Yuliana Pavlyk’13 (Vyhoda, Ukraine/ Lincoln, MT)
Project Location: Mykolayv, Ukraine
$2679 in 2014 FLEX Alumni Grant Program Funding
Summary: Yuliana Pavlyk ’13 (Vyhoda, Ukraine/ Lincoln, MT) spent the summer with 80 teenagers who want to get kids out from behind their devices and onto the streets to make their community great! Through the Mykolayv Artistic Summer Camp of Teamwork: MASCOT Camp, participants of the camp participated in a week of project management and development seminars, which guided them through the process to organize a Mykolaiv-wide exhibit called “Life Offline.” The exhibit highlighted the problem of too much screen-time among youth at the expense of real-life interactions with friends and family. Events included dance flash mobs and a series of online videos, encouraging youth to get out and make a difference. Since the end of the program, alumni have established a youth group and hold regular service events, like a U.S. Independence Day project.
MASCOT, in its 5th year, was planned and overseen by FLEX alumni Yuliana Pavlyk, who took over the planning and organization of the project after the evacuation of Peace Corps volunteers in Ukraine. Despite the added work and challenges, Yuliana took on the challenge swimmingly and in the meantime, inspired the youth of Ukraine by showing them that Ukrainian students can and should take the initiative to support their peers.
Yuliana, together with representatives of European Youth Parliament in Ukraine and Peace Corps organized the MASCOT at the Petro Mohyla Black Sea State University in Mykolaiv (www.chdu.edu.ua) from July 3-10. MASCOT brought together 80 campers ages 16-20 to develop their problem solving and teamwork skills, explore their creative and artistic talents, and learn about a variety of domestic and international issues. The lessons and activities focused on the skill-development of problem solving, critical thinking about social issues, creative expression, and project design and management (PDM). The project contributes to the development of an informed and empowered citizenry, invested in their country’s future and equipped with tools for effective, democratic progress.
The seven-day program was conducted entirely in English. The camp also educated youth about social issues including HIV/AIDS, human trafficking, discrimination, and alcoholism/smoking. For many 
students, it was their first exposure to these issues.
To learn more about MASCOT camp please visit the Official MASCOT VK Page: https://vk.com/mascotcamp or view the videos that campers have made.
Media coverage of the event can be found at:
http://www.gorsovet.mk.ua/news.ua?id=5978
http://www.0512.com.ua/news/598030
The event was featured on national Ukrainian TV.
