In Ukraine, young people (aged 14-35) constitute nearly one third of the population. They are characterized by a rather high educational level and civil activity. However, so far, their voice has been relevant mostly only locally. For the Kyiv Hub it was both a pleasure and honour to endorse the views of young Ukrainians globally and to represent Ukraine through the Global Shapers Survey.

Being part of the survey as an affiliate was an amazing experience. We consider that, as young people, we must be involved in the construction of a new society based on principles, values and positive leadership. We believe that the path to change lies in diversity, in listening to and including the opinions of the majority, and that the results can help countries and regions to make better decisions.

We believe that the annual survey plays an important role in preparing for the future by allowing the youth to be heard in a unique way and address the issues that are important to them. This should help set the agenda through the years and bring more insight into the efforts that we, as Global Shapers, must continuously pursue in partnership with the wider world.

When I signed up as a survey affiliate, I did not think it would lead to so many engaging and inspiring discussions and spontaneously organized brainstorming sessions that generated possible solutions to the identified challenges. I think the survey plays an important role in giving young people the chance to be heard and to have their views and ideas taken into account. It was a pleasure to be part of this process.

The survey makes young people think about questions they had never thought of before on our future. So it incentivized many young people to get involved in our community to build a better future. As a hub, we felt motivated to reach the goal and it created a positive competition that made us work as a team so that our country was heard throughout the world through the survey.

When sharing the results from the previous year, people were surprised after seeing how many problems we share with other countries, opening a door for empathy and the possibility for future collaboration. Young people realized that it takes much more than a ‘like’ or a ‘share’ to make their opinions count. The survey encouraged reflection on near-future conflicts and dilemmas, and the solutions we need to start working on.”

The survey for us meant a first approach to the youth in our city not only to increase the awareness of the issues that the survey relates to but also to increase the awareness of the Hub itself. It was a great experience to receive positive feedback that a small group of young entrepreneurs is talking about issues like gender equality and AI, etc.

Shaping the world requires that we first understand the state of the world. As custodians of the future, it is imperative that we galvanize young people and ensure that the voice of the youth is represented in global affairs. The Kuala Lumpur Hub is thrilled to have played a part in ensuring that the views of ASEAN and Asia-Pacific youth is represented in the Global Shapers annual survey.

The survey is a fantastic tool to get a pulse on some of the challenges faced by the youth of today. It helps us activate our thoughts as well as efforts towards addressing them. The feedback from the survey has been extremely positive, with many participants saying that the survey design provided a freedom for expressing their many different views. We’re really excited about the results of the survey and hope that it will inspire more youth to play a part in shaping a better future!