams came out to defend their ideas, and the city learned the names of five winners who received financial support to realize their own dreams.

Protecting ideas for a million emotions: how the big project pitching took place

On May 10, a long-awaited event took place in Voznesensk - a public pitching of projects by teams participating in the grant competition. The esteemed jury faced a difficult challenge, as thirteen ambitious and excellently prepared teams presented their ideas. The young changemakers confidently spoke about the relevance of their ideas, set a clear goal, and calculated the expected results. No presentation was similar to the other: the topics of ideas covered a wide variety of areas of city life - from rescuing stray animals and environmental initiatives to improving road safety and creating new creative spaces for youth. The jury was sincerely impressed by the level of preparation and courage of each participant. A pleasant bonus for all those present was the opening of a small, cozy cafe right at the event location. Participants, support groups, and guests were able to take a breather after the exciting performances, exchange impressions, enjoy aromatic coffee and snacks, and feel like part of a large and friendly community.

78 participants and 94,000 hryvnias: announcement of the competition results

On May 12, the city was shaken by an incredible wave of emotions, as the Youth Bank team officially announced the results of the youth initiative competition. This competition brought together seventy-eight active participants, each of whom sought to make their native community better. It was extremely difficult to evaluate the works, but the experts chose the five most convincing and creative winning projects. The total budget of the competition was ninety-four thousand hryvnias, and all these funds were fully directed to financing the ideas of the new generation.

Meet our winners and their initiatives:

• "Step by Step" is an extremely important project to create an inclusive space for sports and physical activities. Here, children with special educational needs will be able to have fun and spend time with their peers, and teachers and parents will receive special training on inclusive approaches in sports.
• "Traffic rules training ground" from Gymnasium No. 4 is an interactive and safe space where children will learn traffic rules through practice, games, road models, and simulations of real road situations.
• "Youth Space" from Gymnasium No. 5 is a modern youth space created for informal communication, vibrant leisure, comprehensive development of students, and the formation of a powerful team of youth leaders.
• "Team Up" from Gymnasium No. 5 is a project that, through exciting team games, trainings, quests, and sports competitions, will unite students, teachers, and parents, helping to develop mutual trust and team spirit.
• "Cinema Pavilion with a Soul" is an initiative that involves the restoration of the cinema pavilion and the organization of film screenings in the summer FanZone in the Sichova Slava Park. The project will become a wonderful space for joint leisure, support for youth, integration of internally displaced persons, and development of volunteerism through art.

The competition is held by the team of the Youth Bank of Initiatives of the Voznesensk Community Foundation with the support of the National Network for the Development of Local Philanthropy "Philanthropy" based on the results of the competition for small grant projects "Energy of Change: Contribution to the Future of the Community" within the framework of the project "Youth Banks of Initiatives", which is implemented with the support of the Fondation de France.

#AnthillChange #impulse #impulseForNGO #VoznesenskaCommunityFund ​

June was a month of harvesting the first fruits and actively expanding horizons for the Youth Bank of Initiatives. While the winning projects we supported reported on their real successes in the community, the MBI team itself actively traveled around the country, learned from the experience of colleagues in Lviv and Mykolaiv, and inspired young people to create new large-scale initiatives directly in Voznesensk.

First results: successful reports of winning school projects

On June 5, the Youth Bank team visited Gymnasium No. 5, where students and teachers officially reported on the implementation of two grant initiatives at once. The first project, called "Youth Space," allowed for the creation of a comfortable zone where schoolchildren can now have fun spending breaks, socializing, and playing board games. The second initiative, "Team Up," focused on organizing active leisure in the fresh air, which helped children develop team spirit through outdoor activities. A few days later, on June 10, the "Step by Step" project team also presented its successful report. The participants shared their achievements in the field of inclusion development and talked about their plans for the further development of their very important initiative. All presentations proved that the youth of Voznesensk can not only dream, but also bring what they have started to a great result.

Experience exchange marathon: from Danish initiatives in Mykolaiv to the all-Ukrainian conference in Lviv

June was remembered for a large number of trips for learning and inspiration. On June 6, the MBI team visited the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House in Mykolaiv, created with the support of the Danish Government. Our activists got acquainted in detail with the work of this modern space, learned about new programs for youth, and agreed on the prospects for further cooperation. By the way, these activities are taking place within the framework of the Southern Outpost project of the Voznesensk Community Foundation, funded by the Grant Agreement between the C.S. Motta Foundation and ISAR Unity. On June 22, the MBI team left for Lviv for a large two-day conference. This event brought together representatives of youth movements from all over Ukraine. Our team returned home with a powerful baggage of new practices, useful partnerships, and great motivation to develop their hometown. And a pleasant end to this marathon of trips was a visit on June 28 to a warm and colorful charity fair in the city of Rakovo, where the team was able to have a great rest and recharge with positivity.

The birth of a new dream: a visit from Danish partners and an ambitious sketch near the House of Culture

On June 30, an important meeting was held with representatives of the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House, who visited Voznesensk on a return visit. We discussed the possibilities of our youth participating in all-Ukrainian trainings, cultural events, and youth exchanges. The highlight of the meeting was the presentation by the representatives of our Youth Council. The girls presented a bold idea of ​​creating a modern street space near the House of Culture - the place where most teenagers in the community gather today. So far, this is just a sketch on paper, but the youth clearly see this location as comfortable and modern. The plans for the future space include: an original art object in the shape of the Eiffel Tower; a stylish fountain and cozy areas for relaxing in the shade; modern street swings for socializing. To implement this large-scale idea, the youth, based on the results of the meeting, are already preparing a project application to seek funding from the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House. Most importantly, the initiative has already secured the full support of the Voznesensk City Council, which is ready to help with resources and involve local businesses. When youth, authorities, community, and donors act as one team, even the wildest dreams become reality!

Our grant competitions are held by the Youth Bank of Initiatives team of the Voznesensk Community Foundation with the support of the National Network for the Development of Local Philanthropy "Philanthropy" based on the results of the competition for small grant projects "Energy of Change: Contribution to the Future of the Community" within the framework of the "Youth Banks of Initiatives" project, which is implemented with the support of the Fondation de France.

#AnthillChange #impulse #impulseForNGO #VoznesenskaCommunityFund ​