On March 19, 2020, CSR Ukraine, expert organization Center for CSR Development in cooperation with the UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Ukraine held the first introductory webinar for regional partners of the Pact for Youth. About 100 representatives of public organizations and educational centers from different regions of Ukraine joined it to discuss the cooperation and new prospects for the Pact in 2020. From now on, partners can implement the activities within the framework of the Pact in their regions: youth forums and training programs Skills Lab: Own Business and Skills Lab: Successful Career.
According to the Best Employer survey conducted by EY, 37% of young people see a lack of work experience as a key barrier to their employment, and one in six persons aged 18-29 is willing to emigrate abroad in search of better career opportunities.
The Pact for Youth 2020 initiative was launched to unite the efforts of companies, the state, and educational institutions to address the employment challenges of young people in Ukraine. Over the four years of the initiative's existence, the Pact has been signed by 146 employers, 70 of which are actively implementing youth employment programs.
Maryna Saprykina, President of the Center for CSR Development and Pact initiator, says:
“All these years we have been working to make noticeable changes in the lives of Ukrainian young people. The Pact is one of Ukraine’s best initiatives in terms of consistency and effectiveness, which is reaching a new national level this year. We are ready to provide expert assistance, knowledge and experience to regional partners in order to jointly develop our youth and do everything to make sure that young people stay and work in Ukraine.”
Yuliya Novak, Youth and HIV Advisor to the United Nations Population Fund, speaks about the importance of cooperation within the framework of the Pact for Youth. “One of the priorities of our work is building the youth’s capacity. A new stage of the Pact is ahead: work with regional partners. Together with us you will make changes, change yourself, and change stereotypes in the society. The development of social responsibility of business in Ukraine, in particular in your city (community) will require your decisive action and desire to create favorable conditions for young people.”
During the webinar, participants learned about the educational programs for young people to be implemented in partnership. Regional coordinators from different cities of Ukraine spoke about the experience of conducting these programs in 2018-2019, and provided useful recommendations to future partners.
According to Yuriy Bulyk, Regional Coordinator of Skills Lab: Successful Career in Lviv, the program became innovative and helped young people make up their mind about their career preferences. Yuriy advises new partners to carefully select speakers for trainings and give participants an opportunity to work with companies’ HR managers.
Olena Lisova, Regional Coordinator of Skills Lab: Successful Career and Skills Lab: Own Business in Cherkasy, advises organizations to select motivated participants, as this helps to achieve better results. “In Cherkasy, 27 out of 32 participants have reached the end of Skills Lab: Own Business. Young people began to do their own business, some people founded their own public organizations already in the final sessions of the program. Thanks to speed dating with the owners of local companies, young people have found their dream job,” says Olena.
Mykhailo Yurtin, Coordinator of the Skills Lab: Own Business and Skills Lab: Successful Career programs, says that donor organizations in Mariupol are ready to provide financial support to young people. That is why the Skills Lab: Own Business program is a nice complement to their work and has already given the first results.
Thanks to the support, young people have successfully established their own businesses, including the opening of a photo studio and an online store selling confectionery products.
The new partners will start implementing the Pact's programs in their regions after signing a Memorandum on Cooperation.
If you have any questions about the Pact, please contact Taras Derkach, Coordinator of Career Hub: td@csr-ukraine.org, phone: (044) 292 02 48.
