In today’s world, the issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment are becoming increasingly important. Young women who want to make a difference are getting new opportunities for learning, self-development and influence on social processes. One of these initiatives is the “Feminist Academy for Ukraine” project, organised by the Heinrich Boell Foundation in Ukraine in cooperation with the NGO “Girls”.
This programme aims to support a new generation of feminists in Ukraine, providing them with the necessary knowledge, advocacy tools, and opportunities to interact with leading experts in the field of gender equality. A student of Poltava Polytechnic, group 301-FM majoring in 292 International Economic Relations, Vladyslava Herashchenko successfully passed the competitive selection and became a participant of the first wave of the initiative, gaining a unique experience of participating in this project.
She spoke about her impressions of studying at the Academy and stressed the importance of such programmes for the formation of a conscious society.
Vladyslava Herashchenko became a participant in the “Feminist Academy for Ukraine” project (02.09.2024 – 20.02.2025), dedicated to feminism and gender equality, which took place in the German capital of Berlin. The initiative was implemented in cooperation with the NGO “Girls” and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Ukraine. The main goal of the project is to empower a new generation of young women to strengthen the feminist movement in Ukraine, as well as to provide practical tools in the field of advocacy and gender equality. The programme consisted of three key components: a series of online lectures, mentoring support, and a study visit to Berlin.
During the first three lectures, the participants deepened their knowledge of the history and challenges of the feminist movement in Ukraine, gained basic advocacy skills, and discussed gender (in)equality before and after the full-scale invasion and possible ways to overcome it.
The next stage of the project was mentoring. Out of all the participants, 12 girls were selected and given the opportunity to choose a mentor from a list of successful women from various fields to receive professional support and valuable advice.
Vladyslava Herashchenko shared her impressions of the project:
“My mentor was Yuliia Sporysh, founder and director of the NGO “Girls”, a Ukrainian activist, feminist, gender equality ambassador in Ukraine, Candidate of Sociology. Communication with her was extremely important: we discussed issues that concerned me, she shared her own experience and gave valuable advice. However, our connection was not limited to the project – we continue to communicate, and I can always turn to Yuliia for support or advice.
The final part was a trip to Berlin, which lasted from 16 to 21 February. We had the opportunity to listen to lectures on the history of the feminist movement in Germany and its results, visit centres for gender equality, talk to successful women and share experiences. We had visits to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Foreign Office. There, we could directly ask government officials questions about how they influence the implementation of equal rights for men and women at the highest levels of government. We also visited the Greenpeace office, which, in addition to creating important projects in Germany, does not forget to help Ukraine during the war.
One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Weiberwirtschaft women’s cooperative. Once a huge factory was located here, and now it is a unique space for women entrepreneurs, created through their own efforts and investments. The cooperative provides comprehensive support to women in business development, providing comfortable conditions: there is a kindergarten, catering facilities and even residential premises where they can stay. It is important that both tenants and investors here are exclusively women. This project has been successfully operating since the late 90s, and its example inspires similar initiatives in other countries.
Another important event was an invited visit to a panel discussion at the Heinrich Boell Foundation entitled “Ukraine: Perseverance in the Fourth Year of War”. The event featured a presentation of the book “Women and War: Letters from Ukrainian Women to the Free World” by French writer and geopolitician Aurélie Bros. The book has already been presented in Ukrainian in Kyiv and now it is available in German. The book contains real testimonies of Ukrainian women about the war, and listening to excerpts from these letters was emotionally difficult – many of the audience members could not hold back their tears.
The discussion touched on pressing issues related to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the latest developments in this area. There were many German listeners in the audience, and this meeting was another opportunity to remind the world about the situation in Ukraine, its challenges and the fight for freedom. I would like to note that the organisation of the project was impeccable. The participants were provided with hotel accommodation and meals, and all additional expenses for transport and food were reimbursed.
The unique community of active, intelligent and motivated women who have united around common values has become especially valuable. This project has become a space for in-depth discussions, exchange of views, and rethinking of many issues. Such initiatives not only broaden one’s horizons but also change the perception of society and one’s own role in it.
While in Germany, I saw what a society based on equality can and should look like. At the same time, it became clear that even there, these changes were gradual, thanks to the hard work of many people. Gender equality did not happen overnight – it is the result of small but important steps.
Feminism is not something distant, radical or threatening. It is about openness, equality and freedom. I believe that the feminist movement in Ukraine will also continue to develop, and a new generation of girls will contribute to its strengthening!”
Recently, the future architect became a theme leader of the Erasmus+ youth exchange, and students of Poltava Polytechnic shared their impressions of studying under the Erasmus+ programmes at universities in Austria (Vienna and Eisenstadt), Estonia, Denmark, and Slovakia.
It should be noted that Poltava Polytechnic teachers can participate in academic mobility programmes and internships, and students of Poltava Polytechnic have the opportunity to study abroad under the grant programmes of credit academic mobility for a semester or a whole academic year at the leading universities of Austria, Greenland, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, and the Czech Republic.
For more information on current internship, teaching and academic mobility programmes abroad, please contact the International Relations Department (room 320-F, interoffice@nupp.edu.ua) or the Coordinator of International Cooperation of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation Anna Kostiantynivna Pavelieva (room 310-C, email: kunsite.zi@gmail.com, phone: +3-8-(095)-91-08-192).
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