Youth Leadership through Football Schools: Volunteerism and Resilience in Ukraine

About the project

This project is based on the notion that war-affected Ukrainian youths are not just powerless victims of their circumstances, but have significant potential to become agents of change – if provided with the right tools and the right outlet.

Cross Cultures Project Association (CCPA) has built a large-scale, cross-sector volunteer network across Ukraine since 2007. When the Russian invasion started, their work focused on improving child protection and offering psychosocial support. This project aims to strengthen the already existing network of volunteers. This is done by training young women and men to organize and execute football activities.

Beyond its standalone impact, the project also plays a crucial role in a bridge program connecting Ukrainian refugees in Denmark with their counterparts back in Ukraine. Therefore, the project aims to:

• Establish youth-led hubs in 18 regions of Ukraine.
• Empower 72 individuals (ages 18-25) and 106 young people (ages 16-23) through a coaching seminar. This will enable them to organize psychosocial activities for 5000 children and fellow youths.
• Foster connections between young Ukrainian war refugees in Slagelse Municipality and Ukrainian youth, as well as professionals in the youth and children’s sector.

This project is supported by New Cooperation Mechanism.

Involved organisations

Cross Cultures Project Association (CCPA) is an international alliance advocating for peaceful coexistence, gender equality, and social improvements through sports and meaningful dialogues.

Ukraine Association of Football (UAF) is the supreme governing body for football in Ukraine. It manages the Ukrainian football divisions and the national team and is headquartered in Kyiv. The federation was founded in 1991 when Ukraine gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

All Ukrainian Foundation for Children’s Rights (AUFCR) is an NGO for children’s rights protection in Ukraine. The Objective of AUFCR is the promotion of collection, generalization and analysis of information about the situation of children in Ukraine, coordination of work in the area of childhood protection, and the realization of the projects, directed at the implementation of the legislative, social and institutional initiatives for the complete ensuring of the children’s rights.