STEM is FEM presented reconstruction projects and awarded participants of the "Urbanistics" course

Projects for the reconstruction of war-damaged locations in three Ukrainian cities were presented in Kyiv. All the works were created by girls aged 15 to 22 years who participated in the educational course “Urbanism” which was implemented by the NGO STEM is FEM within the “UNITY” (Mriemo ta diemo) program.

For four months, 50 girls had been studying the basics of urban planning and architecture. At the same time, under the supervision of Ukrainian urbanists, course participants developed their own projects for the reconstruction of three destroyed public places: the railway station square in Trostyanets, the city park in Ichnia, and the area around the House of Culture in Okhtyrka. The best works of the girls will be further finalized by a team of experts and offered to local communities for implementation. You can get acquainted with the works of the girls in the presentation.

The authors of the ten best projects received laptops, which are part of the global support program for Ukrainians from HP and Microsoft. The Eberhard Schöck Сharitable Foundation for the Support of the Construction Industry provided the girls from the team that won the grand prize with educational scholarships of 1500€ for each.

During the awards ceremony, two panel-discussions were held on the topics of inclusivity in Ukrainian public spaces and engaging youth in the process of rebuilding Ukraine. Representatives from the UN Women, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the “UNITY” (Mriemo ta diemo) program, communication company TRUMAN, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine participated in the discussions. The event was also attended by the deputy mayor of Trostyanets Maxim Syniavin, the mayor of Ichnia Olena Buturlym, and the head of the Department of Culture, tourism, youth, and Sports of the Okhtyrka District Tetiana Barchenko. Attendees of the event were also able to view 3D models of girls' projects.

“Now, in the Balkans, young people usually try to leave for Western countries. And they leave. We are losing young potential. And we must do everything possible to prevent this from happening in Ukraine. Because this is exactly what will happen if these young people are not involved in the reconstruction of the country and in the decision making, the way that the STEM is FEM tries to involve them,” Flora Maсula, Head of Humanitarian Programming for UN Women Ukraine, who herself is from Kosovo, shared during the event.

“USAID is committed to empowering Ukraine's women to drive the country's recovery from Russia's brutal war. USAID's partnership with STEM is FEM reflects that commitment. Together, we are helping Ukraine’s women break down gender stereotypes and prepare more young women to thrive in a part of the economy that is critical to Ukraine's economic recovery,” emphasized Marc Ellingstad, USAID Democracy, and Governance Office Director, in his speech.

“We need to start thinking now about how to restore ruined cities. The results of the “Urbanism” course are presented — and they are called upon to improve the quality of life of our citizens and create a sustainable, safe, and comfortable urban environment for all,” said Sergiy Tokaryev, the initiator of STEM is FEM and founder of Roosh, in a video message to the event attendees.

Soon, the best projects of the course participants in “Urbanism” will be refined by professionals and then offered to local communities for implementation. The educational course “Urbanism” will be transformed into a video course that anyone can watch. 

The educational course «Urbanism» is implemented within the UNITY (Mriemo ta diemo) program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by IREX in partnership with Building Ukraine Together (BUR), Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Ukraine), Making Cents International (MCI), International Republican Institute (IRI), and Zinc Network.