U-Connect Academy – Connection with yourself. Connection with others.

Ukreate Hub invites Ukrainian women with or without kids from across Lithuania to join U-Connect Academy – a free integration programme built around growth, emotional support, and community with real impact.

Registration to the program is over.

What Is U-Connect Academy?

Four years into displacement, many Ukrainian women in Lithuania are still searching for their footing — navigating a new language, raising children alone, and rebuilding a life far from home. Access to real support, especially outside Vilnius, remains limited.

U-Connect Academy was built to change it.

Starting on 8th September 2026 (the first cycle), the programme brings together Ukrainian women and their children in public libraries across Vilnius, Panevėžys, and Utena – creating a space to breathe, grow, and connect with others who truly understand the journey.

What Awaits You?

By joining U-Connect Academy, you will benefit from a 6 month programme that combines practical skills, emotional support, and community:

For women:

– 8 weekly training sessions (Thursdays, 4:00–7:00 PM) on self-confidence, personal growth, belonging and active participation in community life in Lithuania; 

– 5 group psychotherapy sessions with experienced specialists

– 3 hours of individual coaching sessions tailored to your personal goals;

– Workshop to design and launch your own community initiative;

– Community events co-organised with librarians for Ukrainian and Lithuanian families.

For children and youth:

– Ages 10–18: at least 5 creative workshops in robotics, 3D design, digital technology, photography, and filmmaking – building creativity, collaboration, and innovation skills [the program will be announced soon];

– Children under 10: meaningful childcare activities on site during women’s sessions.

Practical support included:

  • Free participation – no fees at any stage;
  • Childcare on site  for children under 10 so you can focus entirely on the programme;
  • The program will primarily be conducted in Ukrainian, but additional language support may be used if needed and possible;
  • Snacks for you and children during sessions;
  • Covered travel expense for participants coming to opening and closing event in Vilnius from Utena and Panevėžys;
  • Certificate of programme completion.

Programme Sessions

The programme runs from September to December 2026, with a closing phase in January–February 2027.

  • 18 July 2026 – Application deadline
  • 8 September 2026 – Opening event – Martynas Mažvydas National Library, Vilnius
  • 17 September– 10 December 2026 – 13 weekly session on Thursdays, 4:00–7:00 PM (8 weekly training sessions + 5 group psychotherapy sessions (schedule will be added here soon))
  • January–February 2027 – Individual coaching sessions + Closing event / Ideation workshop 
  • February 2027 – Community events in libraries co-organised by participants and librarians

Thursday sessions take place simultaneously in three cities every Thursday, with a lecturer online and participants in-person at their local library..

Training topics

Block 1 – Self & Inner Foundation

  • Self-Awareness and Personal Resilience. Knowledge and Self-Diagnosis about personal social – emotional growth. socio-emotional growth, character strengths, and personal resilience mechanisms. After the session, participants will better understand their own state, be able to identify their resources and sources of support, gain basic self-diagnosis tools, become more aware of their needs, and feel less isolated.
  • Values and Inner Leadership: reducing inner conflict, developing a sense of self-worth, strengthening a sense of personal agency. Participants will better understand their values, become aware of their inner sources of support, gain more clarity on personal priorities, and begin forming a more conscious vision of their future.

Block 2 – Belonging & Community

  • Belonging, Identity, and Community: what community is, stages of community development, belonging and social isolation, trust and horizontal connections, identity in the migration experience, and the role of community in resilience. After the session, participants will feel less isolated, develop trust, feel more included in the community, and form new contacts and support networks.
  • Dialogue, Communication, and Human Connection: learning and practicing a culture of dialogue, active listening, empathy, and communication under stress. Participants will improve their relationships, develop listening skills, reduce tension in communication, and gain more confidence in interacting with others.

Block 3 – Voice & Agency

  • Recognizing Strengths and Leadership Potential: understanding where to grow and how to use one’s strengths and life experience. After the session, participants will recognize their potential, gain more confidence, and be better able to articulate their skills and experience.
  • Women’s Voice, Participation, and Community Leadership. strengthening visibility and civic participation, discussing barriers and responsibility. After the session, participants will feel more confident in their own voice, better understand opportunities for participation, feel a greater sense of agency to influence, and recognize their role in the community.

Block 4 – Leadership in Action

  • From Ideas to Initiative: developing practical thinking, moving from reflection to action, and building the skill of taking small steps. After the session, participants will better understand how to start acting, feel more ready to build initiatives, form initial ideas for their own steps, and reduce their fear of getting started.
  • Personal Vision and Next Steps: working on structure, motivation, sustainability, building a supportive environment, and long-term development. Participants will gain more clarity about their future, form a concrete personal plan of next steps, and complete the program with a sense of direction and support.

Where Does the Programme Take Place?

Activities for women and their children are hosted in three public libraries:

– Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania — Vilnius

– Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library — Panevėžys

– Utena A. and M. Miškiniai Public Library — Utena

Libraries are not just venues — they are active integration hubs and partners in the programme. Their staff will co-facilitate community events and workshops for children and youth.оді.

Who Can Participate?

The programme is open to Ukrainian women residing in Lithuania, with or without children. 

Priority is given to women facing one or more of the following situations:

– Currently unemployed or working in a position below your qualification level

– Sole provider for your family

– Raise children or provide care for elderly family members

– Limited Lithuanian or English language skills

– Experiencing social isolation, especially in smaller cities

– Spouse serving as military personnel, volunteer, or veteran

If you do not live in Vilnius, Panevėžys, or Utena but are able to attend the in-person sessions, you are also warmly welcome to join U-Connect Academy. 

Children of participants have priority in the programme’s activities.

Children aged 10-18 will be able to register to the creative workshops even if their mothers don’t participate in the program.

What Will You Gain?

– A safe and supportive space where you can exhale and be yourself

– Group psychotherapy and individual psychological support

– 3 hours of personal coaching focused on your goals

– A community of Ukrainian women who understand your experience

– Meaningful connections with local communities and libraries 

– The experience of creating your own initiative and seeing it come to life

– A certificate of programme completion

Information Sessions

We held informational meetings in each of the programme’s cities so that potential participants could gain a full understanding of all the details and processes.

11 June 2026 – Panevėžys – https://fb.me/e/3X7P7Fj14

16 June 2026 – Utena – https://fb.me/e/7m7gNc9tR

19June  2026 – Vilnius – https://fb.me/e/dkQDyIvVh

Lecturers

Facilitators

How to Apply?

Complete the registrationform by 18 July 2026 and become part of the first U-Connect Academy cycle.

Registration is here: https://forms.gle/aGZEJ9ztJJve3GGS8

If you have any questions, write to us at info@ukreatehub.eu or reach out via our social media.

Our Partners

Domus Solis – Social Impact Incubator with 15+ years of experience in psychosocial support, emotional wellbeing, and work with vulnerable communities. Delivers all group and individual psychotherapy sessions throughout the programme.

Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library – provides the programme space, childcare, creates and leads children’s workshops and co-facilitates community events in Panevėžys.

Utena A. and M. Miškiniai Public Library – provides the programme space, childcare, creates and leads children’s workshops and co-facilitates community events in Utena.

Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania – provides the programme space,  creates and leads children’s workshops, co-facilitates community events in Vilnius and hosts the opening and closing event.

The project is supported by the Swiss contribution to reducing economic and social disparities in the EU.