Resilient Education: Practices of Intercultural Reconstruction between Italy and Ukraine

On 28 April 2026 the University of Bari Aldo Moro hosted the international conference “Resilient Education: Practices of Intercultural Reconstruction between Italy and Ukraine” (L’Educazione Resiliente: pratiche di ri-costruzione interculturale tra Italia e Ucraina). Organised by the association “Uniti per l’Ucraina” APS–ETS in collaboration with the University of Bari Aldo Moro and Ukrainian partners, the event brought together teachers, researchers, representatives of public institutions and members of the Ukrainian diaspora for an open discussion on the resilience of the education system in wartime and on the prospects for Italian–Ukrainian cooperation in education.

“Horizontal diplomacy” as a tool for reconstruction

The conference set out to share the experience gained in both countries through “horizontal diplomacy”: a grassroots approach built on personal relationships and hands-on experience, which develops networks of cooperation between schools, universities, communities and civil society organisations. The initiative was also part of the seminar programme of the Sociology of Education course for future primary and nursery school teachers at DIRIUM, University of Bari.

The day’s programme

The day was organised in four sessions:

10:00 – 11:45 | Aula XI, Palazzo Ateneo

“Rebuilding education in times of war”

Speakers

Yevheniia Vasylieva (association “Uniti per l’Ucraina”, holder of a CRUI–MUR scholarship for beneficiaries of international protection);

Andrii Ilkiv (representative of the Ukrainian diaspora school in Croatia).

Discussants

Alessandro Rubino (Delegate for Internationalisation, UniBa);

Prof. Maria Grazia Palmisano (coordinator of class 3C and teacher of Italian at the Istituto Comprensivo Poggiofranco – Tommaso Fiore);

Inesa Turchan (teacher of Ukrainian language and literature, coordinator of the “Radici di Ucraina” educational centre and a student of Modern Languages, Cultures and Literatures at the University of Bari).

Discussion with students on the course taught by Prof. Fausta Scardigno (DIRIUM, University of Bari).

13:00 – 14:00 | Aula Magna

“The role of academic and school institutions”

Institutional greetings

Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament;

Prof. Antonio Uricchio, former Rector of the University of Bari;

Prof. Fausta Scardigno, on behalf of the Rector, Roberto Bellotti.

Moderators

Oksana Rohova (President of “Uniti per l’Ucraina”, Vice-President of CNAUI);

Dmytro Zelinskyi (NGO Friends of Ukraine).

Oleh Sheremet (Rector of the University of Chernihiv);

Irene Canfora (Delegate for Teaching, UniBa);

Fausta Scardigno (DIRIUM, University of Bari);

Tetiana Hryhorska (Director of the CNAUI Department of Education);

Larysa Pochechun (NGO Dobrobat).

14:00 – 15:00 | Aula Magna

“Educational corridors: existing intercultural practices between Ukraine and Italy”

Olha Losova (Deputy Head of the Department of Social and Humanitarian Policy, City of Odesa);

Simone Pascuzzi (Di.S.S.P.A., University of Bari);

Mariana Marusynets (Director of the Department of Education and Science, Zakarpattia Region);

Nadiia Semehen (head of historical research on Italian–Ukrainian relations, CNAUI);

Irini Providou (Director of Travel ID Greece);

Lorenzo Scillitani (Department of Social Sciences, UniFG).

15:00 – 16:00 | Aula Magna

“Future directions for cooperation and best practice”

Petro Korzhevskyi (Director of the Department of Education and Science, Rivne Region);

Filippo Settanni (ActionAid Italia, coordinator of the European SWEETIE project on the rights of Ukrainian refugees);

Tetiana Kamenshchuk (Director of the Department of Humanitarian Policy, Vinnytsia Region);

Oleksandr Vozniuk (lawyer, head of the NGO “Ukrainian Union for the Legal Protection of Persons with Disabilities”);

Mykhailo Vovchyk — head of the ICC Ukraine representative office in the Lviv Region and head of the NGO Quasar, whose members include many Italian citizens: a tangible expression of Italian–Ukrainian solidarity.

The closing remarks were given by Ukrainian students of the University of Bari.

Projects presented

Erasmus+ Scuola — part of the European Erasmus+ programme, it offers funding and opportunities for the international mobility of classes, teachers and individual pupils, as well as the chance to set up research and training partnerships on European themes.

“100×100: Bridges of Education” — a national CNAUI initiative of joint lessons between Italian and Ukrainian classes, facilitated by cultural mediators. The project aims to foster the integration of the Ukrainian diaspora in Italy and to encourage pupils to open up to other cultures and international experiences.

Organisers

The conference was organised by the association “Uniti per l’Ucraina” APS–ETS with the support of the CNAUI Department of International Cooperation, in collaboration with:

the University of Bari Aldo Moro and its Centro per l’Apprendimento Permanente (Lifelong Learning Centre);

CNAUI – the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy, which promotes Ukrainian culture in Italy and strengthens diplomatic ties between the two countries;

the NGO Dobrobat (Ukraine), which specialises in rebuilding and making buildings safe in war-affected areas;

the association Druzi Ukrayiny – Amici dell’Ucraina, which builds long-term partnerships between Ukrainian and international institutions in culture and education.

Distinguished speakers

The keynote speakers included:

Prof. Oleh Sheremet, Rector of the University of Chernihiv;

representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Greece and Croatia, in Rome and in the Marche region;

delegates from the education departments of various regions of Ukraine.

The event was moderated by the President of “Uniti per l’Ucraina”, Oksana Rohova, and Prof. Fausta Scardigno of DIRIUM.