The trip was made possible thanks to the support of the Foundation de France.
“We want to stay in Ukraine”
The Italian youth look surprised. “But you have a war in your country. It’s dangerous there. Are none of you planning to go to other countries?” All the Ukrainians shake their heads in the negative. We explain: “We need to rebuild the country after the victory. There is a lot of work to be done. No one will do it for us.”
Almost 2 days of traveling one way. 8 hours on the border with Poland. A lot of transfers: trains, buses, a plane over the Alps.
All in order to introduce Ukrainian and Italian teenagers from Youth Initiative Banks (YIBs) to each other. The YIB model works in 32 countries. This is the first experience of an international meeting for our teams.
All in order to introduce Ukrainian and Italian teenagers to Youth Initiative Banks (YIBs). The YIB model works in 32 countries. This is the first experience of an international meeting for our teams.
We are heading to the city of Como in northern Italy. Italian SIBs operate only in Como and 4 nearby towns. For comparison, Ukraine has 9 banks across the country.
We selected 5 participants from Ukraine out of 13 applications. We looked, first of all, at the motivation and level of English.
For 2 days in Como, IBI representatives talked about their implemented projects, shared fundraising experiences, and just talked a lot with new friends.
In addition to talking about the difference in approaches in the IBI model, Italian youth were very interested in how we live in a state of war and were surprised that none of the Ukrainians present wanted to leave the country. It turned out that Italian youth, on the contrary, do not see any prospects for themselves in Italy. They consider moving to Britain to be one of the best options.
The Italians were also surprised to learn that Ksenia Popova, the project manager of the IBI Ukraine, is only 21 years old. “It turns out that in your country, young people are more believed and trusted,” said Beatrice, IBI representative in Como, “Because I have sent my resume to different companies many times and there is no result. And you are studying and working at this age.”
Despite the rains and the overflowing Lake Como, we got to know the city and the projects of the Italian IBI. We had dinner in a cafe run by people with disabilities and tried to record a podcast in a recording room renovated by young people as part of a grant from the local IBI.
On the last day of the exchange, it was raining in Como, but this did not prevent the teenagers from organizing a cozy dinner and agreeing to continue cooperation and meet in 5 years. We believe that the representatives of YWCA Ukraine will use the new experience to implement new projects in their communities.
It is worth noting the great support from the Italian side in organizing this trip. Despite the busy schedule, they agreed very quickly. The Ukrainian team is very grateful for the hospitality and ease of communication of La Fondazione Comasca. We are looking forward to winning so that the participants of the Italian IBI can come to Ukraine.
