Europe Day has been celebrated in Ukraine for many years, and this year is no exception. On May 25, Mystetskyi Arsenal brought together many public figures, experts, CSO representatives, Kyiv residents and guests to celebrate the Together We Act Fest festival organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.
The celebration was the leading event of the All-Ukrainian communication campaign on EU support for civil society and independent media in Ukraine “Together We Act. Together we are Europe”, which started on May 3 and will last until the end of July 2024 in all regions of Ukraine.
The event was aimed at demonstrating the leading role of civil society and media in Ukraine’s resilience and recovery, including highlighting the achievements made with the support of the European Union.
The opening of the event began with welcoming remarks, including those of the EU Ambassador Katarina Mathernova:
“We organized this event to celebrate our work with civil society. We have launched an information campaign to draw attention to the extremely important work that civil society, independent journalists, and various non-governmental organizations do across Ukraine. And we also want to demonstrate the support that the European Union provides to civil society and various organizations.” The diplomat noted that the tireless will to fight and defend freedom and democracy in Ukraine is an effort of the whole society.”
The open discussion on the impact of the European Union on CSOs and media in Ukraine was attended by leading experts, CSO and media representatives, as well as representatives of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.
An important element of the festival was the Europe-Ukraine ceramic panel, which miraculously survived another deadly Russian attack on Ukraine on March 25, 2024.
The creation of the panel began during the All-Ukrainian Youth Forum “Ednannia” by young people from all regions of Ukraine. According to the author, Oleksii Pergamenshchyk, the clay for the work was brought from the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast.
Together with the children from Fastiv, the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova and the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna joined the work on the panel, symbolically adding a fragment depicting Ukraine.
At the festival, Oleksandra Matviychuk, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2022 and head of the Center for Civil Liberties, delivered a poignant and fascinating speech.
“Europe is not a matter of geography. For us, it is a matter of value choice. And values are what determine people’s behavior not when it is easy, but when it is difficult. And we have confirmed our value choice with our actions. 10 years ago, millions of people in Ukraine peacefully fought for a chance to build a country where everyone’s rights are respected, where the government is accountable and controlled, the courts are independent, and the police do not beat or disperse peaceful student demonstrations. And when the Revolution of Dignity won and we got a chance to build this country, Russia launched an armed aggression to stop us on this path…” Oleksandra noted.
Journalist Andriy Kulikov, NAPC representative Oleksandr Starodubtsev, Atlant CP representative Hanna Kramarenko, Natalia Cheremoshentseva, volunteer of the Dignity initiative, singer Svitlana Tarabarova, and TNMK frontman Oleh Mykhailyuta delivered equally fascinating speeches.
The festival featured many interesting and useful meetings, public discussions, film screenings, lectures, art therapy sessions, presentations, trainings, literary readings, quizzes, games, quests, and much more.
At the EU pavilion, guests were able to get comprehensive information about the relations between Ukraine and the European Union and the unprecedented assistance the EU provided to Ukraine during the war, including to civil society organizations and the media.
At the Alley of CSOs Cohesion, Ukrainian CSOs of different levels demonstrated both the results of their work and new methods of its organization in thematic tents. The Eastern Europe Foundation and partners, International Renaissance Foundation, ISAR Ednannia and partners, CO “Network 100 percent of life Rivne”, CSO “Changemakers”, CSO “Institute for Sustainable Community Development” (ISDG), CSO “SUVIATO”, CSO “Smiliy Irpin”, 50 “FREE ZONE”, 50 TVRE, NGO “Defenders of Kyiv”, NGO “Other Woman”, and AUCO “Volunteer” organized lectures, discussions, surveys, consultations, trainings, quizzes, business and educational games, etc. for the festival visitors.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine, in partnership with the Eastern Europe Foundation, held a mine safety training that attracted a record number of attendees.
The event also featured a street exhibition #Together We Act. “SUPPORT”, which tells the story of civil society organizations that have received support from the European Union since the first days of the full-scale war.
The exhibition will be on display for two weeks at St. Sophia Square and then travel to four more cities in Ukraine.
