In October there was a regional tour of the information campaign “Stronger together!” in Southern regions of the county (Izium, Bakhmut, Sievierodonetsk). Meeting in Sievierodonetsk took place in the local Docudays UA film club on the basis of Crisis media centre “Seversky Donest”.

Stronger Together information campaign is a project aimed at informing Ukrainian voters about the benefits of cooperating more closely with the European Union and taking advantages of the opportunities connected to the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. The campaign projects have been made possible through the financial support of the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Ukraine.

Within the tour there were public discussions under the title “Way to reforms” with participation of many famous Ukrainian journalists and experts and a screening of the documentary film Fortress directed by Klára Tasovská and Lukáš Kokeš.

The following famous Ukrainian journalists and experts also took part in the discussion in Sievierodonetsk and namely Andriy Kulykov, a host, Chairman of PO "Hromadske radio"; Natalia Sokolenko, a journalist, a host of PO "Hromadske radio"; Liubov Akulenko, a coordinator of Stronger Together information campaign; Maria Golub from EU Delegation in Ukraine and also first-year students from faculty of journalism at Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University. Together they discussed issues linked to freedom of speech, standards of journalism and information adaptation for different categories of target audience. 

Screening of the film Fortress gathered diverse audience and after-screening discussion excited unusual interest: many thoughts and unconventional observances were expressed, no wonder as the film is set during President campaign in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Framed by the period of the presidential election, the film analyzes the organization of the ‘non-state’ and the rules of everyday life within it. The film was recognized as the best Czech documentary film in 2012 at the prestigious film festival in Jihlava and opened the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Docudays UA in 2013.

“Similar events will allow youth and people in the Eastern regions develop critical thinking and point of view about events in which they are actually involved. It is important that the main sources of information while decision-making shouldn’t solely depend on television and word of mouth. I wish such events would embrace a larger segment of population but gradually it will increase, and also by means of Docudays UA film clubs. So far it’s the only platform of the kind in the town”, says Oleg Nevenytsya, the head of Docudays UA film club at Crisis media centre “Seversky Donest”.

Text prepared by Tanya Mala