Moving Beyond Uncertainty: Displaced Youth of Ukraine Transitioning into Adulthood in Europe
15 October 2026 08:30–16:00
Comic Art Museum | Brussels, Belgium
Final Conference of the YoU Decide project
Missing Children Europe, together with the YoU Decide consortium, invites you to its final conference exploring the realities, choices and future pathways of young people displaced from Ukraine as they transition into adulthood in Europe.
Registration is required by 7 October 2026.
About the conference
Many young Ukrainians who arrived in Europe as children following Russia’s full-scale invasion are now entering adulthood. At a time when any young person would be making important decisions about education, work, relationships and their future, they are doing so while also navigating displacement, unfamiliar systems and uncertainty about where they will live in the years ahead.
For some, the future may mean returning to Ukraine. Others may continue building their lives in their current host country or elsewhere in Europe. For many, their future may span more than one country.
Moving Beyond Uncertainty will bring together young people, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, civil society organisations and representatives of Ukrainian, European and international institutions to ask a forward-looking question: what do young people displaced from Ukraine need today to make informed choices and build safe, stable and meaningful futures?
The conference will draw on the findings and experiences of the YoU Decide project, which has worked directly with displaced young Ukrainians in Czechia, Hungary and Poland to better understand their needs, aspirations and experiences of transitioning into adulthood.
What will we discuss?
The conference will move from young people’s experiences and research evidence to practical solutions and policy discussions.
Throughout the day, we will explore:
- what research tells us about the experiences, aspirations and challenges of young Ukrainians transitioning into adulthood;
- what we can learn from involving young people directly in research and the design of solutions that affect them;
- promising services and initiatives supporting displaced Ukrainian youth across Europe, and how effective approaches can be adapted and scaled;
- access to trustworthy information, education, employment, rights and essential services;
- belonging, participation and maintaining connections with Ukraine while building a life elsewhere in Europe;
- legal certainty and longer-term pathways as Europe looks beyond temporary protection;
- how Ukraine, the EU and its Member States can work together towards sustainable solutions for a generation whose futures may span Ukraine and Europe.
Young people at the centre
Young people will not only be the subject of the conference, they will help shape the conversation.
Members of the YoU Decide Youth Advisory Board will participate throughout the programme and lead a dedicated Youth Voices: Building Futures Across Borders session.
Drawing on their own experiences and the perspectives of other displaced young Ukrainians, they will discuss transition to adulthood, belonging, education and employment, access to information, legal uncertainty and the difficult decisions young people are making about their futures.
Their reflections will lead directly into the policy discussion, bringing questions raised by young people to representatives of Ukraine, the European Union and international organisations.
Programme
08:30–09:00 | Registration and welcome coffee
09:00–09:10 | Welcome
Missing Children Europe and the YoU Decide consortium
Morning | High-level and special interventions
Keynote interventions from Ukrainian and European representatives on the future of young people displaced from Ukraine.
Research Panel | Understanding the Realities of Young People Transitioning into Adulthood
Research findings from YoU Decide and lessons from its co-creative methodology, bringing together researchers and Youth Advisory Board members.
Practitioners Session | Creating Support Systems that Enable Young People to Thrive
Initiatives supporting young Ukrainians across Europe, with a focus on lessons learned, promising approaches and how existing solutions can be adapted and scaled.
The session will include an interactive marketplace, giving participants an opportunity to meet organisations and learn more about different initiatives and services.
Youth Voices | Building Futures Across Borders
A youth-led dialogue exploring experiences of displacement and transition into adulthood, building futures across Ukraine and Europe, belonging and participation, and making informed choices in conditions of uncertainty.
Policy Panel | Moving Beyond Temporariness: Building Sustainable Futures for Young People Displaced from Ukraine
A discussion bringing together Ukrainian, European and international perspectives and responding to the questions raised by young people throughout the conference.
15:45–16:00 | Closing reflections
A detailed agenda and confirmed speakers will be updated on this page.
Practical information
Date: Thursday, 15 October 2026
Time: 08:30–16:00
Venue: Comic Art Museum, Brussels, Belgium
Language: English
Registration deadline: 7 October 2026
Places may be limited, so we encourage you to register as early as possible. Further practical information will be shared with registered participants ahead of the conference.
About YoU Decide
YoU Decide: Supporting Displaced Youth of Ukraine is an EU-funded project ESF+ Social Innovation+ Initiative, coordinated by Missing Children Europe.
The project works with young people displaced from Ukraine to better understand the challenges they face and strengthen their access to reliable information, services and opportunities as they transition into adulthood.
Through research, youth participation, local stakeholder engagement and the development of accessible information through the Miniila platform, YoU Decide aims to ensure that young people are not only consulted about decisions affecting them, but have the information, support and space to shape their own futures.
This project and the conference are Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Social Fund Agency. Neither the European Union nor the Granting Authority can be held responsible for them.”
