Empowering Ukrainian students to rebuild their communities
Ukraine
Since the COVID pandemic, followed by Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian students have been isolated, lacking opportunities to interact or learn in-person.
One in seven schools has been destroyed, and millions of children have experienced violence, loss of family members, displacement, and a disrupted education.
In 2022, Spirit of America funded and developed the UActive program in partnership with the Ukrainian nonprofit savED.
UActive is a civic education program designed for students in grades 8-11 who aspire to make a positive impact on their communities.
The UActive pilot program began as an 8-week training component focused on empowering students to develop ideas on how to create positive change in their schools and communities. At the end of the training curriculum, students pitch their ideas and compete for microgrants to fulfill their envisioned projects.
Today, UActive runs as a full academic year program.
Today, the UActive program is in 40 schools in 4 war-affected regions. And, it has supported 85 communities across Ukraine in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions.
Over 1,000 teenage participants have completed the UActive program.
The inspirational UActive program demonstrates how the younger generation can be a driver of a free, democratic, and vibrant Ukraine — preparing the next generation of leaders as they develop innovative ways to restore their communities that have been devastated by Russia’s war.
