Militsa Eggert

Oleh is late. He hurries down the corridor gripping his school backpack, trying to reach the others at the first bell. The backpack – almost as large as he is – slips and spills open, and Oleh stops, unsure for a second what to do. This seven-year-old boy has never seen any of it before − not like this. After two years of schooling, this is his first time carrying a backpack to class, his first time hearing a school bell ringing somewhere ahead, his first time stepping into a classroom that exists beyond a screen.

At first, it was supposed to be a café. A space where young people could gather. Talk. Exchange ideas. But as the team from Dnipro worked more closely with school students and youth initiatives, they began to notice something else. The real shortage was not coffee tables or cosy corners. It was space – real, modern, functional space inside schools. Places where young people could meet, work in teams, test ideas, hold events, and simply feel supported. That is how ‘Story Book’ was born. Not as a café. But as a social enterprise that combines technology, entrepreneurship, and a clear

Non-formal education and youth initiatives have become the beginning of real change for many. Having completed five one-year cycles, the EU4Youth Alumni Network became one of the platforms where young people not only developed their skills, but also brought change to their communities, creating new opportunities for themselves and others. What those young people built, however, did not end with the programme.

In a small community of Bădiceni in northern Moldova's Soroca district, the Elderly Care and Assistance Centre ‘Acasă' (“At home” in Romanian) is more than an institution − it is home to fifty older people and persons with disabilities who depend on it every day. For years, life inside the ageing 1960s building was defined by cold rooms, damp walls and outdated facilities that struggled to provide comfort. With EU support, a local NGO, the Centre of Social Assistance ‘House of Hopes' has responded to this challenge by stepping in with more than just ordinary repair works. Together with improving the building's energy efficiency, it is strengthening care services to offer a more dignified and fulfilling life to its residents.

UZHHOOROD (Ukraine) – Once upon a time, in Uzhhorod there was a castle. Today, its digital twin helps to protect it, study it, manage it. This historic stone fortress built on a hill in early medieval times, has resisted attacks from khans and Mongols, has passed from Hungarian kings to Italian noblemen: its forty halls are today filled with 200,000 exhibits, telling the story of a medieval stronghold converted into a Renaissance palace. A place full of tangible artefacts and intangible values, whose protection seems today more precious than ever.

Sometimes the path to entrepreneurship does not begin with a business plan. It begins with curiosity, family conversations, and the desire to build something of your own. For Ernest Lobanov, this is exactly how it started.

“The constant waiting wore me out: you apply for a grant and then wait to see if you’ll get it or not,” recalls Inna Nemerovets from the ‘LEЛЕ’ team. “We wanted more stability and the chance to influence the development of our centre ourselves.” At the ‘Novi Kryla’ (‘New Wings’) Youth Resource Centre in Volyn, this uncertainty became a turning point. The team began looking for ways to sustain their activities beyond grant funding – and to gain more control over their future. That search for independence led to the creation of ‘LEЛЕ’, a social enterprise that today generates income while supporting

“During the council meetings, we raised the issue of youth employment, youth voting rights and decision-making opportunities in the community,” says Taguhi Tadevosyan, a young resident of the Gavar community in Armenia’s Gegharkunik region. Here, until recently, young people like her rarely took part in public discussions, municipal initiatives or community programmes, often held back by distance and the feeling that change in their community was impossible. Through EU support, the local Social Dialogue NGO set out to change this reality, giving young people the chance to learn how local governance works and to turn their own ideas into community initiatives. Situated high in the Gegham

In Cherkasy, Elena Shchepak’s ‘18000’ is redefining what local journalism can do – and who it belongs to. Elena Shchepak was still early in her career, working at a local newsroom in Cherkasy, when she first noticed the cracks showing. A story was softened and another was quietly dropped. Then came the familiar conversation – subtle at first, then less so – about what should and shouldn’t be pursued. The owner had views, and the newsroom, it turned out, was expected to reflect them. For a while, Elena and her colleagues tried to work around it as most journalists do. They

Arevik Sahakyan turned a small outlet into one of Armenia's most trusted independent news platforms and a watchdog of democracy