In Belarus, a new online platform offers a networking and learning space for adolescents
u-platform.by is the only youth platform in Belarus that brings together training, volunteering, fighting online bullying and more
- Available in:
- English
- русский
Twenty-year-old Alina’s passion is to empower young people. As a UNICEF Volunteer and member of the Adolescent Advisory Panel in Novopolotsk, Belarus, she attends weekly meetings with other members to brainstorm how they can help young people access online resources for their empowerment, engagement, and to develop transferable skills.
One such platform gaining popularity in Belarus is u-platform.by, which was launched in 2021 in partnership with the National Art Centre for Children and Youth. The platform is an online space for young people to share their ideas, develop relevant skills through free courses, and take part or initiate projects and events that convene young people around important topics. The platform also serves as a network for UNICEF Volunteers to share events and opportunities for volunteering.
“Young people and adolescents use multiple social media channels already, but u-platform.by is a special place, as it’s entirely managed by adolescents.”
“u-platform.by is the only youth platform in Belarus that brings together different dimensions and topics, such as training, volunteering, fighting online bullying, etc.,” says Alina. “Young people and adolescents use multiple social media channels already, but u-platform.by is a special place, as it’s entirely managed by adolescents - we create content and help develop and test new sections and pages. Recently, we released podcasts produced by young bloggers for their peers. The Adolescent Advisory Panel members and UNICEF Volunteers are very actively involved in this work.”
The number of people joining the u-platform.by is constantly growing, and Alina has big plans for developing the platform further and make it more accessible to Belarusian youth. “It is very important to me that the platform is bilingual, so that it’s accessible to all youth. We have already started translating content with the help of a team of five young people, and I have also helped editing. We want to make it inclusive by making it accessible to people with visual or hearing impairments. We do not want to leave anyone behind.”
To make it more accessible to people with visual impairments, Alina and her peers have introduced the option to change the color, enlarge the font, increase letter or line spacing. They have also added speech synthesis technology. Currently, the platform’s training section is the most popular.
“Platforms like u-platform.by blur geographic boundaries, as young people can enroll in a variety of free online courses from anywhere in the country. It provides an opportunity to get a training certificate that can be added to your CV, which is important when you’re looking for internship or a job.”
“Platforms like u-platform.by blur geographic boundaries, as young people can enroll in a variety of free online courses from anywhere in the country. It provides an opportunity to get a training certificate that can be added to your CV, which is important when you’re looking for internship or a job.”
Alina says that the platform encourages her to be more creative and take initiative for new activities. “Every time I take a course, I learn something new. I feel that I can adapt easily to different tasks and make more informed decisions.”
