Participants involved: 116 – Online, Ukraine, 12 July 2025
The Ukrainian Center of the Future (UCF) conducted the WP4 Short Intensive Training for youth workers and trainers online during July 2025, due to security concerns and frequent blackouts caused by the ongoing war. Despite the challenging circumstances, the training reached an impressive total of 116 participants, underscoring the demand for digital safeguarding skills across Ukraine. The course followed the WP4 structure. Module 1 (“Peculiarities of Youth Worker Training”) provided youth workers with essential skills for guiding young people in cyber‑security matters, including recognising and preventing harmful disclosure, structuring safe social media content and managing group dynamics around data safety. Module 2 (“Tools, Practices and Methodological Recommendations”) delivered strategies for safe navigation in virtual environments, media literacy, understanding manipulation techniques and the values they target, critical thinking and fact‑checking, and maintaining an ecological balance between virtual and real‑world interaction. The online format combined synchronous sessions with self‑study and practical assignments, ensuring that participants could engage despite unstable conditions. Feedback highlighted increased awareness of digital risks and stronger skills for supporting young people online. The Ukrainian pilot demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of the WP4 training, enabling a large cohort of youth workers to build critical safeguarding competencies even in a crisis context.
