On 12 May 2026, as part of the implementation of the project “EU Global Responsible Leadership: Climate Change, Environmental Protection and Humanitarian Aid” (EU_LEAD), supported by the Jean Monnet Action of the Erasmus+ programme, the Youth Summit “YOUR EUROPEAN FUTURE” took place. Alongside the team from APP, the European Youth Ambassadors and the Lviv Bureau for European Integration joined in organising the event. The event began with opening remarks from EU_LEAD project participants Oleg Tsebenko and Olga Ivaschenko, who emphasised the undeniable role of Ukrainian youth in Ukraine’s European path towards the EU and the preservation of democratic values. The EU_LEAD team members emphasised that students’ participation in academic mobility programmes, internships and volunteering opportunities offered by the EU is not only about development and opportunities, but also about resilience in the face of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The event was dedicated to Europe Day, which is celebrated annually in Ukraine on 9 May.
Yulia Katynska, Director of the Lviv Bureau for European Integration, joined in congratulating the international relations students. The Bureau is a unique space that promotes Ukraine’s integration into the European community through the development of partnerships between civil society, government, business and EU institutions. The young people learnt about the Bureau’s main areas of activity, such as: the integration of internally displaced persons into the social and economic life of the region through programmes run by Lviv and the EU; educational events for representatives of local authorities, civil society organisations and business, designed to help them access European resources; establishing partnerships with EU cities and institutions to implement joint projects; support during the war, in particular through fundraising for the UNBROKEN Ukraine Brain Research Centre. It is significant that the event itself took place at the European Integration Hub, which has been operational since February 2025 and is the first such institution in Ukraine, also a result of the work of the Lviv European Integration Bureau team. Yulia Katynska encouraged young people to get involved in the Bureau’s European integration activities, as well as internships and work placements at this unique institution.
In the first part of the Summit, students had the opportunity to hear a message marking Europe Day from Oleksii Lutskevych, Deputy Director and Head of the Negotiation Coordination Division within the European Union Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
The topic of the speech by the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine was dedicated to the negotiation process regarding Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Oleksii LUTSKEVYCH told the students that, at the present stage, Ukraine’s diplomatic service is actively developing a renewed model of its activities and is working intensively on the information, analytical and negotiation components in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war. He highlighted practical case studies on the subject and updates to the regulatory framework in the field of European integration.
The international relations students listened with great enthusiasm to the presentation by Yaroslav Morozov, the national coordinator of the ‘European Youth Ambassadors’ initiative in Ukraine. The expert’s presentation focused on ‘The “European Youth Ambassadors” Initiative: Specifics of Implementation in Ukraine’. Yaroslav highlighted the topic ‘What do ambassadors do and who are they?’. The speaker noted that, in effect, European Youth Ambassadors are ambassadors of European values. There are currently over 160 ambassadors in Ukraine, who together have created the largest national network. The initiative operates in various formats and with different audiences, often in smaller towns where young people have fewer opportunities to learn about the EU and European educational programmes, how to counter disinformation, improve the environment, and so on. On this occasion, Yaroslav Morozov congratulated the Summit participants on Europe Day, noting that the European Union is first and foremost about values, particularly democratic values, which Ukrainians not only uphold but also have a special mission to promote around the world.
Maria Prytula, Head of the Youth Projects Department at the European Youth Capital 2025 Office, also addressed the students. The topic of Ms Prytula’s presentation was ‘Lviv – European Youth Capital: Opportunities for Young People’.
Lviv is the first Ukrainian city to be awarded the title of European Youth Capital 2025, becoming a hub for European dialogue, forums and festivals. Maria Prytula emphasised that the European Youth Capital 2025 Office is focused on implementing over 1,000 projects aimed at safety, development, employment and the active participation of young people in decision-making.
Maria Prytula placed particular emphasis on the city’s seven priorities, which include the following: support for the armed forces; the city’s resilience; an innovative economy; the development of the Unbroken ecosystem and veteran communities; new approaches to culture and education; international cooperation; and social cohesion and good governance.
It was a great honour and a particular pleasure to have Vasyl Romanik, an expert on international cooperation policy at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, speak at the Youth Summit. In his speech, Vasyl emphasised that Ukraine today embodies the true spirit of Europe, both geographically and, most importantly, ideologically. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are defending the security and values of an entire continent – freedom, respect and the right to one’s own identity. ‘Our strength lies in unity with those who share our principles’ – these words of Kyrylo Budanov were quoted by the EC representative.
In addition, Vasyl Romanik recalled the extremely valuable words of Bishop Borys Gudziak, who said that Ukrainians are showing that there are things worth living for and principles worth dying for.
This day, 12 May, was quite symbolic and at the same time deeply moving for Vasyl Romanik, as the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Oksen Lisovyi, was in Brussels on a working visit and met with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Roxana Minzatu.
This is the first high-level dialogue on cooperation in the field of education and skills to take place in Brussels, Vasyl emphasised.
During the meeting, the parties discussed strategic issues regarding the integration of Ukrainian education into the European space, support for Ukrainian children abroad, and the development of professional skills for the future reconstruction of Ukraine.
Vasyl Romanik very aptly noted words that the world had not particularly mentioned until 2022 and which were not popular, but which Russia’s war against the Ukrainian people has brought back into common usage. These words include the following: resilience, courage, existence, survival, ‘Be brave like Ukraine’ and others. In particular, the guest speaker also focused on the potential of human resources and their importance in the country’s recovery process. Human resources are of paramount importance, for without people there can be no technology, and Ukraine’s future—and indeed its present—rests with its young people; they are the driving force behind reforms and Ukraine’s path to European integration.
Bogdan Mirinchik, Chair of the Trade Union Committee for Students and Postgraduates at APP, also took part in the event. In his speech, Bohdan focused on youth policy, its objectives, the key components of the youth strategy, the functioning of youth councils, centres, platforms, and student self-governance bodies, etc. Importantly, Bohdan Mirinchyk presented a comparative analysis of youth policy before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and after 24 February 2022, highlighting, in particular, the main challenges and resilience projects.
The second part of the youth summit was interactive and involved active student participation.
Olga Ivaschenko led an intellectual game, the ‘EU Challenge Box’ quest, where students had the opportunity to demonstrate and test their knowledge of the European Union, its main institutions, the EU Competitiveness Compass, the ‘Re-arming Europe’ plan, and EU leaders. The most active participants were rewarded with sweets and themed prizes.
The second interactive exercise, “A Formula for Peace in Ukraine”, involved teamwork among the students. Each of the five teams had to visualise their own vision of a formula for peace in Ukraine and present it to those present in the form of original posters.
A pleasant bonus for the participants of the intellectual game was sweet gifts from the EU_LEAD project team.
In total, 52 people took part in the “YOUR EUROPEAN FUTURE” European Youth Ambassadors’ Summit, including 43 students from APP University from various regions of Ukraine. The event was organised by the EU_LEAD team – Assoc. Prof. Oleg Tsebenko, Assoc. Prof. Olga Ivaschenko, Senior Lecturer Yulia Vaida, Prof. Yaryna Turchyn and Prof. Teresa Astramovich-Leik. The EU_LEAD project team would like to thank all participants of the event.
For more detailed information about the EU_LEAD project, please visit /eu-lead.
We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.
