The Kochubeivka Community hosted the first 2026 Working Group on Public Safety and Recovery meeting, dedicated to discussing priorities, needs, and ideas for further development and recovery. The meeting brought together local government representatives, experts from various fields, and members of the working group to jointly plan activities for the current and coming year.
At the meeting, it was announced that the working group would be expanded in terms of both membership and scope. Now, its activities will cover not only public safety but also a wide range of areas, including veteran policy, youth work, support for IDPs, social and administrative services, and healthcare. This will allow for a more comprehensive approach to addressing community issues and engaging more experts in collaboration.
Meeting participants discussed the community’s needs and ideas across various areas: social inclusion, support for veterans, youth engagement, provision of social and administrative services, healthcare, vocational education, and economic recovery (microbusiness development).
Among the key priorities voiced by community representatives were:
- Youth policy: restoring the youth center and establishing a youth council to engage young people in active community life. Training a youth policy specialist.
- Sports development: equipping sports facilities in the community.
- Veterans’ policy: establishing a veterans’ center and equipping it.
- Healthcare: equipping and furnishing the community’s first-aid stations.
- Accessibility and inclusion: installing ramps, Braille signage, and a sign language monitor at the Administrative Service Center.
- Infrastructure projects: developing a park, replacing water mains, and water distribution networks in settlements.
- Support for IDPs: setting up a space for IDPs.
- Protection of critical infrastructure.
The importance of both “hard” components (repairs, equipment procurement) and “soft” components (education, training, workshops) for various population groups and specialists was emphasized.
A separate segment of the meeting featured a presentation on the experience of creating risk profiles in the Kherson and Chornobaivka communities as part of the “Impulse” project, implemented of the Impulse Project, implemented by the International Renaissance Foundation and the East Europe Foundation, with funding from Norway (Norad) and Sweden (Sida). This approach allows for identifying residents’ real fears and concerns, developing an action plan to mitigate risks, and securing funding. The Kochubeivka community was invited to consider conducting such an analysis, which requires active public participation.
All needs and ideas raised were recorded in the working group’s minutes, and active implementation of specific initiatives in the community is expected to begin as early as the second quarter of 2026.
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