Country of Residence
United States
Age
17
Project title
Slavic Voice 4 Ukraine: If Ukraine Were a Page
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Slavic Voice 4 Ukraine (SV4U) is a youth-led organization with 500+ members across 20 states and 7 countries, amplifying Ukrainian voices through education, storytelling, and advocacy; our traveling scrapbook, “If Ukraine Were a Page,” will bring communities together through free workshops where each participant contributes 1 page exploring Ukrainian culture, history, and identity.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.slavicvoice.com/
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Scaling (We’re expanding impact to new locations or in new and innovative ways)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
Leah Mordehai and I co-founded Slavic Voice 4 Ukraine as first-generation Ukrainian Americans who could not scroll away. About a month after the full-scale invasion, we watched people move on from Ukraine. Their feeds changed, but our families were still affected. For us, this was our community and the people we loved. We kept finding ways to help, sharing Ukrainian stories and encouraging other young people to get involved. As more youth joined, we realized how many people wanted to help but needed a place to start. SV4U grew into a network of 500+ members across 20 states and 7 countries. Our work expanded into education, fundraising, and advocacy, including bringing young people to Capitol Hill and the United Nations to speak directly with lawmakers. As we gained traction, we wanted to bring more youth together, including those without a personal connection to Ukraine. That inspired “If Ukraine Were a Page,” a traveling scrapbook where each participant contributes 1 page through art, writing, or personal stories. It carries forward the reason we started SV4U: helping people build a connection to Ukraine that lasts after they scroll away.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Many young people hear about Ukraine through war coverage but have few opportunities to learn about its people, history, and culture. As attention shifts, Ukrainian experiences can disappear from everyday conversations even while families continue living with the consequences of war. For Ukrainian youth, this can mean seeing our country discussed without hearing voices like our own. For others, it can mean wanting to help but not knowing enough about Ukraine or where to begin. This matters to Leah and me because our connection does not end when the news cycle changes. Our families, language, and traditions are part of the country people are scrolling past. We want others to understand the lives and communities behind those headlines. Through SV4U’s work reaching 10,000+ young people, we have created opportunities to learn and get involved. We want to build on that through an accessible community project where people can ask questions, share experiences, and create something together. In America, a country shaped by immigrant communities, these conversations can also help young people connect over experiences of identity, displacement, and belonging.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
SV4U combines Ukrainian education, storytelling, and advocacy to help young people learn and take action. “If Ukraine Were a Page” brings that mission to life through a shared creative experience. We plan to hold free workshops across our chapters. Each will begin with an educational presentation or guest speaker introducing Ukrainian history, culture, and lived experiences. Participants will then respond to 1 question: “If Ukraine were a page, what would yours look like?” Each person will create 1 page through drawing, collage, poetry, photographs, recipes, or personal writing. A Ukrainian participant might share a family tradition. Someone learning about Ukraine for the first time might reflect on a story or historical event that stayed with them. We will provide materials and support so people can participate without purchasing supplies or having art experience. Our 5 youth leaders will coordinate outreach, speakers, educational activities, materials, and the workshops. The pages will become 1 traveling scrapbook. At each workshop, participants will see earlier contributions before adding their own, allowing people from different communities to learn from one another. A final public showcase will share the completed scrapbook. Participants can then continue their involvement through SV4U’s education, storytelling, and volunteer opportunities.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
SV4U has grown into a network of 500+ members across 20 states and 7 countries. Our broader work has reached 10,000+ young people and helped raise more than $50,000 to support Ukraine. We have also facilitated 400+ congressional meetings and brought youth from 4 states to Capitol Hill. Those numbers reflect young people finding ways to contribute through education, fundraising, storytelling, and advocacy. They also give us a community of members and supporters to build this project with. For this project, we will measure workshop attendance, completed pages, and participant feedback. We want to understand what people learned, whether they felt their experiences were represented, and whether they chose to stay involved. The finished scrapbook will preserve those contributions beyond the workshops. As it travels, more people will encounter Ukrainian stories and the perspectives of young people learning alongside them.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
“If Ukraine Were a Page” turns a national network into a shared creative community. Young people will create pages locally, and we will bring those pages together into 1 scrapbook. Each contribution will remain personal while becoming part of a larger story. The format is approachable: 1 person, 1 page. Someone can write a memory, draw a place, share a recipe, or create a collage. This allows people with different backgrounds, language abilities, and levels of art experience to participate. Education is part of the creative process. Participants will learn about Ukrainian history and culture before deciding what they want to express. Ukrainian youth can share their own experiences, while others can contribute thoughtful responses to what they have learned. The project also creates room for Ukrainian identities beyond war coverage. Pages can explore family traditions, humor, language, food, and everyday memories alongside experiences of displacement. Our youth leaders will coordinate the project with chapter leaders, drawing on SV4U’s network of 500+ members across 20 states and 7 countries. This structure allows local communities to shape their workshops while contributing to a common national project. The finished scrapbook will show how people from different places can learn about Ukraine and build something together, even if they never meet in person.
How many people are on your team?
25
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Leah Mordehai and I, Nellie Fouksman, are SV4U’s co-founders and co-presidents. Together, we coordinate the national project, develop educational materials, and oversee page collection and scrapbook assembly. Each participating state has a regional director or youth leader who organizes local workshops, recruits participants, and coordinates contributions. We share planning and decisions with these leaders so each community helps shape the project.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, we plan to bring “If Ukraine Were a Page” to youth across the United States through SV4U’s chapters. Regional directors and youth leaders will organize free workshops where participants learn about Ukraine and create individual pages. Leah and I will then collect those contributions and assemble them into 1 national scrapbook. We want to present the completed book at the next Ukraine Action Summit and bring it to Capitol Hill to share with lawmakers during advocacy meetings. Each page will give them a chance to hear directly from young people through their artwork, memories, and reflections on Ukraine. Beyond the summit, we hope to present the book at schools, libraries, community events, and cultural spaces across the country. We want contributors to see their work reach new audiences and help start conversations far beyond their own communities. We will track participation, completed pages, feedback, and where the book is presented. As more chapters join, we hope to continue collecting pages and growing the project so more young people can have their voices included.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
SV4U has engaged 500+ members across 20 states and 7 countries by giving young people ways to contribute. Members have educated peers, shared Ukrainian stories, raised funds, and advocated directly with lawmakers. Our broader educational outreach has reached 10,000+ young people. For “If Ukraine Were a Page,” we will recruit nationally through our state leaders, chapters, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, school connections, and community outreach. The invitation is simple: learn about Ukraine and contribute 1 page. Free materials and different creative options make joining approachable. Participants do not need to be Ukrainian, have art experience, or arrive with a finished idea. They can listen, ask questions, and decide what they want their page to express. Regional directors and youth leaders will organize local workshops with volunteers who help recruit participants, prepare materials, and collect pages. This gives young people responsibility for bringing their communities into the project. We will share the assembled scrapbook with participating communities so contributors can see how their individual pages became part of a national effort. Participants can then stay involved through SV4U’s education, storytelling, advocacy, and volunteer opportunities.
