USUST hosts training on developing a culture of social entrepreneurship among young people

From April 22 to 24, 2026, an offline training session for young people ‘Developing a culture of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial mindset and skills among young people aged 17–35’ was held at shelter No. 1 of the SEI ‘PSACEA’  of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies. The event was organized within the framework of the Youthpreneurs initiative.

 

The training was conducted as part of the project of the charitable organization ‘Charity Foundation ‘Trust Bridges’ ‘Generation of Entrepreneurs 2030’, in accordance with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine’s standard program ‘Fostering a culture of entrepreneurship (including social) among young people’.

The event was organized by the ‘Trust Bridges’ charity foundation in cooperation with the ‘Foundation of Regional Initiatives’, an all-Ukrainian youth public organization, represented by its Dnipro local branch, in partnership with the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies.

 

The event’s business partners included Pivdenmash, Climatech, and Umas.

 

The training was conducted by Aliona Sliusar and Anna Volkova. Over the course of three days, the participants worked through program modules covering key areas of entrepreneurial capacity development:

During the training, young people learned about the Lean Canvas and FLEXI-BIZ Framework tools, analyzed community needs, developed business and social ideas, worked on business models, identified resources for implementing their own initiatives, calculated the break-even point, and prepared projects for public presentation.  21 young participants from Dnipro, Kamianske, the village of Yavornytske, and Kyiv joined the training.

An important feature of the training was the combination of educational, civic, and entrepreneurial environments. The following business experts were invited to participate in the program:

The invited speakers took part in a panel discussion, communicated with the participants, and evaluated the team projects presented in pitch format. This gave young people an opportunity to receive professional feedback from business practitioners and assess the potential of their ideas in a real entrepreneurial environment. After completing the training, the participants presented three team-based social business projects.

 

On the fourth day of the program, the young participants joined a Company Visit to Climatech, whose activities are related to climate technologies for industries, companies, and people. This hands-on learning format helped strengthen the connection between learning and real business processes. Participants were able to see the company’s work from the inside and gain a better understanding of the importance of teamwork, partnerships, and modern business development models.

As part of the event, the charity foundation also supported the local social enterprise Ecopizza, which served as an example of responsible consumption and support for the local economy.

 

Information support for the training was provided by Diia.Education, Prostir, and Gurt. This helped increase the public visibility of the initiative and created additional opportunities for its further development and scaling.

 

The training, held in cooperation with the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies, became an important example of support for practice-oriented education, development of youth initiatives, and effective interaction between the university, the civic sector, business, and charitable organizations.

 

To take part in future Youthpreneurs events within the ‘Generation of Entrepreneurs 2030’ initiative, follow the updates on the charity foundation’s social media:
https://www.instagram.com/bridgesoftrust.foundation/

 

The program was developed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine with the support of the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine and funding from the European Union, provided within the framework of the ‘EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine’ project.

 

The offline training became an important step in developing youth entrepreneurship, fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, and supporting social initiatives among young people. The event united representatives of education, business, and the civic sector, creating an effective space for learning, exchanging experience, and working practically on participants’ own projects. The participants gained not only theoretical knowledge but also practical tools for creating and developing business ideas, the opportunity to communicate with experienced entrepreneurs, and a chance to see how a modern business operates from the inside.The implementation of such initiatives contributes to the development of active, responsible, and economically aware young people who  can influence the development of their communities and the country as a whole.