Using Storytelling to Challenge Corruption in Ukraine: Youth Speak Out

Editor’s Note: In November of 2018, StoryCenter’s Silence Speaks initiative traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, to work with young people on stories about the impact of corruption on their lives. In this piece, StoryCenter staff member and Kyiv digital storytelling workshop facilitator Amy Hill interviews participating youth and project collaborators, who share their perspectives on why personal storytelling has a role to play in building support for greater transparency and an end to the legacy of corruption that permeates the country’s institutions at levels large and small.

Amy: Magia, why did the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv feel that corruption was such an important issue to take on in a public program with Ukrainian youth?

Magia Krause, Regional Public Engagement Specialist, U.S. Embassy, Kyiv: The Public Affairs Section supports cultural and educational programs that advance the U.S.-Ukraine relationship and support Ukraine on its Euro-Atlantic path. Engaging the next generation of Ukraine’s leaders is key to these efforts. Ukrainian youth consider corruption to be one of the top two issues that are most important for the country to address, according to a May 2018 poll funded by USAID, and conducted by the International Republican Institute’s Center for Insights in Survey Research. Another poll, Youth of Ukraine 2017, conducted by the New Europe Center, found that 70 percent of respondents (people between the ages of 14–29) thought fighting corruption should be the government’s number one priority. 

Mobilizing youth voices against corruption through storytelling is an effective way to energize the conversation and push the needle forward in support of anti-corruption efforts. So the U.S. Embassy eagerly partnered with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) innovative Collaboratory team to design a public diplomacy initiative that could empower alumni of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program to share their own stories about corruption, in an effort to inspire similar efforts in communities throughout Ukraine.

America House Kyiv, the U.S. Embassy’s tech-forward public engagement hub, hosted the storytelling program. They designed a “Young and Uncorrupt” campaign to promote zero tolerance for corruption and encourage civic participation in anti-corruption initiatives. The campaign, timed to coincide with International Anti-Corruption Day in December, featured an interactive exhibit, a high-level panel discussion, a debate competition, and screenings of the FLEX alumni digital stories. The campaign reached nearly 300 people in person, and close to 10,000 online. One visitor noted, “Even though it seems hard, we should continue fighting. [This is] a step into our uncorrupt future.”

Amy: Desiree, as a representative of the Collaboratory, what’s your perspective on the value of personal storytelling for public diplomacy?

Desiree Williamson, Senior Program Designer, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State: ECA’s Collaboratory promotes storytelling for the benefit of our colleagues, participants, and alumni, in order to explain topics important to U.S. foreign policy in ways that better apply to local conditions. The Collaboratory believes that the power of first-person narratives to connect audiences and build empathy across disparate groups often results in deeper, more memorable, and meaningful communication, and encourages all ECA program offices, alumni, and Embassies and Consulates to use storytelling to engage their constituents and promote dialogue in communities. In Ukraine, storytelling has offered younger audiences, especially ECA FLEX alumni, the opportunity to promote transparency in government. The digital storytelling project also allowed ECA to support our U.S. Embassy colleagues’ efforts to support local communities as they battle corruption in Ukraine, five years post-Maidan.

Amy: Anonymous, A.M., and Dmytro, as young people in Ukraine, what led to your interest in the anti-corruption digital storytelling project for FLEX alumni?

Anonymous: I was quite aware of the corruption issues surrounding many aspects of the lives of Ukrainian citizens in medical, education, and various public fields. The motivation to contribute towards solving these issues, and my interest in raising awareness about the negative impact of corruption, led me to participate in this workshop.

A.M.: I wanted to take another view towards this problem in society. Ukrainians are used to ignoring everyday cases of corruption, focusing on loud cases of political scandals. I wanted to share my story in a new way and hear the stories of other participants.

Dmytro: I saw the workshop as an opportunity to speak out against corruption, find people who think the same way, and learn something new about storytelling.

Amy: Why do you think it's important for Ukrainian youth to speak out about their personal experiences with corruption?

Anonymous: I am sure that by sharing our personal experiences with corruption, we allow other people to see the real nature of corruption issues. It all starts from personal experience, which then gradually influences the field of corruption overall. It is very important to speak out about such personal experiences, as the stories become a lot more relatable to others.

A.M.: I believe that speaking about the problem and sharing personal, unique stories of corruption is the first step to changing the status quo. When hearing our stories, people can relate to them and get inspired to avoid resorting to this method of solving uncomfortable situations. Eventually, this attitude of openness will begin to push out the problem itself, because corruption can only thrive beyond closed doors under the watch of ignorant citizens.

Dmytro: Doing such thing helps to create a complete image of the situation from all over Ukraine, and helps people understand that corruption does not necessarily mean situations involving the government and large amounts of money.

Amy: Why did each of you choose to tell the specific story that you told, in the workshop? What was it like, to share it with the other participants?

Anonymous: I decided to choose my story because it affected someone very close to me, and I had been observing this process of one unsuccessfully fighting against corruption in real life. It was quite challenging to share my story with other participants, and to identify the roots of where the problems with corruption appeared to affect the whole situation. The experience was rewarding in many ways.

A.M.: I decided to share my story because it covers corruption in the sphere of education and academic contests. It’s important to draw attention to this specific type of corruption, to make the space where children begin to grasp life concepts based on moral values, not unfair treatment. I felt vulnerable sharing my story with the participants. These stories are not usually shared beyond the family circle, so the first time saying this aloud to a group of strangers has empowered me to continue speaking up if I face similar problems in the future.

Dmytro: I chose my story because it was the one from my childhood that changed my way of seeing the problem of corruption and identifying it. It was good to share with the other participants, because I could hear their comments on the situation and discuss what was right or wrong about the way the problem was solved.

Amy: After the workshop, all of the stories have been shared on YouTube and via social media by the project partners, but how have you been sharing your completed video? How have viewers responded?

Anonymous: I’ve shared my video on social media, and viewers responded in different ways, as the whole story, mainly the outcomes of corruption, seemed quite controversial for them.

A.M.: To share my video, as well as the stories of other participants, I organized a public screening at the local “Window on America” Centre in my area. In addition to this, I invited a local activist to share his story of fighting against corruption on an institutional level. I did not expect such an active audience. After every story, we had a discussion about the situation in our town, and personal experiences. A lot of the stories struck a chord in the hearts of the audience. Participants expressed support and understanding. It was interesting to see how the opinions about every story differed, based on age, area of work, and even gender of the commentators. 

Amy: Thank you so much for sharing your powerful stories! What other ideas do you have, for addressing corruption in Ukraine, and how do you see these ideas as part of your future?

A.M.: I have many ideas for addressing corruption in Ukraine, such as the implementation of small-scale events or trainings to raise the awareness about these issues across many Ukrainian regions, at schools and at youth regional centers, as well as at the "Window on America" locations across Ukraine. For now, I hope that in the near future these problems with corruption have a chance to be solved, and that the amount of corruption will continue to decrease drastically over the next years.

Dmytro: The best way to address corruption is to prevent it in the first place. People wouldn’t want to be involved in corruption if they could easily do whatever they need to do, without it. I strongly believe that in some time, Ukraine will be able to kill corruption and will become a more prosperous country.

Watch all of the Ukraine Youth Speak Out Against Corruption now!

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