Six Ukrainian students, winners of the debate competition ”Constitution– on the road to change”, took part in the study visit to Berlin, organised by DRI from 13 to 17 September. We asked the young lawyers to share their impressions and thoughts following the study visit.
Democracy in action…These words summarise my impressions from the meetings, communication with the young leaders, scientists and representatives of different NGOs and think tanks. I think historical developments influenced a lot the political reforms in Germany.
Ukraine is lucky to have Germany as a supporter of its reforms. Unfortunately, the political situation in Ukraine still needs a lot of improvement. This study visit gave me a lot of motivation for continuing to support democratic reforms as much as I can. I hope that our state officials and politicians will also have similar feelings. Pavlo Demchuk
The visit to Berlin influenced my understanding of the role of society and political culture in a democratic country. Youth groups, political foundations, civic and political education - all these elements have a huge positive impact on the establishment and development of a democratic society. This study visit inspired and motivated me to participate further in the socio-political life of my country. Many thanks for the new knowledge and experience! Yaryna Durych
New knowledge, new experience, new impressions - these words are not enough to describe our recent study visit to Berlin. We visited a lot of organisations, cultural places and government institutions. I learnt about Germany in general, found out a lot of facts about its political regime and civil society. Thanks to DRI for making our time in Berlin a complete pleasure and organizing this study visit! Bohdan Kostiuk
I was mostly impressed by the political culture in Germany and the degree of political consciousness of the society. From an early age people start to participate in political associations and take an active stand for consolidating democracy. At the same time, I feel that in Ukraine we often lack understanding of the difference between the “right” and the“left” and vote not for the programme of a party, but for its leaders. This was a fascinating and extremely interesting trip with an enriching programme. Thanks for the informative meetings, excursions and jogging between the events. Iris Del Sol
A well-developed democratic society, substantial support of German Government for students' initiatives, active involvement of young people, political youth groups, approach towards history and interest towards the situation in Ukraine – were the highlights of my trip. Sincere gratefulness for the efficient level of organisation, for fruitful academic programme and interesting social events. Nazar Harasymchuk
I want to thank you for organising study visit to Berlin. It was a new experience, I was very curious to learn about civil society and political foundations in Germany.Unfortunately, it's hard to imagine these institutions in Ukraine in the nearest future, but we will work on it and try to make it a reality. Full of meetings and conferences, our time in Germany is unforgettable for me. Andriy Kornuta
