Missing Children Europe is excited to share the new research report, Reclaiming our voices: Ukrainian youth navigating forced displacement in Czechia, Hungary and Poland, co-produced with Heartwarmingly consultancy and developed in collaboration with the YoU Decide Youth Advisory Board, ITAKA Poland, OPU Czechia, and TdH Hungary.
As part of the YoU Decide project, the report examines the lived experiences, aspirations, and challenges of displaced youth from Ukraine navigating the transition to adulthood in Poland, Hungary, and Czechia. It is based on participatory, trauma-informed research with 288 young people. Three focus groups in Budapest, Prague, and Warsaw (24 participants) took place between September and October 2025, and an online survey with 264 respondents was conducted between December 2025 and February 2026. While not representative, the findings provide crucial insight into youth voices at a critical stage of life shaped by war and displacement.
The research explores how evolving ‘life projects’ and forced displacement shape young people’s access to education, employment, housing, healthcare, and other support services. Gaps in youth-appropriate support systems can increase vulnerability to risks such as going missing, labour exploitation, or trafficking. Despite their resilience and ambition, displaced Ukrainian youth face structural barriers. The findings confirm that youth transitions in displacement are shaped by the interaction of legal status, economic precarity, gender roles, and social belonging. Young people across the three countries articulated strong aspirations, developing professionally, pursuing creative careers, excelling in sport, and gaining independence. Yet these aspirations repeatedly collided with the realities of displacement and limited resources. This recurring tension between what young people hope for and what they can realistically access highlights how displacement restructures youth transitions, redirecting energy away from self-development and towards coping with immediate pressures.
At the same time, hobbies, peer networks, and community engagement play a vital role in supporting identity, wellbeing, and social inclusion. Young people also demonstrate strong civic participation and a desire to contribute to both their host societies and Ukraine’s future.
The report calls for youth-centred policies that ensure legal certainty, facilitate access to education and employment, expand mental health support, and create meaningful avenues for youth participation in decision-making. Most importantly, it highlights the need to support young people in shaping and pursuing their own ‘life projects’ as they transition to adulthood in displacement.
We extend our gratitude to all the young people who shared their voices and experiences, and to all project partners, for co-producing this critical research that places youth at the centre of understanding and responding to displacement.