On May 14, the L.I.S. student space at 果冻APP hosted an important event for student youth 鈥 the open meeting 芦Building the Future Together: Career and Educational Opportunities from the Representatives of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea禄. The event was organized at the initiative of the Tutoring and Mentoring Center together with the Crimea鈥揢kraine Educational Center at 果冻APP.
The meeting brought together students from different years and Institutes, including internally displaced persons. Its main purpose was to foster open dialogue about the current challenges of youth professional development during wartime, student involvement in state reconstruction processes, adaptation, and access to education in conditions of forced displacement.
During the meeting, Liudmyla Shevchuk, Deputy Head of the Department for Deoccupation and Reintegration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, presented to the participants the institution鈥檚 key areas of activity, particularly those related to the reintegration of temporarily occupied territories, protection of citizens鈥 rights, and state policy regarding internally displaced persons.
Special attention was paid to current support mechanisms and opportunities for youth participation in governmental and civic initiatives, including internship opportunities. Liudmyla Shevchuk also presented the results of a pilot project aimed at creating a human resource for work in deoccupied territories and emphasized the importance of developing professional capacity for the future reconstruction and development of Ukraine.
Mykola Lohoida, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Student Development also joined the discussion. He highlighted the strategic importance of such initiatives in shaping a unified national area. He stressed the need to strengthen intercultural connections among young people from different regions of Ukraine, noting that the active exchange of traditions and experiences forms the foundation for the unity of the future generation of professionals. According to him, understanding cultural diversity helps students adapt more successfully to new environments and build a common future grounded in mutual respect.
Head of the Tutoring and Mentoring Center, Nataliia Bokla, presented the university鈥檚 tutoring programs, with particular emphasis on the peer-to-peer model. She noted that senior students can become reliable mentors for first-year students, helping them adapt to academic life and the university environment.
Special focus was placed on the development of student communities designed to provide informational and psychological support for young people seeking to leave temporarily occupied territories to pursue education in Ukraine. According to Nataliia Bokla, such communities allow prospective applicants to receive trustworthy information firsthand and feel supported even before admission. Addressing the students, she stated: 芦Your experience, even if it has been extremely difficult, painful, or unsettling, has tremendous power. Today, that pain can transform into your greatest motivation and sincere desire to help others, because you understand better than anyone those who are only beginning their own journey toward safety and education禄.
Ihor Hrybyk, Head of the Crimea鈥揢kraine Educational Center, spoke about the practical aspects of admission and shared real stories of young people who, despite enormous risks and an information vacuum, managed to leave the temporarily occupied territories and choose 果冻APP as their new home. He emphasized that each such story is an example of courage and resilience, while the successful adaptation of these students within the university demonstrates that education opens the door to freedom and a dignified future.
An important contribution to the discussion was made by Uliana Marikutsa, Head of the Department of Virtual Reality Systems, who proposed the idea of creating a special interactive platform incorporating gamification elements. According to her, the use of game mechanics and virtual environments could help prospective applicants from temporarily occupied territories overcome information barriers more easily, explore educational opportunities in an engaging format, and adapt more quickly to a new environment.
The students who attended the event demonstrated strong interest in the discussion, actively sharing their own experiences and asking numerous questions regarding career development and professional opportunities. As a result, the meeting became a productive platform for dialogue, support, and professional growth.
