More than a year ago, Vännäs and Slobozhanske launched their long-term partnership, which focuses on youth exchange and sustainable development, including waste management. Recently, schoolchildren from the Slobozhanske community in the Kharkiv region returned from a youth camp where they got to know their Swedish twin city.

Seven pupils, together with their teacher Iryna Stepanenko and Tetiana Kolobova, a specialist in economic and investment development of the community, visited Hammarskolan High School and Liljaskolan Gymnasium. During the three-day youth camp, they got acquainted with the educational processes, tried to operate excavators, cooked together with their Swedish peers and discussed topics of youth entrepreneurship, sustainable development and democracy.

“During our days here, we also had many meetings with Swedish youth, which enriched and inspired all of us“

“The young people radiate courage and confidence in the future and a desire to contribute to the development of their country, despite the difficult conditions in which they live. We had many exciting conversations about the development of our communities, including waste and recycling, which is one of the priority areas of our partnership. The days here also included many meetings with Swedish young people, which was enriching and inspiring for all,” said Henrik Åström, Deputy Municipal Manager Vännäs municipality.

During the visit, the young people stayed with families in the Vännäs municapality. They trained together with the city's volleyball club, visited Fritidsbanken, a centre where they can borrow sports equipment, Returcentrum, an organisation that helps people with difficulties in working to become part of working life and society, and the waste recycling station at Starrberget. The teenagers also went on an excursion to the city of Umeå and visited the Curiosum Science Centre at the University of Umeå.

“It was interesting to communicate with other students and realise that we are similar to each other“

The young people shared their impressions of the visit: for some, it was an opportunity to see active civic life, for others to escape from the war, and for some, an opportunity to practice English.

“The visit was very interesting. I learned a lot about Swedish culture and traditions and met a lot of people. It was my first trip to another country, it was fascinating to see how people live here. The most memorable event for me was the day at Hammarskolan School. It was interesting to communicate with other students and realise that we are similar to each other,” says Yaroslav Matsak, one of the students from the Slobozhanske community.

The youth camp on 16-19 September was funded by the Vännäs municipality in cooperation with the Rotary Club, whose representatives, among other things, hospitably provided accommodation in their homes. They also managed to attract the support of a local volleyball club.
 

“The first steps in a partnership don't have to cost a lot of money!”
 

According to Henrik Åströmm, the partnership with the Slobozhanske community has attracted the attention of many parties, including the public sector. Also, the Deputy Municipal Manager of Vännäs municipality noted that in cooperation between municipalities, it is important to build personal relationships and start small:

“Given the circumstances, we have mainly kept in touch via WhatsApp, where we write little greetings to each other and send photos telling each other how we are doing. My advice to other municipalities is to start small and build personal relationships. Take time to get to know each other and understand each other's situation and needs. Start the partnership on a small scale, and it can grow over time with joint projects etc. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money to take the initial steps!“ - Henrik Åström.

Currently, the Cities4Cities | United4Ukraine twin cities network has more than 50 active partnerships, including 23 Swedish-Ukrainian partnerships. The agreement between the Slobozhanske community in Kharkiv Oblast and Vännäs was the first among Swedish cities and was officially launched at the Swedish-Ukrainian Partnership Forum in Stockholm, organised by the Cities4Cities | United4Ukraine initiative in June 2023.

Read more about the Slobozhanske community on the Cities4Cities networking platform, where you can find over 400 profiles of Ukrainian municipalities, looking for partnerships.

Cities4Cities | United4Ukraine are partnership initiatives that joined forces in September 2022. United 4 Ukraine was launched by SALAR International and the city of Lviv (Ukraine) with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). Cities4Cities was founded by the city of Sindelfinden (Germany) under the patronage of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.