Ukraine

VILNO

Through VILNO, we support veterans and active-duty military personnel who worked in the arts, culture, and education sectors before serving in the war as they transition back to civilian life.

Projekt Reintegration of veterans in Ukraine

About the project

Together with the Ukrainian NGO Insha Osvita, we run the VILNO program. It supports the recovery of veterans and active-duty military personnel who worked in the arts, culture, or education before serving in the war.

VILNO supports participants on their journey back into professional and civilian life, while creating opportunities to connect, exchange experiences, and build networks. The program addresses the specific challenges faced by people from the arts, culture, and education sectors, thereby strengthening a particularly vulnerable community.

Since its launch as a pilot program in 2024, VILNO has been continuously developed and refined. The community that has emerged, together with the experiences of its members, provides an important foundation for developing new approaches to the professional reintegration of veterans in the arts, culture, and education sectors.

Returning to civilian life after serving in the war presents veterans with significant challenges. For people from the arts, culture, and education sectors in particular, there is a lack of support that adequately takes their specific professional backgrounds and needs into account. VILNO aims to fill this gap.

Strengthening professional reintegration: VILNO supports veterans from the arts, culture, and education sectors in resuming or continuing their professional activities and developing new perspectives for their work.

Supporting mental health and recovery: Even after returning to civilian life, veterans may continue to need psychological support. VILNO provides support tailored to participants’ individual circumstances and professional contexts.

Building community and mutual support: VILNO enables participants to build lasting connections, share experiences and knowledge, and support one another in their professional and personal development.

Developing a model for reintegration: The experiences gained through VILNO will be used to develop practical approaches to reintegration in the arts, culture, and education sectors. In the long term, these insights should also benefit people from other professional backgrounds.

The program includes: