“What Unites Us with the Youth is the Opportunity to Create Social Change in Our Community”

Youth Initiative Banks (YIBs) are an international model that helps active youth create change in their communities.

Since 2021, the National Network for Local Philanthropy Development has been implementing the “Youth Initiative Banks” (YIBs) project. Over this time, together with the National Network for Local Philanthropy Development (Philantropists), 9 Youth Banks have successfully operated across Ukraine. On this journey, local coordinators – mentors – assist the youth.

Each of them has different experiences, ages, and fields of activity, but they all share one goal: to support the formation of conscious and responsible youth in Ukraine.

In this article, we introduce you to 4 current YIB coordinators. We hope their stories will inspire you to try yourself as a mentor too.

Olena G., coordinator of the Youth Initiative Bank of the Hrytsivska community, Khmelnytskyi region. For Olena, this is not her first experience working with youth: for 5 years, she served as the deputy director for educational and extracurricular activities in a local educational institution.

“This year, I have officially worked within the YIB framework: three unforgettable summer projects, which we talk about with great enthusiasm, not only us but also a significant part of the Hrytsivska community.”

Anna from the Boyarska community, Kyiv region, is still a student studying psychology and understands well how important support for youth is.

“For a year, I have been a coordinator of the Boyarka YIB. During this time, we managed to implement two youth project competitions (youth from the community submit their projects to the YIB team. The winners receive funding). Currently, the second competition is ongoing. We have already supported 8 projects, and within the new competition, we aim to select 15. Honestly, it’s a great experience because no such competitions were held for the youth before, and this is a great tool to engage youth to be more initiative and self-organized.”

Maxim, a displaced person from Kharkiv, is actively involved in youth development in the Svitlovodsk community, Kirovohrad region. In just one year, he gathered the YIB team and created a youth council.

“I noticed that no one was working with youth in our community. I took this on. I decided to develop myself and also help the youth grow.”

Liza, who was part of the YIB team as a teenager, has now become a coordinator. She teaches German and works in the “Podilsk Community” foundation.

“Becoming a coordinator was a natural path for us in the Youth Bank. If you’ve volunteered a lot, created something, and are truly passionate about the idea, then this is a natural step forward for you. I felt that I had all this accumulated experience and was ready to share it with new teams.”

• How has the youth in your team changed over the past year in the YIB project?

Olena: “Participants who barely spoke at the beginning of the first year of training (according to the YIB model) are now independently organizing lectures in the local lyceum.”

Anna: “There has been a noticeable increase in the activity of the youth: they are generating more ideas and looking for ways to implement projects and raise funds. They are developing project-oriented thinking: they look at an idea not just as an idea, but also form a budget and see what problem it will solve. Also, when someone has successfully implemented a project, they inspire others to do the same.”

Maxim: “The youth are becoming speakers: they conduct workshops, give lectures. They’re no longer afraid to voice their opinions. And that’s an indicator that a lot can be achieved in just one year. I see results in the youth; they’re growing. Those who didn’t speak before can now defend their interests and express their thoughts.”

Liza: “It’s fascinating to observe this change between how they come to the Youth Bank and how they are, say, six months later. It happens in many different ways. Some come in with a negative attitude: ‘I’m against everything. I don’t like it. Let’s do it differently.’ And over time, these people learn to work in a team. They become calmer leaders, let’s say. Others come in more shy, reluctant to say anything unnecessary, just sit and remain silent. But over time, they open up. They begin to offer ideas. I remember one participant who was with us in the past. He came in very passive. We didn’t expect much from him. But now, he works with the Ukrainian Volunteer Service.”

• What are the responsibilities of a YIB coordinator?

Olena: “We held meetings as often as possible because we always had the goal – to discuss what new ideas and visions there were. What else could we do? When preparing for projects, we gathered the whole team so we could support those whose ideas had been selected for implementation.”

Anna: “It’s not enough to just gather a team and meet only for reporting. You need to maintain the team’s enthusiasm. To convey that you are a team with a structured approach and a common goal. I try to unite them not just within the YIB framework but through other activities as well, so they always feel the connection and cooperation.”

Maxim: “My job is to support the youth and help them implement their projects as best as possible. Now, my team is involved not only in their own projects but also in the youth council, so we communicate every day: we manage social media, create posts. They always know they can turn to me for help.”

Liza: “My job is to monitor everything we planned and what’s happening. Sometimes it’s about pushing the participants to make sure we’re on track – are we on time or not? But in reality, most of the day-to-day managerial duties lie not with me, but with someone from the Youth Bank participants. (This year, all the participants in our team are girls.) We have a tradition where we choose one participant from the Youth Bank to be the project manager for each project. So, my role is more mentorship: to watch over motivation, see if anyone is burning out from work, and come up with interesting activities beyond the program.”

• What is unique about the YIB model?

Olena: “Definitely fundraising! The team understood how to raise additional funds for projects during events. Also, team building: it’s not just communication but working in a team, the ability to distribute responsibilities, and take responsibility.”

Anna: “I believe the YIB model is unique. In YIB, everyone is equal: youth of different ages learn to communicate for a common goal. The model helps realize the value of what you’re doing and creates space for idea generation. I also like that the model involves elements of a grant process and fundraising. Right now, in our Youth Bank, we have 2000/5000 UAH – it’s not a lot, but we’re trying and looking for ways.”

Maxim: “In YIB, projects are focused primarily on youth. And this is a great opportunity for youth to realize themselves.”

Liza: “We have many organizations (youth ones) that are more recreational, let’s say. We just gather, do something, and make it interesting. Or they already have funds, and your job is just to execute it. I’m not saying that’s bad. It’s actually great, and it fits different goals. But the Youth Bank is valuable to me because the youth here are responsible. They know that if they don’t raise funds over the year – there will be no grant competition. They really decide.”

• What qualities should a YIB coordinator have?

Olena: “First of all, be a mentor, a guide, but not the one to implement their ideas. Don’t take on the responsibility that belongs to them. Secondly, don’t judge the youth’s ideas skeptically. You definitely need to consider all the options they suggest. If you think an idea is a total failure, guide them with clarifying questions so they can see for themselves that this idea can’t be implemented at this moment.”

Anna: “First and foremost, responsibility and understanding of why you’re doing this. At the beginning, there might be poor understanding of what the competition is about, how to organize it. But the coordinator can communicate with coordinators from other communities – exchange experiences.”

Maxim: “Communication skills and not being afraid of something new.”

Liza: “Balanced and calm. Working with youth is not always smooth. They can be very emotional or very passive, so it’s important to understand adolescent psychology and be able to handle it. It’s also important to be a natural leader because if the coordinator has doubts, the participants can sense it. It’s also important not to immediately fix everything and expect perfection from others: they are youth, they came to the YIB to learn, so give them the chance to make mistakes, as long as they are not critical.”

• What’s the most challenging aspect of working with youth?

Olena: “When the YIB team consists of graduates who are always busy with exams and tutors. The best age is 9th-10th grade.”

Anna: “It’s important to clearly discuss goals and rules. Teenagers are forming, and they don’t always feel responsible. We’ve had situations where, after agreeing on something, someone wasn’t ready to cooperate. It’s also important for them to feel they are not being used but are a full part of the team