New partnerships will strengthen the “Culture +” program

On November 20, 2020, the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation began cooperation with the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs of Ukraine, Osvitoria and the Center for Street Cultures to expand and intensify the “Culture +” grant program. Memoranda of Cooperation were officially signed at the Ukrinform national news agency.

The new partnerships were established to develop the UCF Culture + competition program, which aims to strengthen the integration of culture into daily social, educational and social practices, to expand understanding of the role of culture in society, to develop cross-sectoral cooperation and to demonstrate the importance of culture and the growth of it`s creative potential.

Thus, within the framework of LOT "Culture and Veterans" with the Ministry of Veterans of Ukraine will support cultural and artistic projects that contribute to social support of combatants, rehabilitation of war veterans, creation of new and dissemination of existing commemorative practices about participants and repulse events, armed aggression of the Russian Federation, the formation of collective memory.

"It is very important that veterans, returning from the war, integrate into society. After the war, a person wants to find himself in something new, in which he has not tried himself before. So now we see a whole surge in the development of veteran culture. These are veteran theaters, films made by veterans, songs and veteran literature, which since 2014 has more than half a thousand publications. For veterans, this is not just an opportunity to realize themselves in art. It is also integration into society and a certain rehabilitation and sublimation of one's experience gained in war, which can and should be shared with society. And this experience is not intended to traumatize society and paint terrible pictures, but to add to the era in which we live. This is a difficult, shocking, dramatic, but very important time for the whole nation, "said Deputy Minister for Veterans Oleksandr Tereshchenko.

Joint work with GS "Osvitoria" will be implemented within the LOT "Culture and Education". Priority areas of work: introduction of artistic practices in the educational process of institutions of all levels, involvement of pupils and students in artistic practices in extracurricular time, as well as dissemination of knowledge among educators about modern cultural and artistic process for promotion in educational programs.

For more than 7 years, Osvitoria has been developing education in Ukraine at various levels - from local to all-Ukrainian. During our work we were convinced that strength is in synergy. We are proud of the new level of cooperation with the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. Now our experience and expertise will be able to help other organizations and initiatives to move education, and thus - to move the future, "- said the executive director of" Osvitoria "Anna Sidoruk.

Cooperation with the NGO "Center of Street Cultures" within the LOT "Street Cultures" will be aimed at establishing the practices of street cultures in Ukraine as an integral part of youth development, promoting their cultural and personal development and self-expression, integration of youth through street cultures into society life and promotion of street cultures.

“I Thank UCF for the partnership. During the year, we conducted a dialogue on how Ukrainian street cultures can develop with the help of the now single state grant institution. The signing of the memorandum is a recognition of our public organization and a proof that the UCF supports our position that street culture is the future of young people who strive for modern creativity. Thank you for this opportunity. I hope that together we will be able to help other public organizations and agencies to create successful projects, "said Heorhiy Matyukhin, head of the Center for Street Cultures.

"Thanks to our partners for responding, with the initiative to join the program" Culture + ". It appeared this year as a reaction to the challenges of the Ukrainian society, when during the crisis we are once again looking for an answer to the question: “Is culture important? Is it worth investing in its development? ” In order to prove once again that culture matters, that it is a much broader concept than the field of art, is the foundation for the formation of a conscious Ukrainian person, we launched the program, and now we have strengthened it through new partnerships, "said Yuliia Fediv, executive director of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.