09/02/2026
“I am from Ukraine.”
These words often cause very different reactions.
Sometimes sympathy. Sometimes distance. Sometimes discomfort.
I lived in Ukraine for 17 years.
I started university there.
I fell in love for the first time.
I lost someone I loved.
By the time I was 18 I felt like my life was finally coming together.
I was gaining experience, building friendships, earning money, and helping support my family.
I found a job I really liked - it gave me both income and motivation.
Sport was a big part of my life too.
I played basketball a lot.
It pushed me to improve - not only physically, but mentally.
I felt I was growing, building a future, becoming someone.
And then the war started.
All of those plans - education, work, relationships, goals - suddenly disappeared.
Coming to Denmark was not a dream or a plan.
It was a decision made to survive.
A few days after my family and I left Ukraine, we were told our home had been destroyed.
You leave your country without knowing if you will ever return.
Millions of Ukrainians left with that same fear and doubt.
On our way here, we met many strangers, united by one thing - kindness.
At a gas station in Poland, a man approached my mother, gave her money, and said:
“I hope everything will be okay.”
That moment reminded us that even in the darkest times, humanity still exists.
When we arrived in Denmark and lived in a refugee camp, I started helping in a bicycle workshop.
That was my first experience with volunteering - even before I realized how powerful it could be.
Being a refugee is not only about being grateful for safety.
It is about rebuilding your entire identity from zero.
Imagine you have to think in one language and answer in another which you never learned before.
You use a lot of energy to do that, and you lose some parts of your personality.
But slowly,
You relearn how to speak.
You relearn how to feel confident.
You relearn how to prove that you are more than just a “refugee” - that you are a person with skills, ambition, and potential.
I had to face loneliness.
Burnout.
Language barriers.
Distance from people I loved.
I lost a relationship.
I worked hard just to stay afloat - and still, I was expected to stay strong.
And at some point, every refugee faces a choice:
You can stay in survival mode - waiting, struggling, feeling like an outsider.
Or you can take responsibility and become part of the society around you.
For me, that second path became volunteering.
It changed the way I see myself. Through volunteering with Bevar Ukraine, I met young people who study, work, create content, build projects, and shape public conversations. For example I helped a volleyball team to organise their training, it gave me confidence, real connections and a sense of belonging - and most importantly:
It made me move from a victim of circumstances to an active member of society.
And I know it is not only me who has had this experience. Bevar Ukraine has made a difference for many people - so thank you Tuborgfondet for supporting us.
Thank you for supporting Bevar Leadership Academy - it gives a lot of opportunities for young people in a new country where they don’t know anything.
Volunteering helped me build a bridge between where I came from and where I want to belong.
If someone asked me what helps a young refugee survive and grow in a new country, I would say:
People and volunteering.
Because when you help others, you don’t just rebuild your future - you rebuild yourself."
Such a speech had participant of our Leadership Academy Bevar Ukraine Roman Vernyhora. We are very grateful to Tuborgfondet.
This project is supported by Tuborgfondet
🇩🇰 Torsdag aften var en særlig aften: Tuborgfondet afholdt som traditionen byder en festlig samling og Annual Report Live, med debat, samtaler og selvfølgelig livemusik.
Taleren fra Ukraine var Roman Vernyhora fra Leadership Academy Bevar Ukraine. Hans tale var utroligt bevægende.
Her er uddrag fra Romans tale:
“Jeg er fra Ukraine”. Disse ord vækker ofte forskellige reaktioner - medfølelse, distance eller endda ubehag.
Jeg har boet i Ukraine i 17 år, studeret på universitetet, forelsket mig, og mistet en elsket person.
Da jeg var 18 år, føltes mit liv stabilt: arbejde, uddannelse, sport, venner.
Og så begyndte krigen. Alle planer - uddannelse, arbejde, relationer - forsvandt pludseligt. Flytningen til Danmark var ikke en drøm, men en nødvendig beslutning.
Roman fortalte om udfordringerne som flygtning: sprogbarrierer, ensomhed, tab af kære og følelsen af at være fremmed. Og samtidig - hvordan frivilligt arbejde ændrede hans liv:
“Gennem frivilligt arbejde hos Bevar Ukraine mødte jeg unge mennesker, der studerer, arbejder, skaber projekter og indhold. Det gav mig selvtillid, ægte forbindelser og følelsen af tilhørsforhold. Frivilligt arbejde hjalp mig med at gå fra at være et offer for omstændighederne til at blive en aktiv del af samfundet.
Mennesker og frivilligt arbejde - det er, hvad der hjælper unge flygtninge med at overleve og vokse i et nyt land. Når du hjælper andre, bygger du ikke bare din fremtid op - du bygger dig selv op.”
Vi takker varmt Roman Vernyhora for disse vigtige ord!
Tak til Leadership Academy Bevar Ukraine og Tuborgfondet for deres støtte, som åbner muligheder for unge ukrainere i Danmark.
🇺🇦 Минулого четверга відбувся особливий вечір: за традицією Tuborgfondet провів святкову підсумкову зустріч року та Annual Report Live, де були дебати, дискусії та жива музика.
Спікером від України став Роман Вернигора з Leadership Academy Bevar Ukraine. Його промова була надзвичайно зворушливою.
Ось фрагменти виступу Романа:
“Я з України”. Ці слова часто викликають різні реакції - співчуття, дистанцію чи навіть дискомфорт.
Я жив в Україні 17 років, навчався в університеті, закохувався, втратив близьку людину.
Коли мені було 18, моє життя здавалося впорядкованим: робота, навчання, спорт, друзі.
А потім почалася війна. Усі плани - освіта, робота, стосунки - раптово зникли. Переїзд до Данії став не мрією, а необхідним рішенням."
Роман розповів про труднощі біженця: мовні бар’єри, самотність, втрату близьких і відчуття чужини. І водночас - про те, як волонтерство змінило його життя:
“Через волонтерство з Bevar Ukraine я зустрів молодих людей, які вчаться, працюють, створюють проєкти та контент. Це дало мені впевненість, справжні зв’язки та відчуття належності. Волонтерство допомогло мені перейти від жертви обставин до активного члена суспільства."
Люди і волонтерство - це те, що допомагає вижити і зростати в Данії. Коли ти допомагаєш іншим, ти не просто відбудовуєш своє майбутнє - ти відбудовуєш себе.”
Щиро дякуємо Романові Вернигорі за такі важливі слова!
Дякуємо Leadership Academy Bevar Ukraine та Tuborgfondet за підтримку, яка відкриває можливості для української молоді в Данії.
