Journalists’ Solidarity Centers: strength in unity

Created on the initiative of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) under the auspices of UNESCO and our foreign friends and partners, the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers (JSC) have consolidated Ukrainian journalists in the fight against Russian aggression, become real centers of invincibility, creativity, and professional improvement.

For almost two years, the JSC has been operating under the Zaporizhzhia regional organization of the NUJU. Displaced journalists from the occupied and front-line territories, local media workers, soldier journalists and volunteers, and creative youth come here for support and help, for professional and purely human communication. The Zaporizhzhia JSC became an integral part of the life of the media community during the difficult wartime.

Journalists themselves evaluate JSC’s work as follows:

“The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine do vital work. I can say this as a person who participated in the events. Never before have journalists needed the support of their colleagues so much, and never before has this support been provided in such quantities. I believe that the work of the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers demonstrates not only an example of mutual assistance but also of interaction, working for a common result. And without such work, it would be much more difficult for journalists to communicate with society, which needs clear and transparent information more than ever,” said the head of the All-Ukrainian NGO Mriya/front-line journalist Yurii Hudymenko, who, after being seriously wounded at the front, now takes care of protecting the rights of Ukrainian soldiers.

“The work of the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is very important and serious. When I come to Zaporizhzhia from a business trip to the front, I always come here, talk with my colleagues, and see how they work and how they need psychological support, training, and communication. By the way, I got my protective equipment – helmet and bulletproof vest – right here. And it is here that I recharge with energy and new ideas for my future work,” noted Oleksandr Pavlov, an experienced front-line journalist/local producer/head of the Zaporizhzhia Center for Public Initiatives.

“Do you need JSCs? But here, there are no options… Otherwise, it is completely unclear how journalists from the occupied and front-line territories can stay in the profession; how to preserve the media community in the regions in general, if we are talking about the community,” – emphasized the well-known journalist from Zaporizhzhia/participant in the NUJU’s Executed Free Speech project, Olha Bohlevska.

Call the Zaporizhzhia JSC at 096 277 53 52 (Nataliya Kuzmenko and Valentyna Manzhura, the co-coordinators of the Zaporizhzhia JSC). The Center’s address is 152 Sobornyi Avenue.

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.

Valentyna Bystrova

Photo by Daiya Zyrianova and Yurii Zelinskyi