Our 4th Vidnova Forum brought together around 70 actors dedicated to supporting Ukraine and strengthening democracy across Europe. We are deeply grateful to Ilona Havronska (
@selfvoker ) Deputy Minister for Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine; Nataliya Pryhornytska from Open Platform, and our Managing Director Annegret Wulff, for their inspiring speeches that resonate beyond the room. Here are some thoughts that stayed with us:
✨ Engagement for Ukraine is not only about resistance, it is about agency: it means creating space for local initiatives, civil society actors, and the global Ukrainian community to actively shape democratic life — in Ukraine, in Germany, and across Europe.
✨ When institutions are attacked, when security is fragile, and when uncertainty becomes daily reality, it is often civil society that holds the fabric together. This is not heroism — it’s shared responsibility. Strong civil society and functioning institutions must reinforce one another.
✨ We should be careful to not romanticize resilience, because resilience often grows from necessity, not from choice. True solidarity with Ukrainians means partnership at eye level.
✨ Social cohesion is part of national security.
We were honoured to have on the panel Oleksandra Bienert - researcher, photographer; Tetyana Lavuta (
@tetyana_nazarenko ) - Vidnova Plus Engagement graduate; and Dr. Lukas Fuchs - migration and refugee researcher. More insights from this discussion coming soon!
A big thank you goes also to
@tania.krukovska project manager of Vidnova Plus Engagement, and Olha Kotska, lead of Vidnova program for moderating;
@shlyakh_dorizhenka for a performance that truly moved us; and especially to our Lisa Dorfhuber and Malwina Fendrych-Bluhm, whose thoughtful hosting made this entire event possible down to the smallest detail. 🧡
🔗 Full photo album via the link in bio.
Photo credits:
@ola_zarko
Organized by Commit gGmbH in cooperation with Open Platform (open_platform_berlin) and the Alliance of Ukrainian Organizations (
@ukr_alliance ), funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung (
@boschstiftung ) and the European Union within the project Resilient Democracies.
