EU Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Programme repurposed €2 million to support Ukraine

European Union reacts to the dramatic situation in Ukraine by repurposing recently in the Eastern Partnership countries launched EU4Youth Programme Phase III Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship and assigning €2,000,000 to initiatives specifically addressing war-generated social challenges in Ukraine.

Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, the continuous war in a country, losses of human lives, injuries, war traumas, devastating economic losses, destructions, flood of war refugees from Ukraine have dramatically changed the demographic situation, social and economic environment in Ukraine. More than 4.8 million jobs have been lost, around 50 percent of enterprises completely ceased or planning to close their business, reported feelings of depression and nervousness reached two‑thirds of the population. These challenges and immediate war-related population needs, besides those covered by humanitarian aid, require urgent solutions.

In response to these needs, European Commission and Central Project Management Agency (Lithuania) signed the addendum of the European Union co-funded EU4Youth Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Programmeallowing for full release of €2,000,000 funding to initiatives in Ukraine for building societal and economic resilience to war-generated impacts.

Re-purposing of the Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Programme opens opportunity to directly address massive challenges by bringing well targeted specific initiatives envisaged for Ukraine consisting of direct grants to non-profit organisations in the following areas:

• Employment and entrepreneurship mainly targeting internally displaced young people and businesses – support in employment processes, career guidance services, re-training, promotion of self-employment and advise on relocating.
• Rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-combatants into social life through participation in formal and non-formal training as well as provision of psychological/psychiatric assistance.
• Support for the establishment and/or functioning of support systems for mental, psychological health and related social assistance provided both by engaging youth workers and volunteers, and for young people who have been confronted with direct violence, trauma of displacement, loss of guardians, other psychological distress. 
• Youth mobilisation and engagement – direct support to youth organisations engaging young people in humanitarian and other civilian community support.

The first direct grant project ‘EU4Youth Phase III Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship – Support for internally displaced persons and youth entrepreneurs‘ is implemented with the aim to provide a support by specific practical tools, which will make an impact immediately: career counselling and support at all stages of employment, provided in 10 regional hubs; professional retraining programs; online platform for collecting information and connecting entrepreneurs; direct financial support (micro grants of €2000) for small enterprises, which will help fifty businesses to resume the production of goods and services, to restore regular activities and to develop business sustainably.