Vinnytsia Residents Joined the 2021 International Mayors Summit

Young people are not afraid to take responsibility. Students from all over Ukraine exchanged the experience of schoolchildren's participation in city processes. 8 children from Vinnytsia, Lviv, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Uman and other cities shared successfully implemented ideas during the children's session. The event was organized by the Western NIS Enterprise Fund. Anna Kryzhanivska, an 11th grade student at Vinnytsia Secondary School №16, also shared her own experience of participating in the School Project Budget competition. She won the competition with the idea of renovating the space of the school canteen – "CoolFood: the territory of proper nutrition" https://www.vmr.gov.ua/Lists/CityNews/ShowNews.aspx?ID=8525.

"It is very cool that our city provides such tremendous opportunities for students and young people to realize themselves and their ideas. It is important not to be afraid of initiatives, to develop ourselves and develop our city. Try and use such tools," added Anna Kryzhanivska.

Nataliia Perekrestenko, head of the education and extracurricular activities division of the city council's education department, added that similar competitions are available in other communities. However, Vinnytsia is one of the first cities to introduce such an initiative among schoolchildren. "None of the cities has such a competition budget. In 2021, it amounted to UAH 2.5 million. UAH 300,000 has been allocated for the implementation of large projects, and UAH 100,000 for small projects," Nataliia Perekrestenko said.

The International Mayors Summit (IMS) was founded in 2016. It is a kind of platform for exchanging experiences between local government leaders. This is where projects and partnerships are born.