A focus group consisting of ten women who were displaced to Kovel from different parts of Ukraine due to the war attended a series of interesting events. These events included an English conversation club led by volunteer Rafael from Brazil, a meeting with psychologists from the “ROKADA” Foundation, and a masterclass on mobile phone photography by Denis Mankevich.

The main goal of this event was to raise funds for our defenders, which enable us to have peaceful sleep and the opportunity to live and work, thus supporting our families and ensuring the stability and development of our community and country as a whole. The organizers of the event were NGO “Great Idea” and NGO “Marlog-Caduceus”. 

We managed to raise UAH 92,377. With these funds, we purchased:

• 14 winter sleeping bags totaling UAH 32,890.
• 155 packs of flu medications totaling UAH 15,987.
• 50 tourniquets to stop bleeding totaling UAH 28,500, which will be delivered to us soon.

Additionally, UAH 15,000 were transferred to military personnel from Kovel that were based near Kharkiv in the Kupyansk district for ,military vehicle repairs.

More than 20 partners and over 35 volunteers joined us for the organization of this event.

The goal of the Dozrili is to improve the mental and emotional well-being of activists and contribute to the sustainable development of volunteer communities in Ukraine through mentorship support.

The project aims to establish a crisis-resistant coworking space in Kovel City, which will help young people learn and work in conditions of frequent power outages and potential blackouts.

The purpose of the project is to scale up work in the direction of providing humanitarian aid to needy Ukrainians, to improve the quality of such services, to promote the institutional development of the organization of the volunteer movement in Ukraine.

The processes of the humanitarian logistics center “MARLOG” have been set up to ensure systematic and uninterrupted provision of humanitarian aid to the target audience.

The objective is to conduct a representative sociological survey of youth, including youth with disabilities and youth from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in order to develop a youth development strategy for Kovel City and have it approved during a session of the city council for further use in the creation and implementation of projects.

The project’s objective was to provide support to the volunteers of the NGO “Great Idea,” promote the development of the youth volunteer movement in Ukraine, and teach techniques for preventing emotional burnout.

The project aims to jointly develop four educational programs for youth focusing on the following themes: Culture and Traditions, Intercultural Dialogue, Cultural Diversity, and History. An international team of non-profit organizations is working on the project.

As part of the activities, team members have developed four educational programs for 5-day youth exchanges, with 8 hours of activities per day, including interactive thematic tasks.

In each program, in addition to teaching the chosen theme, the main objectives include developing communication and teamwork skills, promoting discussions and collaboration, as well as fostering values of solidarity and responsibility towards the community, etc.

The project was implemented in partnership with the European Meeting House Nowy Staw Foundation It aimed to enhance intercultural dialogue by creating an environment of openness and tolerance among youth.

Participants reflected on the shared Slavic roots of the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, which played a significant role in shaping cultural values. They developed skills in communication, tolerance, teamwork, and improved their conversational English proficiency.

By emphasizing the commonalities between the two cultures, the project fostered understanding, appreciation, and respect for diversity. It provided a platform for young people to engage in meaningful discussions, exchange ideas, and build connections across borders. Through this project, participants gained valuable intercultural competencies that will contribute to their personal growth and promote intercultural understanding in their communities.

“Leaders of the future 2.0” is an opportunity for 20 young people to join the volunteer club at the youth center, implement their own mini-project and reveal their potential in a team of like-minded people.

The goal of the project is to promote the active participation of young people in the life of the community, the formation of participants as sustainable leaders.

During the three months of the project, the participants underwent a series of trainings on such topics as leadership, project development and management, civic engagement, teamwork, presentation skills, volunteering, etc.

To achieve high results, the participants were helped by some of the best coaches of Ukraine: Viktoriya Klementyeva, Serhii Nyzkohat, Iryna Solodukha, volunteers of the US Peace Corps in Ukraine – Cassidy Cremton, Sara Winter, Hanna Amado, who creatively approached the project and contributed a piece of “themselves” to the development of our leaders

Participants of the “Leaders of the Future” project conducted four full-fledged trainings of their own, in which more than 60 new people took part. Another achievement of the new leaders was the implementation of several projects:

Iryna Kropyvnyk is developing her own Reading Club “LibrocrosS”, and the entire team of graduates unanimously supported the initiative of the Novovolynsk Youth Center “Bring your own cup with you” and is actively developing the idea in Kovel.

The NGO “Great Idea” initiated the establishment of a youth center, communicated with the local authorities, and advocated for the necessity of opening a youth space in the city. They also provided assistance in the documentary registration of the institution. The organization members developed a three-year activity program for the youth center and tested it.
The goal of the youth center is to provide a free space for comprehensive youth development, including socialization and self-realization, promotion of a healthy lifestyle, engagement in activities during leisure time, provision of civic education to youth, and the development of volunteering and increased mobility of young people.
The main achievements of their work include the implementation of 220+ youth projects and events per year, as well as the involvement of over 50 permanent volunteers from among the youth in the organization’s projects.
The youth center operates from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 19:00. The premises of the youth center consist of two rooms, approximately 30 square meters each. One room is equipped for administrative functions of the center, while the other is used for conducting youth events such as trainings, conferences, workshops, meetings, and more. All necessary equipment is available for comfortable implementation of activities both inside the premises and outdoors.

The project was initiated by the NGO “Great Idea” and the Kovel City Center for Social Services for Children, Families, and Youth, together with a volunteer from the Peace Corps USA in Ukraine, Cassidy Crampton.

The training was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, experienced facilitators (trainers) conducted three training blocks corresponding to each topic. The next step involved participants preparing and presenting their own interesting articles and photographs about their hometown, Kovel, and its residents, which were later compiled into newspapers.

The project involved youth from Kovel, aged 16 to 20, who aimed to improve their civic engagement and leadership skills while developing journalism and photography skills.

In Israel, there is a significant problem associated with the illegal migration of foreign nationals, including citizens of Ukraine who have been working illegally in the country. For example, in 2018 alone, Ukrainian citizens submitted 1,765 asylum applications, and 7,730 individuals were repatriated to their home country due to their illegal presence in the State of Israel. Since 2014, over 15,000 people have applied for refugee status, whereas in 2013, there was only one such application.

As part of the implementation of a bilateral agreement signed between the State of Israel and Ukraine on June 7, 2016, employers were prepared to provide 2,000 job positions for official employment of professionals in the construction industry within a year.

The project was organized in collaboration with one of the largest mallst, “PortCity.” A presentation of 150 professions was organized at gaming stations, where over 500 professionals introduced children to the basics of various professions. The participants included over 6,000 children with their parents.

The social-medical project was implemented in collaboration with the NGO “All-Ukrainian Alliance of Ophthalmologists,” Kovel MTMO, and Professor Oksana Vitovska, a doctor of medical sciences. The result was the professional examination and provision of free ophthalmological consultations to 141 patients ranging in age from 4 to 90 years old.

The project was a patriotic, educational, and enlightening initiative. Its goal was to unite the residents of Kovel around the creation of a large embroidered shirt that would fit one of the tallest monuments to the renowned Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko.
The project was launched on August 24, 2017, and the work on the embroidered shirt lasted throughout the year. Over 2,500 people from 26 labor collectives and 13 educational institutions in Kovel joined the effort. The design of the embroidery was developed in Lviv. It took a whopping 42.5 meters of fabric, over 3,000 meters of thread, and more than 100,000 stitches to complete the shirt. The main part of the embroidery measured 180 by 80 centimeters. The project of creating the embroidered shirt was successfully concluded, and the presentation of the finished product took place on August 24, 2018.

The project was organized and carried out by representatives of local businesses and educational institutions in Kovel, together with the Community Club of Kyiv and the Kovel City Council. The main goal of the event was to show children the possibilities of the adult world through career guidance so that everyone could choose a profession they are passionate about and realize their own potential.

This is an entertaining and cultural social project that has been taking place in Kovel for four years before Christams. It is implemented in collaboration with Ukrainian diaspora members from different countries. Over 150 children from Volyn families of affected participants in the armed conflict in the East of Ukriane received individual Christmas gifts, participated in workshops, and took part in entertainment and sports events.

The project involved organizing English language lessons for a group of children of military servicemen who have been affected by the conflict in Eastern Ukraine and reside in the city of Kovel.
It was implemented in collaboration with the Belgian NGO “Angelina Baklan” and the private foreign language school Euro Future.

The goal of the project is to assist in the rehabilitation of families of fallen soldiers. In 2017 and 2018, together with the Israeli NGO “Israeli Friends of Ukraine,” we sent families of fallen soldiers (children with their mothers) to the “Krila” camp in Israel.

The project was implemented by the NGO “Great Idea” with the support of the Kovel City Council and businesses from the Volyn region. It involved over 2,000 children with their parents. Over 300 professionals representing more than 100 different professions participated and taught children the basics of their professions through interactive games.

The area around the police officers, canine handlers, builders, and bankers was particularly crowded. There was a long line of children waiting to experience the future of medicine, eager to give injections or write prescriptions. Professions like sculptors, musicians, artists, real estate agents, choreographers, and trainers were also popular. Some children played chess, while others baked cookies, applied makeup, or danced. Everyone found an activity that they enjoyed.