When I found out that we have pretty serious environmental problems, I decided to buy a fabric shopping bag and give up using plastic straws. I thought of myself as a kind of hero, who was going to change the world for the best by these simple actions. Now, a year later, I realize that’s really far from enough. But not because I think that I shouldn't be a zero waster or vegan. I think it’s because everybody must be a zero waster and vegan :)

I don’t feel scared talking about my status openly in Ukraine. If you are alone, of course, it is scary, but if you have people around you who support you and understand you, it’s not scary at all. Each person needs acceptance and I am lucky that many people accept me. I was lucky at the early stages of forming my openness about the disease. If I was bullied at school for it, for example, maybe I would have a completely different attitude about my openness now. I was always lucky with the people around me. I am lucky that I live in Kyiv and my group of friends knows and accepts me, but if we...

My name is Yana, I am 16, and I live in the small town of Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. I have always been believed that the ecosystem of my city needs a brand-new solution. You could ask: “What can a teenager do alone?” Young people are capable of anything, for the sake of the future of their nearest and dearest, I will answer you with confidence.

When we talk about beauty we often think of a typical 90-60-90 body, long legs, skinny face with big eyes, perfect skin... but do you know what? People have flaws and it's normal. You shouldn't blame yourself for acne, the gap between your teeth, freckles on your face or your shoulders or any other features that make you special. Can you catch the thought? Not worse. Special. I was so inspired by beautiful women who appreciate their shapes which are not really perceived by our society. Let's talk about the body. You shouldn't think about how much you weigh. If you like yourself and you feel...

It may seem difficult to find people who are skeptical about personal hygiene in 2020. And this is indeed true, because in a pandemic, we have started to wash our hands more carefully and be careful about what we might bring to our mouths. Therefore, my friends, this blog is all about information rather than personal hygiene. Failure to maintain it also causes serious consequences. 1. It’s better to keep your hands washed than your brains. Remember that we are sensitive to information manipulation. This is what scares, panics or stresses us. Don't get out of balance: talk to your family about...

These three youth projects from Mariupol (Eastern Ukraine) were developed by participants in the UPSHIFT Youth Innovation Programme and received funding from UNICEF and the EU for implementation. The UPSHIFT programme equips young people with the skills and resources they need to identify problems in their communities and offer innovative solutions. UPSHIFT promotes the resilience of young people, and their communities benefit from the solutions they propose. The participating teams of young people receive training in planning, teamwork and entrepreneurial skills, as well as grants to...

At the start of the pandemic, my friends and I turned our modern technology learning platform into a 3D printing lab, which produces protective face-shields and ventilator details for hospitals fighting COVID-19 in Ukraine. Not so long ago, and not even in a galaxy far, far away, the KVADRAT youth centre emerged in Vinnytsia, a city in West-Central Ukraine. Its purpose is to educate young people and promote their development. The centre became the home for a modern technology learning platform FabLab KVADRAT. That's us: my colleagues Oleksandr and Serhii and me, and we currently work at FabLab...

In today's world full of stress and disasters, mental well-being is definitely one of the must-haves. It is critical to monitor mental health just like physical health. It’s not “just about wearing a mask”, it’s about taking good care and working on it every day. What is mental health? How do you see and feel it? When we talk about mental well-being, we mean a condition in which a person does not feel psychological pressure, and feels at ease in his or her community and with himself or herself. Alas, we cannot feel the psyche itself literally, but we can see its overall condition when we look...

Environmental pollution is a common problem all over the world. People have been trying to tackle this issue in different ways: they have been burning rubbish and simultaneously polluting the air; and dumping waste into seas, rivers and oceans, and at the same time contaminating the water. Solving one problem, they created a bigger one. The same thing happened with plastic bags. Paradoxically, they were invented to save the environment. More than 60 years ago, Swedish engineer Stan Gustaf Tulin created a plastic shopping bag to protect the forest from large-scale deforestation. Durable and...

You cannot accept that there is no solution to a problem that had been bothering you for years just because others around you doubt that you can solve it. A few months ago, our team decided to start fighting ragweed – the most dangerous air allergen in Ukraine. Every year during the period when ragweed flowers, people who suffer from allergies experience runny eyes and noses, itching, breathing problems, coughing, and sometimes hay fever. This plant's pollen can also cause allergic dermatitis and bronchial asthma. I know how ragweed affects human health from my personal experience. Since...

Hi there! My name is Andrii and I wanted to find a way to stop people burning leaves in my hometown of Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. I wanted people to breathe clean air, save the environment and keep animals safe. So, together with my friends Maksym and Veronika, I founded the Eastern MAVka project. Not only are M, A and V the first three letters of our names, but Mavka is a type of female spirit in Ukrainian mythology that is considered a guardian of forests and nature. The three of us live in a tiny village near Kramatorsk called Yasnogorka. In small towns or villages like these, people...

My name is Marianna and I am 19 years old. I live in Kyiv, Ukraine. We all know how important it is for young people to stay safe and savvy online. With the rise in 'fake news’, experts have warned us to check sources carefully, pay attention to manipulative headlines and think twice about the stories we share with friends. Like me, you have probably heard these tips many times. But I didn’t truly become media literate until I took the time to develop critical thinking. Media literacy affects the way we look at and perceive the world. For me, it started at school, when I was constantly writing...

I am 24 years old. I am a member and activist of the Plato NGO, which deals with climate issues in the city of Lviv, Ukraine. I study in the Department of Geography at Ivan Franko National University, where I focus on climate change as part of my master’s thesis. I also study human resources management and labor economy at Lviv Polytechnic National University. I am interested in climate education, nature-oriented solutions, labor migration and vocational guidance. I love to learn about the world through my travels with a tent and a backpack. I love people more than cats.

I am 24 years old, and I was born and live in Kyiv, Ukraine. I recently graduated from a Master’s Programme in Environmental Sciences in Netherlands. I currently work for the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation, where I assist in research on the decarbonization of coal regions. For the last few years, I have been actively involved in the climate movement, and I am a volunteer with Ekodia NGO. I also take part in the international initiative Climate Scorecard, for which I write monthly publications on Ukraine’s progress in achieving the Paris Agreement goals. I am currently a participant...

Submitted to participate in the competition #illustrationsForPeace

Submitted to participate in the competition #illustrationsForPeace

This picture calls for an end to the war and help for Ukraine.

Lots of people now travel or work with colleagues from foreign countries and for better communication, it is important to know their language. I'm learning four languages currently and have four tricks for you to study them easier. 1. Learn the basics of grammar The basics of grammar are different in each language. Almost all of us when we start learning other languages naturally apply our own language's grammar. Which is okay, but is usually incorrect. So, we must learn the main principles of grammar. You can do this by surfing the internet for the main rules of the language you are learning...

#IllustrationsForPeace @voicesofyouth

I don’t feel scared talking about my status openly in Ukraine. If you are alone, of course, it is scary, but if you have people around you who support you and understand you, it’s not scary at all. Each person needs acceptance and I am lucky that many people accept me. I was lucky at the early stages of forming my openness about the disease. If I was bullied at school for it, for example, maybe I would have a completely different attitude about my openness now. I was always lucky with the people around me. I am lucky that I live in Kyiv and my group of friends knows and accepts me, but if we...