With this catalogue, we seek to provide you with all the recommendations, visions, and ideas for Europe’s future that circulated during the activities of Ukrainian Vibes 2023. As the aim of the project was to raise a sense of responsibility for the future in Europe and Ukraine, we invite you to develop the ideas we present you with further!
Ukrainian Vibes | 15th Oktober 2023
A historic event that inspired the direction of this year’s project was the fact that in 2022, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy officially applied for a Ukrainian EU membership. With many Ukrainians already living in the EU, it became the driving force behind our project: we realised that before any action on the question of membership is being taken, both EU citizens and Ukrainians need to answer what the EU and been European means to them. Only when we know the answer to these questions can we even begin to work on the future. Therefore, we passed these questions on to the people, and the goal of making those voices be heard culminated in one of our main activities: Our survey about the experience of Ukrainians living in the EU.
Furthermore, our activities included four offline discussions and four online workshops, bringing together as many participants as possible regardless of their background or their age.
We started with the offline tour at the beginning of June, visiting Cologne Pride first, and then made our way to Saxony, where had stops in Leipzig, Chemnitz, and Görlitz. There, we conducted discussions on the main topics of this year’s project. All of the discussions took place in the Europe Dome, a wooden cupola that aims to create a safe space for people to share their (political) opinions and come up with new ideas together.
For the four online events in September, our main focus, however, lied on the participation of young people starting at the age of 16. As young people are quite literally the future, our goal was to provide them with education on the topics that are important to them. With the valuable input of our experts, our participants explored the topics of civic participation, female rights, the integration of Ukraine into the EU, and environmental consequences of the war. However, it was just as important for us to listen to what they have to say, connect their opinions, and share some tools with them on how they already can take action to shape the future and promote civic participation.
This year, we are excited to announce that our Dome Tour will take place in Saxony, an eastern federal state of Germany. The purpose of this tour is to foster discussions across various cities, focusing on the transformation and adaptation of two regions, Saxony and Ukraine, in response to the challenges and opportunities arising from structural changes.
The challenges for both regions are massive. For more than a year, Ukraine has been fighting against the Russian invasion and is in a state of war. The consequences of this war are terrible, especially in Ukraine, but they are also affecting the entire rest of Europe. Increased gas prices, inflation, but also foreign policy issues such as arms deliveries, NATO and EU enlargements have been dominating the news constantly since then. Additionally both Saxony and Ukraine are facing significant shifts in their economic, social and ecological parts which require them to reevaluate their traditional approaches and find new ways to thrive in a changing world. Both regions have for too long been not only far geographically from Brussels but also underrepresented in decision-making at the European level, and yet they have faced major obstacles to structural change. But we see that it is in Ukraine that the future of the EU is currently being decided.
Since June 24, 2022, Ukraine has become a candidate country for accession to the European Union. While the resolution of the ongoing war remains uncertain, we believe it is crucial not to delay discussions and the exchange of ideas for a shared future. The goal of Ukrainian Vibes is to encourage political participation among citizens and facilitate dialogue between Saxons and Ukrainians living in the region, envisioning a future Europe that transcends borders.
Our Topics
European Identity
We will talk about topics such as the upcoming EU-elections, Ukrainian as EU candidate status and among others the following questions: What does European identity mean to you? How do you define it? How can the EU foster a stronger sense of European identity among its citizens? How can the EU promote a shared understanding of its history and values?
Political Participation
With the discussion about political participation in Ukraine and Saxony, we want explore the differences and similarities in political engagement in the two regions and between urban areas and the periphery. Some potential questions to discuss could be: How do you perceive your role and influence in political decision-making processes at the EU level compared to the country level? What are the key factors that motivate or discourage you from engaging in political participation at the EU level compared to the country level? How does your sense of belonging to a larger European community influence your willingness to participate politically at the EU level, as opposed to focusing solely on national politics?
Sustainability
N.N.
Stefaniya
In a place as diverse as Europe, intercultural dialogue and education is crucial to democracy, and I am happy to support these processes within the Ukrainian Vibes project.
Ania
I am happy to be a part of such an important project that covers such interesting topics and is also intertwined with my homeland – Ukraine 🇺🇦 and its integration into the European Union.
Carla
For me, this project is a great opportunity to exchange ideas about a common European future with people from different backgrounds and thus actively strengthen European political participation among the population.
Anastasia
This project for me is opportunity for promote Ukrainian culture and educate people about history and ukrainian identity. Also it helps me better understand my origins, my people.
