Day of Youth and Children’s Public Organizations in Ukraine Date in the current year: June 30, 2024

According to the official definition that exists in Ukraine, children’s public organizations are voluntary associations of citizens aged 6 to 18 that carry out activities aimed at protecting children’s rights, freedoms, interests and creativity, as well as facilitating the development of Ukrainian children into full-fledged members of society.

Youth public organizations are voluntary associations of citizens aged 14 to 35 that aim to protect the rights and freedoms of their members and satisfy their political, economical, social, cultural, and other common interests.

Ukrainian’s youth and children’s public organizations are governed by the laws of Ukraine “On Public Organizations” and “On Children’s and Youth Organizations” and participate in the development and implementation of the state youth policy.

One of the best known children’s and youth organizations in Ukraine is the Plast National Scout Organization, commonly referred to as Plast. Originally founded in 1911 in the city of Lviv, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire back then, it has survived numerous bans and finally achieved full recognition after the collapse of the Soviet Union. As of 2019, Plast had 8,500 members of different ages, which made it the largest youth organization in Ukraine.

Overall there are hundreds of various children’s and youth organizations in Ukraine: student associations, volunteer organizations, environmental organizations, political and religious organizations, art centers, sports centers, and more. They are typically created at educational establishments (schools, vocational training schools, colleges, universities), art and sports clubs, various children’s and youth centers, etc.

The Day of Youth and Children’s Public Organizations was established by President Viktor Yushchenko in 2008 to promote the development of children and youth movements in Ukraine. The holiday was originally celebrated on the third Sunday of May.

In 2011, President Viktor Yanukovych moved the observance to the fourth Sunday in June so that it would be celebrated on the same day as Youth Day. However, ten years later president Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved Youth Day to August 12 as a part of Ukraine’s European integration course (August 12 is International Youth Day), while the date of the Day of Youth and Children’s Public Organizations remained the same.

On the occasion of Youth and Children’s Public Organizations Day, titular organizations organize various events and activities to recognize the hard work of their employees and volunteers, as well as to attract new members. Since the holiday falls during the summer vacation in schools, at lot of these events are held at children’s summer camps and youth recreational centers. They can range from concerts to sports competitions to fundraisers.