Europeans at Heart

In this new episode of this special series of our podcast, Daryna, a 17-year-old student from central Ukraine, talked with us about the impact of Russia's aggression on Ukrainian women and children, that are particularly vulnerable to violence.

Instagram page of the organization «Women's League», where we disseminate information about Russian crimes against women and children: https://www.instagram.com/womensleagueukraine/

The official website of Ukraine, where you can find verified information about the war and ways to help Ukraine: https://war.ukraine.ua/ 

Come Back Alive Foundation: https://www.comebackalive.in.ua/ 

National Bank of Ukraine: https://bank.gov.ua/en/ 

Feel the Ukrainian bravery through music: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6r6uKM0zL9ymUBVtNGmWrh?si=DtzE1VV8QSWeFKqSWc8uRA&utm_source=native-share-menu 

Daryna Lynnyk is a high school student, who studies languages and history with passion. Daryna organised 5 different projects in her local community on such topics as ecology, feminism and media literacy. So, it’s not surprising, that she became the president of the league of high school students of the Cherkasy region in May 2021. Also, Daryna makes research work about symbols of Trypillian culture. Her mission is to strengthen civil society in Ukraine, that is why she is passionate about creating projects with and for young people.

Maria Pia Napoletano is the EU YEAs Coordinator. She’s been working with young people since 2016, taking part in Erasmus+ project and organising local grassroots activities.  

As for other activities, in 2017 she took part in the WFD of the CoE, and in 2018 she was selected as the Youth Representative for Italy in the 35th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. In 2019, she organized a TEDx and in 2021, she graduated Summa cum Laude in Business Administration at Federico II University. Currently, she is working at the University in Naples, and coordinating YEAs.

In this new episode of this special series of our podcast, we talked with Anna, a student from Poland and Russia that talked to us about her experience with Russian education and propaganda, what the main myths promoted now by Russian outlets and how to counteract disinformation.  

Anna Lanina is a Law graduate, now president of The Polish Forum of Young Diplomats. She has moved from Russia to Poland, and found a new home and place there. She's a critical mind and an active citizen, always looking for new ways to change the world around her.

Cătălina Ceban holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Warsaw in the field of International Relations. She currently follows a Master’s degree program in Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Warsaw being connected with this topic by participating in different events such as the CyberSec Forum, and the Warsaw Security Forum, and activating as a member of the Women in International Security network. Recently she started to activate as a senior officer at the Moldovan National Focal Point Europol. Out of the security field, she is also very interested in the EU as a concept. This can be proved by her activity as Vice President for the Bringing Europeans Together Association in Poland, founder and Vice President for the students’ society named “My dla Europy”.

In this new episode of this special series of our podcast, we talked with Nataliia, a Young European Ambassador from Ukraine who introduced us to a particular aspect of this conflict: being a Ukrainian citizen living abroad. Being away from her country in such a difficult time it’s really challenging for what she addresses as “mental health”. Through this interview she opened up to us, showing a new side of this conflict and how deeply it can affect people even from afar. Eventually, she found a way to react, engaging in her local community to be with her country, with both head and heart.

Nataliia Yaroshenko is currently a PhD student in the field of ecology working with the plant population analysis. She holds a bachelor degree in Biology, Master’s in ecology (Cherkasy National University named after B. Khmelnytskyi) and a bachelor degree in Foreign languages teaching (English and Spanish). In 2016 Nataliia was honored to complete the Study of US Institutes program (Environmental issues, the University of Oregon, the USA) and won the CAPSTONE project award in 2017. Nataliia is an active volunteer in local initiatives and participant of the Erasmus+ youth exchanges and training courses with the experience of coaching the sessions about human rights, sustainability and social inclusion. The other part of Nataliia’s life belongs to the Ukrainian cultural potential by being a co-organizer of Cherkasy Book Festival, SHEfest, Sumy Rock Fest initiatives.

Matilde Fabrizio is a student in Political Science and International Relations at the Cesare Alfieri University of Florence. She is currently in Paris where she is living the Erasmus+ experience at Sorbonne University. Matilde’s dedication to international affairs goes far beyond a simple passion and interest in her studies; thanks to the many experiences she had abroad, she has always felt part of a community much larger and broader than just that of her home country. Matilde believes in a world in which the diversity of countries and cultures is a richness and an opportunity for everyone, and she works every day to see it realized. Her goal as a Young European Ambassador is to move further the gaze of those who still cannot see this world. Matilde finds beauty in complexity.

Rose Dahl is an international student of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme from Germany. She is currently involved in several activities, such as guiding international exchange students through their programmes, participating in Model United Nations Conferences and volunteering as a journalist for a local newspaper.

It's been three months since Russia's aggression on Ukraine started. 

How was it and how is it now? We asked Anna, a young journalist currently living in Ukraine. We talked to her about how her life changed, how misinformation and disinformation are used as weapons and what we can do about it.

Anna Fratsyvir is a second-year student in the Bachelor’s of International Communications program at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Due to her humanities inclination combined with a deep interest in culture and international cooperation, she has participated in numerous scientific conferences and projects devoted to the modern tendency of the development of diplomacy and foreign policy. She is motivated to carry out projects aimed to implement western democratic ideals into Ukrainian society and to promote civic engagement in local communities. She speaks five languages, among which are Ukrainian, English, German, Spanish, and Russian. Apart from this, she is involved in journalism and blogging, which she considers to be an engine of ideas and opportunities in the 21st century. 

Matilde is a student in Political Science and International Relations at the Cesare Alfieri University of Florence. She is currently in Paris where she is living the Erasmus+ experience at Sorbonne University. Matilde’s dedication to international affairs goes far beyond a simple passion and interest in her studies; thanks to the many experiences she had abroad, she has always felt part of a community much larger and broader than just that of her home country. Matilde believes in a world in which the diversity of countries and cultures is a richness and an opportunity for everyone, and she works every day to see it realized. Her goal as a Young European Ambassador is to move further the gaze of those who still cannot see this world. Matilde finds beauty in complexity.

Currently on Erasmus in Prague for his third year of the Bachelor’s degree, Jules Bigot studies at SciencesPo Paris and specializes in the European Union and Central and Eastern Europe. Having grown up in a very European environment in Brussels, Jules has always been driven by the desire to meet new people and talk about Europe. That is why he got involved in various EU-related initiatives such as This Time I’m Voting, JEF Europe, Le Taurillon, Europe Direct and now the Young European Ambassadors initiative.

More than 11 million people are believed to have fled their homes in Ukraine since Russia's aggression in the country began. While 6.5 are believed to be Internally Displaced People, the rest is not scattered all across Europe and the USA.

How does it feel to have to move away from your own home, especially when some members of your family are still in danger? We have asked this Olesia, that fled Ukraine and is now based in Sweden.

Who's in the episode?

Cătălina Ceban holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Warsaw in the field of International Relations. She currently follows a Master’s degree program in Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Warsaw being connected with this topic by participating in different events as the CyberSec Forum, the Warsaw Security Forum, and activating as a member of the Women in International Security network. Recently she started to activate as a senior officer at the Moldovan National Focal Point Europol. Out of the security field, she is also very interested in the EU as a concept. This can be proved by her activity as Vice President for the Bringing Europeans Together Association in Poland, founder and Vice President for the students’ society named “My dla Europy”.

Olesia Bil is an aspiring film director and screenwriter. Now she is working on documentary and commercial projects.  

She also graduated from the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Warsaw.  Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine Olesia has been volunteering in cooperation with Caritas Charitable Foundation. She leads groups to help Ukraine from Sweden : Hjälp Ukraina and Ukrainavännerna. They are helping to provide civilians, Armed Forces of Ukraine and territorial defense with the necessary aid.

More than 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees have fled to Poland since Russia's aggression to their country started (Updated: 10.04.2022), and, according to the Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, there are some 300,000 in the capital city alone. It is an incredible number of people to welcome and support, so how are Polish people dealing with it?

We hear today from Anhelina, an European with a Ukrainian heart, that is volunteering since the refugee crisis started. She'll tell us a bit more about her work and how the population at large is participating to an unprecedented mobilisation.

Learn more about what YEAs are here: https://euneighbourseast.eu/young-european-ambassadors/ 

You can find more stories on our blog: https://euneighbourseast.eu/young-european-ambassadors/blog/ 

Speakers in the episode: 

Anhelina Pryimak is the President of the BETA Poland Association. She is also a MA student of European Studies at the University of Warsaw. Alumna of several MEU conferences with a wide international network and good connections with polish student organisations. She has also engaged in projects organized by the Budapest European Agora Team, Georgian Institute for Strategic Studies, Demostene Centro Studi per la promozione dello Sviluppo Umano and others.

Cătălina Ceban holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Warsaw in the field of International Relations. She currently follows a Master’s degree program in Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Warsaw being connected with this topic by participating in different events as the CyberSec Forum, the Warsaw Security Forum, and activating as a member of the Women in International Security network. Recently she started to activate as a senior officer at the Moldovan National Focal Point Europol. Out of the security field, she is also very interested in the EU as a concept. This can be proved by her activity as Vice President for the Bringing Europeans Together Association in Poland, founder and Vice President for the students’ society named “My dla Europy”.

Since the start of Russia's aggression to Ukraine, Moldova has been hosting thousands or refugees, offering them first-aid support, shelter, food, and the warmth of Moldovan families.

But Moldova is a small country. As of 27 March, Moldovan authorities have reported 381,448 arrivals from Ukraine, of whom 346,735 are Ukrainian refugees and 34,713 third-country nationals. Hosting this number of refugees is a challenge.

So, how are people and authorities dealing with it?

Maria Victoria, a YEA from Moldova, explains the reaction of the country to the Refugees crisis, and adds some insights on the policies related to refugees of the UK, where she's currently studying.

Cătălina Ceban holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Warsaw in the field of International Relations. She currently follows a Master’s degree program in Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Warsaw being connected with this topic by participating in different events as the CyberSec Forum, the Warsaw Security Forum, and activating as a member of the Women in International Security network. Recently she started to activate as a senior officer at the Moldovan National Focal Point Europol. Out of the security field, she is also very interested in the EU as a concept. This can be proved by her activity as Vice President for the Bringing Europeans Together Association in Poland, founder and Vice President for the students’ society named “My dla Europy”.

With a strong belief in the potential and perspectives of Moldova, Maria Victoria Chilari has activated as a youth worker in NGOs aiming to empower young citizens to be involved in the affairs of their communities and be confident in their abilities to bring about optimization. Non-formal education (under the form of programmes such as Wave Week Moldova) provide the youth with necessary tools to change the current fate of Moldovan democracy into one that is more aligned with the European values.

Equally, being actively involved in national and international projects, and completing her A-levels at St Swithun’s School as an HMC scholar, deepened Maria Victoria’s understanding of comparative politics. This also confirmed her belief that cultural intelligence is of great importance when approaching global issues. Based on this premise, she is looking forward to pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Social and Political Studies.

Hello everyone, “Europeans at Heart” is back with another season!

In this season Young European Ambassadors will explore different topics from a youth perspective, together with experts and friends.

The first episodes will give youth perspective to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, while the future episodes will explore youth engagement, the EU and energy, the future of the Eastern Partnership and much more.

Want to know more about us?

Do you know 2022 is the European Year of Youth?

In this episode:

Cătălina was born in 1999 in Soroca, the Republic of Moldova. Being a student at the University of Warsaw, she is currently following her master's degree in security and strategic studies, being connected with this topic by participating in different events as CyberSec Forum, Warsaw Security Forum, and as a member of the Women in International Security network. At this moment  she is activating as an Intern at the Service for the Supreme Security Council at the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova. Out of the security field, she is also very interested in the EU as a concept. This can be proved by her activity as Vice President for the Bringing Europeans Together Association in Poland, founder and Vice President for the students’ society named “My dla Europy”, and organizer of different MEU simulations.

Maria Pia is the EU YEAs Coordinator. She’s been working with young people since 2016, taking part in Erasmus+ project and organising local grassroots activities. As for other activities, in 2017 she took part in the WFD of the CoE, and in 2018 she was selected as the Youth Representative for Italy in the 35th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. In 2019, she organized a TEDx and graduated Summa cum Laude in Business Administration at Federico II University, and then started working as a junior project manager in Spain. Currently, she is working at the University in Naples and coordinating the YEAs.

Azerbaijan is not only a beautiful and culturally rich country but is also a promising member of the Eastern Partnership Initiative. If you are interested in knowing more about the local language, UNESCO world heritage sites and delicious food this is the episode for you!

To learn more about EU-Azerbaijan relations visit:

https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage_en/4013/EU-Azerbaijan%20relations%20-%20factsheet and you won’t be disappointed!

Want to learn more about us?

https://euneighbourseast.eu/young-european-ambassadors/

In this new episode of the ‘Europeans at Heart’ podcast, you will learn more about Armenia, its marvellous traditions, culture and gastronomy, as well as a bit of its History! We started our trip to Armenia with Mariam Hovhannisyan and got to know interesting facts about the country, as well as its rich cuisine, its people, traditions and art. 

Later on, Neli Abrahamyan shared very interesting insights about Armenian History and the current political situation, as well as relations with the EU. 

Do you want to come on this trip along with us? Then click on ‘play’ and let’s start it!

Find out more about us:

Mafalda Infante is the EU YEAs Vice-Coordinator. She is a Portuguese Master’s student in International Studies at ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon, with a dissertation about the Eastern Neighbourhood. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from Nova University of Lisbon and, besides EU Foreign Policy, Mafalda is very interested in gender equality and communication. Between 2020 and 2021 she was the European Student Think Tank Ambassador to Lisbon and organised several events about EU affairs. As a YEA, Mafalda aims to strengthen the initiative in the EU and to bring Young European Ambassadors from the EaP countries and the EU closer together, through the sharing of knowledge and experiences.

Her Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mafaldainfante/

Vahe Asatryan has been a Young European Ambassador (YEA) since 2018. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Political Economy at King's College London, and his Master's degree in International Social and Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where he was concurrently Postgraduate Officer of the LSE Grimshaw International Relations Society. He has interned, amongst others, at the Parliament of the Czech Republic, the Embassy of Armenia in Prague, and the European Headquarters of the AGBU in Brussels.

As a Czech national of Armenian heritage, he firmly believes that cross-cultural dialogue, building bridges and working together across borders are the most powerful ways through which we can ensure a sustainable, peaceful future for Europe based on solidarity. His interests lie in geopolitics, government and diplomacy, with a particular passion for reforming European integration as well as strengthening the cohesiveness and effectiveness of EU foreign policy.

His linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vahe-asatryan-09b639158/

Neli Abrahamyan is a Young European Ambassador (YEA) from Armenia. She is a PhD student at Yerevan State University, in the field of Genocide studies. Simultaneously, she works as a research assistant in the same department at YSU. She is also actively involved in different volunteering activities, such as the EU4Youth Alumni Network.

Her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neli-abrahamyan-7b6683129/

Mariam Hovhannisyan is a Young European Ambassador (YEA) from Armenia and entered the network three years ago. She has a studies background in linguistics, having graduated from the Russian-Armenian Slavonic University. Mariam holds a PhD in the theory of language and cross-cultural communication. She also specialises in tourism and works as a tour guide, helping people to discover Armenia and the Armenian culture.

Her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariam-hovhannisyan-17b5031b1/