July 17, 2026
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A roundtable discussion on the implementation of the Law of Ukraine «On Mentorship» took place in Bukovyna, bringing together representatives of government institutions, communities, child services, the social sector, institutions, public and charitable organizations.
About 100 registered participants attended the event offline, while a significant number of specialists joined online, once again confirming that mentorship is an extremely relevant topic for communities and regions across Ukraine today.
It was the live professional dialogue format that made it possible not only to discuss the new Law of Ukraine «On Mentorship,» but also to identify the first practical steps for implementing mentorship in Chernivtsi Oblast:
- studying and thoroughly reviewing the Law of Ukraine «On Mentorship»;
- analyzing and improving the regulatory framework;
- preparing a broad information campaign;
- engaging mentorship ambassadors;
- creating maps of mentorship service providers.
As representatives of the Mentorship Association for Children and Youth of Ukraine, we spoke not only about the importance of mentorship as an idea, but above all about the practical experience of its implementation, real challenges, work algorithms, and systemic solutions without which mentorship cannot become a high-quality and sustainable service for children.
During the presentation, attention was focused on the fact that today the main challenge is not the absence of legislation, but the lack of a clear algorithm for implementing mentorship in communities and services. That is why we presented in detail a practical mentorship model in accordance with the new legislation: from identifying children and assessing their readiness for interaction, recruiting and training mentors, to supporting mentorship pairs and evaluating interaction outcomes.
Real mentorship stories that have already changed children’s lives were also presented separately. In particular, the story of mentor Liudmyla and Adriana, who, thanks to her mentor’s support, was able to believe in herself, get an education, and build her own future. Participants also heard the story of a boy for whom mentorship became a step toward family placement and a true sense of family.
During the discussion, we also emphasized that for effective scaling of mentorship, it is extremely important to:
- work through regional platforms and partnerships;
- invest in high-quality mentor training;
- ensure professional support for mentorship pairs;
- build cooperation between the state, communities, and the public sector.
An important and very valuable piece of news was that already now in Chernivtsi Oblast, 2 children have mentors, and this is only the beginning of building a mentorship system in the region.
We sincerely thank Bukovyna for the warm welcome, openness to cooperation, professional dialogue, and willingness to develop mentorship as a real tool for supporting children who need a stable adult by their side.
We are convinced that today Chernivtsi Oblast has every opportunity to build a strong, high-quality, and systematic mentorship model that can change the lives of many children.
