While the search for Ukraine’s next young musical star gets underway, a powerful new mission is taking centre stage, one that resonates far beyond the glittering lights of television. In a country where children grapple with the daily realities of war, public broadcaster Suspilne has teamed up with the charitable foundation Holosy ditey (Voices of Children) to transform its Junior Eurovision National Selection into a lifeline for those who need it most.
The initiative, launched to coincide with Ukraine’s Independence Day, is a nationwide fundraiser aimed at providing critical psychological support for children scarred by the conflict. Every donation will help Holosy ditey sustain its on-the-ground efforts, whether by funding a support centre near the front lines or by deploying mobile psychologist teams to reach children in the hardest-hit regions.
For Oksana Skybinska, Head of the Ukrainian Delegation for Eurovision, the project carries a profound social responsibility that transcends the competition itself.
The National Selection for Junior Eurovision is a social project aimed at supporting children, giving them joy and new opportunities, unfortunately, a lot of Ukrainian children are suffering. Air raids, shelling, explosions, the loss of loved ones—this is what they are forced to face. Psychological support is an extremely important area of fundraising. Together with Holosy ditey, we hope to raise money that will help improve the psychological well-being of as many children as possible.
Oksana Skybinska
The foundation, Ukraine’s largest organisation focused on this issue, has already supported over 150,000 children and parents. Their involvement even extends to the young contestants, ensuring they have the inner strength to perform.
We believe that psychological support should be with children in all spheres of their lives, our psychologists helped them cope with excitement and stress so that before performing, they could remain themselves—strong, sincere, and inspired. Because even when children come out to sing, they carry with them the experience of war, anxiety, and loss. Our task is to make sure that their strong, happy voices are heard on stage.
Azad Safarov, co-founder of Holosy ditey
Beyond this vital fundraising effort, the competition itself is heating up. Fifteen young artists are currently participating in “Star School” in Kyiv, where they are being mentored by industry professionals in everything from vocals to stage presence. From this group, six finalists will be chosen for the live national final in October. In a new twist, the sixth act could be a group formed from several of the soloists. The finalists will have the unique opportunity to perform songs penned by alyona alyona, representative at the 2024 adult Eurovision Song Contest.
The winner will go on to represent Ukraine in Tbilisi, Georgia, for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025, following in the footsteps of last year’s contestant, Artem Kotenko, who secured a remarkable 3rd place finish.
As the nation looks to build on that success, it’s clear that this year’s contest is about more than just hitting the right notes. It’s about amplifying the voices of a generation determined to sing through the darkness, and ensuring that behind every performance is a child who feels heard, supported, and hopeful for the future.
