Youth Connect for Ukraine in Kropyvnytskyi: “Conscious Youth” POP-UP brings education and arts together
A cross-sector POP-UP event took place in Kropyvnytskyi under Youth Connect for Ukraine, titled Youth Connect for Ukraine: Conscious Youth”. Around 175 people joined – young people from across the region alongside civil society and cultural initiatives, local authorities and partner institutions.
The day was designed as a practical meeting point. Participants explored opportunities available to young people, shared their own initiatives and made contacts that could turn into future collaborations. Partner organisations presented their offers, while a youth marketplace showcased projects and community ideas. Plenty of conversations and networking happened in between.
Among the speakers was Kateryna Koltunova, Deputy Head of the Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration, who spoke about the need for sustained, system-level support for young people – and for conditions that make professional and creative self-realisation possible.
A particularly resonant moment came through theatre. The Rovesnyk People’s Amateur Theatre from the Haivoron community staged the youth social performance Nastane den (The Day Will Come). Using an artistic lens, it brought into focus the pressures, lived realities and hopes of young people during wartime.
The event was organised by the NGO Agency for Sustainable Development “Khmarochos”, together with the Rovesnyk theatre collective, in partnership with the Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration and the Kirovohrad Regional Puppet Theatre, within the Youth Connect for Ukraine programme delivered by the British Council in Ukraine. Khmarochos also serves as the programme’s regional partner in Kirovohrad region.