Nataliya has been a resident of Canada for over two decades, and she plays a pivotal role in organizing protests within the Canadian-Ukrainian community in Ottawa. Additionally, she is the driving force behind the non-profit charity «Ottawa Supports Ukraine — OSUDemocracy.»

“Our names are Mykola and Christina, we are a couple and we are both 29”. That’s how Christina Khoydra and Mykola Vasyuk describe themselves, a couple from Kyiv who dreamed of a honeymoon, but instead have been buying reconnaissance and interception equipment, cars and tactical medicine for a year and a half. They have involved their family members in volunteering and invite everyone they meet in everyday life to join the defence forces.

This is the second part of the interview with Olha, where she tells us more about her work with the Vdianchni volunteer foundation, about the collections that have already been closed since the start of the full-scale war, and shares how her perception of the world and her own life has changed as a result of the invasion.

As part of the “Ukrainian youth is changing the world” project, we tell the stories of achievements and proactive actions of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different backgrounds, different beliefs and lifestyles. Today, pediatrician Olha Rozhok shares the story of her volunteering at the Vdianchni charity foundation and her experience of being on duty at the Lviv railway station after the beginning of the full-scale invasion. This is the first part of the interview, which will comprise two parts. 

Tetiana, a 25-year-old Ukrainian woman, arrived in Canada just a year ago. Prior to the war, she was involved in the legal migration services business.  Residing in Ottawa, Tetiana has embarked on a path of resilience and transformation. With a determined spirit, she now serves as an invaluable employment consultant within an organization dedicated to empowering newcomers, enabling them to forge brighter futures and acclimate swiftly to their new surroundings. Beyond work, Tetiana is a passionate activist, orchestrating events to support Ukraine against Russian aggression. Her journey epitomizes dedication and solidarity.

Originally from Ternopil and now living in Kyiv, Olga Rymarchuk is a 29-year-old IT programmer. In March 2022, she started raising money for tactical gloves for her military relatives and has so far raised nearly £20,000, which has been used to buy ammunition and military supplies for the front line. All she needed to achieve this was an Instagram page, the support of her family, friends, and colleagues, and pictures of her beloved cat, Josie.

This is the second part of the interview with Alina Avramenko where she shares more about the foundation’s achievements, extensive fundraising efforts for our soldiers, and the challenges faced at the beginning of the large-scale war, as well as what is the most challenging aspect of being a volunteer.

As part of the project “Ukrainian youth is changing the world,” we collect and share stories of proactive actions by young Ukrainians with different backgrounds, beliefs, and lifestyles. Today, Alina Avramenko, a member of the legal department of the charitable foundation “UAID,” will share the story of the foundation’s creation and activities and also talk about why she decided to join the volunteer movement.

Vova Zayshly (Zibelman) is a 22-year-old soldier currently stationed in the Zhytomyr Oblast. He is an openly gay young man who actively uses social media and advocates for the rights of the LGBT+ community. Vova shared with us his accidental coming out in the army, long-distance relationships, and the daily life of a serviceman.

As part of the project «Ukrainian Youth Changes the World», we collect and expand the history of proactive actions of young Ukrainians with different educations, beliefs, and lifestyles. Today, the co-founders of the «Youth Creates Ukraine» charitable foundation Tetiana Tsap and Maryan Sirenko shared the story of its creation from scratch. They talked about the difficulties they had on their way and about which projects had already been successfully implemented.

Alona, at 33 years old, stands as a courageous Ukrainian woman who braved a large-scale Russian offensive in the Kyiv region and then found the strength to embark on a new life in Canada. In Ottawa, Alona adeptly manages two jobs while concurrently aiding fellow Ukrainians in acquiring English language proficiency and navigating their transition to a new life.

The second part of the interview is rather about Sasha’s personal views, how they have changed since the start of the full-scale war, and whether she intends to return home to Crimea after its liberation.

The first part of the interview (out of two parts), where Sasha shares her work with the “Smilivi” charitable foundation, where she is actively involved today. She talks about how the team of the project was formed, their trips to Bucha, their current volunteer activities. Additionally, she shares her life experience in Crimea before and after the occupation, and how life changed after February 24th.

Within the framework of the project “Ukrainian youth is changing the world” we are telling stories about the achievements and proactive actions of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different levels of education, different beliefs and different ways of life. Through their activities, they are making a positive change in the world and improving it in some way. We are very pleased that Yaroslava Nikitiuk has responded to this call to share her story. She is a Ukrainian journalist who currently works for the investigative media “Forth Estate” and has experience of volunteering for Ukrainer (one of most popular publications that shares stories of Ukrainians with the entire world).

As part of our grand project “Ukrainian Youth is changing the world”, we tell stories of achievements of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different background, beliefs, and lifestyles, who bring positive changes to this world, improve it in a certain way. Today, Ruslana Bodnar will share her story. She is an active volunteer who has been to Kherson five times since the beginning of the full-scale war. Ruslana is the director of the TIME.CHANGE.GOALS school of foreign languages. Also, she and her mother are co-founders of women’s clothing brand BLOSSOM.

As part of our “Ukrainian Youth Changing the World” grant project, we tell the stories of the achievements of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different backgrounds, beliefs, and lifestyles, those who bring positive changes to this world and improve it in some way through their activities. We are very pleased that Anna Shpurik responded to our call to share her story. She is a fourth-year student of the Department of Journalism and Philology of the IPES Faculty of Sumy State University, was an intern at Ukrainians and NZL of The Ukrainians as part of the War Media Mobility Hub. She told us about her achievements in the media since the start of the full-scale invasion. She also shared how she sees her role today as a journalist and a citizen of Ukraine.

As part of the “Ukrainian youth is changing the world” project, we tell the stories of the achievements and proactive actions of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different levels of education, beliefs, and lifestyles. We are very pleased that Ukrainian journalist Sofiia Nazarenko has responded to this call to share her experience. Sofiia works as an editor in the international analysis department at Channel 24. She mainly interviews the highest representatives of Ukraine’s partner countries. She also holds a master’s degree in political science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (2023).

As part of our grant project “Ukrainian Youth Changing the World” we tell the stories of achievements and proactive actions of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different education, beliefs and lifestyles. They are journalists, volunteers, young soldiers, members of NGOs, founders of voluntary foundations and movements who are making positive changes in the world and improving it in some way. We are delighted that Daria Matiyash, who is actively involved in various volunteering programmes and opportunities, has responded to this call to share her story. For example, she recently received her second volunteering experience through ESC (European Solidarity Corps), an EU programme that gives young people the opportunity to volunteer and improve the lives of different communities in the EU.

As part of “The Ukrainian Youth is changing the world” project, we are telling the stories of the achievements of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different backgrounds, who are doing their best on various fronts to help our country win the fight against the Russian occupier. We’re very glad that Pavlo Ryzhov, who is currently studying business administration at the University of Amsterdam, answered the call to tell his story. One of his greatest achievements so far, in terms of contributing to the development of Ukrainian society, is a video course on the Diia, Digital education portal entitled ‘Basic Principles of Employment and Financial Literacy’. His main aim is to create a business that will connect Western countries with Ukraine.

As part of the “Ukrainian Youth Changing the World” project, we tell the stories of achievements and proactive actions of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different education, beliefs and lifestyles. They are journalists, volunteers, young soldiers, members of NGOs, founders of voluntary foundations and movements who are making positive changes in the world and improving it in some way. We are very pleased that Anastasiia Dombrovska has responded to this call to share her story. She is a Ukrainian journalist who currently works for Ukrinform, does internship at Suspilne and takes on even the smallest volunteer initiatives.

Within the framework of the project “Ukrainian youth is changing the world” we tell stories about the achievements and proactive actions of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different education, beliefs and lifestyles. They are journalists, volunteers, refugees, young soldiers, members of NGOs, founders of voluntary foundations and movements. We are very happy that Yulia Pylypenko has agreed to share her story. She is a teacher of Ukrainian language and literature, SMM manager of the state centre for strategic communication “Spravdі”, the network of coworking spaces for proactive youth “Vilnyi”, and a volunteer.

As part of the “Ukrainian Youth is changing the world” project, we are telling stories about the achievements and proactive actions of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different levels of education, beliefs, and lifestyles. They are journalists, volunteers, refugees, young soldiers, members of NGOs, founders of voluntary foundations and movements who are doing their best on various fronts to help our country win this war. Veronika Masenko, a Ukrainian journalist and news editor at The Village Ukraine, told us her story and during the full-scale invasion she created many cool and emotional stories about our people, Ukrainian heroes and this war in general. She has her own unique perspective on the role of journalism during this period, talks about her own contribution to society, and shares her vision of Ukraine’s future.

As part of the “Ukrainian youth is changing the world” project, we are telling the stories of achievements and proactive actions of young Ukrainians from different walks of life, with different education, beliefs and lifestyles. These are young people who are making the world a better place in some way, making a positive and qualitative difference in the lives of those around them. We are very pleased that Ruslana Syvak, a Ukrainian journalist, correspondent, and editor of one of the sections of I-VIN.INFO, has responded to this call to tell her story. The publication tells about life and events mainly related to Vinnytsia and Vinnytsia region. Ruslana talked about her work in the publication, her conversations with the military and volunteers, and the stories that inspire her most.

As part of our grant project “Ukrainian youth is changing the world”, we tell the stories of our youth’s achievements during the full-scale war, stories of positive change and active support for our people and our country. These are young people from different social backgrounds, educations, and lifestyles. But they are all united by a desire to change the world for the better. Evgenia Rudkivska is a Ukrainian journalist studying at the University of Languages and Communication in Milan, Italy. She is an active volunteer and participates in various events in support of Ukraine. And today she shares her story with us.