UNICEF Innovation 221d ago

A team of UPSHIFT participants — young people from Ukraine living as refugees in Poland — created a project to honor the kindness of the local Polish community by making and handing out recycled paper cards and flowers as tokens of appreciation. But their initiative went further than gratitude: they also organized an environmental awareness workshop with local youth, using creativity and collaboration to bridge communities. This series features youth-led projects developed through UPSHIFT by youth from Ukraine living in Poland as refugees, delivered by UNICEF’s Refugee Response Office in partnership with local organizations. Through their own voices, each story highlights both the challenges of displacement and the ways these young people have risen above them. From rebuilding confidence to rebuilding communities, these videos capture resilience in action — showing how, through UPSHIFT, hardship is being transformed into solutions, hope, and social impact.