Writings and Images from the Ukraine-UK Academic Exchange Project

In March 2023, a year after the military invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, academic staff, and students from six universities in Ukraine partnered with the University of Greenwich on an experimental online “Academic Exchange Project”.

This inaugural international exchange was established to provide support to students and academic staff in Ukraine during these challenging times, as well as to offer British students the opportunity to gain understanding of the sufferings – and perseverance – of their counterparts in Ukraine.

For a period of three weeks in March and early April 2023 we shared classes in the fields of hospitality, tourism, and live event management. It may seem odd to be focusing on these leisure-oriented studies, however we all felt that it was important to give hope and plan ahead for the future post-conflict reconstruction of Ukraine, including in the culture, leisure, and tourism industries in the longer-term future.

The project involved many months of pre-planning. Industry and academic partners on both the Ukraine and UK sides graciously shared contacts and advice. What initially seemed a fairly straightforward idea “let’s share some classes online” soon became fraught with hurdles ranging from data protection issues to damaged internet infrastructure. As one academic colleague in Odesa shared: “Today the sun is shining, tomorrow we might not have electricity or water, let’s see what happens.”

Little could we have imagined, now two years later, that the war would still be raging, with parts of Ukraine still under illegal military occupation and bombs still falling in cities and regions across the country. The calm strength and steadfast resolve of students and academics across Ukraine not only to save their country, but also to remain focused on their studies and research, are commendable beyond words.

As part of the project, students were offered the opportunity to share their visions of post- conflict Ukraine as a destination for the ‘experience economy’. I am struck by the pride of place and the innovation by these students from across a range of undergraduate and masters level programmes. Their words have been left largely unedited to capture and share their aspirations and dreams for their future in a free, democratic, outward-looking Ukraine.

– Dr Peter Vlachos, University of Greenwich, London

Participants:

Anastasiia-Anna Stetsyshyn – Lviv University of Trade and Economics

Anastasiia Sushynska – Lviv University of Trade and Economics

Daria Moroz – Odesa National Economic University

Viktoriia Yuriivna Hudkova – Odessa National Economic University

Karina Leonidivna Shevchenko – Cherkasy National University

Klymenko Kateryna – Odesa National Economics University

Leila Kovalenko – Odessa National Economic University

Olga Kovalenko – Odesa National Economic University

Oleksandra Sokolova – Odesa National Economic University

Sophia Smetannikova – Odesa National Economic University

Yurii Reblian – Odesa National Economic University

Anastasia Zahoruiko – State University of Trade and Economics

Slobodianik Anastasiia – State University of Trade and Economics