Journalist Anastasiya Polieshko: “Support from JSC is extremely important”

We met Anastasiya Polieshko at the Ivano-Frankivsk Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) on April 15, 2022. Before the full-scale invasion, she worked as a communications specialist at the Zaporizhzhia City Council. The war forced her to leave her home. Ivano-Frankivsk became a refuge for Anastasiya. The journalist made friends with local colleagues and took an active part in JSC events. Six months later, she returned home but still maintains contact with colleagues whom she found in Prykarpattia (a geographical region of Ukraine).

What happened to Anastasiya Polieshko after returning to her hometown?

“After returning from Ivano-Frankivsk, I stayed with my family in Zaporizhzhia,” says the media woman. “The news was a little scary because they didn’t know what to expect. Soon after the move, the “combat baptism” took place. It, I admit, hardened us. I lived in Zaporizhzhia for a year. Actively communicated with the media. I was responsible for the organization of media events, their announcement, and holding, that is, for accompanying journalists to events. I moderated press conferences. I also wrote, based on the results of the events, materials for the website and social networks.”

Since recently, Anastasiya has worked in Kyiv. She works as an SMM (social media marketing specialist, i.e., a specialist engaged in the promotion of the company on social networks) in one of the most famous charitable foundations in the country, Voices of Children, which provides free psychological support to children and parents who are experiencing the challenges of war.

“This is a very good experience and an opportunity for professional growth and improvement of skills,” notes Anastasiya Polieshko. “And wonderful memories of Ivano-Frankivsk and the Journalists’ Solidarity Center warm the soul. Such support, which I received from the Center at that time, was extremely important and necessary for me! I hope that life will bring us together.”

Call the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC at 066 677 0726 (Viktoriya Plakhta, the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC coordinator). The Center’s address is 25 Sichovykh Striltsiv Street.

ABOUT JSC

The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.

ABOUT UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.

Viktoriya Plakhta, coordinator of Ivano-Frankivsk JSC