Ukrainian Youth Association in Germany
München, Deutschlandweit
The Ukrainian Youth Association in Germany (CYM/SUM) is the oldest active Ukrainian organisation in Germany, founded in 1946 in Augsburg. As a branch of the international CYM, it fosters Ukrainian identity and Christian values and connects generations.
The Ukrainian Youth Association in Germany (CYM, Ukrainian: Spilka Ukrajinskoji Molodi, SUM) was founded on 10 June 1946 in Augsburg, in the American-occupied zone of post-war Germany. It is the second oldest CYM branch in the world after Ukraine itself. The organisation was created in response to the urgent need to preserve the national identity of Ukrainian young people among the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians living as Displaced Persons in German refugee camps after World War II.
The centrepiece of CYM Germany's activities is the annual summer camp in Gomadingen (Swabian Alb), held continuously since 1965. The camp brings together Ukrainian youth from across Western Europe and serves as the main platform for language, history and identity education. Germany was the first CYM branch worldwide in which leadership was taken over by members born in emigration – a sign of generational continuity unique in the CYM world.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, CYM Germany has actively engaged in humanitarian aid collection and delivery. 2025 marks CYM's 100th anniversary, with a World Rally (Zdvyh) planned in Munich.