For JA Europe, this was never just a humanitarian crisis. It was a call to act before a generation of young people lost more than just time — before they lost their sense of possibility.
Since 2022, the organisation has worked across Europe to offer displaced Ukrainian youth something concrete. Not charity, not abstract hope but real tools to help them navigate the present and build their future — skills, digital access, and above all, connection.
When war steals more than homes
By the end of 2024, around 1.4 million Ukrainian children of school age had found themselves scattered across the European Union. Uprooted, unsettled, and for many, unsure where life would take them next. Yet despite the efforts of host countries and communities, more than 600,000 were still out of school.
Neither by choice nor because they didn’t want to learn, but because enrolling in a new school system, in a foreign language, far from home, is never simple. Not when parents dream of returning soon. Not when bureaucracy feels overwhelming. Not when you are 12 years old and everything you knew has been left behind.
Enrolment rates across Europe told their own story. In some countries, nearly every child had a place in school. In others, only a handful had made it to the classroom. The reasons vary — policies, resources, language barriers, or the quiet hesitation of parents still caught between staying and leaving.
But this gap matters. Every single year spent in education counts, and recent research published in The Lancet Public Health revealed something extraordinary. Another year in school reduces the risk of early death by 34% (Nigro, 2024). Education, quite literally, saves lives.
Turning loss into learning
JA Europe recognised this early. In partnership with UNICEF, it launched UPLIFT, a programme that today operates in 14 European countries. The approach was clear from the start — meet young people where they are. Online or in person. In classrooms, at community hubs, or through remote learning with teachers still in Ukraine.
Digital skills are at the heart of that mission. Today, over 90% of jobs in Europe require at least basic digital knowledge. Yet, as of 2023, only 56% of EU citizens aged 16 to 74 possessed basic digital skills, highlighting a significant gap in digital literacy across the continent (Eurostat, 2023). For Ukrainian teens trying to study online while adapting to a new country, this digital divide can be devastating. Access to tools and training is not a bonus — it is survival.
But education is never just about technology. It is about belonging. About sitting in a room with other people. About feeling part of something again.
That is why UPLIFT also focuses on creating safe, human spaces for connection. In-person workshops, innovation camps, and community projects allow young Ukrainians not just to learn, but to connect. To meet peers. To feel seen.
In countries like the Czech Republic and Romania, JA Europe has also brought in displaced Ukrainian teachers. This has been powerful for everyone involved. Students hear their language; teachers regain their professional identity and fragile ties to home are preserved.
JA Europe’s programmes go even further by encouraging young people to create their own future through entrepreneurship. Learning to test ideas, take risks, develop skills — this isn’t just about business. It’s about confidence. About giving young people permission to imagine life beyond survival.
Behind all of this is a network of partners keeping the vision alive. The Think Human Foundation has provided essential resources like school supplies, digital tools, and shelter support. Meanwhile, the Together We Grow platform, co-created with UNICEF, offers free, self-guided courses in adaptability, leadership, and personal development. All of it designed to help refugee youth regain a sense of control over their story.
When education becomes a lifeline, not a luxury
Because that is what education does at its best. It doesn’t just teach. It rebuilds. What JA Europe’s work makes clear is this. In moments of crisis, education is not a luxury. It is protection. It is dignity. It is a way to remind young people, scattered across unfamiliar landscapes, that they still matter. That they still belong somewhere.
And sometimes, hope looks exactly like a classroom.
References
European Commission. (2022). Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2022. Retrieved from https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/desi
Eurostat. (2023, December 15). 56% of EU people have basic digital skills. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20231215-3:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
JA Europe. (n.d.). Together We Grow. Retrieved from https://togetherwithja.eu/
JA Europe. (2022, October 24). JA Europe and UNICEF partner to support young Ukrainian refugees. JA Europe. https://jaeurope.org/ja-europe-and-unicef-partner-to-support-young-ukrainian-refugees/
Nigro, S. (2024, March 20). Engaging Displaced Ukrainians with Education. JA Europe. Retrieved from https://jaeurope.org/news/engaging-displaced-ukrainians-with-education-salvatore-nigro/
Think Human Foundation. (n.d.). Think Human | JA Europe – Donation. Retrieved from https://donate.jaeurope.org/thinkhuman/
UNHCR. (2024, April). Education on Hold: Addressing barriers to learning among refugee children and youth from Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/europe/sites/europe/files/2024-04/2024%2003%20RBE%20Q1%20Update%20Education.pdf
UNHCR. (2024). Education for refugee children in Europe: Enrolment, barriers and solutions. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/education-for-refugee-children-in-europe-enrolment-barriers-and-solutions
UNHCR. (2024, April 1). Despite progress in accessing education, hundreds of thousands of school-aged refugee children from Ukraine remain out of school. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/ua/en/news/despite-progress-accessing-education-hundreds-thousands-school-aged-refugee-children-ukraine
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