"We are united by the opportunity to create social change in our community" - the experience of Youth Initiative Bank coordinators
Youth Initiative Banks are an international model that helps active young people create change in their communities.
National Network of Local Philanthropy Development has been implementing the Youth Initiative Banks project since 2021. During this time, together with the National Network for the Development of Local Philanthropy (hereinafter referred to as Philanthropists), 9 Youth Banks have been successfully operating in Ukraine. On the way to implementing the project, young people are assisted by mentors: local YBI coordinators.
Each of them has different experience, age, and field of activity, but they are all united by a desire to support the formation of conscious and responsible youth in Ukraine.
In this article, we will introduce you to 4 current YBI coordinators. We hope that their stories will inspire you to try yourself as a mentor.
Olena G., coordinator of the Youth Initiative Bank of the Hrytsivska community in Khmelnytskyi Oblast. This is not Olena's first experience working with young people: for 5 years she worked as a deputy director of educational work at a local educational institution.
“This year was spent within the official framework of the YBI: three unforgettable summer projects, which not only we, but also a large part of the Hrytseve community, speaks about with enthusiasm.”
Anna is from the Boyarka community in Kyiv Oblast, is still studying to become a psychologist, and understands the importance of supporting young people.
“I've been the coordinator of the Boyarka YBI for a year now, and during this time we've managed to implement 2 youth project competitions (community youth submit their projects to the YBI team. The winners receive funding), and now the second one is underway. We have already supported 8 projects, and we want to select 15 as part of the new competition. To be honest, it's a very cool experience, because there have been no such competitions for young people before, and this is a very good tool to engage young people so that they have initiative and self-organization.”
Maksym is an IDP from Kharkiv who is actively involved in youth development in the Svitlovodsk community of Kirovohrad Oblast. Over the course of a year, he assembled the YBI team and created a youth council.
“I saw that no one was involved in youth development in our community. I took it upon myself. I decided to develop myself and develop young people.”
Lisa was a member of the YBI team as a teenager, and now she is a coordinator. She teaches German and works for the Podilska Hromada community foundation.
“Becoming a coordinator is such a natural path in our youth bank. If you volunteer well all the time, create something, and if you are really passionate about this idea, then it is a natural step for you to take. I felt that I had the potential, that I had all this experience gathered over the years and was ready to share it with new teams.”
How have the young people in your team changed over this year with YIB?
Olena: “Those participants who did not speak much, at the end of the first year of study (based on the YIB model: author's note), have already started to organize lectures at the local lyceum on their own.”
Anna: “There has been a noticeable increase in the activity of young people: they have started generating more ideas and looking for ways to implement projects and raise funds. They are developing project thinking: they look at an idea not just as an idea, but form a budget, see what problem it will solve. Also, when someone has implemented a project, they bring together like-minded people to implement something together.”
Maksym: “Young people become speakers: they hold workshops and lectures. They are not afraid to express their opinions. And this is an indicator that a lot can be achieved in 1 year. I can see the results in young people, that they are developing. Those who did not communicate before can now defend their interests and express their opinions.”
Lisa: “It's interesting to see this change between the way they come to the Youth Bank and the way they become after, say, six months. It can be very different. Someone comes in with a more negative attitude right away. There are also people like that. They are like this: “I'm against everything. I don't like it. Let's do it differently.” And over time, these people learn to work in a team. They become calmer leaders, for example. And some people come to the Youth Bank more shy. They don't want to say anything unnecessary, they sit and keep quiet. But over time, they open up. They start to offer something. I remember one participant who had been a member of YBI a long time ago. He came and was very passive. There were no special expectations from him. And now he works for the Ukrainian Volunteer Service.”
What are the coordinator's responsibilities?
Olena: “We held meetings as often as possible, because the goal was always to talk about new ideas and visions. What else we could do. When we were preparing for projects, we gathered as many people as possible to support those participants whose ideas were implemented.”
Anna: “It's not enough just to recruit a team and meet only to report, you need to keep the committee's enthusiasm alive. You need to communicate that you are a team that works in a structured way and has a specific goal. I try to unite them not only within the framework of YIB, but also through other activities, so that they constantly feel connected and cooperative.”
Maksym: “Supporting young people and helping them to realize their projects to the fullest. Now my team is already involved in their projects and in the youth council, so we communicate every day: we run social media, make posts. They always know that they can contact me and I will help them.”
Lisa: “It's actually monitoring everything that we have planned, what is going on. Sometimes, it's a bit of a push for the participants to see that something is waiting for us: are we on time or not? But in fact, most of these super-important day-to-day managerial responsibilities are not on me, but on one of the Youth Bank participants. (This year, the team is made up of only girls.) Because we have a tradition that we choose one manager from among the Youth Bank participants for each project. That's why my role is so mentor-like: to monitor motivation, to see if anyone is burning out from the work. And to come up with interesting activities outside the program."
What is unique about the YIB model?
Olena: “It's definitely fundraising! The team understood how to raise additional funds for projects at events. Also team building: not only communication, but also teamwork, the ability to distribute responsibilities and take responsibility."
Anna: “I think YIB is a unique model. Everyone at YIB is equal: young people of all ages learn to communicate for a common goal. It's a model that helps you realize the value of what you do and creates a layer for generating ideas. I like the fact that the model takes place in the form of regranting and with an element of fundraising. Now we have UAH 2000/ 5000 in our bank, which is not much, but we are trying and looking for ways.”
Maksym: “At YIB, projects are focused on young people. And this is a great opportunity for young people to fulfil themselves.”
Lisa: “We have a lot of (youth) organizations that are more of an entertainment kind of organization, let's say. We just get together and do something, and it will be interesting. Or there are already ready-made funds and your job is just to do it. And I'm not saying that this is bad. It's actually just as good, and it serves different purposes. But the youth bank is valuable to me precisely because young people are responsible here. They know that if they don't raise funds within a year, there will be no grant competition. They are the ones who really decide."
What should a YIB coordinator look like?
Olena: “First, to be a mentor, a mentor, but not an implementer of their ideas. Not to take on the responsibility that they should have. Secondly, not to be sceptical about the ideas of young people. You should definitely consider all the options they offer. If you see that this is a completely failed idea, then ask them clarifying questions so that they see for themselves that this idea cannot be implemented at the moment.”
Anna: “First and foremost, it's about responsibility and understanding why the coordinator is doing this. At the initial stages, of course, there may be a poor understanding of what the competition is and how to organize it. But the coordinator can communicate with the coordinators of other communities: a kind of exchange of experience.”
Maxim: “Communication skills and not being afraid of something new.”
Lisa: "Being balanced and calm. Because working with young people is not always easy. They can be very emotional or very passive, so it's important to understand the psychology of teenagers and be able to cope with it. It's important to be a natural leader, because if the coordinator has any doubts, the participants can feel it. Also, you shouldn't instantly fix everything and expect perfection from others: these are young people, they came to YIB to learn, so you should give them the opportunity to make mistakes, of course, if they are minor."
What is the most difficult thing about working with young people?
Olena: “When there are graduates in the YIB team who are always busy with their exams and tutors. The best age is 9-10th grade.”
Anna: "You need to clearly discuss goals and rules. Teenagers are forming and do not always feel responsible. We've had cases where we've agreed in words, but then the person is not ready to cooperate. It is also important that they do not feel that you are using them, but that they are a full-fledged part of the team and nothing will happen without their participation. Motivate them with value."
Maksym: "In the beginning, when you invite young people to conferences and trainings, they don't know that they can implement anything. As practice has shown, they can also fundraise on their own, even if they have never done it before. That's why the hardest thing is to get them going."
Lisa: There are various difficulties in working with teenagers, and it depends a lot on the coordinator. The temperament and the style of working with the team have an impact. However, there is something quite basic. Teenagers who are in high school often have additional tasks and test preparations. Despite the fact that they came to the Youth Bank and assured everyone that they would have time and motivation to work, they may lose this motivation over time. It's probably difficult to accept that someone is really busy or a little less motivated than they were at the beginning. You have to find the strength in yourself. Find some methods, knowledge and somehow contribute to this. And sometimes teenagers are not very ready to have a mentor or a mentor. There are moments when they are ready to resist this somehow - they don't want to be told how to do things right and so on. They want to do things their own way. In this case, you shouldn't immediately suppress this and remind them who is in charge, but rather direct this ideology and initiative in the right direction. This can bring positive results.
What is the role of philanthropists in the YIB project?
Olena: "I would like to note that if something is not clear, you are always available 24 hours a day, and you can always ask anyone from the Philanthropists team. You give good advice and help with everything."
Anna: "When we communicate with the Philanthropists, we feel constant support, even outside the competition. You can feel the team spirit, that you are really Philanthropists (a network), not offices in different cities. When writing grants, I like that the applications are detailed, prescribed, but not complicated. You understand what the grantor expects from you, and the applications, are designed for those who have little experience but a desire to implement ideas."
Maksym: "I think you shouldn't be afraid to become an YIB coordinator because there is nothing difficult and if you don't know something, you will be taught. You have constant support and a large team of philanthropists who will help you understand the issues and explain how to implement projects."
Lisa: "Philanthropists definitely provide a lot of support for the development of Youth Banks in Ukraine and this support is manifested in many ways: trainings, invitations to conferences, exchanges with international YBs. This is such a driving force in the YB's activities, and on the other hand, it is a unifying factor: Philanthropists bring us together from time to time, create activities for us to do together, and this helps us to share experiences.