UPLIFT - Supporting Vulnerable Young Ukrainian Refugees Across Europe with Learning & Education

In February 2022, as war broke out in Ukraine, the lives of more than 14.6 million Ukrainian people were disrupted, forcing many to move to neighbouring countries.

As the conflict lasted, forcing young people from the country, a future generation was at risk of losing their education and future learning. 

JA Europe and UNICEF came together to devise and launch UPLIFT - a bespoke education programme to equip vulnerable adolescents from Ukraine and neighbouring countries with the skills, mindset, and confidence needed to foster successful cultural integration and build prosperous future communities. 

The skills project was run on the ground across 11 neighbouring countries of Ukraine with youth and adolescents. With the ambition to leave no-one behind, the project centred around a digital educational platform delivered to displaced young people on the move, through compelling, relevant influencers. 34 Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian influencers created videos, advice posts, imagery and interactive social content that shared their personal success stories big and small, and celebrated how they gained entrepreneurial skills between the ages of 15-20. 

As a result of the paid and organic campaign, UPLIFT reached more than 356,000 students and brought a staggering 13,000 users to its free online education course ‘Tools for Success’.

Our purpose has always been to help young people feel a sense of ownership over their own future. For a generation impacted by war, securing that future is all the more important, and this campaign delivered impact, quickly, to young people at a time of crisis and turmoil.