The first Urban Club 'City is me' takes place in Lublin. Participants include children and youth from Poland and Ukraine, including from Kyiv, Lviv, and Kharkiv.
For five weeks, children and youth from Poland and Ukraine participate in free workshops with Polish and Ukrainian experts to collaboratively design an ecological and friendly city.
"Participants of the workshops, under the careful supervision of experts and in collaboration with students from Lublin universities, will have the opportunity to create a project for the city of their dreams. Convinced that initiatives like Urban Club will allow young residents of Lublin to feel comfortable in urban spaces and have a real impact on its development and future," says Beata Stepaniuk-Kusmyezhak, Deputy Mayor of Lublin for Culture, Sports, and Participation, Authorized by the Mayor of Lublin for the "European Youth Capital" initiative."
The inspirational leader and creator of the club's concept is Irina Ozymok, the author of the book "City is me", the head of the local economic development program at the Western NIS Enterprise Fund in Ukraine.
"Poles have become invaluable support for Ukrainians: they have opened their cities and homes to help. This project aims to further unite the youth of both countries to become a driving force for positive changes in cities, making them more ecological, accessible, successful, innovative, and technological, regardless of their location. This experience will serve as a foundation for a responsible attitude towards cities and communities in both Poland and Ukraine," says Irina Ozymok, the author of the club's concept.
Within the Club, there will be five meetings dedicated to various aspects of city development. The first four meetings focus on facilitating discussions, group work, workshops, and collaboration with experts. The organizers have prepared separate thematic blocks: "Nature in the City," "Stability of the Energy System," "Entrepreneurship and the City," and "Re(con)struction of the City, an International Perspective." During the fifth and final meeting, project participants will visit the city hall and meet with representatives of the municipal authorities. There, they will have the opportunity to present their thoughts on city development.
The event is organized in collaboration with the municipality of the city of Lublin, the NGO "Child's Effect," Skende, IKEA, and the Western NIS Enterprise Fund. The Urban Club is part of the European Youth Capital 2023. The project is co-financed by the Western NIS Enterprise Fund, SKENDE, and the city of Lublin.