On 25 November, Kyiv hosted the final Impact.Zhytomyr 2.0 Forum, where the Zhytomyr Municipal Territorial Community presented to international partners the innovative project Zshyto — a production and educational hub for the creative economy, developed within the Estonian educational program for local self-government.

The Zshyto project is designed to stimulate the development of the creative economy and transform Zhytomyr’s light-industry sector into a high-tech, innovative, and competitive field. The concept has the potential to become a new growth point for the city, attract investment, build partnerships, and create expanded opportunities for manufacturers, designers, startups, and young people.

Zshyto: a New Creative Economy Hub in the Heart of Zhytomyr

The project foresees the establishment of a production and educational space that will provide:

• access for emerging entrepreneurs to modern equipment;
• training for highly skilled specialists;
• support for the development and promotion of local brands in national and international markets;
• creation of an exhibition, communication, and networking environment.

The hub will address several systemic challenges at once: the lack of modern production facilities, the absence of exhibition infrastructure, and a shortage of qualified personnel in the light-industry sector. The space will host exhibitions, fashion shows, professional meetings, educational events, and collaborative creative projects.

The Zhytomyr community continues to shape an investment project portfolio aimed at strengthening the city’s economic resilience and supporting sustainable development.

Impact.Zhytomyr 2.0 Program Outcomes

The forum also served as a final milestone of the Impact.Zhytomyr 2.0 educational program, within which communities of Zhytomyr region demonstrated significant progress in building the capacity of local self-government. In particular:

• around 150 participants developed their own project concepts, some of which have already been submitted as grant applications;
• 14 communities presented the results of implemented local initiatives in digitalization, youth policy, healthcare, social services, environmental protection, business development, and infrastructure.

International Partnership

The Impact.Zhytomyr 2.0 program is implemented in partnership with the Republic of Estonia, the consulting company Civitta, the University of Tartu, and with the support of the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV).