Culture is a sector that often receives little attention in society, especially in times of war. However, culture defines Ukrainian identity, which is the main pillar of resilience in the fight against Russian aggression. The provision of cultural services in communities is important because it unites residents and preserves the unique heritage that is part of world culture.

The Mayors' Briefing, held on September 24, 2024 in Kyiv, was devoted to diversifying cultural life and making it an inseperable element in community development. At the event, community leaders and representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine discussed best practices and challenges affecting the provision of cultural services. The event was supported by the USAID HOVERLA Activity.

The search for new cultural formats is one of the solutions that will bring community development to a new level. In particular, the USAID HOVERLA Activity supports this initiative and is already discussing with local governments, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, and the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada the possibility of creating pilot multifunctional hubs based on existing cultural centers. The main goal of such spaces is not only to develop culture in communities, but also to ensure a sustainable dialogue between citizens and local authorities. Multifunctional hubs will also contribute to more efficient use of community budgets.

Such spaces abroad are already one of the trends in cultural life. Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, emphasized that the search for best practices, both in Ukraine and abroad, can help determine which cultural development strategy to choose:

“For example, in Latvia, libraries have been prioritized and transformed into spaces where people can spend time interestingly, read books, but not only that. And Ukrainian communities still need to decide what it should be: will they focus exclusively on cultural service centers, will they turn libraries into spaces, or both?”

Some communities have already begun to redesign traditional cultural institutions. Rava-Ruska community in Lviv Oblast is one of such examples. After its formation in 2020, the community began to develop culture from scratch, because before the decentralization reform, the community was remote from the district center and there were almost no local specialists. Despite the difficulties, the Rava-Ruska community opened a Youth Center, two culture and leisure centers that bring together all the community's cultural workers, and a children's public space based on the library.

“We used the grant to purchase technical equipment for this space, as well as equipment for the play area. Employees of the culture department made repairs on their own. Now the library has shifted its focus, and children come to the multimedia space where they can read a book and attend a seminar. We believe that the standard library is obsolete and we need to change the format,” Marian Svirniuk, Deputy Mayor of Rava-Ruska, said.

The city of Korosten in Zhytomyr Oblast, known since the times of Kyivan Rus, cherishes its traditions and finds its own unique ways to popularize them among community members and tourists. Launched in 2008, the Deruny Festival still brings together fans of Ukrainian culture and cuisine to this day. Having developed the festival on their own, before the Covid epidemic, Korosten residents attracted up to 60,000 tourists a day, but today the format of the festival has changed due to the war.

“This is not just a food festival. Our visitors always come to the event in Ukrainian national clothes. We even entered the Ukrainian Book of Records as the territory with the largest number of people in national clothes. That's why the Deruny Festival is a cultural space. Now we are holding charity events under this brand,” Nataliia Chyzhevska, Deputy Mayor of Korosten, said.

Learn more about the experience of communities in providing cultural services in the full video of the Mayors' Briefing.