Forced displacement changes lives overnight. When armed conflict forces young people to leave their hometowns, they leave behind much more than physical belongings. They lose established routines, educational networks, and familiar neighbourhoods. Finding physical safety is vital, but the long-term challenge lies in rediscovering belonging and agency in an unfamiliar setting.
In our latest HATE-LESS participatory video, produced by our German project coordinator European Youth4Media Network e.V. (Y4MN), international relations student Aksinia Marchenko reflects on her path forward.
Starting Over: Aksinia’s Relocation to Lutsk
Originally from Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, Aksinia had to leave her home following the full-scale invasion. She relocated almost 1,000 kilometres northwest to Lutsk to continue her university studies.
Arriving in an unfamiliar city alongside her mother, the initial transition felt daunting. Simple daily logistics, such as navigating transit routes and settling into a new institution, carried immense emotional weight. However, small human gestures immediately shifted her experience.
When the two boarded a city bus without knowing where to get off, fellow passengers stepped up to guide them. Later, as she entered the lecture halls, classmates and faculty members welcomed her warmly without treating her as an outsider. That immediate openness gave her the safety needed to rebuild her routine.
Why Community Support After Displacement Builds Real Belonging
Formal integration systems frequently prioritise legal procedures, housing allocations, and administrative paperwork. While essential, these frameworks cannot replace direct human solidarity. Real social cohesion develops through daily actions:
- Unconditional Hospitality: Everyday kindness – such as showing someone the way or sharing lecture notes – erases the friction of entering a new social environment.
- Supportive Educational Spaces: Universities, youth organisations, and schools serve as stable anchors where displaced youth regain confidence and purpose.
- Active Peer Participation: Engaging in volunteer initiatives enables newcomers to transition from passive aid recipients to recognised community leaders.
For Aksinia, volunteering became a turning point. Participating in local student initiatives allowed her to apply her skills, form close friendships, and make a tangible contribution to her new home.
Countering Hate Speech Through Participatory Video
Prejudice and xenophobia often thrive on abstract stereotypes and fear of the unknown. The HATE-LESS project uses participatory video methodologies to counter this polarisation directly.
Instead of traditional media campaigns where external crews speak for affected individuals, participatory video hands narrative control back to youth. Young storytellers document their lived experiences in their own words.
Aksinia’s story delivers a straightforward, powerful truth: strangers do not have to remain strangers when communities choose to welcome, listen, and support one another.
Watch the Participatory Video
Experience Aksinia’s full journey in the second HATE-LESS participatory video below:
- Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne50_-rB9Q
Official Website of the HATE-LESS Project: https://hate-less.eu
Consortium Partners:
- EUROPEAN YOUTH4MEDIA NETWORK EV – Germany: https://youth4media.eu/
- EESTI PEOPLE TO PEOPLE – Estonia https://www.ptpest.ee/
- MITRA FRANCE – France: https://www.facebook.com/mitrafr/
- Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL – Spain: https://ea.consulting/
- WAVES FOUNDATION FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION – Cyprus: https://www.wavesfoundation.org/
Funding Agency: JUGEND für Europa
