Youth Day in Ukraine Date in the current year: August 12, 2024

The history of Youth Day in Ukraine and many other former Soviet republics began in 1958, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established Soviet Youth Day, which was celebrated on the last Sunday of June.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many of the former Soviet Republics moved the holiday to another date or abolished its altogether. However, Ukraine continued to celebrate Youth Day on the last Sunday of June according to a presidential decree signed by Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of Ukraine, in 1994.

The date of the holiday was changed in 2021, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved Youth Day to August 12 to support “the aspiration of Ukrainian youth to integrate into the European community”. The date was specifically chosen to coincide with International Youth Day, established by the UN General Assembly in 1991. Since 2021, Ukraine has celebrated its Youth Day as a member of the international community and not as a former Soviet Republic.

Different organizations and countries have different definitions of the word “youth”. The UN, for example, defines youth as persons between 15 and 24 years of age, whereas the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development defines youth as persons between the ages of 15 and 29. In Ukraine, the age bracket for youth is defined to be between the ages of 14 and 35, as stated in the Law on Promoting the Social Formation and Development of Youth in Ukraine.

Ukraine has a number of youth organizations and movements. One of Ukraine’s most famous youth organizations is the Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine. It began to emerge in 1911 and was formally established in 1912. During the Soviet era, Plast was banned and replaced by the Young Pioneers and Komsomol, but it continued to operate illegally in some parts of the country and abroad. The revival of Plast began during Perestroika; since then, Plast has become the largest Scout organization in Ukraine.

Other large Scout organizations that are active in Ukraine are All-Ukrainian Youth Public Organization “SPOK” and the Ukrainian Children’s and Youth Association “Sich”. Along with Plast, they are members of the National Organization of the Scouts of Ukraine.

In addition to Scout organizations, Ukraine has other youth organizations and movements, including political youth organizations, Christian and other religious youth organizations, student associations, environmental associations, and volunteer organizations.

In addition to Youth Day, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Youth and Children’s Public Organizations. It was established in 2008 by President Viktor Yushchenko and used to be celebrated on the third Sunday of May. In 2011, President Viktor Yanukovych moved the holiday to the last Sunday of June. As a result, it coincided with Youth Day until 2021.