The team of the Cultural Platform Zakarpattya created an exhibition that presented the results of the Olena Zelenska Foundation’s study “Future Index: Professional Expectations and Development of Teenagers in Ukraine.” Through separate thematic zones, we told the story of the needs and hopes of Ukrainian teenagers, creating a space for their dialogue with parents, educators, employers, and government agencies. The exhibition was held from May 22 to 25 in one of the pavilions at VDNG in Kyiv.
The “Future Index” study, initiated by the Olena Zelenska Foundation and presented in collaboration with the KSE Institute and with the support of UNICEF, highlights the aspirations of teenagers aged 13–16 in the context of professional fulfillment and defines how the war, the educational environment—including extracurricular activities—family, and social surroundings affect their vision of their professional future.
In order to bring the key findings of this study closer and make the needs and expectations of teenagers more understandable to a wide audience, we organized a spatial exhibition that combined infographics, installations, and interactive solutions in three thematic zones.
The results of the study, in particular, state that every fourth teenager aged 13–16 is considering the possibility of going abroad, and the main motivation is not danger, but the search for opportunities for development. For us, as a civil society organization that systematically works on projects to support the well-being and development of Ukrainian children and teenagers, this was one of the important signals in preparing the idea for the exhibition. It became an instrument of dialogue for society on how to create conditions so that teenagers would want to study, work, and realize their potential at home.
We essentially invited visitors to walk the path of teenagers — from assessing their own skills to envisioning their professional future — and to support them in seeking professional self-determination here in Ukraine.
“I Discover Myself”
The first zone of the exhibition presented the development of teenagers’ soft and professional skills and how their formation is influenced by the educational environment and extracurricular activities.
“I Choose My Path”
In the second zone of the exhibition, an interactive solution was implemented that gave visitors the opportunity to explore the professional expectations of teenagers in comparison with the offerings of the Ukrainian labor market — and to see the significant gap.
“I See Myself in the Future”
The third zone drew attention to the roles of adults, the state, and society in creating accessible opportunities for young people. The figurative expression of this part of the exhibition was a mirror in which the visitor sees — metaphorically in the future — themselves and their role in helping teenagers on their path to professional self-determination. Everyone here had the opportunity to contribute practically by adding their advice and ideas to the zone to inspire others.
In this way, we not only visualized statistics — through the voices of young people, we engaged everyone involved to reflect on how to support the development of teenagers and help them confidently build their own path in their native country.
The concept and implementation of the exhibition were developed by:
Maryna Mykhaylenko – Project Coordinator
Oleksii Salnikov – Art Director
Olena Tsymbaliuk – Exhibition Space Architect
Olena Smirnova-Kochetkova – Editor, Copywriter
Anastasiia Mishustina – Creative Copywriter
Anna Mykhailenko – Project Manager, Legal Advisor
Nastia Ischenko – Project Assistant
Diana Yefymenko, Olena Smirnova-Kochetkova
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