Representatives from the Norwegian departement in the organization Support to the People of Ukraine (S2PU) will travel to Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih to meet young people who will participate in the Erasmus+ project “Youth Music for Peace, Freedom and Democracy”.

The project brings together young people from Ukraine and Norway for a unique collaboration with three main activities in Oslo in May 2027:

• participation in the children’s march on May 17 with a joint Norwegian-Ukrainian youth band

• a youth peace conference on democracy and the future, and

• a youth charity concert.

For many of the youth, the project represents a rare opportunity to share experience peace, freedom and democracy.  The project will focus on international cooperation after several years of war, air raids and insecurity in Ukraine. The young people in Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih are already expressing great joy and anticipation to meet their Norwegian friends and collaborate on music, democracy and peace.

The project is inspired by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to the Storting in 2022, in which he described his dream that Ukrainian children would one day be able to celebrate the National Day in peace, with a children’s parade and school band – as Norwegian children do every year.

During the visit to Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih, the project group will have meetings with young people, music schools, schools and partners to plan the activities and document how young people hold on to hope, democratic values and faith in the future despite the war.