Active
Youth Spaces 12–21
Barrier-free spaces for psychosocial support, career guidance, and meaningful leisure activities for adolescents and young people
Goal
Expanding the network of barrier-free youth spaces that provide leisure opportunities, peer-to-peer interaction, and professional psychosocial support for adolescents and young people. The goal is to create safe and inclusive environments for young people aged 12–21 where they can receive support, build community, and realize their potential.
Results
In 2025, the Foundation opened two Youth Spaces in the cities of Khmelnytskyi and Bila Tserkva. In early 2026, another space was opened in Chernihiv. Currently, three youth spaces operate in three regions of Ukraine. In 2026, the Foundation plans to open three additional spaces in Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, and Kropyvnytskyi.
About the Project
Adolescence and early adulthood are among the most important and vulnerable stages in a person’s life. Even in peacetime, these periods involve identity formation and numerous personal challenges. During a full-scale war, they are further complicated by chronic stress, loss, and uncertainty about the future.
In 2025, the Olena Zelenska Foundation launched the Youth Spaces 12–21 project — a network of inclusive physical spaces designed to respond to these challenges.
The spaces combine individual and group psychological support, career guidance, social skills development, and opportunities for meaningful leisure activities.
While developing the model, the Foundation studied international experience, particularly the Headspace Denmark approach, and adapted it to Ukrainian conditions, taking into account wartime challenges, the impact of trauma, and young people’s need for community and long-term support.
The Foundation’s strategic goal is to create a network of Youth Spaces 12–21 in every region of Ukraine.