Ungdommens Folkemøde Nord - Women in War: How is the war in Ukraine affecting youth?

It has been over a year since the war broke out in Ukraine and it continues to affect Europe and the rest of the world. It is a time of uncertainty, an energy crisis, a steady stream of refugees and human tragedy. These all have consequences at every level of society, not least for ordinary people. And they’re also the ones we need to listen to. Their life stories can help us to understand each other better and then use this new understanding to identify a path towards a peaceful future. This event addresses the question: what is it like to be young in the time of war?

Oksana Nykytyuk – Program officer of the Ukrainian Danish Youth House in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Irina Nielsen – Writer and teacher of Danish language.

Helga Volha Somava – From the organization Talaka – Friends of Belarus in Denmark.

Olga Johanneson (Moderator) – Documentarist, journalist, and producer of media projects, including the documentary series Women in War.

Oksana Nykytyuk from the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House had to flee Ukraine when the war broke out. At Ungdommens Folkemøde NORD, she will share her story and the stories from young people of Ukraine she has been working with. Alongside her, Irina Nielsen and Helga Somava will talk about what it means to be a young person in Russia and Belarus where extensive human rights violations are part of everyday life.

’Women in War’ is a project supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers, which has a series of documentaries that provide a platform to ordinary women who live in the Nordics and the Baltics, but come from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. What they all have in common is that they are all affected by the war, and in their own way try to contribute to peace. In the documentary series and recently also a Nordic Talk podcast series, these women tell their stories about the effects of war, both long-term and short-term, as well as talking about how we can all live peacefully together.

'The Nordic Region – A Force for Peace' is the title of the Programme for the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2023, where particular emphasis is placed on peace as a prerequisite for welfare, human rights and protection of the environment - where a united Nordic region can be a force for peace.