A project that amplifies the voices of young veterans and volunteers in Ukraine

“Voices of Defenders” is a long-term Ukrainian-Danish project aimed to support agents of social change in Ukraine: young defenders and war volunteers. The YMCA Lviv team is implementing it together with KFUM og KFUK i Danmark, with funding from CISU (Civil Society in Development), Denmark. The project launched in February 2025 and will run until February 2028. However, we hope to continue the work we are beginning here — because the need has existed, exists now, and will continue to exist in the future.

The comprehensive support provided by the “Voices of Defenders” project for young veterans and volunteers (aged 19–35) combines four key areas: reintegration, capacity, advocacy for rights, and the creation of a safe environment.

Project activities include:

  • publishing collections of veteran and volunteer novels with translations into Danish and English;

  • sharing the open-access playlists of audio novels;

  • art rehabilitation through singing;

  • speeches by Ukrainian veterans and volunteers at Denmark’s Folkemødet festival;

  • joint media literacy and leadership trainings for Ukrainian and Danish youth;

  • stage reading courses;

  • meaningful theatrical performances;

  • an advocacy campaign supporting young activists;

  • a communications campaign to amplify the voices of young veterans and volunteers.

A special mission of the “Voices of Defenders” project is to shape the image of veterans and volunteers through their own creative expression.

Over the course of three years, the project will annually publish a collection of short stories by 10 authors — young defenders and volunteers. In addition to print publication, these stories will be recorded in audio format and made available as free playlists for streaming or radio broadcast.

“Even the most beautiful image of a Hero is meaningless if we fail to see the real people behind it. The only way to create an honest portrayal of a veteran is to let the defenders themselves tell their stories. And no one can explain the value of life better than those who defend it every day,”

— says Yurko Vovkohon, coordinator of the “Voices of Defenders” project and a veteran of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

In March 2025, we were honored to welcome our partners from KFUM og KFUK i Danmark to Ukraine.

Together, we dove deeply into our joint work on the “Voices of Defenders” project, with the aim of strengthening the voices of young veterans and volunteers over the coming years — helping them share their experiences through creativity and shaping their stories and identities in the public space.

During the partnership meeting, we worked collaboratively on several key areas:

📌 aligning our communication strategies for the project,
📌 structuring the monitoring and evaluation system,
📌 planning the key activities for the next three years,
📌 engaging directly with veteran participants to shape future plans and focus areas.

We are truly grateful to our partners for their openness, contextual sensitivity, and readiness to build something meaningful together.

Stay tuned — we’ll be updating the page soon!