Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset visited the Chernihiv Regional Youth Centre.

During the visit, the Secretary General met with representatives of the youth centre. They discussed the reopening of the institution after the de-blockade of the city in 2022, as well as the importance of integrating a values-based approach to wartime activities and the challenges faced by youth workers.

On 27 February 2022, during the attack on Chernihiv, the building of the Regional Youth Centre was destroyed. It was one of the first youth infrastructure facilities to be affected by russian aggression. 

Before the full-scale invasion, the centre's services were used by 25,000 people on average per year, and the number of events held reached 1,000. The Chernihiv Regional Youth Centre was an open space and a socially important community institution, an architectural landmark of local significance.

The restoration project will be based on a preliminary restoration plan, the implementation of which began in December 2021. Given the new condition of the building, the concept will be adapted to the realities. 

This visit was made possible by Alain Berset's meeting with Matviy Bidnyi the day before, when the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Council of Europe discussed in detail the situation with the destruction of youth infrastructure and agreed to further deepen cooperation to develop youth policy in Ukraine.