Young Ukrainian women develop reconstruction projects for war-battered cities

Ukraine's capital Kyiv hosted the presentation of reconstruction projects for war-torn locations in three Ukrainian cities that suffered destruction at the hands of Russia. 

Rubryka reports that all works were created by young women aged 15-22. They are participants of the Urbanistics educational course implemented by the STEM is FEM public organization within the USAID "Dream and Act" program in partnership with IREX.

What is the problem?

"Young people in the Balkans usually try to leave for Western countries, and they leave. We are losing young potential," said the head of humanitarian programs at UN Women in Ukraine, Flora Matsula, who is from Kosovo. "We must do everything possible to prevent this from happening in Ukraine because this is exactly what will happen if these young people are not involved in the reconstruction of the country and decision-making in the way that the STEM is FEM project does."

What is the solution?

"USAID continues to support and empower Ukrainian women in the recovery that has become necessary because of the brutal war launched by Russia," Mark Elingstad, director of USAID's democracy and governance development department in Ukraine, emphasized in his speech. "The partnership between USAID and STEM is FEM clearly illustrates this commitment. Together, we are helping Ukrainian women break down gender stereotypes and prepare young Ukrainian women successfully work in those sectors that are critically important for the recovery of Ukraine's economy." 

"We need to think about how to restore destroyed cities," Serhii Tokarev, initiator of STEM is FEM and founder of Roosh, emphasized in a video address to those present at the event. "The presented results of the Urbanistics course are for improving the quality of life of our citizens and creating a sustainable, safe, and comfortable urban environment for everyone." 

How does it work?

For four months, 50 girls studied urban planning and architecture basics. Under the supervision of Ukrainian urban planners, the course participants developed their projects to reconstruct three public locations: the station square in Trostianka, the city park in Ichna, and the area around the district House of Culture in Okhtyrka. The best of the girls' works will be refined by a team of experts and offered to local communities for implementation.

The authors of the ten best projects received laptops from the global support program for Ukrainians from HR and Microsoft. The German Charitable Foundation for the Support of the Construction Industry Eberhard Schöck provided the girls from the team that won the grand prize with educational scholarships of €1,500 each.

During the award ceremony, two-panel discussions were held on the inclusiveness of Ukrainian spaces and the involvement of youth in rebuilding Ukraine. Representatives of UN Women, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the "Dream and Act" program, the TRUMAN communication company, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports took part in the discussions. Trostianets Deputy Mayor Maksym Siniavin, Ichnia Mayor Olena Buturlym, and Head of the Department of Culture, Youth Tourism and Sports of Okhtyrka District Tetyana Barchenko also attended the event. Those present at the event could also see 3D models of the girls' projects.

Soon, the best projects of the participants of the Urbanistics educational course will be finalized by professionals, and after that, the works will be offered to local communities for implementation. "Urbanistics" will be transformed into a video course anyone can watch. You can follow the activities related to the project on the STEM is FEM social media — Instagram and Facebook.

Reference

The Urbanism educational course project is implemented within the framework of the "Dream and Act" program, implemented with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by IREX in partnership with Building Ukraine Together (BUR), the Center for the Development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Ukraine), Making Cents International (MCI), International Republican Institute (IRI) and Zinc Network.