YaStryi 2021
Recently, we successfully hosted the youth festival YaStryi on July 3-4.
Our main goal was to bring together motivated young individuals who aspire to develop themselves, broaden their horizons, and achieve great heights. We wanted to provide a platform for young people who are seeking opportunities.
The preparation for this event was filled with excitement, as we carefully selected special speakers who covered a wide range of topics and fields. We also organized a creative area and dance activities to ensure a well-rounded experience for the teenagers.
Our lineup of speakers included:
- Pavlo Hood, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), communications and external relations specialist, lecturer at the Center for Leadership and Communications, and priest of the UGCC. Father Hood traditionally led a career guidance course for our scholarship recipients, helping teenagers discover their ideal professions.
- Roman Lozynsky, a politician and public figure, Member of Parliament, and first deputy chairman of the Committee on the Organization of State Power of Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning. He is a Plast member with the highest honorary degree of the Hetman’s brace and co-founder of the Young Elite School in Lviv.
- Oleksandr Magun, an entrepreneur, founder, and president of the West Ukrainian Business Club. He is also a co-founder of the West Ukrainian Business School (WUBS) and CORE Business Club. Additionally, he serves as a strategic partner of the Ukrainian Business Council in Western Ukraine.
- Oleksandr Solontai, a politician and public figure, head of the practical policy program, expert at the Institute of Political Education, and founder and first chairman of the all-Ukrainian youth public organization “FRI”.
- Volodymyr Stancyshyn, a psychologist and psychotherapist, renowned for his expertise in personality psychology and self-development. He is the head of the Laboratory of Changes mental health center and the author of the book “Walls in My Head: Living with Anxiety and Depression”.
- Odipo Jackton, a talented choreographer from Africa who has contributed to numerous dance projects in Europe and Asia. He conducted an engaging dance master class for the festival participants.
- Christy Berezianska, the founder and teacher at the Christy Language and Art Studio. Christy shared her knowledge and guided participants in making friendship bracelets.
- Nadiya Gerbish, a prominent writer, journalist, translator, and avid traveler. She is a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine and the author of well-known books such as “Warm Stories for Coffee” and “Warm Stories for Chocolate”.
- Natalia Rybka-Parkhomenko, a Ukrainian actress, radio and television presenter, and singer of the ethnic band Kurbasy. She is also an acting teacher at the Lviv Fashion Week modeling agency and was recently honored with the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine, bestowed upon her by the President.
The festival was a great success, providing the attendees with valuable insights, inspiration, and opportunities for personal growth. We are grateful to all the speakers and participants who made YaStryi an unforgettable experience.
On the second day of the festival, the scholarship holders took the stage and delivered inspiring speeches that left a lasting impact on the audience. We were truly amazed by the thought-provoking topics chosen by these teenagers. Together, we laughed, cried, and reminisced about our own experiences at the age of 15, wholeheartedly cheering for each speaker. While our scholarship holders have participated in public speaking festivals before, it was their first time being part of the YaStryi festival. They dedicated several months to honing their public speaking skills under the guidance of psychologists Iryna Yatsiv and Mariana Vasylchenko.
The dedication and effort demonstrated by our scholarship holders in preparing for this festival left us deeply impressed. They not only contributed to the event by baking goodies, capturing photos and videos, organizing a flash mob, and coordinating a knight tournament, but they also warmly greeted guests and assisted with the overall organization of the venue. Their remarkable ideas and sense of responsibility shone through!
These two days were filled with excitement and non-stop activities. We received an abundance of positive feedback from the teenagers who attended the festival. We can confidently say that we achieved the goals we had set when planning this event, and we take pride in the success we have accomplished. We are delighted to share a review from the newspaper Diyeslovo, as well as the words of Marta Vasiv, a participant in our festival:
“At the festival, the scholarship holders and their friends had the opportunity to go beyond simply listening to speakers or enjoying themselves. It was a valuable chance for everyone to realize that successful adults also faced challenges during their youth, which should not be kept silent but rather confronted without fear. Most importantly, it allowed us to reflect on our own mistakes and discover ways to overcome them, understand our capabilities and aspirations, not only for personal growth but also to extend a helping hand to others in their journey of self-realization.”
