Tell us a little about yourself. How old are you, where are you from?
Tetiana: My name is Tetiana. I am a co-founder of the charity fund «Youth Creates Ukraine» and a co-organizer of many projects. I graduated as a history teacher this year. I am currently interning with the Bogdan Havrylyshyn Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
I enjoy having people around me who share my values and are willing to work on projects. Not just work, but come up with new projects to promote volunteering in Ukraine and its importance, both now and after the victory.
Maryan: My name is Maryan. I am also a co-organizer of the charitable foundation «Youth Creates Ukraine.«I am 19 years old. I am a third-year student at Cherkasy National University. I am studying entrepreneurship, trade, and exchange activities. I have been volunteering for almost 2 years.
We maintained contact with Tetiana for a long time, worked on joint projects, and collaborated in different organizations. And then we decided to create a charitable foundation.
I really love organizing various events. It’s important for me to contribute to the development of volunteering here and now, and to spread these ideas in our city.
How did the idea of creating a charitable foundation come about?
Tetiana: The idea arose during the handover of a vehicle from Cherkasy National University, for which students of Cherkasy National University raised funds together. The vehicle was handed over to the Fourth Tank Brigade.
From the very beginning of the foundation’s work and still to this day, Maryan and I volunteer together. Another co-founder of the foundation, Andriy Kosov, also works with us. The idea of providing targeted assistance to the Fourth Tank Brigade came to us because they were and are stationed on the front line. What we heard from the military personnel deeply impressed us. We were struck by how much they need help right now, and the fact that the state doesn’t always have the ability to meet all the needs of the military that exist. I think it’s no secret to anyone that these needs are only increasing now.
Tell us about how the foundation started its work. What challenges arose at the beginning?
Maryan: Actually, it was quite challenging. We had previously worked in international volunteer organizations, and from the very beginning, we were focused on working with youth, not with the military. We had no experience in addressing their needs.
We had never organized significant projects aimed at helping the military. We didn’t understand how to raise funds and didn’t comprehend the workings of these mechanisms. We had no idea where to start.
Tetiana: Yes, right from the start, the main thing was to come up with the foundation’s name, logo, and register the foundation. And it might seem like very small things at first glance, but in reality, they are quite profound and difficult. It was a struggle that continued for a long time. We began to understand what we needed to do in January of this year, and then we realized that we needed to start fundraising.
The first thing we started doing was preparing a charity concert. Initially, our goal wasn’t to raise funds. We just wanted to gather soldiers who were in Cherkasy to organize a charity concert for them. Just so they could come, listen. In the meanwhile, announce ourselves, three young ambitious students who wanted to help the military.
But then, after analyzing all the advice, we concluded that we needed to communicate with the townspeople so that they would come to this concert and donate. This way, we could gather a certain amount of money to help the military. We actually received a lot of advice.
In general, the concept of the concert was revised within a week, and within a week, we reorganized it. The band «Tember Blanche» performed at our event. We also had a charity auction. This way, we raised funds for a vehicle for the military.
How did you manage to arrange things with the performers?
Mariyan: It’s quite an interesting story because initially, we wanted to organize a concert with just local bands from Cherkasy. Two Cherkasy bands performed at our event. But then we decided that if we wanted more people to come, we needed to invite someone more well-known, someone who could attract an audience. We called everyone. We even reached out to bands like «Okean Elzy» and «Tik». In about three days, we probably called more than ten bands. No one agreed except for the band «Tember Blanche». They agreed to perform at the concert right from the first call.
It was our first experience working with sound organization, and in general, we were doing a lot of things for the first time. It was a bit scary for us because we had never invited bands to attract attention, or raise funds, but it all worked out back then.
We also held a charity auction. And there, perhaps, there was even more work involved than when we were arranging the performances with the bands themselves. For this auction, we constantly contacted performers like «Kalush» and «Bez Obmezhen». These were bands that provided us with items for the charity auction.
What amount were you able to raise from this charity concert, and which needs were you able to address?
Tetiana: We collected 107,000 hryvnias at the concert in total, and then the amount was supplemented, allowing us to buy a vehicle for the military.
I found information in the foundation’s profile about the «Cherkasy — City of Volunteers» campaign. Please tell me more about this campaign and the events that took place within its framework.
Tetiana: We approached residents asking them about their involvement in volunteering throughout the year. They received a gift for their response. We recorded this on video, and then we edited it. It wasn’t our most extensive campaign, but it was done to direct attention to the people. We also encouraged our fellow citizens to reflect on their engagement in at least small-scale volunteer activities and how it contributes to some form of improvement.
Tell us about the largest campaign you managed to organize.
Tetiana: It`s the Charity Festival. It took place recently, on July 1st of this year. We brought together 25 civic organizations and foundations from our city to showcase that the civic sector of the city is active and working. We also aimed to demonstrate that the sector has many projects ready for joint implementation.
It was important for us that various groups within the civic sector got to know each other better. This way, we could unite these people and their foundations. Each of these civic organizations had their own location. Everything happened outdoors in a park, with various activities taking place, and musical bands performing.
Cafes from our city were represented, showing their willingness to collaborate with us. There were also people working with handmade crafts. They had the opportunity to sell their products and donate the proceeds to charity.
What was the main goal of the Charity Festival, and were you able to achieve it?
Tetiana: The first goal was to unite the civic sector of the city.
The second goal we unveiled was to raise 1 million hryvnias to aid the brigade. We are currently closing in on this goal. We have already delivered 2 thermal imagers. Now we are working to buy more vehicles, thermal imagers, and Starlinks for the brigade, in collaboration with the civic sector of our city.
In April of this year, the charity fund «Vse Bude Ukraina» [Eveything will be Ukraine — transl.] reached out to you with a request for humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons from Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. Tell us about the collaboration with the fund. How did the collection proceed, and what needs were you able to address?
Tetiana: Yes, we were able to meet the needs. The collection was conducted within the Cherkasy National University. We worked closely with specific volunteers who bring humanitarian aid from abroad for internally displaced persons. This is how we closed this collection.
Maryan: It’s worth adding that at the time, we delivered over 150 kilograms of humanitarian aid. We fulfilled all the requests, and it’s worth noting that this was our first humanitarian collection.
As far as I know, you managed to participate in a charity interview with Serhiy Prytula. Did your team have the opportunity to talk with him?
Tetiana: Actually, we didn’t have a chance to personally talk with him, but we were present at two of his speeches.
Maryan: We try to learn more and improve our knowledge, so sometimes we participate in various volunteer events that take place in Ukraine to exchange experiences with other volunteers. We listened to Serhiy Prytula with pleasure and gained valuable information from him that would be useful for enhancing our foundation’s work.
We also visited his office when we were trying to obtain items with his autograph for charity auctions. Charity auctions used to contribute a significant portion of funds for assisting the military. For instance, considering our charity concert, out of the 107,000 hryvnias we raised, 60,000 hryvnias were covered through the auction.
What did you take away from this meeting? How did it inspire you?
Tetiana: Prytula had a very motivational speech about students and the idea that you shouldn’t stay silent if you dislike something. You should take action. After our first meeting with him, we got the idea to unite the civic sector and organize a charity festival.
What projects or fundraisers is the foundation currently working on?
Tetiana: Right now, we’re putting all our efforts into fundraising for the brigade, which needs to be fulfilled.
We’re also working on a charity concert that will take place in Cherkasy very soon. It will be in the fall, but we can’t confirm the exact date yet. We’re planning for the band «The Unsleeping» to perform. With this concert, we aim to support the brigade and fulfill their needs.
What do you find most enjoyable about volunteering?
Tetiana: The emotions you receive during the project realization. If you compare two different projects like a concert and a festival, the concert was the first event we organized, so we were quite nervous. However, during and after the concert, we felt a lot of satisfaction because it turned out well. On the other hand, while organizing the festival, we had more experience, and we also found satisfaction in the process.
I don’t know how my colleagues see it, but personally, I really enjoyed the process of project implementation, the preparation for it. It was great because we planned our time, efforts and did our best.
Maryan: I also find the most satisfaction in organizing projects and the emotions we experience during the process. It’s very rewarding to feel that you’re making a significant contribution, realizing big projects that you didn’t even expect you could achieve.
Six months ago, for example, we couldn’t even imagine organizing a concert or a festival in the city on our own. Now I understand that even three people can bring to life quite substantial projects by uniting together and help the military in this way. This, I believe, is what volunteering is all about.
Translator: Bohdana-Nikolietta Terekhina
