The volunteer camp of the CSO Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is buzzing with activity. This marks our fourth expedition to the town of Mena, located in Chernihiv Oblast. Activists from various regions of the country are diligently restoring a shelter within the Community Center. This shelter will serve as a haven during air raids and a secure space for community members to enjoy their leisure time.

A Platform for Mutual Exchange

“Half of the participants at the volunteer camp hail from all corners of Ukraine, while the other half are local residents actively involved in the restoration of their community,” Tanet Gychka, PR manager of the BUR, shares. This balance within the team not only fosters a robust community of like-minded individuals from diverse regions but also offers a glimpse of Ukraine’s vastness through interpersonal interactions in a small town in Chernihiv Oblast. “The experiences shared by visiting volunteers broaden the horizons of local residents, helping them to dismantle stereotypes about different regions,” Tanet adds.

The construction phase of the camp continues until lunchtime, after which the volunteers engage in a rich cultural and educational program that includes lectures, workshops, and excursions. Interestingly, these excursions often become a highlight for local residents. The BUR team discovered that locals don’t explore their region enough, so these excursions serve to unveil the community to both visiting volunteers and local inhabitants.

“Surrounding Mena are small villages inhabited by extraordinary people. These individuals inspire and motivate with every gleam in their eyes! In such an atmosphere, one feels as cozy and warm as if at home. The local chatter, shutters, pottery, and authentic singing leave no one indifferent,” Karina Varfolomieva, a volunteer at the camp, shares, expressing her joy at the interaction.

 Yevhen Shytilov, BUR’s camp administrator who has participated in over 20 such volunteer restorations across the country, ranks the camp in Mena among his top experiences. This was made possible through the tripartite collaboration of the local community, BUT, and East Europe Foundation under the “Capable and Strong” project, financially supported by Switzerland.

In addition to organizing the camp in Chernihiv Oblast, East Europe Foundation also provided methodological support, advice, and training for BUR’s institutional development. At the onset of the project in Mena, the BUR conducted training sessions for the local community on creating social initiatives. The organization now offers mentoring support to local activists to assist them in implementing these initiatives.

BUR as a Catalyst

Discussing the team’s development within the project, Tanet Gychka reveals that “Capable and Strong” catalyzed them: “We needed to regroup, and our collaboration with East Europe Foundation inspired us to give not just 100 percent, but 120 percent.”  The strategic communications sessions, in particular, helped the team reassess how the organization presents itself and initiated a process of transformation.

 BUR has been orchestrating volunteer camps since 2014, with camps held in 87 cities across Ukraine to date. Tanet joined the organization in 2018 as a volunteer, assisting in the Zakarpattia chapter. She completed the BUT mentoring program and became an ambassador for the organization, sharing her experiences in schools and encouraging students to participate in the volunteer program. Since 2022, she has also served as BUR’s PR manager.

Originally from a village in Zakarpattia, Tanet shares that for many camp participants from small towns, BUR served not merely as an introduction to civic engagement, but as a platform that “made them believe that volunteering is cool.” There are numerous accounts of individuals who left Ukraine at the onset of the full-scale war and returned because of BUT.

For six years, Tanet had been encouraging her sister to try volunteering, and she finally took the leap and joined the camp in Mena. Her experience surpassed all expectations: “Her eyes are sparkling, she walks around with a spring in her step. She says it was one of the best weeks of her life.”

The BUR team works relentlessly to ensure these experiences are memorable and rewarding for both the volunteers and the local community. According to Tanet, it’s about striking a balance between burnout and rejuvenation. There’s no time for rest, especially during the summer period of active camps, but it’s the ethos of BUT that keeps them anchored to the organization and fuels their determination. The activist explains: “I see the changes that the organization is effecting. I see the results, and it inspires me. This is where I make my long-term contribution, where there is value, and this value translates into action, and this action yields the desired outcomes. BUR is also about love.”

This material was developed in partnership with East Europe Foundation, with support from Switzerland for prostir.ua