The European Union launched the campaign “Together we learn and grow” about EU support for education and youth of Ukraine during the war
On September 27, 2024, the All-Ukrainian communication campaign “Learning and growing together. The EU and Ukraine are creating a common European future” was launched, which will inform about the European Union’s support for Ukrainian education and the youth sector during the war
The start of the campaign took place on September 26-29, 2024, within the framework of the “Book Country” festival at VDNG, where the EU-organized educational space “Learning and growing together” worked.
In the thematic tents “Space of Opportunities” and “Lectorium”, projects financed by the EU presented their programs and achievements, discussions, lectures, consultations, interactive events and musical performances took place.
Teenagers got acquainted with the innovative “Collider” project about technology, education, pop culture and history, and willingly competed in prize quizzes from the “Euroquiz” and “Ambassadors of European Youth” projects.
About 14,000 children and adults visited the Educational Space during its four days of operation.
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine dealt a significant blow to the education system. More than 2,800 educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed, and the threat remains for other educational institutions.
Air strikes and attacks on the energy infrastructure have radically changed the conditions of education throughout Ukraine – more than 5 million schoolchildren, students and teachers have completely or partially switched to the online format of education, and some educational programs have been temporarily suspended.
However, it is precisely in these conditions that the ability of the state and educators to provide quality education for children and youth is critically important, because it is about the future of the nation, about those who will work for the reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine.
Therefore, already at the beginning of the large-scale war, the EU adopted a number of decisions that allow to effectively minimize the gap in education, applying a comprehensive approach to support Ukrainian pupils and students – both those who study in Ukraine and those who are forced to seek asylum in EU member states .
Therefore, the creation of a safe educational space for children in Ukraine and the support of educational institutions affected by the war or of strategic importance, such as the system of vocational education and training and retraining of personnel necessary for the reconstruction of Ukraine, were added to the traditional areas of support – and as a priority in the conditions of war .
Great attention in EU wartime programs is also paid to psychological support of pupils, students, teachers, guardians and raising awareness of safe behavior, in particular, mine danger. A number of projects financed by the European Union are aimed at professional support of young veterans, as well as at strengthening the role of young people in united communities.
Together with the educational direction, the EU pays attention to the creation of safe conditions for learning – significant funds are directed to the repair of educational institutions, the organization of shelters, the provision of generators, school buses.
At the same time, pupils and students can use educational platforms created with the support of the EU, receive textbooks, educational equipment, modern equipment for training and practice from European partners.
Mrs. Katarina Maternova, EU Ambassador to Ukraine:
“There is a war going on in Ukraine, which has radically changed the lives of millions of adults, but the most vulnerable is the young generation, deprived of normal conditions for learning and development. Therefore, we consider it critically important to do everything in our power to create a safe educational environment for schoolchildren, students, and teachers space and provide methodical, technical, psychological assistance.
It is unacceptable that Ukrainian children, who are forced to study under the threat of shelling and blackouts, far from their native school, without sitting at a desk for months, experiencing the psychological pressure of circumstances, lose precious time and the quality of education. They show extraordinary courage and deserve our full support.
It is they who will build a European Ukraine tomorrow. And this communication campaign is not only about the results of our work, but also about the opportunities that young Ukrainians can take advantage of. After all, by helping Ukrainian children and youth, the European Union not only fulfills a humanitarian mission, but also invests in our common future.”
The all-Ukrainian communication campaign “Learning and growing together” will last until January 2025 and will cover all regions of Ukraine, where numerous informational and educational events, expert discussions, meetings with representatives and beneficiaries of EU programs and projects, press tours will be held.
Information partners of the campaign: channels 1+1, ICTV, Espresso, “Ukrainian Pravda. Life” publication.
The electronic version of the media kit can be downloaded from the link.
Additional information on EU support for the education sector of Ukraine and Ukrainian youth: eu4ukraine.eu.
To learn more about the activities within the framework of the all-Ukrainian communication campaign “Together we learn and grow”, follow the pages of the EU Representation in Ukraine on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.
