Collective Action in Response to War | Community Call Notes 4.6.22
Just continue to reach out to people and ask what is needed. Cry together – it doesn’t matter where you are all around the world, support each other as humans and we will figure out where to go from there.
-Rosen Dimov
Hollister (Euphrates), Wes Davison, a citizen of Ukraine, Rosen Dimov, and (clockwise)
Our April Community Call focused on Collective Action in Response to War. We hosted a profound and moving conversation with Wes Davison, Rosen Dimov and 4 guest voices from Ukraine. (Bios can be found beneath the excerpts.) We examined the harsh realities of war, but also gave voice to the powerful outpouring of support, sacred solidarity, and deep human connection. It is clear that there is a great opportunity for the practice of community care to fulfill both the immediate and long term needs of those in Ukraine and those resettling elsewhere.
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Excerpts from our conversation
Rosen - A lot of people are struggling to keep alive. Spoke of immense struggle to stay alive, some can’t escape. Trying to gather not only funds but also blankets, mattresses, food supplies, medical supplies through the refugee centers in Hungary where I am based. Other friends throughout Europe are doing similar work. We are also facilitating the exchange of information through networks. Give best practices of what is being done.
Hollister – Can you share stories of community care and collective action in wartime?
Rosen – It is very spontaneous and also a natural reflection of community. When there is a problem, people will step up to collect aid - not just this conflict but throughout time. Brutality makes people act faster. We are seeing a rapid response. I expect more from international organizations – sometimes it seems overly bureaucratic. So we try to provide basic needs on a community level – need for very basic supplies (food, shoes, etc.). While we are waiting for these big orgs, people have urgent needs. We need to be doing this as fast as possible.
Hollister – You are also offering a deep sense of compassion.
Wes – It is easy to get lost in grand narratives – but for me what has been powerful is seeing new relationships coming out of this. I’ve had amazing opportunities to connect people from Poland / Ukraine and people from Poland and Germany. It’s helpful to focus on the little actions of love, support, etc. and not buy into grander narratives of us vs them. We are also seeing Russian people stepping up in their own communities outside of Russia. Out of this soil, flowers grow. Small acts are so much more powerful than the acts of violence. In war it’s easy to get lost in larger narrative but instead we can focus on ways in which new communities are forming.
Hollister - Community care can uplift peace in a very personal way. There are complex dynamics at play - we see interpersonal divisions, generational divides, trauma response. What is important for us to consider and pay attention to? What do you see as the impact of collective care?
Tetyana (Ukraine) – We are very close to the Polish border. We are people who help a lot. A lot of aid has come to our town. We distribute in the community and we give a lot of aid to the military. I went to the border of Poland – what I saw was so touching. There were hundreds of volunteers – people who came on both sides. They are all present cooperating and communicating in different languages. I saw Indians, Americans… people are amazing. There were people with candies for children. This coordination is not planned, it is spontaneously made. We want to change the way people think. We are far from the war border but we are here to help them – with feelings, with aid, with food, and with care. Working with peace corps volunteers helped us a lot. I’m seeing that the world is actually a small place.
Wes – Ukraine is really diverse – complicated dynamics – depending on what part of the country you are in / soviet history. The biggest thing I’ve seen is that life goes on – marriages, births, doctor visits, lots of layers and dynamics. This presents a challenge to collective care, but it’s still present.
Rosen – My father has been brainwashed by the Russian media. On a personal level this creates very difficult relations with family. This is going to be complicated for so many because families can be torn apart by narratives in war. These are difficult moments that have to be dealt with person to person. If war takes longer, how do we deal with refugees living in Baltics, Moldova where there is a significant Russian presence? Can we prevent civic conflicts, can we help them to live in peace? These are some of the upcoming topics to deal with.
Hollister – Turning the other to sister or brother is one of the cornerstones of the work of Euphrates. I’d like to invite you to share personal examples that you might’ve witnessed or how we might encourage this perspective.
Rosen – It is in our collective memory, what we share in common. It is our cultural heritage, language, common words, and common history. There are common heroes, celebrities, scientists – we start from there. Then we can move to community practice – cooking, environmental action, reading, etc. It should be very interpersonal and connecting. Sometimes I feel that in international discourse it seems they are trying to address problems but not directly. People need human touch to deal with it together.
Wes – I love that we are focusing on relationships instead of grand narratives. Relationships can take a long time. There is complexity of experience, the rise of new needs. I keep reminding myself that initial needs might change, but deeper wants remain the same.
Hollister – I consider everyone present on this call a peacebuilder because we have shown up with a caring heart. So, as peacebuilders, what can people on this call, in this community do right now?
Rosen – I encourage everyone to become part of social media support groups. Find Ukrainian associations / organizations to work with, reach out to them to check in on specific needs. Check in on people, individuals and ask what is needed? And then share what is needed with a bigger group. One example from my own context is a project we are doing to adapt materials from post-conflict scenarios to help children overcome trauma. It is very low cost and it relies on voluntary help. So far we have gathered some psychologists willing to volunteer their time. Euphrates has been helpful in securing materials and resources. Just continue to reach out to people and ask what is needed. Cry together – it doesn’t matter where you are all around the world, support each other as humans and we will figure out where to go from there.
Wes – The antidote to war is creativity. There are a lot of organizations providing humanitarian and medical aid. Offer what you can – maybe educators can assist with lessons online – speak English. I know there are groups reading to kids. It’s about showing up and being there for what people need. And, of course, practicing peace for ourselves. Peace really starts within.
Hollister - Yes, being an empathic listener, allowing emergence to show forth.
Q & A
Viktoriia (Ukraine) – First I’d like to thank you, Rosen, and citizens – it is important to feel you are not alone. What is the best way to implement collective care?… many children witnessed the death of their parents. Indeed every war has [harsh] conditions. Collective care is also about prevention. Thank you for the financial, emotional support, the courage of ordinary citizens. We appreciate each of you.
Victor – I have felt the same thing in conflict in Liberia. Very heavy what is happening in Ukraine. I believe we need to call on governments to come together in peace. How can citizens call on their governments to help promote sustainable peace?
Wes – Today we are focusing on personal relations, having accountability built into the peace structure. Liberia and South Africa have intrastate wars which is another dimension, a challenge in conflict. It’s important to recognize we have been down this road. We see that the government continues to break promises. So now what can we do as community leaders?
Rosen – Of course there could be many solutions but it takes a lot of time for these to be put forward. When the so-called international community discusses it but it takes weeks or months, the war is still going on and people keep dying. I think this is the big failure of the international system – it's so slow and we cannot afford the slow pace of it. We still have Russian in the United Nations. We still have the major economies dependent on Russian commodities. This is not stopping. All of these big developed countries are using commodities from Russia. I’m saying this as a person who lives in a medium-high welfare country, with external dependencies on Russia. The hypocrisy of this situation is obvious. The sanctions are not enough. If you stop access to a few banks, they can still use other intermediaries. They can still move around with their yachts. It’s hard for me. I feel guilty that I am part of the international community that allows this.
Wes – As peacebuilders we had a naive view that we would never witness something like this again. The colonization happening in these systems, the exploitation, this is a root cause. The fact that this is a new chapter with the same conflict challenges, shows that old habits die hard. Once again we are witnessing Russian aggressiveness based on political interest at the cost of human lives. There is a naïve view that it happens in “those” countries. It is important to recognize how easy it is for neighbors to bully each other.
Hollister – I’m feeling an energetic shift into frustration and anger and appreciate that you are still affirming that there is a deeper human connection that will help us triumph. The conflict, the opportunity - it’s new and not new. We need to be creative in our response. What we are seeing is alarming – and we are trying to shift this to collective action.
Dasha (Ukraine) – Thank you Wes and Rosen for this discussion. I’m glad you call it war, war, not conflict. It’s okay to feel sad and angry, desperate. These are the emotions that allow them to be alive. This war is very unique in that every person has their own experience. I see a question in the chat about children. They are scared of sirens, bombing, shelling. Some children seen their mothers raped and killed. Besides helping and supporting children, we also need to help and support women. We see an an increase in the number of rapes from women brave enough to report. I’m grateful for the tremendous support. We are one family. Give Ukrainians time to survive the anger and frustration and become happy again. Life will not be normal again. Knowing how bureaucracy works – European countries are very fast in action. My parents are still there [in Ukraine] – sending love there. I’m so proud of my people. The army, the people, the president of the country who showed up to be such an amazing human being. Thank you for this discussion. No matter how terrible the situation is in Ukraine – we also need to acknowledge other wars in other countries.
Hollister – Thank you Dasha. Your voice, your story reminds me of the important role of storytelling in peacebuilding. We are so grateful for your voice in the room.
Daria (singer) then closed the conversation with a Ukrainian song. We need to continue to do whatever we can do. My grandparents were Ukrainian, so this song is for Glory to Ukraine. For me, it means the glory of peace, of listening, of meeting others' needs.
Rosen – It’s amazing to hear stories and support. Hopefully this war ends soon. No matter what, we will be in solidarity with Ukrainian people.
Wes - I invite you to reach out if interested in volunteering (or donating). It’s important to remind ourselves of the rich black soil – there will be new crops and new yields. Bringing Desmond Tutu’s voice into this closing - ”Ubuntu [...] speaks of the very essence of being human [...] You share what you have. It is to say, "My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours." We belong in a bundle of life.”
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We met Rosen Dimov over a year ago when he joined our Peace Practice Alliance program. And currently he is serving on the Learning Committee for this year’s PPA cohort. Rosen has pursued a life rooted in leadership, building communities around a wide range of causes. He has a rich interdisciplinary academic career - a bachelor's degree in international business and law, a master's degree in EU studies, and a PhD in innovation management. Rosen started a firm in Brussels, and a bit later got elected and re-elected to lead the Board of Directors of the International Young Professionals Foundation in Austria. An entrepreneur at heart, he is supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a venture partner with the Founder Institute.
Residing in Hungary, Rosen has recently stepped up to volunteer his time to welcome Ukrainian refugees to Hungary, seeking ways to provide resources to support their mental health and wellbeing in their difficult journeys. Rosen is curious and kind, a passionate leader, a deep thinker, an innovator, a collaborator, and a friend to anyone he meets.
We first met Wes P. Davison through a friend of a friend. He was supporting a project with the organization Education for Global Peace as a peace practitioner. He has a seven-year background in teaching, facilitating, and designing youth education programming in four countries. Between 2016 to 2018, Wes volunteered with the Peace Corps in Ukraine as an English teacher. From his Master’s in International Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding as well as his work abroad, Wes has developed a passion for empowering human capital, connecting communities to ideas of positive peace, and addressing systemic injustices to build more equitable and empathetic societies. This passion is so clear and articulate we invited Wes to share his reflections on Ukraine in writing. You can find his piece on our site. Looking for ways to support his friends and colleagues in Ukraine, Wes recently began rallying his tribe to send humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. I’ll let him share more about this effort. Wes is constantly seeking ways to uplift individuals and communities. He is passionate, deeply considerate, an empathic listener, a space-maker and a cross-cultural peace seeker. We’re so grateful he agreed to share his voice today.
