SupportFor a country at war, volunteering has become not a luxury but a condition for survival.
When we speak about volunteers, we often imagine experienced people who know how to act in crises, have knowledge, and possess resources.
But in reality, the driving force of the volunteer movement in Ukraine is youth.
It is students, high schoolers, and young professionals who are the first to take on new initiatives, look for fresh forms of help, and are unafraid to make mistakes or start from scratch.
On September 29, Ganna Maiboroda met with students of the Institute of International Relations at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
The topic of the meeting was “The Role of Youth in Volunteer Activities.”
Students asked questions about the challenges and meaning of volunteer work.
During the conversation, it was clear how their energy and curiosity resonated with our daily activities.
Their curiosity, openness, and drive to act became the best proof that the new generation thinks broadly and seeks to change the world around them.
The team of the NGO “All-Ukrainian Association ‘Patriot’” works in various directions:
– providing training in first aid and tactical medicine;
– supplying aid to the military;
– supporting internally displaced persons;
– developing cultural diplomacy.
But all of this only has meaning when there are people nearby who are ready to continue, expand, and strengthen the cause. And today, we see that it is precisely youth who are taking on this role.
Youth are the future — but at the same time, the present.
Your participation in volunteering today is already changing the quality of life for many people. And that is the greatest value.
We thank the Institute of International Relations for the invitation,
and Professor Olha Shpakovych of the Department of Comparative and European Law for organizing the meeting.
Special thanks to the students for their honesty, openness, and sincere interest.
We are confident: those who today reflect on the meaning of volunteerism will tomorrow create new programs, organizations, and initiatives.
And in this lies the key to our victory and the rebuilding of Ukraine.
