3,500+ young people over 5 weeks: results of Spilno Camp in Kryvyi Rih

The sixth Spilno Camp from the Cultural Platform and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine rounded up in Kryvyi Rih. In this article, we tell you more about the city’s youth whom we met during the project

Kryvyi Rih is a “life-long city”, both literally (with its length being 116 kilometers) and metaphorically. This is proven not only by the city’s official slogan but also by the youth themselves, who, when asked to describe Kryvyi Rih, immediately say the word ‘long’. The next associations to come up are ‘red dogs’ and ‘polluted air’. All these things coexist in an environment that dates back to the Stone Age: there are artifacts of the Trypillia culture; Cimmerians, Sarmatians, and Antes populated this territory. It is a unique place of four physical anomalies: a gravimetric, radioactive, magnetic, and temperature anomaly. These, most likely, attracted prehistoric cultures to these regions, as evidenced by 33 kurhans discovered by archaeologists in Kryvyi Rih.

After the formation of Zaporizhzhya Sich, it was here that the Cossacks established one of the winter quarters of the Perevizka palanka. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was born here, and it was here that he spent his teenage years—among these anomalies, music lessons and performances. Our country managed to show outstanding willpower in the confrontation with the Muscovites—a sort of an anomaly in and of itself considering that everyone had said that Ukraine would last only a few weeks. Someday, books and blockbusters will be made about the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

For our civil society organization, Kryvyi Rih is the city where we first publicly presented cultural artifacts and programs aimed at strengthening the mental resilience of young people in times of uncertainty.

“It’s cool that something is being done for young people in Kryvyi Rih, most often we get red dust and mines rather than any activities”

— Sviatoslav, 19 years old

From May 25 to June 30, events of Spilno Camp’s creative program for teenagers and young people aged 10–24 took place every day in the “Teatralny” park. During this Camp, there were 5-day modules on directing, sound design, digital technology, acting, design, and free movement, as well as many open events, including an interactive quiz by U-Report and lectures by the State Emergency Service within the framework of the development of the safety culture worldview ecosystem.

For us, the Spilno Camp project is like a research center on a new planet that we are constantly rediscovering and reevaluating its potential. The team of our civil society organization consists of young people from different cities of origin who have never been to Kryvyi Rih before. This summer, in 5 weeks, 128 events were held with various creative industry mentors who came to this city of anomalies from all over Ukraine.

Among them: Ivan Varchenko, Illia Dutsyk, Taras Kovalchuk, Bogdan Kuper, Anastasiya Mishustina, Vladyslav Nasvit, Svitlana Nemonezhyna, Andriy Ptitsyn, Anatolii Sachivko, Tetiana Turovets, Pavlo Chornyi, Artistka Chuprynenko, BRYKULETS, and YUVI.

In addition to the NGO’s activities for the promotion of Ukrainian identity and creative industries among young people, this year the leading theme of Spilno Camp was mental health. Within this theme, many artifacts of mental stability were created specially for the Camp in Kryvyi Rih:

Sharkan. That’s what they call a Dragon in Zakarpattya. Sharkan protects mental peace and protects against dangers. Coming from the ancient mythology of the Carpathians, in Kryvyi Rih, it stretched around the entire tent and brought the space together with its bright rustling. Sharkan became a true symbol of this Camp.

Sharkan’s first eggs of resilience. In addition to mental health, Sharkan protected his eggs—the seeds of resilience, each of which is made of different materials and symbolizes the diversity of our tactile sensations—an integral part of moods that influence the formation of emotions.

Flower of mental health. This is the beginning of the ‘New Garden’ of empathy, an objective message that we are on the same page with the youth, that we understand and respect their thoughts and needs, their aesthetic tastes. This cultural artifact of mental resilience carries not only a utilitarian function (as a photo zone) but also declares the importance of creating a ‘New Garden’ in which young people will have the opportunity to develop their empathy.

Dude-ios. Metal characters that embody the virtue of the power of interpersonal connections that shape a community. Virtues are the engine of transformation of the world around us.

Krutelyky. Youth safety kits that keep you calm in stressful situations and physically help you stay safe during blackouts. Merch of a new generation that meets the requirements of a young person’s life in Ukraine in 2024, combining the aesthetic, mental, and safety aspects.

These cultural artifacts of mental resilience were brought to life by Lyana Saleh (@lyanasaleh), a Poltava local who researches the ontology of Ukrainian beauty.

In the future, these artifacts will continue to humanize youth centers throughout Ukraine with their aesthetics of sincerity and will eventually create a youth-friendly atmosphere in places that need it most.

Kryvyi Rih is one of the places that needs a sense of security and seeks mental support. The city is 80 km away from the front line. During the activities at the Camp, 270 air raid alarms went off in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Together with the youth, in the shelter, we survived 2 ballistic missile attacks on the civil infrastructure of Kryvyi Rih on June 12 and June 21.

However, one of the components of the mental stability of the new generation is the ability to express oneself freely and feel not only physically safe but also emotionally safe — to be in spaces that captivate you with their beauty and sincerity in interpersonal communication.

“A safe space with positive mentors, a place where you can fully reveal yourself and learn new things. Joint events unite and make it possible to exchange thoughts/visions with completely different people, learn, and make your own conclusions based on the experience of others”

— Maria Ohiy, 19 years old

“A very comfortable space where everyone who usually stands out in society can talk about everything calmly and enthusiastically!”

— Anastasia Domaranska, 23 years old

“Finally, something interesting has appeared in Kryvyi Rih, especially for young people! It’s very cool. The incredible people who surround you are something magnificent, you feel safe in this society; everyone is very, very comfortable. In my opinion, this is a wonderful retreat for your mental health. Comfortable seats, interesting cartoons, delicious food, and really cool events conducted by unsurpassed professionals in their designated fields. Now my next dream will be to visit this place again. Thank you for everything, it was incredible, and thank you to the team that was always there for me!!!❤️”

— Kateryna Chychun, 15 years old

More than 3,500 young people attended the Camp events in Kryvyi Rih, of which about 10% are IDPs from the Ukrainian territories occupied by the Putinist army. We got to know 11-year-old Sofiia Hordiienko from Bakhmut, who dreams of becoming a singer and musician, and 13-year-old Matvii Korenets from Donetsk, who shone brightly during the module on directing thanks to his developed conceptual thinking, which, we hope, he will keep using in his future creative projects.

Sofiia Hordiienko during sound design events

Matvii with the directing module mentor Illia Dutsyk (left) and at the “Oratory” event (right)

Almost all modules of the Camp were also attended by brothers Vladyslav and Hordii Helevan from the Kherson region. Hordii is diagnosed with the third group of mental disability, which complicates the process of socialization with peers, but it seems that we managed to make the process of joint creativity comfortable and safe for him as well. We were happy every time the young people of the Camp actively interacted with Hordii because they knew how to see the human in a person.

Hordii Helevan in front of the poster he created in the design module (left); Hordii during the sound design event (right)

Vlad is also one of the regular visitors to all events, starting with the very first module on the art of acting. In an interview, he shared that he wants to become an agronomist in the future but eventually asked us to publish more content about directing.

Vladyslav Helevan during the interview (left) and at the crafts workshop (right)

A city made of steel where there is never enough air—probably the most apt metaphor for how young people feel in Kryvyi Rih. Here, the youth exist within the context of iron production, industrial aesthetics, and the almost complete absence of youth-friendly spaces for interaction. That is why it was so important and valuable to create a mentally safe space that can give you the freedom to be yourself and express your inner self in interaction with others for these 5 weeks.

“With the help of Spilno Camp, I became a more open person. The organizers/administrators/mentors are very comfortable and cheerful here. We want more such spaces for young people because many have found their direction here”

— Tetiana Burkut, 14 years old

Interactive quiz by U-Report taking place at the shelter during an air raid alarm

The youth of Kryvyi Rih at the SES-conducted lecture on fire safety

Cooperation with one of the mentors happened right on the spot: after one of the opening events, we got to know a local chess player and teacher Serhii Shvaher (15 years old), who eventually conducted the module “Game Of Resilience: A Chess Mini-Tournament” at the Camp and became the fifteenth mentor. Forming a community on the spot is a very important component of the functioning of the Camps, which ensures the stability of horizontal connections between young people in the future and encourages them to take joint action when the project is no longer the only unifying factor.

Serhii Shvaher wearing the Cultural Platform mentor T-shirt (left) and watching a game of checkers (right)

In general, in the process of communicating with young people, the team got the impression that the youth really lack communication with adults who communicate openly, sincerely and with respect for others: many noted that it was the mentors’ communication style that impressed them the most and formed a sense of security to be themselves.

“There are a lot of interesting events at the Spilno Camp held by cheerful and kind mentors. I go there almost every day and to every event, sometimes even twice, because I like the presentation of the mentors and the mentors themselves.”

— Valentyna Kravchenko, 15 years old

Valentyna was indeed one of the most frequent visitors to the Camp—and the whole team noted the transformations she managed to undergo during this month, gaining the freedom to not be afraid to express herself in a supportive space.

Valentyna at a sound design event (left) and during the interview (right)

“My favorite event is the design module. I like how Tasia (the mentor of the event) acted—she supported me, gave good advice that helped me, always listened to my opinion and to the others, never left me and others behind, and always remembered about the youth,”

she says.

Valentyna dreams of opening her clothing brand and building a community around it in Kryvyi Rih, and now she has the skills and knowledge already formed to bring this project to life one day in the future.

Of course, it is impossible to tell about everyone who made this Camp a real space of open interaction, but every teenager and every young person who attended our events is a part of this journey. We are grateful to everyone who wrote the story of the Spilno Camp together with us.

“Dragon Festival: Exhibition of Resilience” was the Camp’s closing event and the first exhibition of youth artifacts of the creative economy of Kryvyi Rih in times of uncertainty.

During the Festival, young people were able to see the results of their creative work during the month and create new artifacts about their native city (not always about Kryvyi Rih, because for many IDPs their hometown remains the most important location out there). Exhibiting artifacts of youth creativity in youth spaces is a key point that helps young people realize the sustainability and complexity of their actions through the path from an idea to its implementation in public space.

Exhibition and locations of joint creation at the Dragon Festival

We are grateful to have lived through all these transformative experiences together with the youth of Kryvyi Rih: to form mental stability through creativity and to lay the foundations for self-awareness of their own subjectivity as conscious citizens of the future. And just to be there, giving the adolescents a sense of security for the manifestations of the inner world to the outside.

Only through flexibility and adaptability to today’s reality can a steel city become truly resilient and withstand any pressure from the outside. The youth of Kryvyi Rih are incredible in their capacity for empathy and the versatility they show in creative practices.

We appreciate that we were able to support them in all these things for 5 whole weeks — together (spilno).

You can find more photos from the Spilno Camp in Kryvyi Rih at the link

Photo: Anna Lozinska, Vladyslav Nasvit, Anastasiya Mishustina, Daria Kolomoiets

Yevhen Zabarylo, Anastasiya Mishustina, Yana Polupanova