From podcast to photo project: results of Ukrainian-Australian cooperation

Joint projects of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University and the Australian publication Future Campus are gaining more and more popularity.

On July 7, 2026, Future Campus published a podcast recorded during the visit of BSPU professors Igor Lyman and Yana Sychikova to Australia.

The conversation took place at Manning Clark House (Canberra) with the participation of Future Campus founder Tim Winkler and Strategic Advisor on Indigenous Issues of Australia, representative of the Bijar people Marie Meredith. They discussed the common experience of Ukraine and Indigenous peoples of Australia in preserving cultural memory, protecting data, and responsible use of information in times of war, forced displacement, and other crisis situations.

Special attention during the conversation was paid to the adaptation of the CARE principles and the contemporary challenges facing Ukrainian society. The podcast became another example of how the experience of Ukrainian scientists is integrated into the global discussion on ethical data management and protection of community rights.

The podcast “HE FREEDIVE – Professors Yana Sychikova, Igor Lyman and Marie Meredith”.

This cooperation became the impetus for the implementation of another initiative – a Ukrainian-Australian photo project. Ten students from Berdyansk State Pedagogical University and ten students from Australian universities joined. The participants were given the same task: to take two photos on the themes of “My Day” and “My Passion” on the same day and supplement them with short author descriptions

Despite the same conditions, the works demonstrated different accents. Australian students mostly showed everyday life, friendship, studies and everyday moments. The photos of BSPU students were traced to the themes of resilience, finding inner support, family and the desire to maintain control over their own lives. Even when the war was not directly depicted, it was felt through the content of the author’s comments and the symbolism of the photos.

The album “Not so ordinary – student photo project Ukraine/Australia 2026”.

About this project in Future Campus.

And it is precisely such initiatives that shape the modern image of the Ukrainian university – open to the world, active and ready to meet the challenges of the time.

Based on materials from Yana Sychikova’s Facebook page