The winners will receive from 50 to 100 thousand. UAH: the ninth season of the contest “Time to act, Ukraine!” has started.

On April 10, a new youth space was presented in Baryshevka, Kyiv region. The previous one was destroyed by a direct hit by a Russian missile in March 2022.

It is waiting near the local House of Culture Igor Nechitaylo from the Baryshev Youth Council.

– Entrance to the space – from the other side. We arranged a room in the basement. It is very convenient, it is a shelter, – says Igor.

The destroyed youth hub has been operating since 2021, it was created thanks to grant funds.

– The previous room was half the size. There was absolutely nothing left of him. To restore the youth space, we won a grant at the All-Ukrainian competition of social initiatives “Time to act, Ukraine!” from the “MHP – Communities” Charitable Foundation, – continues Igor Nechitaylo. Invites everyone inside.

Local youth repaired and painted the premises independently. They were also equipped according to their needs. It is spacious inside. Board games and books are placed on the shelves in the recreation area. There are two tables for playing hockey. The walls are decorated with photographs and drawings.

– Books can be taken home, but he brings his own for exchange, – adds Igor.

In the second part of the space there is an area for conferences and watching movies. There are several rows of chairs. Under the side walls – multi-colored armchairs-pillows.

– Local teenagers like to spend evenings here, especially in cold weather. It should be added that we are not only resting here. We also weave camouflage nets for the Armed Forces, make trench candles, volunteer – says Igor Nechitaylo.

Baryshevka Youth Space is one of the winning projects of the All-Ukrainian competition of social initiatives “Time to act, Ukraine!”. And it was here that the ninth season started.

– The competition is designed to eradicate such a phenomenon as the paternalism in the communities that we inherited from the Soviet power. This is when people in cities and villages believe that their problems should be solved by someone else: investors, businesses, deputies. And at the same time, the community devalues ​​its own resources, which it can spend on solving this problem, she said Tatiana Volochai, Director of the Charitable Foundation “MHP – Communities”. – Well, in Baryshevskaya municipality, the youth took the initiative and solved the problem. They created the Youth Program and went to the competition “Time to act, Ukraine!”.

According to Tatyana Volochai, in order for quality projects to appear in society, it is necessary to learn, develop strategic thinking, project management, quality communications, and civic activity.

– And as part of this competition, we give such an opportunity through special educational modules. I am sure that the 9th season of the contest “Time to act, Ukraine!” – this is a litmus test of problems in municipalities and their solutions. It was within the framework of the competition that more than 80 shelters were created in schools, 30 safety classes, and more than 30 public and veteran spaces were equipped. Last year, in the midst of hostilities and the shutdown of the world, 149 initiatives were implemented, – noted the director of the Charitable Foundation “MHP – Communities”.

Over the course of 9 years, the Charitable Fund “MHP – Communities” helped bring more than 600 successful ideas to life. The organizers of the competition say that this year the representatives of the Fund prefer projects for the reintegration and rehabilitation of veterans. They also traditionally support cultural heritage, in particular, local museums. For example, last year in the village of Rakhnovka in the Vinnytsia region, the Foundation helped the museum of Vasyl Stus, purchased the necessary equipment and renovated the shelves.

– Training is an important component of submitting applications for the competition. Because not everyone knows how to fill out the appropriate form, they do not understand how this mechanism works. And it is important for the representatives of the Fund to understand the needs of the society, therefore it is planned to conduct project management training among the participants, – informed Vladimir Panchenko, head of the department of national projects of the “MHP – Communities” Charitable Foundation.

This year, grant funding amounts to UAH 14 million. Co-financing – 50%. That is, if the municipality asks for 100 thousand for the project. hryvnias, then she must find an additional at least 50,000 hryvnias. UAH from local authorities, businesses, other donors through fundraising. This will demonstrate that this project is really important to society, if it is supported not only by the BF “MHP – Community”.

For the competition “Time to act, Ukraine!” projects from the field of medicine, education, public sector, reintegration of veterans are waiting. During the two years of the full-scale war, the “MHP – Communities” charitable fund spent UAH 20 million on similar projects. The community received the same amount from other sources.

Representatives of local self-government bodies, communal institutions, enterprises, organizations, educational institutions, health care and public associations may apply for grants.

When considering applications, the Fund will take into account:

– relevance of the project (why is it important for society?);

– realistic implementation of the idea;

– the quality of the budget and the realism of expenses;

– advancement and constancy.

This year, applications are expected from small municipalities from 13 regions of Ukraine: Vinnytsia, Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Poltava, Sumy, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and Kyiv.

Project proposals for the competition “Time to act, Ukraine!” are accepted until May 12, 2024 on the website “Time to act, Ukraine!”. If you have any questions, the organizers ask you to write to the e-mail address: [email protected]

The winning projects will be presented on June 20, 2024.