What it Looks Like to Help During a Global Crisis

One of the worst things that happens during crises far away in location or distant in nature is ignorance and helplessness. When I was first interviewed for ENGin, I was asked things like: "What will you do in a situation when your student/buddy doesn't talk during the session" and advised to prepare and be flexible since "blackouts" and "electricity issues" were common.

None of it seemed to pose huge issues to me at the time, as I was just really excited to finally have an opportunity to help, but as I got into it, I was immersed into a new experience socially and culturally as well as academically. While I approached it with confidence, I was also a little nervous, thinking of what would happen if I couldn't commit for the 6+ months. When I think of how ambitious and different it feels, I think of ENGin's mission statement on both an interpersonal and national level: "[to] equip students to access academic and professional opportunities and [nationally] connect Ukraine with the world, spurring economic growth and social progress."

When I first saw the news about Russia and Ukraine, I was really unsure and uncertain of what would happen--I gained a lot of background knowledge from my history classes, but it all felt disconnected from me. When I started with ENGin, it also felt a little distant, since it was virtual and I was helping with English--what did that have to do with the conflict?

All of those thoughts were transformed radically later on, though, and it's clear in the organization's goals and mission for the future. Not only can the world support Ukraine economically or politically, but people everywhere can sacrifice their time to help Ukranians develop their skills socially and culturally with English tutoring/practice.

Rather than thinking of Ukraine just as a country in Europe, it must also be recognized as its people, its culture, and the aspects of it that make it unique, that make it special. Not only does that act of recognition allow for people to see the beauty of humanity and the world, but it allows us to be firm in advocating and responding to issues that rise up no matter where they're centralized. We mustn't remain ignorant or isolated any longer. We are accountable.