Good afternoon. My name is Vladislava. It is a pleasure to meet you. How did you get the idea to volunteer?
I’ve been doing it since 2014, but it wasn’t so extensive at that time. I was 12 years old and, of course, I was not allowed to participate in all events because of my young age. Mostly, I was involved in interesting, non-standard projects where I could be useful. At that time, many people wanted to volunteer, so it’s not surprising that I had this desire.
When the full-scale invasion began, I did not stand aside, either. I had to re-equip myself and take on a more proactive role as a volunteer.
What does volunteering involve, what exactly do you do?
At the beginning of the war, I had my own business – I launched my own food brand called «Antoshkin». Later, I had to close everything, and all the products were decided to be donated to the territorial defense (TRO).
We also provided housing to people who had to come to us, running away from shelling. If I’m not mistaken, we provided shelter for more than 400 people during one and a half years of the war.
This is incredible! Have you ever had any unpleasant situations when you helped people, and they neglected it?
Yes, we donated products for the needs of TRO, and there were moments when we regretted it.
Is it related to losing money or something else?
No, it’s not about the money. People were divided into two types: those who only save themselves and steal everything, and those who, on the contrary, help everyone. Unfortunately, we met the first type of people. A security guard was taking food (30–40 kilograms of sausage per day) from the headquarters and selling it on OLX. There were quite a few such situations. It is, of course, very upsetting.
It is very sad that such situations arise. What are you doing now?
Now we are more focused not on IDPs (internally displaced persons), as before, but specifically on the army and rebuilding the city. It needs to return to the life that was before the war. Although many people say that this is not the right time, but our main goal now is to give children a childhood, the childhood that I and many of my peers had.
Kamianets-Podilskyi is a festival town, and we decided to organize various concerts and festivals. Of course, without cheerful music, but children still remember it. Various master classes, animators, children’s games – that’s what they need now.
We are talking about «Legends of Kamianets», right?
«Legends of Kamianets», «The Ambassador of Childhood».
These are not entirely free events. We collect money for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. For example, thanks to the «Legends of Kamianets» festival, we were able to buy a quadcopter and send it to the front lines.
«The Ambassador of Childhood» is more focused on children. I personally initiated it. The idea is for kids to meet their idols. This project is now developing quite actively throughout Ukraine. In Kamianets, it was the first event during the war, thanks to such festivals, we help the army and give children a happy childhood.
Could you remember your first «Ambassador of Childhood» event: what difficulties did you face, what results did you get, and how did you feel after it was over?
The first festival was a bit unexpected, we planned it in one day. When we were finding places for internally displaced persons, of course, there were families with children. The kids were very quiet and scared. We told them, «Go to the courtyard, play with other children», but they were afraid to go outside. It deeply impressed me.
At the volunteer headquarters, I heard that there were «stars» in Kamianets-Podilskyi, and they were happy to help. I contacted them and suggested that we gather approximately 200 children from IDP families and arrange a meeting with them. Soon we organized such an event.
Locals were upset, wondering why we invited only certain children, saying, «Why is my child worse? She also wants to meet Positive or Yulia Sakhnevych!»
There were also problems with the police. Imagine, there are 200 children standing. Everything should start in 15 minutes, but there is no security. Thanks to the influence of the «stars» who joined the regional local administration, everything was quickly settled on the spot. It is clear that there is a war, terrorist attacks happen – it is scary.
«Ambassador of Childhood» means meetings with famous people, but what about «Legends of Kamianets»?
«Legends of Kamianets» is a continuation of the talent festival. It is based on the idea that children should start performing on stages in front of «stars» again.
I’ve studied vocals for 4 years, participated in competitions, and after the third «Ambassador of Childhood» event, I realized that after a certain period it was difficult to return to performing on stage. The idea of this competition was that children would perform in front of «stars» and then they would have the opportunity to get into show business.
I gathered music labels and publishing houses. They attended the event and selected children they liked, who had the abilities, and with whom they wanted to cooperate.
Have you heard about the fates of those children selected for specific competitions?
Regarding the «Spring Talent»: I know some girls who have achieved something. There’s also a girl selected to write poems for «NovaMuzik», if I’m not mistaken. «Creativity of Legends of Kamianets» is still in progress. Very interesting!
Were there cases with celebrities who were somewhat cautious about your proposals or outright refused to participate?
Yes! Unfortunately, many refused, especially those whom I did not know personally. There were also cases when they asked for exorbitant fees, in addition to the fact that we pay for travel, accommodation, excursions, and meals if necessary. Of course, we do not deal with such people.
Translator: Yuiia Koleha
The material was produced with the support of the NGO «Institute of Mass Information» as part of a project of the international organisation Internews Network.
