Ukraine has long been overcoming the challenges posed by the Russian-Ukrainian war. The national online event "Joining Forces - Making the Stronger Stronger" was an important event that brought together representatives of veterans' organizations, experts, veterans, and the government to discuss current issues and best practices in the field of reintegration of female and male veterans that already exist in Ukraine.
According to Yana Dragovenko-Kaliukina, coordinator of the project "Reintegration of War Veterans through Educational Opportunities" at DVV International in Ukraine, the answer to the challenges faced by female and male veterans is not only about integration, but also about ensuring the quality of life in all areas.
Yana says that it is extremely important to create opportunities for female and male veterans to live a full, quality, dignified life when they return to their communities, which the strongest deserve.
The event's experts noted that it is important to change the focus when working with veterans: "We should not prepare veterans, but society for their return," which is a complex issue and requires coherence of actions, coordination of efforts of all parties involved and support from the state. The national online event "Joining Forces - Making the Stronger Stronger" was an important event that brought together representatives of veterans' organizations, experts, veterans, and the government to discuss current issues and best practices in the field of reintegration of female and male veterans that already exist in Ukraine.
According to Yana Dragovenko-Kalyukina, coordinator of the project "Reintegration of War Veterans through Educational Opportunities" at DVV International in Ukraine, the answer to the challenges faced by female and male veterans is not only about integration, but also about ensuring the quality of life in all areas.
Yana says that it is extremely important to create opportunities for female and male veterans to live a full, quality, dignified life when they return to their communities, which the strongest deserve.
The event's experts noted that it is important to change the focus when working with veterans: "We should not prepare veterans, but society for their return," which is a complex issue and requires coherence of actions, coordination of efforts of all parties involved and support from the state.
"We understand that some went to war after school, and some dropped out to defend Ukraine. So now we have to think about retraining programs. We have to think about how to provide them with this opportunity," said Oksana Kolyada, Project Director of the NGO "Space of Opportunities".
The speaker emphasized that we need to change the mindset of community leaders and other members of our state. We should not perceive veterans as another socially vulnerable group. After all, they can definitely be the driving force behind the development of all reintegration processes.
Oleksandr Tereshchenko, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, former Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs in 2019-2021 and founder of the O. Tereshchenko International Charitable Foundation, supported his colleague. Oleksandr expressed his belief that veterans are not a social burden, but an asset to society.
"I want to address the veterans. You do not know what you are capable of yet. It will definitely be hard for you, because it's like you wake up and there's a wedding in your kitchen. However, you have to understand what you want and what you want to develop. Because there will be many opportunities. And the best thing you could do is not to defend the state, but to think about what else you can do." - Oleksandr Tereshchenko
In the context of the discussion on whether our society is ready to interact with veterans, Serhiy Poznyak, head of the Association of Entrepreneurs of ATO Veterans, noted that civilians should be concerned about the lack of jobs for veterans.
"A veteran is an advantage of the nation. Look at the international experience. In all successful countries, leaders have emerged from the military, veterans, and combatants," added Serhiy.
Oleksandr Vitsan, case manager of the After Service Foundation, supported his colleague.
The speaker shares that one of the problems is the large amount of information that veterans need to master in a short time.
"A lot of guys and girls today have concussions. As a result, many of them find it difficult to memorize information. This is a common problem," notes Oleksandr.
According to the statistics of the Juridical Hundred NGO, since February 24, 2022, about 68,535 veterans or family members have contacted the organization's hotline regarding various issues. This was summarized by the organization's operations manager, Hanna Demydenko.
"Now I am happy because veterans have started to appear in the legislative history. That is, they often call to ask what is the situation with this or that bill. We see the need for people to be aware. Today, everyone wants to know their rights," the speaker added.
The national online event "Joining Forces - Making the Stronger Stronger" proved to be a fruitful platform for discussing and sharing experiences on veterans' reintegration. The speeches of experts and veterans emphasized the importance of creating educational and social opportunities for veterans, promoting the development of veteran communities, and properly recognizing the contribution of veterans to community development and Ukrainian society.
The event was held within the framework of the project "Reintegration of War Veterans through Educational Opportunities" implemented by DVV International in Ukraine with the financial support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.
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