History

The All-Ukrainian NGO “Ukrainian Youth SOBOR” was founded on the 18th of November, 2000, by the Constituent Assembly. The initiatives of the creating of the organization were the young activists of the Ukrainian Republican Party SOBOR and the students of the National University “Kyiv Mohyla Academy” together with the National Technical University “Kiev Polytechnic Institute”.

The organizing committee responsible for the creation of the youth organization was headed by the Yegor Repetskyy. Borys Bilyy was elected as the first president of the Ukrainian Youth SOBOR, Oleksandr Svyrydenko became the vice president of the organization. The first stage of the activity was dedicated to the development of the internal structure and to the participation in the protest actions against authoritarian regime of President Leonid Kuchma (in the framework of the Forum of National Salvation, of the action “Ukraine without Kuchma” and “Ukraine, rise!”). In 2002 the Ukrainian Youth SOBOR merged with the All-Ukrainian NGO “Young Republicans”. The same year the united organization had the First congress which approved the activity of the organization and reelected Borys Bilyy as the president of the Ukrainian Youth SOBOR for the next two years period. Artem Stelmashov and Sergiy Berezenko were elected as vice-presidents of the organization.

In 2002-2004 the Ukrainian Youth SOBOR started close cooperation with the international foundtions such as International Republican Institute. The Ukrainian Youth SOBOR joined the Ukrainian National Committee of the Youth Organizations (UNKMO), participation in which was suspended in 2003 as a protest of the accroachment of the organization by the members of the Social-Democrat Party (United) representatives. Youth SOBOR members were the reiterative participants of the touristic-propaganda actions “Soborna Ukraine” (Consolidated Ukraine) organized by the Ukrainian Republican Party SOBOR.

The 16th of May, 2004, is the day when the Second Congress of the Ukrainian Youth SOBOR took place. The Congress election formed a new governing board of the organization: Viktor Gumenyuk became the president of the organization, Sergiy Berezenko was elected as a first vice-president, Yuriy Biryuk, Borys Bilyy and Andriy Koretskyy were elected as vice-presidents of the organization. The elections of the President of Ukraine and the Orange Revolution consolidated Youth SOBOR more than ever and made the organization really strong and authoritative. Almost 2000 members of the Youth SOBOR were working as the election observers, election commissions’ members, were involved into work of the electoral offices of Viktor Yushchenko all over Ukraine. In three regions of Ukraine the Youth SOBOR members were in charge of election campaign among youth of Viktor Yushchenko. Kiev region was in charge of Viktor Gumenyuk, Kharkiv region was in charge of Sergiy Berezenko, Mykolayiv region was in charge of Yuriy Biryuk. The work of the regional headquarters was provided by more than 300 Youth SOBOR members from Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Zakarpattya regional organizations, as well as by Kiev city organization. 

After the victory of the Orange Revolution on the 5th of February, 2005, the Ukrainian Youth SOBOR members gathered for the Third Congress, where Sergiy Berezenko was elected as a new president of the organizations. Rostyslav Derzhypilskyy, Igor Shatsyy and Pavlo Tarasyuk became the vice-presidents of the organization. The Third Congress of the organization approved the proposal of the political agreement between the Ukrainian Republucan Party SOBOR and the Youth SOBOR organization, which was the first official registration of the interrelations between party and its youth organization in Ukraine since 1991. During the same period of time the relations with other Ukrainian organizations and foreign partners developed rapidly, among which are the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Thompson Foundation, Plaid Cymru (Wales Party).

During the elections of 2006 the Ukrainian Youth SOBOR supported actively the political block “Nasha Ukraina” (Our Ukraine) of Viktor Yushchenko. The Ukrainian Youth SOBOR became the base of the youth wing of Leonid Chernovetskyy in Kiev Mayor and City Council election campaign. According to the results of the elections and the victory of Leonid Chernovetskyy, who is the Mayor of Kiev now, Sergiy Berezenko, the president of the Youth SOBOR for that time, became the member of Kiev City Council, and was appointed as a Head of the Youth and Family Department of the Kiev Town Hall. After getting a new serious status in the Kiev Governing System Sergiy Berezenko quit the position of the president of the Youth SOBOR to demonstrate his readiness to open dialogue and cooperation with all the youth organizations of the capital of Ukraine.

On the 30th of September, 2006, the Fourth Congress of the Ukrainian Youth SOBOR elected a new president Pavlo Tarasyuk. Rostyslav Derzhypilskyy, Olena Marakina and Andriy Bandura became the vice-presidents of the organization. The Ukrainian Youth Sobor became the member of the Ukrainian Youth Platform, together with such organizations as Youth Alliance “Nasha Ukraina” (Our Ukraine), Christian-Democratic Youth Alliance, Foundation of Regional Initiatives, Youth Movement and others.

In 2008 the Fifth Congress of the Youth SOBOR reelected Pavlo Tarasyuk as a president of the organization, Rostyslav Derzhypilskyy, Olena Marakina, Mykhaylo Goncharuk and Anna Zakletska were elected as new vice-presidents of the organization. In autumn of 2008 the Ukrainian Youth SOBOR became an applicant member of the European Liberal Youth LYMEC.

For now among the main priorities of the Youth SOBOR is the assistance the SOBOR party in creation of the united right-of-center political force, development of the international cooperation in different spheres and propaganda of the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine.