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From September 19 to September 20, the NGO “Open Policy Foundation” and Klym Churyumov International Green School became part of the “Myropolis” Youth Forum organized within the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Program. It was held at the “Perlyna Donechchyny” (Pearl of Donetsk) complex in Sviatohirsk. The event was attended by more than 180 young people from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, as well as activists and youth leaders from other regions.

The aim of the “Myropolis” Youth Forum was to promote a dialogue on peacekeeping and social cohesion among young people, local communities and opinion leaders.

The Open Policy Foundation has been involved in peacekeeping through GreenSTREAM innovations in an open digital-friendly space: computer programming, coding laboratory and the art, astronomical observations and a discussion club near the fire with a cup of fragrant tea accompanied by guitar. These locations worked in the open air among the pines, and participants could contemplate swinging in hammocks. This model of digital learning space organization breaks stereotypes and is a tool to form a balance between on-line and off-line lives. After all, what is important is the real-life communication of young people and the formation of emotional intelligence.

On the first day, September 19, after the official opening of the Forum, in the evening, the “From the Ecology of the Soul to the Ecology of the Universe” Discussion Club began its work. Sitting around the fire, with tea and coffee, in hammocks and plaids, the participants discussed the values and skills needed in the 21st century. There were warm and heart-to-heart conversations about the most expensive things with Iryna ZHDANOVA and Halyna KANAFOTSKA accompanied by a young, talented guitarist and musician Eduard SMOLYAKOV. They talked about trust and self-development, a new generation and new age, new opportunities and new threats related to the digitization and destruction of the ecosystems on Earth and in space, as well as about startups, innovations and a non-standard educational space for young people.

On the example of two dramatic space missions, Apollo 13 and Columbia (during the first mission, astronauts came back alive and during the Columbia, they were tragically killed), the participants with Iryna ZHDANOVA considered unusual emergency decisions, the choice to act following a protocol or to save the man.

They discussed the problems of space debris with Volodymyr VASYLENKO, a post-graduate astronomer at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The participants made astronomical observations of the starry sky; they could see Jupiter with three moons, Saturn, the Moon, as well as to travel the starry sky.

On the first day of the Forum, about 40 people visited our site and then shared their pleasant impressions at the end. The video broadcast was as well viewed through Facebook in Rubizhne, Rochester (USA, NY) and Kyiv.

“I am extremely happy that every such event gives me a chance to meet people, with whom we go through life. I thank our team ... Our panel ‘Innovation - for Peace, Youth - for Peace’ is cool! I also like the name of the event, ‘Myropolis’ ... Peacebuilding is really a whole community, whole networking of those who want to make this polis peaceful. To do this, it is not enough to be smart today, but you must also have emotional intelligence” said Iryna ZHDANOVA, Executive Director of the NGO “Open Policy Foundation”, PhD in History, the founder of Klym Churyumov International Green School.

“I have gained new experience with you (editor’s note: the youth). You are an inspiration that allows you to respond to your motivation of being here,” said Halyna KANAFOTSKA, Coordinator of the Center for Social Leadership, Trainer and Teacher, Scientific Consultant.

THE YOUTH IMPRESSIONS

“I'm impressed by the people who came here. They say the right things.”

“Thank you for being candid and fun. I already know that I will leave with good impressions.”

“These two days are good days this month. It's great that we just sat and sang songs, a song about a soldier ...”

“It was a very warm atmosphere. Everyone's eyes were shining. The youth had sparkling eyes. Smiles.”

“Such evenings: heartful and kind with songs and conversations. I’d like them to be more.”

The second day was equally interesting, and most importantly, innovative. We were gathered at our Green STREAM lab, among the pines again, in the open sky. During this workshop, each participant was joined in teams and created algorithms. The result was a dozen pianos, the keys of which were bananas, beets, potatoes and zucchini. Computer programming can be fun. In addition, participants coded and created games using the SCRATCH program by means of creative out-of-the-box solutions as well.

The panel was moderated by Iryna ZHDANOVA and a lecturer Victor MAKSYMENKO, and assistants were students, Green STREAM ambassadors from Pervomayskyi Industrial and Pedagogical College (Rubizhne), who were trained at the International Green School during the Open GREEEN STEAM program (the Open Policy Foundation implements it jointly with educators from different countries, the MASHAV (Israel) graduates from 2018, with the support of the Lithuanian Embassy in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science and Luhansk Regional Institute of Postgraduate Teacher Education). This workshop did not require any special technical skills, but with the help of the Makey Makey invention kit, it made it possible to discover the potential of an inventor, programmer, creator and, most importantly, it was fun.

At the same time, the Foundation’s team spoke about opportunities to get IT education through the “Donbas-Ukraine” Education Centers, and a postgraduate student from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv presented the physics and radiophysics faculties. Among the Green STREAM lab participants, there were a number of senior students living along the “contact line”, and they actively asked the Green STREAM ambassadors-students of the Education Centers.

Despite a limited registration (the Forum’s organizers limited the number of participants of the Open Policy Foundation’s panel to 8 persons), more than 30 participants visited our laboratory. The “Myropolis” speakers and organizers were also pleased to code.

THE YOUTH IMPRESSIONS

“I have a very good impression. Your teachers are positive here. They are not boring, they are close to me, and you can talk to them easily. I'm not ashamed of them ...”

“I feel it (coding through Makey Makey) can't be done without a smile.”

And our Green STREAM ambassador Sofia DUSHEVSKA (from Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National Pedagogical University, Starobilsk) managed to have a short interview with Pavlo ZAMOSTYAN, the organizer of “Myropolis”, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, and get to know about the future of the Youth Forum.

“We try to do interesting things. But how interesting this format is, we will ask the participants, our youth. I look at them with admiring envy because they have such opportunities and a sea of ideas in order to be successful and to fulfill a dream ... “Myropolis” is a platform for young people communication, which will be preserved here (editor’s note: in the Donetsk region), and possibly spread later in Ukraine.”

Pavlo Zamostyan also said that he knew about our International Green School and wished its dreams came true in a successful country.

“I know about the International Green School and even signed up for it on Facebook. There are a lot of interesting projects, and young people from the Donetsk region were also in Kosmach.”

The participants at the Forum also talked a lot about protecting human rights and freedoms, youth leadership, mutual respect and social cohesion.

The Open Policy Foundation is grateful to the UN Population Fund in Ukraine (UNFPA Ukraine) for the invitation and for its assistance in organizing the ambassadors of the International Green School. We also thankful to Lilia ZOLKINA, Director of the Family and Youth Department at the Donetsk Regional State Administration, the “Perlyna Donechchyny” administration, the “Donbas-Ukraine” Education Centers,  Pervomayskyi Industrial and Pedagogical College, Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National Pedagogical University, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine and everyone involved.

The Science and Innovation for Peace panel at the “Myropolis” Youth Forum was initiated by the Open Policy Foundation. A series of meetings were held, and analytical materials were prepared. Successful advocacy combined with specific successful cases clearly demonstrates the need to continue this Foundation’s work, namely scaling the experience and opening up the GREEN STREAM hubs in local communities in the East and other regions. Therefore, during the Forum, we held negotiations on the development of this area in the Donetsk region.

“Myropolis” was held as part of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Program implemented by four UN agencies: UNDP Ukraine, UN Women Ukraine, #UNFPA Ukraine and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

@United Nations Ukraine

@UN Population Fund in Ukraine - UNFPA Ukraine

@UNDP Ukraine

@NGO “Open Policy Foundation” 

@UN Women Ukraine

@Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

@International Green School

#myropolis

#DreamActEnjoy

#DreamActCreate 

#OpenGREENSTrEAM

#DostupnaOsvita

#movingForwardTOGETHER

#UNRPP

You can find more about the Forum in the program “Life without a contact line” on Ukrainian Radio (announcement will be posted on the Foundation's Facebook page).