Building Bridges Between Ukraine and America

September 10 ------ For many young Americans, “Ukraine” exists only in headlines – not in lived reality. They know it through images of destruction or as a geopolitical flashpoint. Rarely do they grasp the everyday life, complexity, and spirit of the Ukraine I know.

I’ve experienced both of Russia’s wars against Ukraine: in 2014, when I was forced to flee from Russian-backed occupation in Donetsk, and again in 2022, when I faced the full-scale invasion while finishing my undergraduate studies in Kyiv. That journey eventually led me to the US, where I continued my education at Columbia and later Yale. I know how distant the war can feel on US campuses – and how real it is for every Ukrainian my age. Having lived both realities, I’ve made it my mission to bridge that divide.

Creating the program

The program that would later be called ImpactUA was the first initiative to unite top American and Ukrainian students in hands-on recovery work with local NGOs. It did not come from a grand strategic plan. Like many meaningful ideas, it arose spontaneously, shaped by shared values and lived experience.

After three years of leading Brave Generation – the nonprofit I founded to support Ukrainian youth affected by the war, where I channeled personal loss and resilience to help others – I had already seen the transformative power of connection. One of our core initiatives, a mentorship program between top Ukrainian and American students, united more than 200 participants. Students from Yale, Harvard, Columbia, and other US universities mentored their Ukrainian peers.

At the same time, one of the largest US-based nonprofits supporting Ukraine – Razom for Ukraine – was searching for a partner who could offer more than a symbolic connection. They wanted to bring American students not just to visit Ukraine, but to contribute meaningfully to its recovery.

Through a connection I helped facilitate between Brave Generation board member Professor Marci Shore and Razom’s CEO Dora Chomiak, I soon found myself on a Zoom call with Razom leaders Anna Solovei and Marichka Pohorilko. Within minutes, it was clear: we were already carrying the same vision in our hearts. We didn’t create the program so much as recognize it in each other. What we needed wasn’t just another international internship. We needed a bridge – where Ukrainian and American youth could come together to serve as future leaders of both countries.

From idea to work

Having lived on both sides of that bridge, I knew I was uniquely positioned to help lead this effort. After the call, I felt both excited and deeply nervous. I was carrying something important now, and I wasn’t yet sure how to hold it. I couldn’t just be an organizer – or someone working from the outside. First and foremost, I had to be the bridge myself – having lived lives on both sides, finding meaning in each, and making that meaning real for others. That meant preparing American students to enter a country still at war, while also helping Ukrainian youth return to homes they had once fled during the full-scale invasion – to fulfill their own mission of rebuilding.

Discovering hidden strength

At first, many students doubted themselves. The American participants hesitated: Could they really contribute in a meaningful way in a country at war? Would they be safe? Would their parents even let them go? The Ukrainian students carried their own uncertainty. Returning home was not simple. Some had fled under fire, displaced by Russian strikes, and now faced the weight of coming back to places marked by loss and memory. For them, the prospect of returning was as daunting as it was necessary. Yet despite fear and doubt, both groups stepped forward. And in that choice, hidden strength began to reveal itself.

Once students arrived in Ukraine, the differences between American and Ukrainian participants quickly disappeared. For the host organizations, there was no distinction – whether you were a student from Texas or from Kyiv, you were expected to contribute equally.

NGOs assigned urgent tasks: supporting veterans in rehabilitation, helping displaced families with documentation, coordinating humanitarian aid, preserving cultural memory, and documenting war crimes. The students rose to the challenge. One intern built a chatbot to help doctors communicate more quickly during emergencies. Another trained in trauma-informed communication to support survivors. Others worked on recording testimonies of war crimes. They did not just read about the war – they sat with veterans, ate with displaced families, and worked side by side with Ukrainians rebuilding their country.

Bridges that last

The Americans returned home with Ukraine woven into their futures and their sense of purpose. The Ukrainians, once powerless youth and victims of war, continued their efforts to rebuild their country – and began to see themselves as advocates on a global stage, forming connections that will support Ukraine far beyond its borders.

Bridges like these last far beyond a single program – and the hope is that this is only the beginning of many more to come. This summer, I went from living in the gap to building bridges between young Americans and Ukrainians. And what I learned is simple: the strongest alliances are not built only in parliaments or at summits, but in friendships, in shared work, and in the trust forged among the next generation.

Today, as questions swirl about the future of US support for Ukraine, these connections prove something important: the strongest alliances are not built by those who have never witnessed the struggle of the Ukrainian people, but by the human connections formed in extraordinary circumstances of war, alongside those who have suffered from it.

Source: kyivpost.com