Artūras Žarnovskis, Co-Create Future of Ukraine Programme Manager

We have already talked on multiple occasions about the Baltic countries, and Lithuania in particular, treating Ukrainian troubles as their own. These countries are providing Ukraine with all the help possible - at all levels and in various areas, including a key area such as recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.

Highly illustrative of this is the creation in Lithuania, within the structure of its Central Project Management Agency, of a specialized entity that is dealing with Lithuanian programs for Ukraine and would be helpful in recovery and reconstruction of our country -- Co-create Future of Ukraine. Ukrinform spoke with Artūras Žarnovskis, Co-Create Future of Ukraine Program Manager.

ADAPTIVE VS STANDARD PROJECT

- Let's start our conversation with the "Future School for Ukraine" architectural contest, announced and initiated by Lithuania, especially as it is entering a decisive phase.

- Yes, there is not much time, specifically four weeks left until the end of the deadline for submission of ideas and applications. But I want to go back a little. Because in this case, the "zero phase" was very important, which is the drawing up of the rules of the contest.  So that it doesn't happen as it sometimes happens - where those who want to help, Western countries, supposedly know better what Ukraine needs than the Ukrainians themselves. During that time, we had been working very closely with Ukrainian professionals -- architects, teachers, members of various institutions. And, of course, we also had contact with Lithuanians and experts from other countries. As a result of this collaborative work we designated the requirements for project ideas, and set the rules of the contest. There was one principal aspect, consisting in the requirement that joint teams participate in the contest, in which at least one architect is from Ukraine and at least one is from a country other than Ukraine.

- That is, a contesting team is supposed to consist of a minimum of two architects?

- Yes, that’s right. Therefore, May 23 marks the end of the deadline for submission of project ideas. Then the jury, which includes architects from Lithuania, Ukraine, and Scandinavian countries, enters the process. In addition to architects (who will have a majority), the jury also includes experts in other fields: education, construction, enforcement of safety regulations ... In mid-June, the winners will be determined - those who will win the first, second and third places. And in July, a contract will be drawn up and awarded to the winning team. Then the team will start working, preparing a technical design of the "school of the future" encompassing, as experts in that area say, “everything up to the last socket".

- As stipulated in the rules of the contest, its goal is to "develop an adaptive design project for schools reconstruction." What do you mean when saying “project adaptability”?

- I mean that this will be a technical project that can be suitable for different regions, different cities in Ukraine. It is going to be an adaptive project, not the so-called "standard project" as it used to be in Soviet times, where fully identical school buildings were constructed in Lithuania, Ukraine, and other parts of the USSR. The adaptability of the project means there is kind of a base, a technical "core", to which a specific location will be tied. It therefore will not be necessary to do the design work "from scratch" every time. We appreciate how important this is, given the crisis in Ukraine’s education system, how many schools have been destroyed as a result of aggression, how severe the shortage of schools is. First, it saves time, and secondly, it saves money, because a quality technical project costs a lot. And there is third, which is no less important, especially for small settlements, small communities. Under normal conditions, they do not have the chance to recruit famous architects who can offer a modern view of the school. And thanks to our project, such an opportunity arises! And we believe that these schools will last 50 years or longer.

LITHUANIA IS BUILDING UNDERGROUND SCHOOLS IN SIX LOCATIONS IN UKRAINE

- You once said that the "Future School for Ukraine" project might have a follow-up in the form of similar contests dealing with kindergartens, hospitals, etc.

- Yes, we keep such an idea - multifunctional projects - in our heads. But now our focus – that is, of Lithuanian institutions, is on the field of education. For the record, we have already recovered a large school in Borodyanka and a day-care center in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast. We are currently engaged in a large project in the Mykolaiv Oblast and other close-to-frontline areas that have regularly come under shellfire. These will be bomb-shelter schools secured for wartime conditions. In peacetime, the shelters can be used as multifunctional premises for sports, entertainment, etc. ... So, if this technical project "School of the Future for Ukraine" is a success, then, of course, we will have to think about other projects as well: kindergartens, hospitals and about relevant contests.

- What are the criteria by which you will judge this ongoing project a success?

- What we want and hope for… That this is not going to become just another set of well-written documentation, but will be a real business. The goal, let me remind you, is to get children returned to schools. We therefore are already working on a parallel track recruiting those people who could help build these new schools. After all, a donor always wants to finance good, high-quality projects. Therefore, we hope that the "School of the Future..." will be really helpful in searching out more new donors for Ukraine.

- Could you disclose any details of the project that you’ve mentioned regarding bomb shelter schools in Mykolayiv Oblast and other regions?

- We are talking about specific locations in six regions: Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhya, Sumy, and Chernihiv Oblasts. There is one more potential location, probably in the Kharkiv Oblast, but have yet to choose where exactly. What’s the idea? In some Ukrainian regions, children cannot attend schools as the full-scale war is ongoing. This is a huge problem. And if we recall the previous Covid-19 restrictions, it turns out that this is already the fourth school year in a row where children do not go to school. Just imagine, there are fourth graders who have never attended school classes physically, not online.

We are therefore starting to build large bomb shelter schools in regions I’ve mentioned. And these projects will be constructed "from scratch", in locations where, unfortunately, there were no bomb shelters previously. Safety requirements for this kind of underground facilities include, among other things, anti-radiation protection, just to be safe... I reiterate this again: our goal is to ensure that children are able to go back to the learning process involving offline communication with each other and with teachers. Under peacetime conditions,  such bomb shelters could be used for different purposes: sports, cultural activities, children’s leisure time outside of school hours. I think we will be able to finish this construction project already this year.

THERE IS NO TEXTBOOK ON HOW TO WORK IN WARTIME

- How are your business contacts going in Ukraine - with construction industry members, local authorities, colleagues from the Ukrainian Reconstruction Agency?

- To be honest, I have heard many times misconceptions about bureaucracy, corruption and other negative things in Ukraine. But I personally have not encountered any of this. And I think that the level of those people with whom we contacted during the work is very high. We ourselves have a lot to learn from them: in terms of efficiency, motivation, professionalism. Therefore, we did not see any big problems; on the contrary, sometimes we had to catch up... This does not mean to say, however, that there are no problems at all in business contacting. Problems are there, indeed, but there is a feeling that we all are in the same boat and have to solve everything somehow. In these regions that I’ve mentioned to you, from Odesa and Mykolaiv to Sumy and Chernihiv, I met highly professional people everywhere who work quickly and professionally at the local level. Also, I can only say good things about your institutions.

But if we are talking about the construction project as such, there are many objective problems in this regard, related to a shortage of labor force as a result of military mobilization in the second winter of the war; and in the first winter there were serious problems caused by electricity blackouts. It comes to reason that we all learn as we go to do our jobs. Because there is no textbook that would teach how to work in wartime. But in general, I reiterate it, my experience is certainly positive.

- In one of your broadcasts, a woman working in the field of education in Borodyanka, who spoke after you, could not hold back tears of gratitude and emotion... What do working trips across Ukraine mean to you, especially after the start of full-scale war?

- You said about the beginning of full-scale war, but I want to recall what happened before. The school that became my first project in Ukraine was in Avdiivka. We opened it in 2021 by September 1, the day when school year traditionally starts in Ukraine. The school was so beautiful, it stood out in the whole city, but even then it had already suffered a lot from war. This building was, in fact, the brightest place in the city. But it turned out that Ukrainian children had been studying in such a new and really good school for only a little more than half a year before it was destroyed by the aggressor country... This makes people often ask me whether this came as a demotivating factor for me. My answer is, on the contrary, motivation; this came as a motivating factor!

Recovery and reconstruction, especially when we talk about schools, is symbolizing to me resistance and hope. Because a country that cares about schools, about the future and about children cannot be defeated. For me, this is a significant element of the overall battle Ukraine is waging, defending the entire democratic world. Yes, when it comes to motivation, I am gaining strength in Ukraine - with thoughts about reconstruction, about the future of your country...

But I will not hide the fact that trips to a belligerent state are emotionally stressful, difficult for me. And I often think about those people, men, who are fighting at the Front. They probably feel far more relaxed and calm when they know their children have a safe environment. War, family, economy – these are all interconnected. If you send your child to a day-care center with a calm heart, you can do your job better, supporting the economy of your country. Same applies to the hope and the future. Yes, we all have to appreciate that when the war is as total as it is now, all spheres become interconnected. It is therefore necessary to go beyond the boundaries of such a narrow understanding - only school, only education... For me, all these projects are about courage, resistance, and hope.

BY HELPING UKRAINE WE ALSO HELP OURSELVES

- The day-care center Lithuania has recovered in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, is named "Ruta" -- a wonderful word that is common to the Ukrainian and Lithuanian languages. Actually, we have a lot of historical ties - from the past, the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, to the present day, the aspirations towards the EU and NATO.

- The further I go, the more I become confident that a successful Ukraine is one of the key conditions for a successful Lithuania. In my opinion, that is how it was in all ages... I view it not only in historical or political terms. There is just one simple illustrative example. My father used to take me as a child to football matches where Zalgiris Vilnius was playing. I remember how our fans, our supporters always fought with football fans from Moscow – supporters of Spartak, Dynamo and CSKA. But they had always been friends with Dynamo Kyiv's fans. From that time on, it remained in the subconscious mind that this is a nation, a country that should be supported, be friends with... Yes, I repeat it, the success of our countries is closely interconnected - one is impossible without the other.

- American researcher, Timothy Snyder titled his book about Eastern Europe of the 1930s and 1940s "Bloodlands". And now the time has come when the words "war", "blood", "occupation" have returned to our lives, at least with respect to Ukraine, where you often go. Does it bring back any family memories to you?

- Probably, there is no Lithuanian family that has not suffered from occupation, from terror. People were relocated to Siberia and often killed on the spot. Therefore, each and every person in Lithuania well understands what is happening in Ukraine, and not only at the political level, and who we have to deal with. There are no illusions left about the enemy. At the same time, it is just as well understood by us all who is now on the side of the truth... If we talk about my family, then yes - my grandparents, and from both sides, suffered a lot in those cruel times from the Soviet, Stalinist regime... Unfortunately, everything is repeating itself historically in these "bloodlands". Every time I am in Ukraine and someone thanks me for our help, I feel uncomfortable. It is I, it is we who should be grateful, because, in fact, it’s you, the Ukrainians, who are now defending not only your own state, but also Lithuania and all of independent Europe.

- With a neighbor such as Russia, no one is safe from aggression. To what extent is Vilnius, Lithuania are learning and ready to benefit from the experiences that you, your institution have acquired in Ukraine?

- It is true, no one is immune from such aggression. But thanks to you, we have extra time. And therefore we can learn lessons and do our "homework", which we probably failed to do in due time before. When we are planning new air raid shelters, we are also thinking about the safety of our population, and so the knowledge we’ve acquired in Ukraine is of vital importance for Lithuania. To be honest, I was frequently invited to attend meetings of all kinds, conferences and discussions, both at the municipal level and the governmental and national levels. The topic is still the same – air raid shelters, hide-outs.

The lessons learnt and the additional knowledge gained from the Ukrainian experiences will allow us to avoid mistakes and, vice versa, to take appropriate, optimal measures, to follow best practices. That's why I often say: when we help Ukraine with something, we also help ourselves. And this is our common school: we are learning - from you and along with you.

Interviewed by Oleg Kudrin, Riga–Vilnius

Photos courtesy of Lithuania’s Central Project Management Agency CPVA