What they dreamed of and what was missing: how students in Reshetylivka community created community projects

Did you know that Poltava Region was one of the first in Ukraine to implement the concept of the school participatory budget?

"Although the idea of a school participatory budget was well known, not all educational institutions actively took part—only those willing to take innovative steps. Others observed but didn’t know how to properly implement their ideas. However, with the 'Public Budget for Children's Dreams' initiative from the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project, everything changed. Before submitting projects, students participated in training sessions and hackathons, learning how to develop and present their ideas and advocate for their projects. School teams were actively involved," says Alla Kostohryz, head of the education department of the Reshetylivka City Council.

From simple ideas to major transformations—students, parents, and teachers in the Reshetylivka community worked together to create projects that changed their schools. From outdoor exercise equipment to modern laboratories, participants’ creativity had no limits!

How does the initiative work? What has been achieved thanks to the 'Public Budget for Children's Dreams' by DECIDE? And why is it crucial to give children a voice in such initiatives?

Find out more about these inspiring projects in the full article: https://bit.ly/4ggVvLQ