Youth Development Forum

"Youth are always the leaders of changes"

Youth makes revolutions, drives progress, and creates those crazy ideas adults never could.

Youth is fearless, smart, energized, and driven by knowledge and expertise that defy age.

From revolutions to the craziest innovations, youth have always been the unstoppable force driving progress.

Yet, it’s not that easy-peasy to grow as a professional while being young. Can you relate?

Kris personally could, and she says she still encounters that feeling and the question, ‘Aren’t you too young?.

Story time:

Recently, Kris attended a few events, and she found some proactive young professionals there to talk to on this topic.

What did we get from those talks? We asked how did they feel at work, among older people. Especially, when they needed to pitch a project/idea, etc.

Right, they were telling stories how they faced ageism. Even though, they had desire and relevant experience to implement this and those things. They still faced that sh1t.

Unfortunately, age stigma is still strong at work & life questions.

Yet, one story told impressed us. The young girl with her team were working on the project related to abortion legalization. They faced ageism, due to that they faced difficulties making project even more complicated to be implemented. She told us: “yeah, I came to the room full of adults looking at me like: “what are YOU even doing here?“…“

What do you think? They’ve finished that project successfully, no matter what.

This story reinforced our belief in the importance of supporting proactive, smart, and energetic young people. Same as we were once, same as we’re still like.

Youth and Tech Thriving Together

As we already discussed, youth bring energy, and moreover, they bring fresh perspectives, and a readiness to push boundaries. Technology, on the other hand, is the ultimate playground for creativity and impact. Together, in our opinion, they’re an unstoppable combination for growth.

In Zapal we’re lucky to see this dynamic in action daily. Some of the talented junior developers and team members at Zapal are proof of what happens when youthful ambition meets opportunities in tech.

Whether it's brainstorming fresh solutions or coding the future of platforms, these young minds are redefining what’s possible.

Building a Culture of Collaboration

For us, working with youth isn’t just about hiring; it’s about fostering mutual growth. While we provide a platform for young talent to shine, their energy reminds us to stay curious, adaptable, and bold. This exchange keeps our team dynamic and ensures we’re always one step ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

This focus on youth empowerment was echoed at the Youth Development Forum, where we continued to champion the need for young voices in shaping the future.

Youth Development Forum

Firstly, we’re sorry not telling about this event earlier… But as we have this as a “story debt”, we still wanted to talk about it.

So to the event! Here is what the team of the Studentske Bratstvo of Kyiv mentioned:

”On Independence Day, we successfully hosted an event we had been preparing for all summer. The Youth Development Forum brought together over 40 organizations, more than 120 young civic leaders, activists, and volunteers, as well as 10 incredible speakers from the public, private, and civic sectors.
At the Forum, participants discussed the role of youth during the war, in post-war recovery, and strategies to retain young people in Ukraine while encouraging those abroad to return.
The event was supported by the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House.”

Kris and Bohdan took part in those panel discussions translating Zapal principles on the topics mentioned before.

For us, it was about showing how ‘young by age, not by expertise’ can drive real change. Kris and Bohdan didn’t just speak as representatives of a company—they spoke as young people, proving their expertise and commitment to Ukraine’s future.

There were a lot of personal stories in there. Both of us are 22, both remain in Ukraine, created Zapal in November 2022.

We say, “we’re crazy enough to create Zapal in 2022”, but it’s not just about being brave. It is also totally about choosing to stay here, in your country, because you know you can create, improve, innovate and make something great right here.

You can use your power not just to grow by yourself, but to help others change, as well.

We’ve already developed not only awesome, top-notch soft for businesses, with the help of our young by age not by expertise specialist. But we’ve also helped lots of cultural projects, some of which were youth-run one, and always open to hire for available positions young people.

No matter your age, race, or background, we believe in the power of youth: ‘Young by age, not by expertise.’ Keep creating, collaborating, and proving that together, there’s nothing we can’t build.

Young by age — not by expertise.