Picture this: You’re a teenager living amidst war. You face daily attacks from Russian drones and missiles, electricity blackouts for hours at a time, and a shaky, uncertain future. What would you do in this situation?
As Russia’s brutal, full-scale war on Ukraine enters its third year, Spirit of America invites you to take a peek into the lives of four brave and inspiring Ukrainian teenagers — Olesia, Victor, Marharyta, and Yevhenii — who are turning loss into leadership and rebuilding their communities through the UActive program.
Spirit of America developed and funded UActive with the Ukrainian nonprofit savED in 2022. Through UActive, high school students in frontline or formerly occupied territories are taught leadership, entrepreneurship, civics, planning, and project management skills. They are empowered to come up with projects that will improve their schools and neighborhoods, and their ideas are awarded micro-grants that then fund the projects they come up with. As a result, integral community spaces such as youth hubs, theaters, sports fields, and cultural venues are being restored.
These efforts demonstrate how the younger generation can be a driver of a free, democratic, and vibrant Ukraine — preparing the next generation of leaders.
“I see my future in Ukraine and I dream of making a better life in our country.”
– Victor Polovchuk, UActive alumnus
With your support, the UActive program can meet its $550,000 goal to expand to more schools, students, and communities in need, in hard-hit towns and villages behind the front lines.
Your generosity can shape a brighter tomorrow for Ukrainian high schoolers. Can they count on you to support UActive today?
Grant Peehler joined Spirit of America in April 2022 as a Regional Program Manager for Europe. Before joining Spirit of America, he served for ten years in the military with the United States Marine Corps.
