Youth Space Laboratory: Creation, Design, and Management

Fourth-year students of Specialty 231 “Social Work” completed their final assessment in the course “Youth Space Laboratory: Creation, Design, and Management” by presenting their own youth space projects. This format of assessment was chosen deliberately, as it enables the integration of theoretical knowledge with practical activity and fosters project design skills in real social contexts.

The course “Youth Space Laboratory” is a practice-oriented discipline covering all stages of youth space development – from idea generation and conceptualization to visualization and presentation. Throughout the semester, students worked on designing spaces capable of inspiring, engaging, and supporting young people, organized mini-events, and developed visual prototypes of their projects.

The aim of the course is to form a holistic understanding of the process of creating youth spaces, as well as to develop practical skills in preparing and presenting concept projects in public settings. Special attention was given to aligning projects with the solution of relevant social issues in communities, addressing the needs of diverse groups of young people, and ensuring inclusivity of the environment.

At the final stage, each student presented their project, demonstrating not only creativity but also analytical thinking, project planning, and social forecasting skills.

Students shared their reflections on the course:

“What I enjoyed most was developing the unique concept ‘Body & Soul,’ which combines physical activity with social development and volunteering in a non-standard way. It was especially interesting to design inclusive elements and activities to create a safe and motivating environment” (Anastasiia, 4th year).

“I revised my project several times. The first version was quite superficial, and I thought: ‘I wouldn’t invest in this.’ It turned out to be unexpectedly difficult to consider the real needs of the target group, even though at first they seemed obvious. I tried to approach the task creatively, and I believe I succeeded” (Olena, 4th year).

“The most valuable part for me was learning about inclusive equipment for youth spaces. It is actually quite difficult to find ready-made examples. At the same time, the entire process – from idea generation to defining the project’s goal – was a meaningful, though challenging, experience” (Anastasiia, 4th year).

The implementation of the final assessment in the format of project presentations confirmed the effectiveness of practice-oriented learning as a tool for developing professional competencies of future social work specialists. This approach contributes to the development of creativity, responsibility, and readiness to address real social challenges.

The educational component is implemented in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 “Quality Education,” SDG 10 “Reduced Inequalities,” and SDG 16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.”

Based on materials by Alla Melnychuk,
Assistant Lecturer of the Department of Social Work and Inclusive Education,
Coordinator of the Leadership School