The Co-Pilot Project continued working to further the exchange of knowledge and ideas between American and Ukrainian neurosurgeons.
We coordinated bringing several young Ukrainian surgeons to the United States for highly valuable fellowship opportunities so that they can return to Ukraine and continue to lead and innovate in their respective fields. Four research fellows have completed their studies at the University of Cincinnati Hospital. In September 2019, the CPP team together with the Ukrainian surgeon Ihor Kurilets presented the project and its results at Princeton University. In October, another trip to western Ukraine took place to perform epilepsy and tumor surgeries in Lutsk region, followed by several days of pediatric scoliosis clinic and surgery near Lviv.
Razom Ticket provides financial support to Ukrainian students
participating in national and international STEM Olympiads. We were happy to provide support for participation of bright young students in the Ukrainian National Olympiad in Physics and the International Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2019. The National Olympiad in Physics took place in March in Kherson, Ukraine, with 173 participants from all around Ukraine. Razom Ticket team had worked closely with the organization committee of the Olympiad and provided the needed additional funding for meals, equipment and prizes. The necessary travel, accommodation costs and participation fees were covered for the Ukrainians participants and supervisors at the IOA in Romania in October 2019.
Also, Razom Ticket committed and raised necessary funds to pilot a new initiative – supporting a Math winter camp in Khrakiv that is planned for early January 2020. The camp invites young participants from various regions of Ukraine.
Bohdan Radchenko Stipend for Veterans, which provides
Ukrainian veterans the opportunity to gain Master’s degree, is currently supporting the education of nine accomplished and motivated veterans in NaUKMA and KSE.
Andriana Susak, a recipient of Bohdan Radchenko Stipend for Veterans, said “I couldn’t find myself in civilian life after demobilization. The Bohdan Radchenko Scholarship is like a fresh breath for reintegration and socialization. Studying provides the opportunity to adapt and seek new opportunities for professional growth.”
The Giving Tuesday charity event dedicated to Veterans Stipends took place in Kyiv in December and collected 80,500 UAH for future veteran recipients.
Razom Culture celebrates and promotes awareness of Ukraine’s vibrant art and culture through a variety of collaborations and events. Razom volunteers helped with the BEVZA show at the New York Fashion Week and an event with various Ukrainian Designers presenting their pieces in NYC Flying Solo boutique.
Razom Book Club read and discussed four books in the first year since its launch and hosted meetings with authors Anya Yurchushyn and Victoria Amelina.
The Razom Lounge buzzed again at the St.George Ukrainian Festival. FaceBox, interviews, pottery clay classes, Ukrainian kvas, fake vs real news challenge, lots and lots of incredible people.
Razom Think brings contemporary thought and analysis to hot topics of interest in and about Ukraine for a widened and educated discussion on the future of Ukraine in the world. The project has tackled propaganda, holding a panel discussion at NYU on Russian propaganda and interference with Ukrainian domestic social issues and teaching people how to spot fake news at the Razom Lounge during the Ukrainian Festival in New York. We held various events on journalism, hosting a panel discussion on World Press Freedom Day and a workshop with Hromadske Radio before Ukrainian presidential elections. At Columbia University, we held a panel discussion on reintegration of the Donbas with Ukrainian experts and a film screening of Invisible Battalion, which explores the role of women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We provided aid to family members of political prisoners and Ukrainian marines captured by Russia during their time in New York for UN meetings.
Organized a meeting with Oleg Sentsov in the National Ukrainian Home in NYC. There were almost 300 attendees. Without a doubt, that was an important event for our community. Oleg began with a rod of thanks to all those who supported him and his freedom. The Ukrainian community and its friends in New York took to the streets many times over the course of the last few years, demanding freedom and justice for Oleg Sentsov. Therefore, seeing Oleg alive and strong in the very center of the Ukrainian Village in Manhattan was incredible.
We thank all of our amazing volunteers, without whom this event would not have been possible. We thank Oleg Sentsov for agreeing to meet with us during his very first trip to the US.
For the first time ever, we brought together all of our Razom Partners for a collaborative working session in Kharkiv.
More than 30 participants got together from our Partner
organizations, including Hromadske Radio, Serhij Zhadan Charitable Foundation, Istorychna Pravda, Ukrainian Academy of Leadership, Buduyemo Ukrainu Razom, and Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation.
Our partners learned from each other and saw that each
organization had similar experiences and challenges. We continue to work together.
This year, we had two wonderful charity nights with Ukrianian musicians. First, on May 22nd a generous supporter of Razom opened her apartment for a Ukrainian Rhapsody concert by critically-acclaimed classical music performers – Shelest Piano Duo – Anna and Dmitri Shelest. The proceeds from this charity special evening of music went to support the work of American doctors and Razom volunteers mentoring neurosurgeons in Ukraine within the Co-Pilot Project.
Then, right before their first concert in NYC, the Ukrainian band KAZKA generously dedicated the night of May 30th to help us raise funds for the Razom Ticket – the project which aims to increase engagement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines among Ukrainian children. Many Ukrainian New-Yorkers came to enjoy the Cocktails with KAZKA.
In fall 2019 Razom Toy Drive received a gift of beautiful toys and garments from CATCO LLC. This time the project partnered with Marta Levchenko, a founder of of NGO “I am the future of Ukraine” and shelter for mothers with kids “City of Goodness”. Thanks to the generous donation we were able to pack and send 25 boxes of gifts to Ukraine right on time for St.Nicolas day. The annual traditional Christmas time Toy drive took place at Ukrainian schools Samopomich (Manhattan) and Nova Hvylka (Brooklyn) to collect the gifts for kids in Ukraine we’ve been supporting and to create a supply to distribute throughout the next year. Razom Toy Drive is thrilled to welcome an official representer in Ukraine – Lyudmyla Kravcova. She has been working closely and successfully with the project for years, but now she has officially joined the Razom Toy Drive family.
Thank you to our incredible volunteers and supporters who donated their time, smarts, and money to make all of this possible.
