Умови участі

— Which definition of "Ukrainian roots" voiced by your Canadian or Austrian colleagues surprised you most? What made you look at our roots here, at home, in a new way?
— I was struck by the interpretation of Professor Oleksandr Kondrashov from Canada. He emphasizes not autochthony — that is, the fact of being born in a particular territory — but ethnic origin. This is a fundamentally different lens. For him, Ukraine is also those people who were born overseas but carry our genetic code within them.
He begins his first class with students with simple but fundamental questions: "What is Ukraine to you?", "What do you know about it?" Such an approach erases geographical borders. It turns out that being Ukrainian is not only living in Cherkasy or Lviv region, but carrying within yourself this inner "continent," wherever you find yourself. This makes us here in Ukraine value even more what we have and feel responsibility before millions of inhabitants of the planet for whom we are the living primary source of their identity.
— The participants in the project are Canada, Austria, and Ukraine. What, in your view, is the main difference in the perception of "Ukrainianness" by those who live at home and those who cherish it abroad?
— The difference lies in one word — safety. For Ukrainians abroad, belonging to the nation is often a choice, the preservation of tradition, a certain intellectual or cultural mission in a calm environment. For us, it is a state of constant challenge.
When you are in danger, you think much faster and react more sharply. We immerse ourselves in Ukrainianness not through festive embroidered shirts but deeply — into the very soul — because right now this is a question of our survival. Those roots are the support that keeps us from falling under the shelling. We feel our identity with bare nerves, because every detail of our culture today is an object of attack. This makes our perception more dramatic, but at the same time much stronger.
— How can the ideas of the Ukrainian Roots Challenge be integrated into the daily educational process so that it does not turn into an extra burden but becomes an inspiration for children?
— These ideas are central, not additional. They are the foundation of our being and our existence on this land. When a child searches for their roots, they are not doing yet another textbook exercise — they are finding the answer to the question of who they truly are.
In the modern educational process this should become the very core around which everything else is built. We are not adding hours or duties for the children — we are giving them meaning. Researching one's lineage, recording the memories of relatives, or studying local history becomes a form of therapy. It gives the child a sense of the strength standing behind them. When you know that your family has held to this land for centuries, you feel a stability that cannot be shaken. This is the highest goal of our work.
— Being a "bridge between generations" is a great responsibility. Don't you feel that today's "zoomers" will build this bridge by entirely different architectural rules than we are used to?
— Indeed, young people are changing the architectural rules. But what matters most is not the rules, but the result. The youthful approach may be different, often unusual for us, but it is precisely this joint building that inspires most of all.
We do not try to impose old schemes on them; we walk alongside them. What is important is that in this process we are all working toward a shared result. Let the methods of the young be digital, fast, or even pragmatic — but if they lead to the preservation of the Ukrainian code, then this bridge will be strong. When youthful energy meets the experience of educators, the same living history is born that cannot be destroyed. We create it together, here and now.
— Raisa Mykhailivna, if you were to meet Oleksandr Kondrashov or Tetyana Symonenko in ten years, what main result of the work of the Talne Educational Complex in this project would you want to present to them?

— The main result is consolidation. We were able to unite efforts, research, and resources around one goal, turning them into a single whole.
Look at a living example: Tetyana Symonenko from Austria, Lyudmyla Yuldasheva from Kyiv, and our Olena Feshchenko from Talne. Once they were classmates at Cherkasy National University. Years passed, borders divided them across different countries, but joint work brought them together again. This is the best proof of the project's viability. In ten years I would like to show colleagues a generation of young Ukrainians who, thanks to this cooperation, clearly know whose children they are. When professionalism is multiplied by shared values, we get a result measured in preserved national identity — not in papers or reports.
— Scholarly inquiry is often a solitary affair, but this project proclaims togetherness. What does this feeling of belonging to the global Ukrainian community personally give you as a leader in these times of trial?
— First of all, a feeling of pride and great gratitude. The choice of our institution for participation in such a project speaks of high trust: people believe in us, they know we are capable of achieving the common goal.
This belonging is truly large in scale. During the meeting, representatives of Bulgaria, Hungary, and other countries shared their thoughts. Working beside us were colleagues from our hometown: Vladyslava Domanitska from the lyceum and Tetyana Kolomynska from School No. 2. I want to say a separate word of gratitude to Lyudmyla Yuldasheva, who became one of the initiators of this meeting. It was incredibly interesting and substantive. Such a coming-together gives an understanding: we are not alone. We are part of a great intellectual force which, despite all hardships, holds together our cultural order.
— Mrs. Raisa, what question about Ukrainian identity would you ask yourself after this seminar?
— A simple, short, but incredibly deep one: "Who am I? Where do my roots come from?" Right now we are watching our civic consciousness being actively shaped and the Ukrainian nation asserting itself as a symbol of world resilience.
We are passing through an examination in which each of us must find their own answer to these questions. I am infinitely grateful to the organizers for such a meaningful gathering. It gave not only new knowledge but also the strength to realize: our roots are so deep and strong that they are capable of withstanding any storms and breaking through with new victories.

Natalia Golovetska