Diana Karpenko, a mother of three, has an answer. She created a project that helps the new generation stay connected to Ukraine — with comfort and without pressure.
Diana Karpenko with her family. Photo: personal archive
What's the problem?
According to a report by the UN's International Organization for Migration, more than 14 million Ukrainians — a third of the country's population — have been forced to leave their homes since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Over 6.5 million of them have become refugees in various countries. Among them is Diana Karpenko's family, who relocated from Kyiv to Poland at the beginning of the war.
"We live abroad, and I started noticing that even though we speak Ukrainian at home, my children weren't developing their language skills," says Diana. "At home, we mostly talk about everyday things. Their worldview is shaped by the local school system. It saddened me to see this happening, so I decided to enrich their linguistic and cultural experience."
Her family tried different educational approaches. Traditional online lessons based on the Ukrainian school curriculum were a poor fit. The school her children attended before moving abroad offered them the option of "family education," where parents go through the school program with their children online. The Kaprpenko family gave up on this after a few months.
"I'm a mother of three, I work, and even during the pandemic, I couldn't keep up with homeschooling. It's tough to follow the school program on your own, and honestly, I don't see the need for it," Diana adds.
Diana interviewed a few acquaintances to see if other families faced similar challenges. She quickly realized that most parents weren't looking for extra school lessons. They wanted their children to be excited about learning and wanted to strengthen their Ukrainian identity. This insight became the final push for Diana to launch an educational project.
"Education has interested me for years — ever since my eldest daughter was about to start first grade ten years ago. I knew I didn't want to send her to a traditional public school like the one I attended because, in my opinion, they still don't focus enough on the holistic development of a child," says the activist.
Then, Diana engrossed herself in alternative education methods and even organized a small family school in Obyrok Art Island, an art village where she lived at the time. The school founder says she also co-founded the Educational Experiment camp, which ran for five years and became one of Ukraine's largest alternative schooling hubs:
"The New Ukrainianness School was a natural extension of my work — creating engaging, high-quality education that encourages children's well-rounded development."
What's the solution?
"I want our culture to spread worldwide," says Diana. She mentions how global interest in Ukraine has skyrocketed since the full-scale invasion and offers some statistics: according to Duolingo, in 2022 alone, over 1.3 million people worldwide started learning Ukrainian.
"This trend is worth supporting. That's why I initially launched an experimental course on Christmas traditions, and now, for the past year, I've been leading an educational initiative. My goal is to inspire people of all ages across every continent with Ukrainian culture," says Diana.
The New Ukrainianness School groups children into small classes of six to seven students to ensure each child gets maximum attention. The lesson topics change regularly, allowing new students to join anytime. A trial lesson costs 200 UAH, while monthly tuition depends on the course and averages around 1,600 UAH.
"We have students who've never attended a Ukrainian school or left their studies two or three years ago. Some combine distance learning with living abroad, while others continue to live and attend school in Ukraine. Kids join our classes, and we adapt the program to their specific group in real-time," Diana explains.
Who are the students?
- Emigrants
Living abroad, Diana often hears Ukrainians speaking Russian. Since the invasion, this has increasingly irritated her. She even discussed it with a psychologist, who explained that people struggle to change their language habits in stressful situations like relocating.
This explanation didn't bring Diana peace. She believes the situation has only worsened over the past two years. Diana concluded those who truly wanted to switch to Ukrainian did so at the beginning of the war. However, criticism and lecturing won't fix the issue, so founding the school became her way of promoting the Ukrainian language.
"I'm thrilled when a child who barely speaks Ukrainian joins us. If a Russian-speaking family abroad sends them to our school, it means something clicked — it means they feel a connection to Ukraine. And that makes me happy," she says.
In just the first term last year, the school welcomed over 50 students from more than 20 countries, including Turkey and Israel. Most had recently left Ukraine. While most students are based in Europe, the school has also attracted interest from families on other continents, including Australia.
However, time zone differences make working with students from Canada and the US challenging. Diana says finding teachers willing to work late on weekends is a real challenge. This year, the school finally found an instructor willing to teach kids in America.
- Students living in Ukraine
Some children in Ukraine also attend Diana's school because it offers something more exciting and different from their regular school curriculum. The teachers have noticed that sometimes, a child living abroad speaks better Ukrainian than one living in Ukraine.
"I vividly remember a parents' meeting in Kyiv just a month before the full-scale invasion. My younger daughter's teacher said that even though the kids were already in the fourth grade, they struggled with reading in Ukrainian and were seriously behind in the school curriculum. It wasn't the first time we had discussed this issue at meetings since the number of Russian-speaking families in our class outnumbered Ukrainian-speaking ones. The teacher asked parents — if they spoke Russian at home — to at least buy Ukrainian books and read with their kids," Diana recalls.
- Diaspora
Diana has met many members of the Ukrainian diaspora in different countries during her travels. She believes these families have huge potential.
"I had an instinct that many families, who had never really thought about it before, now want their children to learn Ukrainian because of the full-scale invasion — even if they don't plan to return to Ukraine or maintain close ties with it," says Diana.
Some students, aged 8 or 9, barely speak Ukrainian at all. Many come from families who have lived abroad for a long time and only recently started speaking Ukrainian at home. For these children, Ukrainian is a foreign language. That's why this year, the school introduced an English-speaking teacher who teaches Ukrainian both in group classes and one-on-one.
"Imagine how many more Ukrainians there will be if children growing up abroad identify as Ukrainian," Diana adds.
In Ukraine, it's easier to find Ukrainian-speaking environments or be surrounded by people who are transitioning to Ukrainian, but abroad, many remain in Russian-speaking communities and group chats, making language change much more difficult.
"I understand why people who have lived abroad for a long time don't always prioritize switching to Ukrainian, but when they still choose to enroll their kids in our school, it's incredibly inspiring," the activist says.
Diana Karpenko sums it up: She focuses on children because she believes they are easier to reach. Older people have too many deeply ingrained beliefs. With kids, it's worth putting in all the effort and time—not just so they love Ukrainian culture but also so they take pride in it.
After all, teenagers are drawn to what's cool and modern. That's why they need to be introduced to Ukrainian content — films, music, literature, and more — through that lens.
How does it work?
Diana is confident that education is a team effort. It involves parents, teachers, and children. While the adults usually take the initiative to enroll a child in lessons, if those lessons don't spark interest, the child quickly loses motivation.
"My main goal from the start was to find outstanding teachers. And I did. Our team has five educators who genuinely love what they do and are passionate about teaching."
Making the most of limited time: how to teach effectively in one hour a week
"Obviously, we can't cover the entire school curriculum in just one hour per week. That's why we focus on the key topics in literature, language, culture, and history and often integrate them. A literary text, for example, is a great way to study grammar. Why make things more complicated than they need to be?" says Diana.
Their lessons often teach about artists and themes not included in standard school programs. If a teacher notices an area of interest among students, they adjust the curriculum. Surveys have shown that students are most fascinated by topics related to culture and traditions. For example, one lesson was dedicated to the traditional Ukrainian costume — not the degrading Soviet-era interpretation imposed by imperial Russia but its authentic historical appearance.
"Our goal is to break away from outdated stereotypes. Many children's textbooks still depict Ukrainians in clichéd, oversimplified ways. We aim to give kids a true understanding of authentic Ukrainian culture. A Ukrainian man isn't just a boy in shiny blue trousers; a Ukrainian woman isn't just a girl in red beads with a plastic headband. We dive deep into details, meanings, and regional variations," says Diana.
Ukraine is also discussed in class in a modern context — through films, literature, and online meetings with writers. This helps children feel a real connection to their culture. Even classic works are presented in a way that makes them feel relevant and engaging.
"We don't go overboard with dates or dry biographical facts. Our approach is project-based," says Diana. "For example, when studying Ivan Franko, students created a résumé for him, helping them grasp just how remarkable and multi-talented he was. Our fifth graders saw him not as a distant historical figure but as a real person looking for a job today."
History is taught as a separate course, and finding teachers who can make it engaging is no easy task. Diana says the challenge is to adapt complex topics to children's level and help them understand cause-and-effect relationships.
"Last year, our students read Zakhar Berkut and then met with a historian who explained the era described in the book. Although that time was part of the Christianized Rus, medieval Ukraine, many villages still held pagan beliefs. The history teacher explained why this happened, and such insights make the historical context clearer and make history genuinely interesting!" the founder shares.
Online learning: pro or con?
"Nowadays, English courses often feel more like TV shows than actual learning. Schools compete with each other, adding games, bonuses, and all kinds of interactive elements to attract students. That got me thinking — why can't Ukrainian be taught like that? Of course, we can't compete with video games or cartoons, but when it comes to supplementary education, I believe we're creating something truly high-quality and worthwhile," says Diana.
Online learning has also become a platform for making new friends and maintaining old connections. Some children realize they live in the same city and arrange meetups after class. Diana also talks about groups where former classmates, now scattered across the world by war, study together.
"Of course, they enjoy seeing each other once a week. Last year, I had a group of girls who stayed online for half an hour after class just to chat. It helped them reconnect, and they even visited each other during the holidays. I also know Ukrainian Saturday schools abroad are quite popular, but children there often switch to English. They don't practice Ukrainian much. In our groups, where kids speak different languages — Finnish, Polish, German — but share Ukrainian as their only common tongue, they have no choice but to use it. And that's fantastic practice!"
Finding yourself: helping teenagers connect with their identity
"Can you still identify as Ukrainian living outside the country?" This question came up during a class discussion. Many students who left Ukraine at the age of ten are now teenagers, navigating adolescence and discovering their identity.
They consume foreign music and media as they try to integrate into a new culture and fit in with their local peers. Their school offers no Ukrainian-related content, so their connection to Ukraine weakens — especially if their parents haven't encouraged their kids to keep in touch with their Ukrainian identity. So the question arises: Can you truly call yourself Ukrainian if you blend into another culture?
"This is a painful problem, so we take it seriously in our program. That's why we intentionally include authors who were émigrés or spent most of their lives abroad. Take Taras Shevchenko — he only lived in Ukraine for 14 years, plus some short travels later. He spent most of his life in forced exile, yet he became the most famous poet of our country. These are the kinds of details we highlight when discussing the biographies of Ukrainian literary figures," Diana explains.
At New Ukrainianness School, students learn that being Ukrainian isn't about living in the country your whole life — it's about maintaining a connection to Ukraine, contributing to it, and shaping its future.
"Some will return home, while others won't — that's just reality. Many of these children will build their lives abroad. But if they feel a deep bond with Ukraine, they will, at the very least, care about its future and want the best for it. Some of them will grow up to be businesspeople or politicians who can represent Ukraine's interests internationally. Or maybe one day, they'll invest in Ukraine when they become adults," says the school's founder.
Does it really work?
Since the New Ukrainianness School doesn't grade students, its teachers have developed a unique way of measuring success.
"Looking at successful cases, I realized our key criterion: if a child leaves a lesson so intrigued that they start researching the topic on their own — that's a win. If they come home and excitedly tell their parents, 'Did you know…?' — that's another clear sign of success," says one of the educators.
Diana recalls a moment that became part of her personal collection of small victories:
"This year, in sixth grade, we were reading Djury of Cossack Shvaika by Volodymyr Rutkivskyi. I asked the students to finish the first part before our next lesson, and one boy exclaimed, 'I'm already listening to the third book on audio!' The first book ends on a cliffhanger, and he just couldn't wait for the next class — he kept going on his own. At the end of the lesson, he even asked me, 'Can I give you a little spoiler?' That, to me, was the best compliment — it meant we had picked the right book and presented it in a way that truly engaged them."
The team that teaches: why choosing the right people matters
Diana believes that online teaching is a challenge even for the best educators. Information is freely available on the internet, but it's the teacher's energy and passion that make a lesson come alive. That's why the school carefully selects exceptional educators and inspiring guest speakers.
She shares an interesting story that happened after students met writer Kateryna Yehorushkina. A ten-year-old boy found out that she was going on a book tour across Europe and got so excited that he asked his mom if they could travel to see her. Later, Kateryna even shared this story on her social media.
Post from the writer's page. Photo: Facebook Kateryna Yegorushkina
More than just feedback: the kid's secret to a good lesson
Diana always asks her daughters whether the lessons are engaging, whether anything feels dull, and how they perceive the material. She sees them as her "mystery shoppers" — testing ideas, refining details, and always asking for honest feedback.
When asked if the school has helped her children develop a love for Ukrainian culture, Diana recalls a moment that took her by surprise:
"My daughter once came to me and said, 'Mom, can I skip school today? We're studying Polish classics, but I'd rather stay home and read Yablonska.' She explained that Ukrainian literature feels diverse and exciting, whereas Polish literature, at least in her school program, seems monotonous," says Diana. "But really, it wasn't about Polish or Ukrainian literature — it was about how the school curriculum presents it. I was so happy to hear my 16-year-old say that Ukrainian books feel unique. I even messaged her teacher: 'Ms. Marina, thank you! This is what I dreamed of — one day hearing my daughter say that Ukrainian literature truly captivates her.'"
Diana's eldest daughter, Magdalena, is considering taking the Ukrainian National Multi-Subject Test (NMT). High schoolers prepare for the history, language, and literature tests at New Ukrainianness School. Diana believes the best approach is first to help students discover topics that genuinely interest and inspire them. Then, they can start intensive preparation about a year before the exam. That way, even if the process feels tedious, the child will understand that the subject is still fascinating. It's just a matter of focusing on dates and test strategies for a while.
"The overarching mission of this project is to spark a love and deep connection to our heritage. Language, literature, and history lessons are just the gateway — we're shaping the future cultural ambassadors of Ukraine."
Even more helpful solutions!
There are many initiatives supporting Ukrainian identity. However, Diana admits that her opinion was quite different at the start of her research into this topic. She thought no one was addressing the issue of Ukrainian students abroad, and finding similar projects for children was incredibly difficult.
In many countries, Ukrainian schools have been around for decades, with rich experience and established teams. However, Diana says, due to the challenges of today, these projects are still not enough:
"For example, Riga has a Ukrainian school about 200 children attend. But there are far more Ukrainian students in the city. So, the field is wide open. It's hard to imagine how many Ukrainian children abroad are facing difficulties in their education or don't know about the learning opportunities available to them."
Other projects that support Ukrainian education abroad:
- Plast is a Ukrainian scouting organization promoting all-around, patriotic education for youth. Plast officially operates in eight countries besides Ukraine.
- International Ukrainian School organizes Saturday or evening classes and follows Ukrainian standards. Here, children living abroad can earn a Ukrainian-style secondary education certificate.
- Ukrainian Education Hubs lead a variety of educational and creative projects for teenagers and adults. They have many locations in Ukraine and abroad and also organize online events.
You can also find a list of formal and informal schools abroad on the Ombudsman's website.
