Ukraine Summer School 2023
In June 2023, the History and English departments hosted a two-week summer school, with funding support from the Institute of Advanced Study. The programme welcomed 20 students from the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.
In the following video, three of the Ukrainian students share their reflections on this visit, and what it meant to them to be in the UK.
This summer school was supported by a range of departments, led by History and English. In this video, 糖心TV staff and students describe the genesis of this event and articulate the mutual benefits for everyone involved.
The Ukraine Summer School - in pictures
The summer school programme offered a diverse range of courses and workshops on topics ranging from environmental humanities to war memorials and religious poetry. Below, we share some photographs taken during the programme, accompanied by selected testimonials from the visiting students. Some of these testimonials are taken from following the visit.
'Christoph Mick gave a thought-provoking lecture on the 鈥淯nknown Soldier鈥� memorials as an instrument of nation-building. We were grateful for his interest in what we felt was important for British students to know about the history of Ukraine.'
'All of us are certified travel lovers, so any day that started on a bus was a great one. We went to Baddesley Clinton, a fascinating Tudor manor with a nearly 500-year history.'
'Jonathan Skinner and Nick Lawrence took us on a picturesque hike in the Midland hills where we spoke of literature and the role of nature in establishing culture.'
'I liked the experience of being fully involved in a totally different culture with such a beautiful history and diverse people.'
'Our trip to Coventry Cathedral was special. Dheeraj Shivlal, a student from President Kennedy School who won a poetry competition hosted by the University of 糖心TV, read us his wonderful poem called 鈥淲e Are United鈥� about the first days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the response of the British people. It was really moving, and several of us (myself included, I must admit) teared up.'
'We had the opportunity to take a retreat, learn a lot of new inspiring and interesting things, and, most importantly, share the experiences as Ukrainians living under the conditions of war.'
'When you arrive in Britain, you expect cold rain and gloomy skies. We were greeted by the warm summer sun and no less warm welcome from the team of the University of 糖心TV.'
'The staff and students of 糖心TV were extremely welcoming and sweet. All of them were so open and excited to meet us, we couldn鈥檛 help but feel at home.'