The Syrian community in Edinburgh gathered at Bristo Square on Sunday, December 8, to celebrate what they see as a turning point for their homeland: the fall of Bashar al-Assad regime and dictatorship in Syria. A vibrant crowd danced, sang, and celebrated the pivotal declaration of the capital city of Damascus as “free” by Syrian rebel forces, marking an end to years of tyranny.

The war in Ukraine. The biggest armed conflict the world has seen since the Second World War. The most devastating invasion in the heart of Europe since the days of the Nazis and Hitler, one that has created millions of refugees, destroyed homes and raised the threat of all-out nuclear war to unimaginable levels. I think it has never been greater, especially since the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States.

As a society, we often look at various countries we admire and strive to achieve the same level of development. And this is justified. In my opinion, in order to develop and become better, we need to have great examples to look up to (especially when it comes to countries that started with almost nothing but managed to create a cool and successful nation of happy people in a relatively short period of time).

Austin Malloy joined Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as multimedia editor in June 2022. Previously, he was the head of multimedia at The Kyiv Post in Ukraine. For Truthful Reporting, Austin Malloy shares his insights, advice and years of experience.

Today I had the opportunity to talk to one of Ukraine’s young ambitious people, Sofiia Yevchenko. Despite her young age, she has already completed internships in various institutions and organisations, is actively involved in the development of the European Youth Ambassadors (YEAs) initiative in Ukraine, is a member of the Academy of Youth Diplomacy “United Youth”, the Women’s League and the Coordination Platform of Ukrainians Abroad, and has completed internships at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine. Sofiia is currently interning at the IFES Ukraine office. 

Playwright, screenwriter, journalist and war correspondent Oksana Grytsenko is sharing her years of professional experience, advice and valuable insights from working in the media with our students. Oksana has long worked in English language journalism, travelling to and reporting from war zones. In recent years, she has been writing plays, which have been performed in various cities in Ukraine and abroad. And her play Don Juan of Zhashkiv became the basis for the script of a feature film of the same name, to be produced by Kristi Films in 2021. 

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. 

Youth organizations have become crucial voices in contemporary society, promoting active youth participation, leadership development, and addressing social issues.

Contemporary youth in Ukraine are concerned about the country’s future, yet they hold the key to addressing our current and future challenges. One of the difficulties many of them face is employment. Ukraine should adopt the best practices from the EU to attract the youth, as many young professionals seek opportunities abroad, leaving our country in search of solutions.