Ukraine Youth Ambassadors - Knowledge Exchange with Guest Educators

During Peace Boat’s 117th Global Voyage, the Ukraine Youth Ambassadors (UYA) had numerous exchanges with scholars, activists, journalists and other guest educators who shared their knowledge and expertise in dialogue and capacity development sessions related to the current war situation in Ukraine.

Sam Annesley, Executive Director of Greenpeace Japan who is originally from Northern Ireland, shared his experience of growing up in a conflict region during Northern Ireland's Troubles. Particularly valuable for the UYA was his sharing on Greenpeace's “Partnership for Green Reconstruction” project in Ukraine. This project aims for the green and sustainable reconstruction of schools, hospitals and kindergartens in Ukraine. “For example, the hospital in Shepetivka was damaged during a missile attack in August 2022. The reconstruction plan for the hospital involves changing the heating system, installing roof insulation and possibly adding a solar system as well. This will make the facility much more resilient in the face of energy black outs, as well as helping to reduce carbon emissions," explained Sam.

Maria Perez, international consultant in peace education from Colombia, explained the nature and actors of the long-lasting armed conflict in Colombia: “Like you, I too am a survivor of war. The conflict in my country continued for many years, and various rival groups fought each other and the government. Countless ordinary innocent people, especially farmers, were threatened, kidnapped or killed. In Colombia, we are using diverse methods, such as education and art, to try to overcome this trauma,” she explained, adding that rebuilding during and after conflict needs the cooperation of many sectors, including education and truth-telling at all levels.

Since the Youth Ambassadors live in Japan now, without a clear perspective on when they could go back to their families and hometowns in Ukraine, a very stimulating discussion was led by Helen Zia, a leading Chinese American activist, journalist and writer.

“As a person of Chinese descent growing up in the United States, what advice do you have for those who are trying to build their life in a new country?” asked Youth Ambassador Yuliia Chekhovska. In response, Helen shared her family’s experience: “When I was growing up, my father forbade me from speaking Chinese. He thought that knowing Chinese would disadvantage me or be a cause for discrimination against me. But now, I wish I could speak Chinese. Remember this: having extra skills will never be a minus. Embrace all of the cultures you have, accept everything that you are, and you will find your true, wholesome identity.”

Sanho Tree, a Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC, gave a lecture onboard on Ukrainian-Russian relations and shared his expert knowledge in several dialogues with the UYA. “What Sanho talked about during his lecture, Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the human rights violations and atrocities committed by the Russian military against Ukrainians as well as soldiers within its own ranks, is something that we Ukrainians know about. I was glad that Sanho explained this all so clearly to the international audience on the ship,” commented Youth Ambassador Natalia Makohon.

In internal sessions, Sanho Tree and the Youth Ambassadors discussed the war in Ukraine, prospects for peace and actual issues in international politics. “The only people who have the right to change or topple the government of a nation are the citizens of that state, not other countries’ politicians,” emphasized Sanho.

The diverse backgrounds and specializations of the guest speakers helped the UYA to learn new perspectives and ideas on both their current situation and how they could contribute to the reconstruction of their country once there is a functional peace agreement which will end this brutal war in Ukraine.