During May and June 2025, a survey was conducted in Mykolaiv with the aim of gathering young people’s opinions on their needs, challenges and opportunities for development.
The survey involved city residents aged 14 to 35. In open and closed-ended questions, they shared their views on the situation in the city, their expectations, and their level of readiness to participate in social processes.
It became clearer:
- where young people feel the greatest need for change;
- which infrastructure, economic, and security challenges are considered the most pressing;
- how important support, community, and prospects are.
The main topics discussed were:
- Youth infrastructure — lack of spaces for meetings, leisure, learning and implementing ideas.
- Economic instability — difficulties with employment, low wages, limited access to financing.
- Security situation — shelling, drug trafficking, traffic violations, lack of shelters.
- Distrust of institutions — scepticism about the effectiveness of youth councils, formal approach to initiatives.
- Limited opportunities for participation — lack of support from the authorities, insufficient awareness.
- Educational demand — interest in training programmes, skills development, and mentoring support.
- Motivation for change.
Detailed results of the study can be viewed here.
ℹ️ The survey was conducted as part of the Youth Focal Points | Youth Coordinators in Working Groups on Public Safety and Recovery programme within the EU and UNDP flagship partnership EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine and co-financed by the Government of Denmark.
