The UK’s Higher Education Minister has visited Durham University to show her support for an education and recreation summer camp for Ukrainian young people. Baroness (Jacqui) Smith visited the University’s Physics Department to meet young participants in a three-week residential summer school organised by the charity fund Tomorrow, UAPhysicsOnline and OneUkraine gGmbH (CORRECT) and in coordination with Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
The Minister saw young people undertaking scientific experiments and spoke with them about their experiences, both at home in Ukraine and at the summer school.
The summer camp, which is now completed, saw 170 Ukrainian teenagers aged 13 to 17 take part in STEM-focused teaching and practical experiments.
The participants also visited local points of interest including Beamish, the Life Science Centre, Newcastle, and South Shields; took part in sports and exercise; and had opportunities to access counselling.
Eve, 16, said the visit had been “the best” and knowing people care about Ukraine meant very much to her.
“I have seen there are people who care about us, which is great. In the future I hope to have more opportunities like this. I’ve felt a lot of care and love.”
After completing her education, Eve hopes to work in international relations. “I want to be heard and be a voice for those who can’t be heard,” she said.
Baroness Smith was joined on the visit by City of Durham MP Mary Foy, who said: “It was an absolute pleasure to meet with the young people participating in the summer camp, and to witness Durham University's commitment to working with Zaporizhzhia National University first hand.
“International collaboration between educational establishments is always important, but the ongoing war in Ukraine makes the support shown to young people and academics by Durham University particularly significant.
“I'm delighted the Minister of State took the time to come to Durham and see this incredible work first hand."
The summer camp was also separately visited by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK.
The camp is part of Durham University’s long-term commitment to Ukraine, which is focused on increasing resilience and rebuilding capacity in Ukraine’s higher education sector. Durham is twinned with Zaporizhzhia National University (ZNU) in Ukraine, a partnership which spans research collaboration, joint educational provision, student mobility, professional services capacity building, joint events, and practical support.
Professor Claire O’Malley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global), at Durham University, said: “The war in Ukraine remains of immense concern to us. As well as our partnership with ZNU, we work closely with the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) and community partners including Durham County Council on wider civic responses to the war.
“It was our pleasure to be able to host this summer camp, and we are very pleased that Baroness Smith found time to visit to show her support.”
Durham University hosting the summer camp was a result of work between Professor Carlos Frenk, Ogden Professor in Durham University’s Department of Physics and Institute for Computational Cosmology, and Professor Oleksii Boyarsky, of Leiden University, in the Netherlands, who is a founder of the charity fund Tomorrow.
He said: “We are sincerely grateful to Durham University and Professor Carlos Frenk for their generous invitation. Although the journey was long and the visa process rather extensive, the inspiring atmosphere of Durham University’s beautiful campus greatly contributed to setting the right mindset for all participants. It enabled us to successfully achieve the main goal of the event: to show children that science and education can empower them and open many new opportunities in their lives.”
The summer camp has greatly benefitted from the kind support of various partners, including Everstake, Northern Powergrid, and others.
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