“We created what we ourselves were missing.” How high school students from Kryvyi Rih are helping teenagers take their first step into employment

When Emma ZAKHAREVYCH talks about her project, it is easy to assume that she has been working in youth development for years. In reality, she is only 17. Having just graduated from Kryvyi Rih Lyceum No. 35 “Impulse”, Emma is passionate about design and has been actively involved in youth initiatives for several years. It was the UActive programme, implemented by savED in Kryvyi Rih Raion within the framework of the Support for recovery of Kryvyi Rih Raion project, that helped her transform a personal challenge into an initiative that creates opportunities for other teenagers.

Last year, Emma's team, Impulse, became one of the five UActive teams selected for seed funding from among ten applicants from Kryvyi Rih and Kryvyi Rih Raion. Following the final pitch, Impulse received a USD 5,000 seed grant to implement its social initiative.

The idea emerged unexpectedly on the way home after one of the programme’s events. “I was showing my mentor my design work and talking about how difficult it was to find my first freelance clients. At some point, we realised that this was a much bigger problem – not just mine, ” Emma recalls.

To test their assumption, the team surveyed their peers. The results confirmed what they had suspected : teenagers want to work, gain experience and become more financially independent, yet many simply do not know where to start. Employers are looking for candidates with experience, while young people are just trying to get their very first opportunity.

That is how the project was born.

The team developed a practical guide, “Your First Job : Employment Rights and Opportunities for Minors”, created CV and cover letter templates, prepared practical job-search advice, shared their own internship experiences, and organised open events with employers and professionals to help teenagers better understand their opportunities and feel more confident about taking their first steps into the labour market.

For Emma herself, UActive became much more than another youth project. “After the programme, I realised that if you see a problem, you do not have to wait for someone else to solve it; you can bring a team together and solve it yourself. I became more determined, learned not to give up when facing challenges and discovered how rewarding it is to create change with your own hands. I now want to continue developing my skills in communications, creativity and working with people, ” she says.

Emma is now preparing to study advertising and public relations at university while continuing to grow the project together with her team, engage more local businesses and help even more teenagers take their first steps towards professional life.

The second UActive season launched in Kryvyi Rih Raion in the summer of 2026. The programme is implemented by savED within the framework of the Support for recovery of Kryvyi Rih Raion project, funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, in partnership with Proman and NDI. UActive empowers young people to identify community needs, design social initiatives and turn their ideas into action. Beyond Kryvyi Rih Raion, the programme also brings together young changemakers from the Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Chernihiv regions, proving that meaningful change often begins with a single idea and the courage to take the first step.