Young Ukrainians are looking for a future

The teenagers and young people Ukrainians work as volunteers, study and aspire to build their lives in their country despite the uncertainty due to the current russian invasion and after having lost their homes or be forced to spend time outside of them.

to their 19 years, Bogdan Korchevskyi is adjusting to your new life in Lviv, in the west of the country, after his family had to flee during the Russian siege of the port city of Mariupol and lost his housedestroyed for a bomb.

“war has taught me that you cannot cling to anything material because everything can sink at any time," he explained to Efe. A third-year student, Bogdan has returned to classes in digital format and at the relocated public university of Mariupol.

He first year at war followed two years of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19which means that it has had very little face-to-face college experience proper.

“In these three years, I only spent two or three weeks at the university so that I could meet my professors and see my classmates,” says Bogdan.

for many months study in a small room of a provisional reception center for displaced persons internal ukrainiansliving with his parents and his little brother.

Now Bogdan combines his virtual studios with a full time work as a data analyst in a local company, which is a essential contribution for the income of his family and has allowed them to rent an apartment.

I wish I could pass in the future a season abroad, but remains optimistic about the possibility of build their existence in Ukrainedespite the uncertainty. "There is always an opportunity," she tells Efe.

Men over the age of 18 they can't leave the country due to martial law restrictions. However, he has many acquaintances currently abroad who, as he explains, are planning to return when the war is over.

Olga Chumack had 17 years when he left Ukraine with a friend to settle with his relatives in France. He witnessed a burst during an attack with russian missiles in Lviv just before leaving in March. However, she felt more alarmed by the news she received from abroad than in Ukraine.

"Was all the time pending of the news and worried about my loved ones who remained there,” Olga explained to Efe. Her experience abroad helped her see life in Ukraine from a different perspective, appreciate its benefits.

Olga returned home, together with her friend, three months later. Her partner has already turned 18 and can't leave again because of martial law.

has left his university studies of journalism to pass to psychology. He believes that many Ukrainians will need psychological assistance after having suffered traumatic experiences.

He only sees his future in Ukraine; believes that his generation should contribute to the postwar reconstruction.

"If everyone leaves, who is going to raise the country?" he asks. Consider that the ukrainian youth has been very active and patriotic.

Sashawith scarcely 14 yearscarry more than half a year of volunteering for the reception and assistance to the displaced arriving at the central railway station in Lviv.

His school combine classes face-to-face and onlinewhich leaves you time for this volunteering.

Sometimes it's not easy to deal with traumatized peoplebut it does not overwhelm him.

“The war has changed everything. I have learned a lot about myself and about others,” she says.

She moved with her mother for a time to Poland in March of last year, as Russian forces were closing in on kyiv. She maintains that she did not want to leave then and that she was glad when they returned in May.

He still doesn't know what he will do when he finishes his studies in two years. No wait that war end soon, but plans to stay in Ukraine. “The war may still go on for years and we will also have a lot of work to do when it is over. It is important face this reality“, he maintains.