💙 Blue Hearts International Forum in Lublin

On September 7, Lublin became a meeting place for hearts and ideas! It was here that the final event of the two-year Blue Hearts project took place — an international forum that brought together activists, youth workers, and everyone who is making a difference in their communities. The atmosphere combined inspiration, sincere conversations, and new opportunities for cooperation.

The forum program included:
✅ speeches by speakers on IDP support, community strength, and international cooperation;
✅ interactive workshops for sharing experiences and methods of working with displaced persons;
✅ networking and building new partnerships;
✅ presentation of the results of the two-year Blue Hearts project.
The event brought together 40 participants from Ukraine 🇺🇦, Lithuania 🇱🇹, Romania 🇷🇴, and Poland 🇵🇱 who work in the public sector, media, and youth sphere.

A special moment of the forum was the presentation and discussion with participants of two parts of the documentary film Ukraine: Glimpse of Reality, created by Lithuanian partners and friends Tomas Jenkelevič і Eduardas J. Pontežis.

The forum in Lublin was a highlight in the history of Blue Hearts, but at the same time, it marked the beginning of new ideas, partnerships, and projects. Together, we continue to build a world where everyone’s voice is heard and hearts are united.

👉 More about the project: yac.org.ua/blue-hearts

The Blue Hearts project is being implemented AY Institute (Lithuania)🇱🇹, Asociatia CPDIS (Romania)🇷🇴, Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland)🇵🇱, Young Agents of Change (Ukraine)🇺🇦, and funded by the European Union.

Photos: Eduardas J. Pontežis

On June 14–15, a study visit took place in Kyiv, where young activists discussed the challenges faced by IDPs, shared their experiences, and developed joint strategies for integration into communities.

Being among like-minded people is more than just a meeting. It is an opportunity to receive support, a new perspective on problems, advice from colleagues, and inspiration that helps you avoid mistakes in the future and act with more confidence. It was this atmosphere of community that became the main value of the visit.

More details about the developments and ideas can be found in the carousel.

The Blue Hearts project is being implemented AY Institute (Lithuania), Asociatia CPDIS (Romania), Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland), Young Agents of Change (Ukraine) and is funded by the European Union.

On August 9, the final Erasmus+ forum of the Blue Hearts project, organized by the NGO Young Agents of Change, took place in Kyiv. The event brought together 40 activists, youth workers, and everyone who works with communities and young people to share experiences, inspire each other, and look for new opportunities to work together.

What happened at the forum:

Discussion of challenges in working with young people, particularly IDPs, exchange of successful practices and approaches that help to effectively support young people in difficult life circumstances.

Presentation of the results of the Blue Hearts project: implemented initiatives, case studies, and examples of changes that have already taken place in communities thanks to youth participation.

Panel discussions with experts and live communication, where participants had the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences, and find answers to pressing questions related to their work.

Interactive sessions and networking, where new contacts, partnerships, and ideas for future joint projects were formed.

Thanks to the Blue Hearts networking forum, participants gained inspiration for new initiatives, practical tools for working with young people, and opportunities to expand interregional partnerships.

Special thanks to Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine for their support and assistance in organizing the event.

More about the project: https://yac.org.ua/blue-hearts/

We would like to thank all participants who joined the forum and made it a space for inspiration, useful contacts, and change for young people throughout Ukraine!

The Blue Hearts project is being implemented AY Institute (Lithuania), Asociatia CPDIS (Romania), Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland), Young Agents of Change (Ukraine) and is funded by the European Union.

This time, we are pleased to present three important projects that have created space for creativity, communication, and interaction among young people and IDP families.

Each of these projects helped strengthen community ties, provide psychological support, and promote social adaptation.

Mentoring support for youth initiatives is implemented by Young Agents of Change (Ukraine)🇺🇦 as part of the Blue Hearts project in partnership with AY Institute (Lithuania)🇱🇹, Asociatia CPDIS (Romania)🇷🇴, Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland)🇵🇱 and funded by the European Union.

On May 31, 2025, a one-day study visit was held in Zaporizhzhia for community workers who work with youth, including internally displaced persons.

This time, the focus was on forum theater, an interactive method that allows not only to talk about problems, but to live them in a safe space. The training participants tried themselves as spectators and actors, discussed social challenges faced by IDP youth, and looked for ways to overcome them.

You can read the key findings of the visit in the results carousel.

The organizers also prepared a practical memo on how to use forum theater in working with adolescents and young IDPs: https://shorturl.at/6C0LH

The study visits are implemented by Young Agents of Change (Ukraine) within the framework of the international project “Blue Hearts”, with the support of: The AY Institute (Lithuania), Asociatia CPDIS (Romania), Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland), and funding from the European Union.

We are pleased to share with you the results of three initiatives we have implemented to support and integrate internally displaced persons.

Scroll through the carousel and read about the implemented projects that have become an important step towards uniting communities, overcoming stereotypes, and supporting IDPs.

Mentoring support for youth initiatives is implemented by Young Agents of Change (Ukraine)🇺🇦 as part of the Blue Hearts project in partnership with AY Institute (Lithuania)🇱🇹, Asociatia CPDIS (Romania)🇷🇴, Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland)🇵🇱 and funded by the European Union.

This post is part of a series of stories about the initiatives we help implement as part of the international Blue Hearts project.

Young people, especially internally displaced persons, find opportunities for self-expression, emotional recovery and new social connections through creative and community activities. Together we create a safe space where everyone can find support and inspiration

Read more about these initiatives in our carousel!

Mentoring support for youth initiatives is implemented by Young Agents of Change (Ukraine)🇺🇦 as part of the Blue Hearts project in partnership with AY Institute (Lithuania)🇱🇹, Asociatia CPDIS (Romania)🇷🇴, Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland)🇵🇱 and funded by the European Union.

In early February, we started mentoring youth initiatives as part of the two-year Blue Hearts project. This post opens a series of stories about how young people – especially internally displaced people – have implemented their own ideas to create an environment of mutual support, creativity, and acceptance.

The initiatives focus on young people who have lost their homes because of the war, but have not lost their desire to create, be heard, and bring change. That’s why the project team provided mentoring support, resources, and inspiration to help them realize their ideas.

Art workshops, theater performances, art therapy sessions, self-expression and skill development workshops – all these became tools that helped the participants not only find a common language, but also feel part of an active, caring community again.

The initiatives we have supported have shown that even in difficult times, young people have the strength and motivation to unite others, create safe spaces for mutual understanding, and influence positive change in their communities.

The Blue Hearts project is not just about activities. It is about recovery. It’s about how through support, mentoring, and trust you can find confidence, inspiration, and new opportunities for growth.

Read more about the first implemented initiatives in the carousel!

Support for initiatives underway Young Agents of Change (Ukraine)🇺🇦 as part of the Blue Hearts project in partnership with AY Institute (Lithuania)🇱🇹, Asociatia CPDIS (Romania)🇷🇴, Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland)🇵🇱 and is funded by the European Union.

In the spring, students of the Mykolaiv Lyceum “Academy of Children’s Creativity” visited Kyiv region as part of the international project Blue Hearts. For three days, the students learned from the experience of their peers in Kyiv, who have been successfully developing the School Hive initiative, a social business based at the lyceum that combines beekeeping, eco-orientation, and charity.

During the visit, Mykolaiv schoolchildren not only learned the basics of beekeeping and the production of candles, honey, and aroma sachets, but also immersed themselves in teamwork, planning social initiatives, and discussing ways to implement their own business at school.

The joint experience of participating in the Good Deeds Forum in Kyiv, where students organized a fundraising event to support IDPs, was particularly important. In exchange for symbolic donations, visitors received handmade products: honey, candles, beaded jewelry, and embroidery.

🎨 Inspired by what they had seen and experienced, Mykolaiv students decided to create their own initiative, the Creative Beehive. The goal is to make creative products, engage peers in socially important topics, and support those in need.

The first step of the new project was a Day of Mental Recovery, organized together with the School Hive team for more than 50 children from the 7fields social and psychological project, most of whom are IDPs and children from families of killed or missing soldiers.

The event featured thematic workshops on folk art, apitherapy, and aromatherapy:
– creating motanka dolls,
– Tavrian decorative painting,
– making wax candles,
– creating Florentine aroma sachets.

The Creative Beehive project is more than just a school initiative. It is about how big things are born out of small ideas, and how ordinary teenagers become real agents of change in their communities.

📘 Read more about the initiative in the information booklet.

The study visits are implemented by Young Agents of Change (Ukraine)🇺🇦 as part of the Blue Hearts project in partnership with AY Institute (Lithuania)🇱🇹, Asociatia CPDIS (Romania)🇷🇴, Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland)🇵🇱 and funded by the European Union.

The participants of the “City of Changes: Youth Synergy for Community Development” training, held in June in Novovolynsk, organized two significant events that brought together more than 30 people, including IDPs!

Pre-medical assistance event

Young people learned to provide first aid in critical situations. Under the guidance of experts, the participants learned how to act in case of wounds, bleeding and injuries. The main goal is to teach the correct actions that can save lives before the arrival of medics. After the theoretical part, practice took place, where everyone had the opportunity to consolidate the acquired knowledge. The event was held on the Summer stage, which made it possible to make it available to everyone.

Youth trample

This is a cultural event that united young people in the western mining town who moved here from the eastern part of Ukraine. First, the participants learned more about the history of the word “trempel”, and then together they created a joint picture, where everyone left a part of themselves. After that, there was a party with songs, live music and watching a movie under the open sky. It was an event about creativity, unity and enjoyment of communication with like-minded people.

The events were organized by the initiative group of Novovolynsk youth and mentor Daryna Lynnyk as part of the “Blue Hearts” project, which is implemented by the AY Institute (Lithuania), Asociatia CPDIS (Romania), Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland) and Young Agents of Change (Ukraine), and is financed European Union.

#МолодьТворитьЗміни #BlueHearts #ErasmusPlus #ГромадськіІніціативи #Нововолинськ

We are pleased to announce the release of our new guide, How to engage and benefit displaced people through youth work?

This comprehensive guide is designed to help youth workers effectively integrate and support displaced people in their communities. It offers practical strategies, insightful advice and inspiring stories to ensure that everyone can contribute to and benefit from youth work.

You can download the manual at the following link:

https://shorturl.at/0uYeW

https://shorturl.at/QqSgM

The guide was created as part of the Blue Hearts project, which is implemented by the AY Institute (Lithuania), Asociatia CPDIS (Romania), Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland) and Young Agents of Change (Ukraine), and is financed by the European Union.

#BlueHearts #ErasmusPlus #Handbook

On July 5, within the framework of our “Blue Hearts” project, the “City of Changes: Youth Synergy for Community Development” training took place in Novovolynsk, which brought together 23 young people from the city and surrounding villages, including 10 internally displaced persons.

The purpose of the training was to involve local youth of the Novovolinsk community and internally displaced persons in project management, fundraising and communications in order to promote cooperation and synergy in the community.

The participants of the event learned about the goals and achievements of the “Blue Hearts” project and increased their awareness of the values ​​and institutions of the European Union. Together with the cool speakers of the event: Serhiy Kornylyuk, Diana Mazurok, Dmytro Hynalyuk – young people acquired new knowledge and skills in project management, public speaking and communications.

Throughout the event, young people developed ideas for their own social initiatives that they would like to implement in the community. Based on the results of the pitching and evaluation by the jury, three winners were determined, who will receive financial and mentoring support from the organizers to implement their projects by the end of summer 2024.

We would like to thank the training coordinator Daryna Lynnyk and the partners of the event: Youth Center 4.0 / Novovolynsk and NGO “Youth Sails” for providing young people with the opportunity for self-development and implementation of their ideas.

The training was held within the framework of the Blue Hearts project, which is implemented by the AY Institute (Lithuania), Asociatia CPDIS (Romania), Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland) and Young Agents of Change (Ukraine), and is financed by the European Union.

#МістоЗмін #Нововолинськ #ErasmusPlus #BlueHearts

The training “Volunteering from a new angle” as part of the Erasmus+ “Blue Hearts” project was held on June 15 with the aim of increasing the interest of Stryi youth in volunteering.

The participants of the event were 24 young people aged 16 to 25, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) who currently live in the Stryi community.

The training program included a variety of activities, from the presentation of the goals and achievements of the “Blue Hearts” project and discussions on the topic of volunteering as a tool for social change and its role in the career development of young people, to practical workshops and cases.

The block dedicated to the development of initiatives to solve social problems was particularly important, where participants in working groups discussed the most pressing problems of the community and proposed concrete solutions. The practical part helped young people feel their ability to influence changes in the community.

The feedback from the participants was extremely positive, many expressed their desire to participate in similar events in the future. Thank you to everyone who participated in the organization and conduct of the training. Ahead – new interesting events and opportunities!

The coordination of the training was carried out by youth worker Anna Karnaukhova, an active participant of the “Blue Hearts” project.

The training was conducted within the framework of the Blue Hearts project, which is implemented by the AY Institute (Lithuania), Asociatia CPDIS (Romania), Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland) and Young Agents of Change (Ukraine), and is financed by the European Union.

#BlueHearts #ErasmusPlus