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Together We Learn & Grow

03/12/2024

Together We Learn & Grow

The full-scale Russian invasion has severely disrupted Ukraine’s education system. Almost 3,800 educational institutions were damaged or destroyed, and other schools, colleges and higher education establishments were under equal threat. These circumstances forced more than 5 million Ukrainian schoolchildren and students, as well as their teachers, to significantly reshape their usual lives – learning was fully or partially transferred to online format, and some training programmes were suspended for a while.

However, it is in these circumstances that the ability of the state and educators to provide quality education for children and youth is critically important, as it is the future of the nation, of those who will be working to rebuild and modernise Ukraine. Therefore, education is one of the most important, strategic areas and development enablers, and this is undeniable.

In order to effectively bridge the learning gap, the European Commission has taken a comprehensive approach to supporting Ukrainian students, both those studying in Ukraine and those forced to seek asylum in EU member states, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine is launching a new communication campaign called Together We Learn & Grow to inform as many young Ukrainians, their parents, teachers and the general public as possible about:

  • benefits and opportunities provided to Ukrainian children and youth through the EU’s consistent support in general and since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
  • advantages and prospects for the education sector that Ukraine will benefit from after joining the EU.

As of today, more than 700,000 Ukrainian children are studying in EU schools, and many are enrolled in higher education institutions there. To maintain their ties with Ukraine and ensure their eventual return home is a matter of public concern, deliberation and challenge, as they have adapted to the new environment and, most importantly, feel safe. But they are Ukrainians, each of them is important for Ukraine, and the country relies on them as builders and crafters of the country’s future. Therefore, it is extremely important to pave the way to fostering impartially attractive conditions for their return and growth in their homeland. One of these tools is sustainable and targeted investment in the education system, which will also be aligned with that of the EU, ensuring comfortable and equal conditions for both those returning and those studying in Ukraine.

The EU has long and consistently contributed to the implementation of Ukraine’s strategic priorities in education, supporting secondary and higher education, vocational training, and the development of new skills. This cooperation also focuses on expanding Ukraine’s integration and accession to the common European Education Area.

The campaign is geared towards raising awareness and creating an informed understanding among a diverse audience at large about:

  • the EU’s contribution to accessible and comprehensive education in Ukraine, including the possibility of integration into the European Education Area
  • the EU’s contribution to safe and continuous lifelong learning
  • new opportunities for Ukrainian youth and the academic community enabled by EU-funded programmes and projects.

Since the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with the traditional areas of support, another one has been identified as a priority in the face of war – safe access to education for children in Ukraine.

The resources allocated for this purpose are channelled to the most important components of learning in primary, secondary, higher and vocational education and training:

  • Rehabilitation, renovation and reconstruction of schools
  • Creating safe and modern learning spaces
  • Raising awareness of mine threats
  • Psychosocial support for children, teachers and caregivers.

The all-Ukrainian Together We Learn & Grow communication campaign will include awareness raising, learning and public activities with a variety of interactive features both online and offline.

Together We Learn & Grow – this new communication campaign will run from September 2024 to January 2025.

To find out more about the communication campaign activities, please follow the news on our website, as well as on the EU Delegation to Ukraine’s pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/Х.

The campaign’s kick-off took place on September 26-29, 2024, as part of the Book Country Festival (Knyzhkova Krayina) at the Expo Centre of Ukraine (VDNG), where the Together We Learn & Grow space welcomed its visitors.

The EU-funded projects presented their programmes and achievements in the themed tents called the Opportunity Space and the Lecture Hall, and also held discussions, lectures, consultations, interactive activities, and musical performances. Teenagers got to know the innovative Collider project about technology, education, pop culture, and history, and those willing could compete in prize quizzes from the Euroquiz and Young European Ambassadors projects. During four days event, the EU’s Educational Space was visited by approximately 14,000 children and adults.

EU Ambassador Katarína Mathernová warmly congratulated Ukrainian teachers on their professional holiday:

«The price of education in these challenging times is high, but your dedication and resilience prove it is worth every effort. Ukraine needs educated youth today to rebuild a strong nation tomorrow!»

See more in the video address.

On October 24, 2024, an awareness-raising event was held in Chernivtsi with the participation of Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová. This event opened a series of regional activities within the framework of the All-Ukrainian communication campaign – Together We Learn & Grow. The EU and Ukraine Creating a Common European Future – to showcase the European Union’s support for Ukrainian education and youth in times of war.

In the Marble Hall of the Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, the Ambassador met with students of the leading Ukrainian university and spoke about the opportunities provided to university youth and researchers by EU educational programmes, including Erasmus+. The Ambassador held a discussion with the students and answered their questions.

The new opportunities offered to Ukrainian students and young people by EU-funded programmes were discussed at a meeting of the Building a Common European Future Discussion Club.

Liliia Hrynevych, Vice-Rector of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine in 2016-2019, delivered a motivating lecture on Education for the Post-War Development of Ukraine.

On 31 October, the European Union symbolically handed 1100 textbooks on Arts and Informatics for 5th and 6th grade children to the Sofiysko-Borshchahivsi lyceum, Kyiv Region.

One million textbooks on Arts and Informatics for 5th 6th grade children were made available in Poland for pick-up and distribution coordinated by the Ukrainian authorities. This batch has been delivered at the warehouse in Poland in Summer 2024 and has been delivered to Poltava with the help of Plan International. Those textbooks have now been delivered to schools all over Ukraine.

The one million books follow the half a million textbooks on Ukrainian language for 5-th grade children that were already delivered to Ukraine in 2023.

On November 1, within the framework of the campaign, the new Euroquiz by Euroquiz.org.ua started, which will last until November 30.

Learn more here.

On November 8, 2024, the Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernová, and UNICEF Deputy Representative Programmes OiC, Emmanuelle Abrioux, visited kindergarten No. 4 “Prolisok” in Bucha and Lyceum No. 3 in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast. The visit took place as part of the All-Ukrainian communication campaign Together We Learn ∓ Grow. The EU and Ukraine Creating a Common European Future, continuing a series of regional events informing Ukrainians about the support and opportunities the EU provides to Ukrainian education and youth during wartime.

On November 8, EU Delegation to Ukraine starts the nation-wide Regional Media Contest: “Together we learn and grow – the EU invests in our common future, supporting Ukrainian education and youth projects in both the European Union and Ukraine, with the objective of facilitating the development of a talent pool of youngsters engaged in Ukraine’s recovery and European integration.”

Journalists from regional and local print and online media, TV/radio stations, and digital platforms with permanent communication channels and a steady audiences are welcome to apply.

Entries will be accepted until January 15, 2025 (23:50 local time) at the following link.

You can find out more about the terms and requirements for the Сontest entries here.

On November 8, 2024, the Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernová, and UNICEF Deputy Representative Programmes OiC, Emmanuelle Abrioux, visited kindergarten No. 4 “Prolisok” in Bucha and Lyceum No. 3 in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast. The visit took place as part of the All-Ukrainian communication campaign Together We Learn ∓ Grow. The EU and Ukraine Creating a Common European Future, continuing a series of regional events informing Ukrainians about the support and opportunities the EU provides to Ukrainian education and youth during wartime.