During February 14–17, Botkyrka Municipality (Stockholms län, Sweden) held the meeting between Ukrainian and Swedish participants of the project “Breaking Down Stereotypes – Building Trust and Hope”.
The main goal of the session was summing-up the project fulfillment as well as analyzing its results and discussing future cooperation. Cultural officer and project manager Susanna Freund Widman and Carina Savborg gladly welcomed guests from Ukraine: national project coordinator in Ukraine, director of the Development Centre “Democracy Through Culture” (Kyiv) Oleksandr Butsenko, Academic Secretary of Ukrainian Centre for Cultural Studies Valentyna Demian (Kyiv), Deputy Mayor of Pavlohrad responsible for activity of executive authorities Olena Shulika (Pavlohrad), the Head of the Swedish Language Centre, Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University (LUEENU, Lutsk).
The project is aiming at breaking stereotypes and uniting youth from Botkyrka, Pavlohrad and Lutsk by common creative cultural idea. This idea is achieved by means of mutual creative interaction: practicing song and dance together, friendly communication, artistic inspiration.
On February 15, the project participants had an official meeting in the Culture and Leisure Department of Botkyrka Municipality Council, where they summed up the results of the project during all its durability. The meeting started with opening speech by the Head of Botkyrka Culture and Leisure Department Pernilla Hellman. All project partners took active part in vivid discussion sharing their experience, impressions, new ideas and proposals.
So far as the project’s main goal is centered about youth communication, it found its logical continuation in the Skype-conference held between young representatives of the three participating towns: Botkyrka youth dance club (teacher Malin Androsch Ståhlberg); Pavlohrad youth organizations “Funduk” (leader Olena Shulika), “Positive Pavlohrad” (leader Liudmyla Gejmor), “Euroclub” (teacher Svetlana Chumachenko); Lutsk Swedish-studying students of the Institute of Foreign Philology in LUEENU (teacher of Swedish Alla Gnatiuk, responsible for Skype-conference in Lutsk Olena Kotys, Jurii Lynnuk). Students and school-leavers discussed their everyday routine, hobbies, and interests as well as expressed great desire to visit each other in the home cities and countries. The follow-up Skype-conference was scheduled for March 23.
On February 16, Alla Gnatiuk, the Head of the Swedish Language Centre had an appointment with the representatives of the Swedish Institute Viktor Hennius and Charlotta Johansson in Stockholm for discussing cooperation between the Swedish Institute and LUEENU.
The main topic of the meeting was studying Swedish in the world and, particularly, in Lutsk. The participants exchanged informational literature issued by their institutions. As the result of the meeting, the agreement was achieved to include LUEENU into the Swedish Institute international network of universities with Swedish studies, as well as provide the opportunity of free studies in Sweden for its students, learning Swedish.
During the stay in Sweden, Ukrainian delegation was discussing work issues of the project “Breaking Down Stereotypes – Building Trust and Hope”, and also enjoyed a wonderful opportunity to get acquainted with the cultural heritage of the welcoming country, visit its historical and modern museums, Botkyrka library and even create themselves the exhibits in Botkyrka Art Gallery. According to the main idea of the project, creative teamwork contributes to strengthening of friendly ties between people, uniting their hearts, building trust and hope. For this reason, after attending the exhibition “Smycka” (“Let’s Decorate Ourselves”) led by Kerstin Gezelius, the project partners and Skype-conference participants were engaged in a workshop for making theme decoration “Trust and Hope”.
Both Ukrainian and Swedish partners conceded that implementation of the project is successful and inspiring for new ideas, which can serve as the basis for creating new projects and further future cooperation.
Alla Gnatiuk,
the Head of the Swedish Language Centre, senior lecturer of Foreign Languages Department for Natural Sciences and Mathematics Majors
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