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Abolina et al. “Citizen engagement as a crisis response at higher education institutions in the Baltic
states and Ukraine”, Nordic Perspectives on Open Science 2024
https://doi.org/10.7557/11.7508
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Citizen engagement as a crisis response at
higher education institutions in the Baltic states
and Ukraine
By Inese Abolina (University of Latvia), Anna Beitane (University of Tartu), Kateryna
Boichenko (Web2Learn), Rasa Dovidonytė (Kaunas University of Technology),
Catherine Gibson (University of Tartu), Yurii Kondratyk (University of Tartu),
Stefania Oikonomou (Web2Learn), Aistė Pranckutė (Kaunas University of
Technology), Gintarė Tautkevičienė (Kaunas University of Technology), Lianne Teder
(Tallinn University), Nataliia Vovk (Lviv Polytechnic National University), Anna
Shilinh (Lviv Polytechnic National University), Katerina Zourou (Web2Learn).
Abstract
This publication presents social actions organised in Baltic universities in
collaboration with policy, industry, and society, aiming to support Ukrainian
populations in humanitarian crises. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion
of Ukraine in February 2022, many Ukrainians had to leave the war zone and
emigrate to other countries in order to find a safe place to live. This humanitarian
crisis imposed new challenges for Ukrainian people who became refugees in the
Baltic states, as well as to the host societies. There was a lack of resilience
mechanisms to cope with this new reality and provide support for Ukrainian
refugees. To address these challenges, six partners (four Baltic universities, a
Ukrainian university and an organization in Greece) collaborated in the project
''Supporting Ukraine through citizen engagement at Baltic Universities''
(Baltics4UA) under the Erasmus+ Programme. The main goal of Baltics4UA
project is to enhance Baltic universities’ social responsibility through civic
engagement actions to address the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis in the Baltic
states. A methodological approach that focuses on citizen engagement and
emphasises social innovation and participation has been developed in the
framework of this project prior to organising 23 university-driven social actions in
every partner institution. Overall, 488 participants took part in social actions.
Participants were asked to fill in a post-event evaluation form; this feedback was
used to identify whether the social actions met the aims and objectives of the
project. Moreover, the organisers of the social actions described the impact of each
action by evaluating the aim and goal of the social action, as well as the level of
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citizen engagement. While planning, organising and implementing these social
actions, project partners encountered a variety of challenges and learned lessons,
which can serve as useful guidelines for those seeking to foster effective business,
academia and society collaboration while providing support and engaging societies
in the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis.
Keywords
Social actions, citizen engagement, quadruple helix actors, humanitarian crisis,
resilience.
1. Introduction
Many Ukrainian citizens have been forced to leave their homes in search of safety
in other locations since the start of Russian assault against their country. For
Ukrainians, the Baltic states have served as a safe place since February 2022.
Many of them are seeking a permanent home in the Baltic states, and by
facilitating their integration into society, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania can also
mutually benefit from this endeavour (United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, 2023). The most common issues Ukrainian refugees face are mental
health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). A study conducted among Ukrainian refugees in Poland
revealed that a staggering 73% of respondents exhibited symptoms of these
distressing conditions (Długosz, 2023). In addition to psychological issues,
Ukrainian refugees face a variety of other challenges related to integration aspects,
such as: finding a place to live, learning a new language, and understanding host-
country systems, including educational aspects. The successful integration of
refugees is described as a two-way process which has three interrelated
dimensions: legal, economic, and socio-cultural processes (Integration of refugees
in Estonia: Participation and Empowerment, 2016). To address the current
situation, Baltic universities took part in initiatives that assist communities of
Ukrainian refugees in meeting their needs and achieving successful integration.
1.2. Baltics4UA project goal, participating institutions, and
expected results
Since the beginning of the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis, the need for resilience
mechanisms and practices in Baltic universities has been identified. The goal of
the project “Supporting Ukraine through citizen engagement at Baltic
Universities” (Baltics4UA) under the Erasmus+ Programme is to enhance Baltic
universities’ social responsibility through civic engagement actions to address the
Ukrainian humanitarian crisis in the Baltic states. The Baltics4UA project started
at the beginning of 2023 and was initiated by Tallinn University (TLU, Estonia).
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One of the partners in this project is Lviv Polytechnic National University (LPNU)
from Ukraine. As this project focuses on European HEIs' resilience during refugee
crises, the participation of LPNU provides an opportunity for all partners in this
project to get insights into the barriers and difficulties Ukrainian HEIs are
currently facing. Other partners in this project are based in countries that are also
directly affected by the Ukrainian refugee crisis: Lithuania (Kaunas University of
Technology, KTU), Latvia (University of Latvia, LU), and Estonia (University of
Tartu, UT). Moreover, another participant in the Baltics4UA project is Web2Learn
(W2L), an organization established in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is a business
partner that operates at the crossroads of open innovation and business-academia
cooperation. Web2Learn brings together academic (and in general, educational)
partners in fruitful research, development, and service design collaborations with
business partners.
The partner universities began by preparing a landscape analysis of citizen
engagement initiatives for Ukraine organized by Baltic universities. Secondly,
citizen engagement actions were carried out by all partners. The aim of these
citizen engagement actions was to enhance HEIs’ resilience and cooperation with
policy, industry, and society in humanitarian crises, as well as to empower
academic staff, students, and citizens to actively engage in social actions to
support Ukrainian populations in the Baltic states. In the final phase of this
project, the main focus will be devoted to the capacity building of HEIs through
the organization of experience cafés, the production of open access educational
materials for academic staff, and the release of a podcast series in which HEI staff
involved in citizen engagement actions will share their experiences. The aim of this
last phase of the project will be to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and business-
academia cooperation that will allow citizen groups, stakeholders, and universities
to build strong resilience models in humanitarian crises.
1.3. The Baltics4UA project’s relevance for citizen science
The Baltics4UA project ensures resilience in Baltic HEIs through open innovation
and collaboration of quadruple helix actors: science, policy, society, and industry.
A variety of open and innovative practices (hackathons, art events, public lectures,
networking events etc.) are organized and implemented in order to build
sustainable resilience when facing challenging social conditions. In the
Baltics4UA project, partners act as mediators by unifying and enabling effective
collaboration between representatives of science, policy, society, and industry.
According to Haklay (2021) it is challenging to define citizen science and it is
defined differently, depending on the context. The complexity of this term can be
illustrated by a huge variety of definitions. European Citizen Science Association
defines citizen science projects that involve citizen science in scientific endeavour
that generates new knowledge or understanding. While Australian Citizen Science
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Association provides a broader definition of citizen science, indicating that it
involves public participation and collaboration in scientific research with the aim
to increase scientific knowledge, and that it is a great way to harness community
skills and passion to fuel the capacity of science to answer questions about the
world and how it works. Whereas Citizenscience.gov suggest an even more
advanced definition of citizen science where the public participates voluntarily in
the scientific process, addressing real-world problems in ways that include
formulating research questions, conducting scientific experiments, collecting, and
analysing data, interpreting results, making new discoveries, developing
technologies and applications, and solving complex problems. All these definitions
emphasise citizen engagement and public participation solving real life challenges.
The real-world problem Baltics4UA project participants are addressing are the
challenges that Ukrainian refugees are facing after the full-scale Russian military
invasion to Ukraine in February 2022. In order to help Ukrainian refugees to
overcome these challenges Baltic universities organised World café discussions in
academic communities and identified what are the general, educational, and
cultural needs of Ukrainian people currently living, working or studying in the
Baltic countries, as well as what kind of support is needed in the field of research
and what support is necessary for Ukrainian citizens who remained in the
country. Discussion participants were quadruplex helix actors: policy makers,
researchers, representatives of industry, and citizens. The discussions allowed to
identify the needs of the target group – following up, the participating universities
organised citizen engagement actions applying the methodology by Butkevičienė
et al. (2021), targeting citizen engagement in socio-environmental issues and
prioritising social innovation and participation.
The Baltics4UA project empowers ordinary citizens – students, higher education
staff, and local communities – to take part in activities providing support and
humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees in the Baltic states at local, regional,
national, and European levels. To this end, students and higher education staff
develop skills and knowledge of innovative and sustainable learning and teaching
practices, and also gain opportunities to develop competencies on how to
effectively respond to societal and humanitarian crises. Furthermore, inter-
institutional collaboration is highly encouraged in this project. The lessons learnt
about citizen engagement in this project will be of value to citizen science
initiatives.
2. Rationale
Prior to delving into the steps taken by the Baltics4UA partners, it is crucial to
outline the theoretical framework that guided the implementation of the actions.
The research process for the Baltics4UA project was structured around the
quadruple helix model, an innovation framework that integrates four major
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sectors – academia, industry, government, and civil society – to foster collaborative
innovation and socio-economic development. Academia contributes research and
educational resources, industry brings practical applications and economic
insights, government provides policy support and regulatory frameworks, and civil
society offers grassroots perspectives and community engagement. This model
enhances innovation by ensuring that diverse stakeholders are involved in the co-
creation and dissemination of knowledge and solutions. It emphasizes the
importance of collaborative networks and the synergies that emerge from these
multi-sectoral partnerships. By engaging these four sectors, the quadruple helix
model aims to address complex societal challenges through a holistic and
inclusive approach (González-Martinez et al. 2023). This framework enabled the
Baltics4UA project to take a comprehensive multi-dimensional approach to
enhancing university-driven social responsibility and civic engagement in
response to the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis. By leveraging the strengths and
resources of these four sectors, the project aimed to develop resilient and
sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by Ukrainian refugees and to
empower academic staff, students, and citizens to actively participate in social
actions.
3. Methodology
3.1. The Baltics4UA methodology for university-driven social
actions
This section presents the methodology through which the identification, selection,
and analysis of the social actions have been carried out. To develop a rigorous
methodology for our social actions – one that would better reflect and enhance
citizen engagement for a social purpose – we adopted the methodological approach
of Butkevičienė et al. (2021) for two reasons: a) its focus on citizen engagement in
socio-environmental issues based on a case studies analysis, b) its emphasis on
social innovation and participation, – two elements associated closely to the scope
of the Baltics4UA project.
The identification of Butkevičienė et al’s 2021 case studies approach enhanced
the development of the Baltics4UA “Methodology for the design, implementation
and assessment of citizen engagement as crisis response at Baltic HEIs” (WP2A6)
(Oikonomou, Boichenko & Zourou, 2023). The Baltics4UA methodology served as
a common framework and step-by-step guide for the partnership to plan, organise,
carry out and evaluate their social actions. Key components of the Baltics4UA
methodology include the identification of a) levels of citizen engagement; b) types
of social participation, and c) target groups of the actions.
3.1.1. Levels of citizen engagement
The Baltics4UA project foresees enhancing university-driven citizen engagement
practices and actions that will build stronger and sustainable collaborations
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between academia, business, and society. Within this framework, we engaged in
research to identify the most relevant typology of levels of citizen engagement. To
this end, we adopted the typology outlined by the World Bank Working Group on
Citizen Engagement (2015) that distinguishes four levels of citizen engagement,
namely:
1. Information: Citizens are recipients of information by external stakeholders.
2. Consultation: Institutions receive citizens’ feedback with citizens’ role being
limited to this one-way interaction.
3. Collaboration: Citizens are called to contribute to the process in a two-way
interaction scheme.
4. Empowerment: Citizens are initiators and strategic organisers of the actions.
These levels represent a spectrum of engagement, from passive receipt of
information to active participation and leadership in crisis response initiatives. By
employing this tiered approach to engagement, the project sought to maximise
citizen participation and foster a sense of ownership and agency among all
stakeholders involved in the crisis response.
As the Baltics4UA project aims to maximise citizen participation and engagement,
we highly encouraged partners to design social actions that achieve at least a
“consultation” level engagement with participants.
3.1.2. Types of social action
To foster a common understanding of social actions among the Baltics4UA
partnership, we outlined a typology of social actions upon which partners could
choose their preferred type(s). The typology was first introduced in the open access
publication “Baltic universities fostering citizen engagement through social
actions for Ukrainian refugees” (Zourou & Oikonomou 2023a), and it was also
adopted in the study “European universities tackling the Ukrainian refugee crisis:
insights into grassroots digital actions” (Zourou & Oikonomou 2023b) in the
framework of the Erasmus+ AGILE project. The typology was built upon a) our
emphasis on the citizen participation dimension of the actions, and b) a first
categorisation of actions made by Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) for
Ukrainian refugees and students. The VMU categorization served as the basis for
the typology adopted, which contains the 18 items presented below:
1. Citizen Science
2. Hackathon
3. Crowdfunding
4. Crowdsourcing
5. Do-it-yourself
6. Art event (theatrical plays, music concerts, exhibitions etc.)
7. Scholarship
8. Tuition free studies
9. Free accommodation
10. Psychological counselling
11. Podcast
12. Campaign
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13. Public lectures
14. Legal counselling
15. Networking event
16. Summer camp
17. Educational equipments
18. Working/Research group
3.1.3. Target groups
Building capacity and resilience of Baltic and Ukrainian universities to deal with
the ongoing humanitarian crisis resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine
necessitates collective action-taking and collaboration among stakeholders, both
within and beyond academia. The Baltics4UA project adopts the call for solid
cooperation between quadruple helix actors to maximise the impact and
sustainability of the project’s social actions.
In this context, the primary target groups of the actions were identified by the
partnership as: a) university students, b) university staff, c) Ukrainian refugees
and/or internally displaced persons, d) Baltic and Ukrainian citizens.
The project recognized the distinct needs of these groups, ranging from the need
for academic support and integration for students and staff, to the immediate
humanitarian needs of refugees, and the general societal need for resilience and
solidarity. By identifying these target groups and understanding their specific
needs, the Baltics4UA project could tailor its citizen engagement actions to
effectively address the varied aspects of the humanitarian crisis.
3.2. The process of identifying and planning the Baltics4UA social
actions
The implementation of this methodology involved a systematic process of
planning, executing, and evaluating citizen engagement actions. To ensure
alignment of the identification and planning process of the social actions, the
Baltics4UA methodology included a detailed outline of steps to be taken.
Specifically, Baltics4UA partners followed a 9-step methodology that entailed:
1) defining their target groups,
2) developing an engagement strategy,
3) considering inclusion and diversity issues,
4) defining the level of citizen engagement,
5) identifying the type of social action,
6) creating an implementation plan,
7) training their staff,
8) assessing the impact of their action, and
9) disseminating and sharing best practices.
To facilitate the planning of the social actions, a dedicated checklist was created
and shared with partners as part of the Baltics4UA methodology, while a post-
action survey was also built for partners to evaluate the impact of their case
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studies. The Baltics4UA methodology and its instruments are available open
access in Oikonomou et al. (2023).
This structured approach ensured that the engagement initiatives were aligned
with the project's objectives and the specific needs of the target groups into 23
social actions on the four levels of citizen engagement:
● information – nine actions
● consultation – three actions
● collaboration – 10 actions
● empowerment – three actions
Three of the information level actions also included elements of collaboration.
4 Description of social actions carried out in HEIs in
participating countries
This section outlines 23 social actions carried out by the project partners in the
participating countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine) and online. The
actions are ordered according to the levels of citizen engagement outlined in
Section 3.1.1: information, consultation, collaboration, and empowerment.
4.1. Information level of citizen engagement
4.1.1. Action 1. Film screening “Who are we? Psychoanalysis of Ukrainians”
and post-film discussion (Estonia, UT)
Type of social action: Art Event
The University of Tartu organised a screening of the film “Who are we?
Psychoanalysis of Ukrainians”. The objective of the event was to enhance the
international community's knowledge of the Ukrainian nation. The event was
structured into three parts. The event kicked off with introductory remarks
shedding light on the movie, the director, and the Baltics4UA project.
Subsequently, a compelling video clip sent by the director was screened. Following
this, the audience watched a 1.5-hour movie. The event concluded with a round
table discussion where in-house experts from the Johan Skytte Institute of
Political Studies who are involved in teaching and managing the program ‘Central
and Eastern European, Russian and Eurasian Studies’ offered reflections on the
film, shared their perspectives, and fielded questions from the audience. We
organised this event together with an Elektriteater cinema in Tartu and Oleksandr
Tkachuk, the creator of the film, who is currently on the frontline defending
Ukraine from Russian aggression. The main target groups were students and staff
from UT and the Ukrainian community in Tartu. The event lasted 2 hours and 15
minutes, and altogether 48 students, staff, and members of the Ukrainian
community in Tartu participated.
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4.1.2. Action 2. Public lecture “Information war: Industry 4.0 enabled
technologies to ensure freedom, security and justice” (Lithuania, KTU)
Type of social action: Public lecture
The aim of the 1-hour lecture was to educate the community on innovative
technologies implemented to ensure the resilience of society and governance
structures to information warfare threats in the context of Russia’s war against
Ukraine. Researchers from the Digital Investigations Lab – Frog Lab at KTU
Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts were invited to give a public
lecture to the university community. The target group of this social action were
members of KTU academic community and Kaunas citizens. In total, the social
action reached 14 participants comprising researchers, students, and librarians,
as well as citizens of Ukraine who are currently studying at KTU.
4.1.3. Action 3. Volunteer event organised in cooperation with Caritas
organisation “Discover yourself as a volunteer” (Lithuania, KTU)
Type of social action: Public lecture
Caritas is an international Catholic organisation and one of the largest
organisations in Lithuania providing humanitarian aid to Ukrainians affected by
the war. KTU reached out to Caritas representatives and it became clear that the
organisation currently is short of volunteers. For this reason, the organisers
decided to plan an event and invite Caritas representatives to present the
organisation’s activities and volunteering opportunities. The target group for this
event was the students of KTU gymnasium. In Lithuania, secondary school
students are required to volunteer with an organisation of their choice. For this
reason, it was decided to organise an event for gymnasium students and inform
them about the opportunities to volunteer in an organisation that provides
humanitarian support to war-affected Ukrainians. The event lasted for one hour
and 25 KTU Gymnasium students and librarians who are interested in
volunteering participated.
4.1.4. Action 4. Public lecture “Leadership in times of crises” (Latvia, LU)
Type of social action: Public lecture
This action aimed to raise awareness of collaborative governance, which has
emerged as a pivotal approach in addressing the inclusion of Ukrainian citizens
into Baltic universities. The approach brings diverse cultural perspectives,
experiences, and skills to the academic and social community, and allows diverse
viewpoints to be integrated into the university's decision-making processes,
leading to more innovative and effective solutions in education, research, and
community engagement. By actively engaging Ukrainian citizens in governance,
the University of Latvia can foster a sense of community, resilience, and solidarity.
This approach not only benefits Ukrainian students and staff, but also enriches
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the university community as a whole, promoting cross-cultural understanding
and mutual support. Actions like this also prepare citizens for involvement in
potential citizen science projects in the future. The lecture lasted for 2 hours in
January 2024 and there were 14 participants in the action (two professors and 12
MA students in the programme of public administration).
4.1.5. Action 5. Ukraine Treasure Hunt (Estonia, UT)
Type of social action: Networking event
The aim of the event was to bring together the Ukrainian community and the
academic community for the shared purpose of exploration and dialogue about
Ukraine-related places in Tartu. Participants were divided into groups of four for
the first part of the event (1 hour) to explore the prepared spots around Tartu that
were presented to the participants in Google Maps. After the first half of the event,
participants returned to the auditorium to discuss the landmarks that they
visited. This part was led by invited expert Michael Cole – a journalist and editor
from ERR (Eesti Rahvusringhääling – Estonian Public Broadcasting) and
researcher at UT – who delivered a presentation and overview of Ukraine-related
spots and facilitated the discussion. The target groups were students and staff at
UT and Ukrainian refugees displaced as a result of the Russian invasion. There
were 25 participants in the action, including students, business and teacher
representatives, coming from Ukraine, Estonia, Egypt, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.
4.1.6. Action 6. Beata Kurkul’s exhibition “Fighting Ukraine” (Lithuania,
KTU)
Type of social action: Art event
KTU organised an exhibition of the work of artist Beata Kurkul, a Lithuanian
citizen who has been living and working in Kyiv, Ukraine, since 2008. She works
as a 2D artist and creative director in a computer game development studio in
Ukraine. Since 2014, when the hybrid war with Russia started, Beata's husband
has been volunteering. Beata helped him, and started drawing Ukrainian border
guards and then other military structures. Together with the Ukrainian Border
Service, numerous exhibitions have been organised at various Ukrainian border
units, as well as at the war zone in Mariupol (2016). Beata visited the war zone
several times. We decided to invite Beata Kurkul to present her exhibition to
remind the community about the war in Ukraine and to highlight its heart-
breaking consequences for the Ukrainian people. The target group of this social
action were members of the KTU academic community and citizens of Kaunas.
The exhibition lasted for several months. The target audience was the university
community and special attention was given to the most senior administrators
directing the academic affairs of the KTU (vice-rectors, deans, managing directors),
international students, librarians. In total there were 38 registered attendants. In
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addition, the rector of KTU participated in the opening of this exhibition and
expressed his great support to Beata Kurkul and all Ukrainian people.
4.1.7. Action 7. Public Lecture “Ukraine Indomitable: How Ukrainians Keep
Standing During the War?” (Estonia, UT)
Type of social action: Public lecture
Level of citizen engagement: Information, with elements of collaboration during the
Q&A
The action’s objective was to raise awareness about Ukrainian societal resilience,
discuss the challenges that Ukrainian society faces, and how the people of Ukraine
exhibit resilience in the face of Russian aggression relying on horizontal ties. The
event was structured into two parts. The first part was the lecture delivered by
Oleksii Kolesnykov – a Ukrainian citizen, and Bucha resident who witnessed the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. Oleksii is a member of the Association for
Community Self-Organization Assistance in Ukraine, and he currently holds the
position of Research Fellow in Political Studies at the Johan Skytte Institute of
Political Studies. The second part was a Q&A session moderated by Catherine
Gibson – Lecturer in East European and Eurasian Studies – providing an
interactive platform. Participants delved deeper into the discussed topics, sought
clarifications, and shared their perspectives.
4.1.8. Action 8. Meeting with the Ukrainian Ambassador, His Excellency
Maksym Kononenko (Estonia, UT)
Type of social action: Public lecture and Networking Event
Level of citizen engagement: Information, with elements of collaboration during the
Q&A
The objective of the event was to facilitate a direct engagement with the Ukrainian
Ambassador to gain first-hand insights into the latest advancements in Ukraine's
pursuit of European integration. The event was structured into three parts. The
first was the lecture delivered by Mr. Ambassador Maksym Kononenko, who was
appointed the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia in March 2023.
The open lecture was followed by a Q&A session, moderated by an analyst from
the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies. The meeting was then concluded
by the informal gathering with the guests of the event. The event lasted for 90
minutes and there were 29 participants, consisting of students and university
staff.
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4.1.9. Action 9. Film screening of “A Letter to Ukraine” and post-film
discussion with the director (Lithuania, KTU)
Type of social action: Networking event
Level of citizen engagement: Information with collaborative elements, as there was
also a discussion during the event during which both the author of the documentary
and the participants mutually shared their thoughts and insights
KTU organised a film screening to show a documentary produced by the
Lithuanian filmmaking community about the various civic initiatives that have
taken place in Lithuania to provide humanitarian aid to war-affected Ukrainians.
The mission of this non-profit initiative is to raise awareness on human rights
issues around the world and to connect them to those that are present in
Lithuania. KTU contacted the filmmakers, and one of the directors agreed to come
to the screening. During the event, the director of the film talked about the idea,
behind the scenes and the meaning of this film. The target group of this social
action were members of the KTU academic community and Kaunas citizens. Thirty
three attendees participated in the event from the KTU community (students,
researchers, alumni, and librarians).
4.2. Consultation level of citizen engagement
4.2.1. Action 10. Youth debate tournament at the War Museum (Latvia, LU)
Type of social action: Networking event
The University of Latvia organised an educational event for BA students, focusing
on the ongoing war in Ukraine and exploring ways to support Ukrainian citizens,
including students. This event took place at the War Museum, chosen for its
capacity to provide historical context and deepen the understanding of warfare's
impacts, thereby fostering a reflective and informed discussion among
participants. The visit to the War Museum was designed to give students a vivid
impression of the harsh realities of war, including its historical precedents and
the human cost associated with such conflicts. The exhibition served as a powerful
visual and educational tool, prompting students to reflect deeply on the current
situation in Ukraine and its implications for peace, security, and human rights.
In this context, the event provided a structured platform for students to offer their
insights, opinions, and feedback on the discussed topics. However, the role of the
participants was primarily limited to providing this feedback without a direct role
in decision-making or implementing the discussed solutions. This focus aimed to
engage young, academically inclined individuals who are in a critical phase of
developing their understanding of global issues, critical thinking, and public
speaking skills. The action took place over 2 days (4 hours + 1.5 hours) and
involved 25 BA students from the University of Latvia.
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4.2.2. Action 11. Public lecture and discussion about local government
challenges in Ukraine during the war (Latvia, LU)
Type of social action: Public lecture
This social action aimed to inform citizens about the challenges local governments
face in Ukraine and give them an opportunity to discuss ways of helping the
Ukrainian local governments, as well as reflect on the lessons learned or possible
actions for the local governments of Latvia. This consultation process engaged
citizens by providing them with comprehensive information on the challenges
confronting local governments in Ukraine. Additionally, it fostered an active
discussion, encouraging citizens to contribute insights and perspectives on
potential solutions and the implications for local governance in Latvia. In total,
there were 30 participants and they represented students from different years
from the Faculty of Social Science.
4.2.3. Action 12. Debate about documentary film “Ukrainian Storybox –
Voices of War” on voices from Ukraine during the war (Latvia, LU)
Type of social action: Campaign
The University of Latvia organised a debate about a documentary film showing the
struggles of Ukrainians during the war. The participants have watched the
documentary and discussed how people in Ukraine use social media and record
their own stories. They also shared ideas about what items everyone should keep
at home for emergencies, not just during war. Additionally, they talked about ways
to help animals during conflicts and how people from other countries can offer
support. In total, 15 students from the University of Latvia participated in the
action.
4.2.4. Action 13. Survey of Ukrainian students (Estonia, TLU)
Type of social action: Working/research group
There was a lack of knowledge about the needs and situation of refugee students
in Tallinn University; some information about support systems was offered on the
university website but it was not known whether it meets the needs of students.
To address this need, 5 TLU students participating (including one Ukrainian
student) in the LIFE course conducted a survey over a period of 1 week and the
target group was the 81 Ukrainian students studying at TLU. A total of 36
students (44%) participated in the survey from various fields of study, with the
most popular being humanities, politics and governance, and cultural studies.
Students were asked about their general satisfaction, challenges and suggestions
for improvement related to studying at TLU. The results were reported on the LIFE
website and discussed in LIFE final seminars, and given to representatives of
university students.
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4.3. Collaboration level of citizen engagement
4.3.1. Action 14. Students’ seminar about engaging Ukrainian pupils into
educational institutions (Estonia, TLU)
Type of social action: Networking event
The target group of this event were students who are studying in Youth Works
study programme at Tallinn University. The main objective was to find out how
Estonian youth work institutions responded to the Ukrainian crisis. The first-year
students of Youth Work study programme collaborated with different youth
institutions, learning about methods, and environments. They also mapped the
activities and tools which were in use to engage Ukrainian refugees in Estonia.
The workshop lasted 3 hours and was attended by 20 participants.
4.3.2. Action 15. Roundtable on “The vector of values as the main direction
of influence in involving citizens in humanitarian aid in crisis situations”
(Ukraine, LPNU)
Type of social action: Working/Research group
The speakers at the roundtable were experts from different fields, but their
research focuses on developing a holistic approach to the issue of the values vector
as the main direction of influence on the involvement of citizens in humanitarian
aid in crisis situations. All the speakers have extensive experience in engaging the
academic community in crisis response. In particular, Olga Romanenko, PhD in
Economics, State University of Trade and Economics, was one of the first
Ukrainian academics to evacuate Ukrainian scientists from the cities attacked by
Russia. Petro Baikovsky, PhD in Political Science, Ukrainian Catholic University,
is an active researcher of European space policy. Richard Bunka, Chairman of the
Latvian Bar Association, is a researcher of the European integration process who
works closely with Ukrainian academics and political scientists. It was decided to
invite these speakers and organise the format of the event as a roundtable to share
experiences and identify values as one of the factors influencing motivation to act
in crisis situations. The target group of this social action were members of the
LPNU academic community. The event was attended by the interested academic
community of LPNU, as well as student activists. A total of 20 participants were
engaged.
4.3.3. Action 16. Brainstorming session on "The role of the academic
community in engaging citizens in humanitarian aid" (Ukraine, LPNU)
Type of social action: Working/Research group
The main idea of the event was to engage active students in solving humanitarian
problems. Student youth both in Ukraine and around the world are an active
driver of change in society. The event involved undergraduate students of LPNU.
This generation of students is defined by the fact that they have been in crisis
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situations for the last years of their lives, as they have been challenged by various
crises, including the Covid-19 pandemic (2019) and Russia's full-scale invasion of
Ukraine (2022). This generation, despite their young age, already has significant
experience in engaging the society in crisis situations, as most of them have been
and remain active volunteers today. For this reason, it was decided to organise a
brainstorming session for students. The target group of this social action were
members of the LPNU academic community, as well as student activists. A total
of 25 participants were engaged.
4.3.4. Action 17. Case study championship “Social Communications as an
Effective Tool for Involving Business in Humanitarian Aid” (Ukraine, LPNU)
Type of social action: Working/Research group
The main idea of the event was to identify the factors and mechanisms of business
involvement in humanitarian aid using social communications. It was held in a
case study championship format. In the modern world, the business community
is increasingly aware of the importance of its contribution to solving social
problems and supporting humanitarian initiatives. Universities may be interested
in promoting initiatives that contribute to the practical learning of their students,
as well as to the development of social sciences and humanities. This event stems
from the general trend towards social responsibility of business, the need for
innovations to attract financial support for humanitarian projects, and the desire
of universities to promote practical learning for students. This event is a response
to the need for global public initiatives to collaborate with business and academic
institutions to develop humanitarian projects. The target groups of this social
action were staff and students of the LPNU, in particular, students majoring in
Social Communications were involved in the development of the cases. The
experience of the audience and speakers during the roundtable discussion
summarised the findings of the study that can be used for further research on
citizen science in general or its areas. A total of 26 participants were engaged from
LPNU, as well as student activists.
4.3.5. Action 18. Webinar "Psychological support for citizens in
humanitarian aid in crisis situations" (Ukraine, LPNU)
Type of social action: Working/Research group
The academic community and students of the LPNU have experience of living and
studying in a crisis situation, including the one caused by the war (since 2014),
like no other. Despite this, they remain an active source of help for other citizens
and all those in need, using the achievements of science and developments
obtained during scientific research. This is what determined the topic of this event.
One of the key prerequisites for holding such a webinar is the need for
psychological support and the growing psychological stress among Ukrainian
citizens in crisis situations caused by the war. The webinar discussion allowed
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participants to identify effective methods of overcoming psychological problems in
crisis situations that serve the educational and informational purposes of citizen
science.The target groups of this social action were staff and students of the LPNU
and a total of 18 participants were engaged.
4.3.6. Action 19. The Cosmic Hackathon “Baltic Universities’ students for
Ukrainian cultural heritage protection through space data and Earth
observations” (online, Web2Learn)
Type of social action: Hackathon
The NASA Space Apps Challenge 2023 is a global event organized by NASA,
consisting of multiple hackathons hosted in various locations worldwide. The
Dnipro event, one of these hackathons, was hosted by Noosphere in an online
format. During the Dnipro hackathon, Web2Learn organized a specific challenge
supported by Space4CC co-founders and the National Observatory of Athens. This
particular event aimed to enhance the awareness and skills of Baltic and
Ukrainian students in safeguarding Ukrainian cultural heritage. The target
participants were students, staff, and stakeholders from Baltic and Ukrainian
universities, including business representatives. The event spanned two days and
focused on intensive collaboration among participants to achieve the hackathon's
goals.
Web2Learn’s Challenge hosted two teams, each comprising six members,
including students and researchers from Baltic universities, Greece, and Ukraine,
and two expert mentors for these teams (14 participants in total). This diverse
participation highlighted the international and interdisciplinary approach to
addressing the hackathon's objectives.
4.3.7. Action 20. Hackathon on “Young professionals using space data to
safeguard Ukrainian cultural heritage” (online, Web2Learn)
Type of social action: Hackathon
Web2Learn hosted a challenge for Baltic and Ukrainian university students,
similar to action 19, with both actions focusing on using geo and space data to
safeguard Ukrainian cultural heritage. However, action 20 was part of the
DigiEduHack 2023, a global series of hackathons aimed at solving educational
challenges using digital technologies that brings together educators, students,
innovators, and entrepreneurs to collaborate on creating solutions for various
educational issues, fostering innovation and creativity in the education sector.
This event engaged students from Baltic and Ukrainian universities in using
advanced technological resources for preserving Ukrainian cultural heritage
amidst conflict. Unlike the Dnipro event, which was part of the NASA Space Apps
Challenge 2023, this hackathon emphasised educational innovation and creativity
in the education sector.
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The primary goal of the hackathon was to document and analyse the impact of
the ongoing conflict on Ukraine's cultural heritage, employing innovative methods
for preservation and documentation. The hackathon was supported by Earth
observation experts, co-founders of Space4CC, and the National Observatory of
Athens, who provided mentorship and guidance.
This event differed in team composition and the projects they prepared, which
pursued different goals. Participants in the hackathon included 12 students from
the Baltic countries, Greece, and Ukraine, working under expert mentorship. This
event offered a concise yet intensive platform for learning, innovation, and solution
development over two days, similar to the Dnipro event but within the framework
of DigiEduHack 2023.
This diverse group of young professionals brought together a wide range of skills
and perspectives to tackle the challenge.
4.4. Empowerment level of citizen engagement
4.4.1. Action 21. Folk dance workshop (Estonia, TLU)
Type of social action: Art event
The aim of this action was to assist with the social integration of Ukrainians into
Estonian society by promoting positive interactions and building social
connections. The target groups were young Ukrainian war refugees (aged 11-14)
in Estonia and Estonian residents (aged 9-11). The workshop also extended its
impact to the families of the participants. Key collaborators included folk dance
groups and their teachers, who were actively involved in planning and executing
the program. A pre-event took place in Tallinn University at EduTeckHack in
November 2023, and the main activity – a folk dance workshop – took place the
following month for two hours. In total, 31 children took part in the main
workshop: 15 were Estonians and 16 Ukrainians. In addition, the teachers of each
group were actively involved.
4.4.2. Action 22. “Spend a day with me” language tandem (Estonia, TLU)
Type of social action: Do-it-yourself
Recognizing that language barriers hinder refugees’ access to the labour market
and their ability to handle daily tasks such as shopping, seeking medical care,
and attending school, Tallinn University organized an initiative to support
foreigners’ integration into a new culture and language space by offering
mentoring and simulating everyday situations. Eight Ukrainian refugees residing
in Estonia participated in the mentoring (offered by 5 TLU students during the
LIFE course) and they entered the programme based on their interest and personal
connections with the organizers who discovered that almost every Estonian
around had contact with a Ukrainian refugee in some capacity. The meetings,
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where refugees could practise everyday language in informal settings, took place
over two months.
4.4.3. Action 23. LIFE course on citizen engagement actions to provide
humanitarian aid or educational support to Ukrainians in Estonia and
Ukraine (Estonia, Tallinn University)
Type of social action: Do-it-yourself
LIFE (Learning in Interdisciplinary Focused Environment) is an interdisciplinary
mandatory course where students from different study fields carry out a
collaborative project on a topic of their interest. Three lecturers at TLU prepared
and offered a LIFE course related to the Baltics4UA project. The course lasted one
semester and was worth 6 ECTS, equating to 156 academic hours. Students from
different study fields who are interested in the topic were encouraged to apply.
The aim for a project was to develop and create (prepare, organize, run, evaluate,
analyze and report) support activities for engaging citizens to provide
humanitarian aid and /or educational support to Ukrainians in Estonia and in
Ukraine. Students could take into account the results and methodology of the
Baltics4UA project. In total, 15 participants were accepted to the course and were
divided into three smaller groups based on their interest. Each group had a
supervisor. Several seminars for all the groups were organised by supervisors, and
the mid-term session and presentations were organised by the university.
5. Impact
To measure the impact of the social actions, as part of the post-event evaluation
and feedback, the participants were asked whether the activities met the aims and
objectives that were set by the project. The post-action survey was implemented
for 16 activities out of 23. The quantitative summary of the feedback reflects the
general impact of the activities based on the participants’ self-reflections. As there
are few answers, they are not separated depending on the length, type, or profile
of participants, nor other features of activities.
All partners asked participants to fill the post-action survey, which consisted of
six agreed-upon questions to measure the impact of the social activities. There
were 448 participants who took part in different activities, and 31% of them (138)
gave feedback. In some cases, the feedback form was translated into the
participants’ native language if needed (e.g. in action 21, the folk dance workshop,
the feedback form was translated into Estonian and Ukrainian, and participating
children could fill it in in their preferred language).
There was an open-ended question about whether the activity met the needs of
the participants. Eighty five percent of the participants declared that the activities
met their expectations. Participants were asked to rate on a Likert scale from 1 to
5 (5 being the most likely) how likely it was that they would participate in a similar
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action in the future, and the average score was 4,8. As an open-ended question,
we asked whether participants have any motivation or interest in engaging in
actions that address a social purpose. Seventy percent of the respondents declared
they have an interest in engaging in social actions, with some of them describing
their general interest in such a field, and some others stating that their
participation depends on the concrete purposes and context.
Participants were asked how much the action helped to increase their motivation
or interest in engaging in university-driven initiatives for Ukraine and Ukrainian
refugees, and answers were collected in a Likert scale by offering the following
options: Not at all, Slightly, Very much, I’m not sure. 63 % of the respondents (82
people) agreed that the action increased their motivation and interest very much,
21% (22 people) slightly, 14% not sure (19 people), and 2% (three people) assessed
that the activity did not motivate them into action at all (see Figure 1).
47% (60 people) of the respondents would definitely recommend participating in a
citizen engagement action for a social purpose to a friend or colleague, 35% (44
people) would probably do that, 6% (eight people) definitely not, 3% (four people)
probably not, and 9% (11 people) were not sure about it (see Figure 2).
Figure 1. Post-action survey respondents’ answers to the question about the activities impact their
motivation and interest to take part in the
university-driven initiatives.
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Participants’ general satisfaction with the event or action was 9,1 measured in a
Likert scale of 1 (not satisfied at all) to 10 (very satisfied).
In addition, the organisers of the actions were asked to describe the impact of
each action taking into account the concrete aim and goals of the action, and the
level of citizen engagement applied for each. The assessments in free forms were
analysed in a qualitative way. In total, there were 3 actions which applied the
participation at the highest level, and were aimed to empower the participants –
the actions were organised by Tallinn University (see Table 1).
Figure 2. Post-action survey respondents’ answers to the question recommending similar
participation to a friend or
colleague.
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Table 1. The actions which applied the highest level of participation – empowerment.
The name of the
action
Objectives of the action
Impact of the action
Folk Dance
Workshop,
action 21
To establish meaningful
social bonds by using
shared interests in national
culture.
The children's response to the folk-
dance workshop event was inspiring
and positive, highlighting the
importance of cultural exchange and
understanding. Their feedback
highlighted the following positive
aspects: 1) the joy of sharing culture,
2) strengthening friendship and
tolerance, 3) emotional engagement,
4) desire to participate in similar
events.
Language peer-
to-peer support
"Spend a day
with me",
action 22
To help Ukrainian refugees
engage with the Estonian
language in everyday
scenarios in order to foster
language acquisition and
ease cultural adaptation.
Ukrainian refugees who took part in
the project reported that they got
more information about the areas
they were interested in, e.g. further
study possibilities in Estonia, sports,
arts, job seeking, etc. The students
who organized the activity learned
about teamwork, and also acquired
new knowledge about Ukrainian
culture and the challenges
encountered by Ukrainians in
Estonia, as well as about Estonian
structures and the basics of language
support.
LIFE course for
planning
activities to
support
Ukrainian
refugees in
Estonia,
action 23
To bring together students
from different curricula to
find out the best activities
to support Ukrainian
refugees in Estonia.
Students led their own activities to
make a difference, including finding
the activity, target groups, and
implementing the activities. Students
learned about group dynamics, team
work, and working to help refugees.
The activities drove participants to take an active role in the community to support
Ukrainian refugees. After participation in these activities, students were engaged
to be proactive and organised three different activities for, and together with,
Ukrainian refugees in their city. Two of those activities – the folk dance workshop
and language peer-to-peer support “Spend a day with me” – contributed
cumulatively to participants' empowerment to take an active role as citizens in
their resident country.
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6. Challenges and lessons learnt
The project partners faced various challenges in organising events and activities
before and during the events. Some of them were foreseen in advance, but some
of the challenges were completely unexpected and required flexibility and
adaptation to the changed situation.
The organising teams faced some difficulties in engaging stakeholders and
identifying their interests and needs. The Lithuanian partners identified that, as
the public lecture was given by academics (LT, Public lecture, Information
Warfare: Industry 4.0 Technologies for Freedom, Security and Justice, action 2),
the title and description of the lecture may have been too academic and
incomprehensible to some of the event participants. Some participants asked for
clarification before the event as to what the lecture would be about. Afterwards,
the organisers realised that the event title and description needed to be simplified
and shortened, as the lecture was not aimed at academics but at the general
public, who may not be familiar with some of the concepts known to scholars. A
similar situation was identified by the Estonian partners in action 8 (EE, UT,
Public lecture and Networking Event, Meeting with the Ukrainian Ambassador).
According to them, a significant challenge also revolved around anticipating the
Ambassador's delivery style during the lecture, which, for the most part, leaned
towards a formal presentation rather than an engaging discussion. However, this
was effectively addressed through the subsequent Q&A session, injecting vitality
into the discussion. Additionally, the informal reception, purposefully designed for
casual interactions, provided a valuable opportunity for participants to engage
directly with the Ambassador. Latvian partners faced a similar situation in their
efforts to establish effective cooperation with researchers and master students,
which included aligning objectives, and managing expectations (LV, UL, Public
lecture “Leadership in times of crises”, action 4). This required significant effort in
communication and negotiation to ensure all parties are committed and
contributing effectively to the shared goals. During the action, keeping
participants engaged was difficult, as engagement strategies need to be dynamic
– and it was early Saturday morning. For the future, social actions could benefit
from more flexible scheduling and the use of interactive technologies to facilitate
participation regardless of physical location or time constraints.
Challenges have arisen in coordinating communication and cooperation between
various stakeholders. According to the Latvian partners, organising a youth
debate tournament presented significant challenges, particularly in establishing
effective cooperation with partners and ensuring access to target groups (action
10, LV, UL, Youth debate tournament at the War Museum). The Latvian partners
also experienced challenges in action 11 (LV, UL, Public lecture and discussion
about local government challenges in Ukraine during the war), while establishing
cooperation between the student council, Erasmus students, and researchers
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from other relevant organisations. The Estonian partners also faced some
challenges related to differences among participants in action 23 (EE, TLU, LIFE
course on Citizen engagement actions to provide humanitarian aid or educational
support to Ukrainians in Estonia and Ukraine). Participants were from different
study fields, and they have different rhythms in study programmes, so it was
difficult to manage to bring everyone together at the same time and to the same
room. Students needed to be self-directed and autonomous in their group work
but it was not always smooth. The Estonian partners also stressed that reaching
Ukrainian students was challenging and highlighted the importance of
communication with the administrative staff and finding the person who was
responsible (action 13, EE, LTU, Survey researching Ukrainian students at Tallinn
University).
The Greek partners highlighted the engagement of Baltic university students as
one of the main challenges, given the online format and the intense nature of the
two-day hackathon (action 20, GR, Web2Learn, Young professionals using space
data to safeguard Ukrainian cultural heritage). Time constraints posed a
significant challenge, as participants had to quickly assimilate complex
information and collaborate effectively to produce viable solutions.
Language was also a challenge that the project partners had to overcome when
organising events. According to the Estonian partners, one of the primary
challenges in action 1 (EE, UT, Movie Screening “Who are we? Psychoanalysis of
Ukrainians”) was ensuring universal accessibility for the movie, given that it was
in Ukrainian. To address this, they needed to incorporate English subtitles.
Although the movie was openly accessible, obtaining the director's consent was
crucial. The Latvian partners also identified language-related challenges when
organizing action 10 (LV, UL, Youth debate tournament at the War Museum).
Given that the students involved were international students from diverse
linguistic backgrounds, including Ukrainian students, ensuring that all
participants had sufficient English language proficiency to engage fully in the
debates was a challenge. English, serving as the lingua franca for the event,
required participants to not only understand complex topics related to war and
peace, but also to articulate their thoughts, arguments, and feedback effectively
in a non-native language. This could potentially hinder some students' ability to
participate fully and express themselves as clearly as they might in their native
language. The Greek partners also identified the language barrier as the main
challenge they faced during the event and the time available for the team to
coordinate and cooperate was limited (action 19, GR, Web2Learn, The Cosmic
Hackathon). To overcome language barriers, the University of Latvia
recommended offering language support through translation services or language
workshops to enhance inclusivity and engagement. Tallinn University emphasised
the effectiveness of communicating with participants in their native language to
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increase citizen engagement, despite acknowledging the additional efforts required
to organise multilingual events.
Organising events and activities requires a certain level of flexibility and the ability
to change opinions and behaviour. The Estonian partners realised that it was very
important to develop their understanding of multiculturalism and refugees’ status
in action 14 (EE, TLU, Students’ seminar about engaging Ukraine pupils into
educational institutions). During the practice students often met the attitude that
there is no special attention for refugees needed and that the refugees should
participate on a regular basis, like all other young people. Students tried to change
this attitude by providing suggestions for youth organization workers on how to
engage Ukranian refugees in Estonia.
A key lesson drawn from the Baltics4UA project underscores the importance of
seeking feedback from individuals engaged in social initiatives. Many organisers
noted a considerable lack of responses to post-event surveys from participants.
LPNU (UA) suggested that the subdued response could be due to the significant
demands on the academic community, potentially leading to overlooking survey
notifications amid other important communications. A suggested solution to this
issue involves sending polite email reminders prompting survey completion after
the event. KTU (LT), after Beata Kurkul’s exhibition (action 6), concluded that
post-event surveys could be disseminated not only via email, but through other
means of communication, such as a QR code with a link to the survey on the
exhibition description page, or leaflets.
Two events led to changes in participants via movie screenings and discussions
afterwards. The documentaries shown were based on true stories and aimed to
introduce Ukrainian culture and the circumstances in Ukraine during the war.
Moving pictures are evocative and the participants experienced strong emotions,
and felt a sense of closeness to the Ukrainian people. The desire and motivation
to become an actor in social activities was kindled during these sessions.
On the other hand, organisers observed that participants readily provided
feedback immediately following the events. This highlights the necessity of careful
planning to determine the most effective methods for gathering feedback from
participants and offering positive reinforcement. Such positive feedback fosters a
sense of community cohesion and encourages continued engagement in future
social endeavours.
After action 17 (LPNU, Case study championship), the organisers and participants
collectively agreed to continue crisis response sessions to explore sustainable
solutions. This demonstrates a favourable outcome indicating the lasting benefits
of social initiatives. This could be pointed out as a good practice to start
continuous collaboration.
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Several initiatives targeted the youth demographic, including students and
schoolchildren, such as TLU (EE) Folk Dance workshop for children aged 9–14
(action 21) and KTU (LT) public lecture on volunteering for KTU gymnasium
students (action 3). Research by Silke et al. (2024) suggests that exposure to acts
of kindness or activism among social groups promotes empathy development in
young students and schoolchildren.
The LPNU (UA) team highlighted the potential of university students as sources of
innovative ideas in social communications and humanitarian aid. Findings from
the case study championship emphasised the effectiveness of leveraging social
communications to garner business support for humanitarian projects. Engaging
students in social initiatives requires setting specific objectives and tasks tailored
to the characteristics of the younger generation.
The UT (EE) Ukraine treasure hunt event (action 5) serves as a format that could
be replicated in other partner countries or adapted to diverse target demographics.
This social activity serves as an example of a supplementary or extracurricular
endeavour for students, combining entertainment with educational value.
Hackathons organised by Web2Learn provided insights into the importance of
leveraging effective online collaboration and communication tools to facilitate
engagement among participants from diverse geographical locations. The positive
feedback and high satisfaction rates highlight the intrinsic value of incorporating
social objectives into hackathons to foster a sense of community and collective
responsibility among emerging professionals. These insights are poised to guide
future initiatives aiming for greater impact and engagement.
Some of the organisers also emphasised the benefits of collaborating with partners
outside of HEIs (KTU (LT) event about volunteering, action 3; UT (EE) meeting with
the Ukrainian Ambassador, action 8). Cooperation with external partners and
involving them in social actions has laid a strong foundation for further
collaboration in support of Ukraine and citizens affected by the war crisis.
7. Conclusions
The five collaborating universities, along with the business partner Web2Learn,
organized and implemented a collective of 23 social actions catering to university
students, academic and administrative personnel, as well as citizens from the
Baltic states and Ukraine, encompassing a broader spectrum of society. The
majority of these events transpired over a period of five months.
Although only 31% of participants provided their feedback in the post-action
surveys, the general rating of their satisfaction was 9,1 (out of maximum 10), and
85% of participants found that the activity met their expectations. Seventy percent
declared they have motivation and interest to participate in the future in social
actions, and 84% thought the action helped to increase their motivation or interest
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in engaging in university-driven initiatives for Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.
Three out of 23 social actions organised as part of the project applied the highest
level of participation by empowering participants: students were encouraged to
organise the events together with Ukrainian refugees, which functioned as a snow-
ball effect to encourage them to take further action and contribute to the social
life of the resident country. Film screenings and discussion sessions moved
attendees emotionally and motivated participants to become closer and offer their
helping hand to the Ukrainian people living in their communities. Study sessions,
which were implemented together with specific partners from the community,
offered informational tools to use when working for the best social interests.
While the Baltics4UA project achieved significant outcomes in fostering citizen
engagement and addressing the humanitarian crisis, it also encountered
limitations related to organizational challenges, safety concerns, language
barriers, and stakeholder engagement. The safety concerns due to the war in
Ukraine posed challenges in organizing events in Ukraine, requiring the selection
of venues that could ensure participant safety. The language barriers and the need
for translations was particularly challenging when dealing with materials or
presentations in Ukrainian. These limitations underscore the complexity of
implementing comprehensive citizen engagement initiatives and the need for
flexible, adaptive approaches to overcome obstacles. The project’s experience
(challenges and lessons learnt) is also relevant for citizen science endeavours, as
it is important to engage project participants in order to ensure progress in citizen
science projects.
Summarising the experiences of planning and organising social actions, the
project partners highlighted several important lessons. University students, as
well as youth groups and high school students, represent a target audience with
significant potential. Involving youth benefits both sides: organisers gain insights
to effectively engage the younger generation, while young people have the
opportunity to engage in meaningful social activities, foster empathy, and gain a
desire to help people affected by the crisis of war. Additionally, the organisers
noted that public organisations and social partners view social initiatives
organised by universities in a positive light and are willing to collaborate, and
events organised together attract a broader segment of society. It is equally
important to consider certain organisational aspects when social actions are
targeted at groups of different languages and cultures. It is worth considering the
possibilities of implementing multilingual events, preparing at least several
alternative feedback collection strategies, and flexibly planning events to adapt to
participants' needs.
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