National patriotic education at the IAPM
On February 20, 2020, a memorable Day of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, students of the Presidential University of the Academy, the Institute of Design, Architecture and Journalism and the Economic and Law College at IAPM gathered in the cinema hall "Ukraine" in order to honor the feat of the fallen Heroes of the Revolution of Dignity, to commune with the living Heroes of those landmark excavation events that divided the modern history of Ukraine into two epochs.
The meeting was held within the framework of the project on national-patriotic education of youth "We are Ukrainians!", started by NGO Taras Shevchenko All-Ukrainian Society "Prosvita", Ivan Gonchar Museum, All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation “Ukrainian Way”, Charitable Foundation “In Memory of Heavenly Hundred Heroes”, All-Ukrainian Union of Veterans and Combatants “Courage”, NGO All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukrainian Alternative”, Ivan Bohun Kyiv Lyceum with the assistance of the Kyiv City Council of Deputies and the Communal Budgetary Institution “Kyiv City Center for Assistance to the Participants of the Anti-Terrorist Operation” on the basis of Presidential Decree № 334 of 12 June 2015 “On Measures to Improve National Patriotic Education of Children and Youth”, October 13 2015 № 580 of 13 October 2015 “On the Strategy of National Patriotic Education of Children and Youth for 2016-2020”.
"We are Ukrainians!" project aims to: show a high level of youth interest in Ukrainian traditions and history; to foster a sense of affirmation of one's own nation; to give practical skills in preserving and protecting one's life; to teach in extreme conditions to live and defend their lives and to prepare themselves to defend the independence of their country - Ukraine; to acquaint public and political figures with the creativity of those young talents who hold great hopes in the future to become an important layer of the national intelligentsia that will take the baton and will proudly embody the national Ukrainian traditions and national consciousness in the minds of every Ukrainian.
Mykola Kurko rector of IAPM addressed the participants of the event and drew attention to the fact that the Academy pays great attention to the national-patriotic upbringing of young people, so meetings with politicians, public figures, writers, volunteers, participants of the Dignity Revolution, fighters of the ATO are a long-standing tradition.
And then students were waiting for interesting stories from guests:
- the heads of the All-Ukrainian Union of participants of the fighting "Courage" Valentin Likholit ("Batya");
- commander of the company of Aydar battalion Igor Radchenko ("Rubyezh");
- the head of RA Dmitry Ivanov;
- fighters of the Aydar battalion: Tamara Chupanova and IAPM graduate, maydanivetsʹ Vladimir Protsenko's;
- journalists, volunteers of the battalion Voloshyna Oksana;
- volunteers-fighters of Aydar battalion - spouses Svetlana Bevz and Sergey Burbela.
The stories of each of the speakers were not only emotional but also filled with memories of little-known episodes of battles on the Maidan, about how Ukrainians, regardless of financial status, age, social status, nationality, citizenship, united in a single impulse to defend their dignity, right free choice, true independence of the country; how dangerous it was to be injured, because the official address to the hospital meant the imminent arrest, how the resistance fighters became ATO fighters.
The topic of armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine as a global social problem, which we are all forced to live with, was raised by speakers through stories about the specific fates of combatants. The consequences of this horrific war are not only a common burden, they will be echoed by future generations. To date, more than 200,000 Ukrainians have participated in the fighting in the Donbass. Of these, 50 thousand are volunteers who, at the behest of conscience, have gone to war to defend their Motherland.
Addressing the audience, Svetlana Bevz, a woman who volunteered at the anti-terrorist operation in the summer of 2014, was the commander of the anti-aircraft calculation, provided medical care, and is now being taken care of by the idea of rehabilitating veterans, their socialization, and helping families who lost relatives during the fighting in the east of Ukraine - cited the words of one of the mothers: "Now I can die peacefully, knowing that my son's memory is honored." Svetlana, quoting the patriotic poems of Alexandra Burbella's daughter, urged young people to study well, because the enemy cannot defeat an enlightened nation and truly love their Motherland.
Valentin Likholit ("Batya") former Chief of Staff of the Aydar Battalion, during the meeting, not only shared his memories with the youth, but also before the performance of the comrades "paternally" characterized each.
"The youngest volunteer" – a Buddy dog, a favorite of the entire Aidar battalion, the heroine of the movie "Replaced by Faithfulness" – patiently waited for the stage and gladly gave everyone the opportunity to "talk" (especially for cookies) and take pictures with her.
The stories of the participants of the event were accompanied by photos, excerpts from the film. In memory of the meeting, the Aydar people presented the Battalion flag to the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management.
The students left the room thoughtful and not childishly serious...It was understood that what they heard and saw would leave an imprint in their souls, in their worldview and in their perception of the recent history of their Motherland.
