On Sunday, October 1, 2023, Ukraine celebrated the Day of Defenders, all those who are fighting and who gave their lives for the sake of Ukraine and Ukrainians.

On the occasion of this holiday, on September 29, 2023, an inter-university online roundtable was held. It was attended by teachers and students of the first (bachelor's) level of the educational programs "Professional Education" and "Psychology" of the Department of Professional Education in Technology and Design of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design and teachers and students of the Department of Humanitarian Training of the Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture.(DonNABA)

During the opening of the roundtable, Larysa Lysak, Head of the Department of Humanitarian Training of the Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, delivered welcoming remarks. The event was moderated by Tetiana Kalashnikova, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Humanitarian Training.

During the meeting, reports were presented, in particular, Valeriy Babenko, Associate Professor, Candidate of Philosophy at the Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, spoke about the history of the holiday – the Day of Defenders of Ukraine and emphasized that the Day of Defenders is primarily a holiday for those who helped us to maintain our independence and live our daily lives. Both Cossacks and modern soldiers have something in common – the struggle for statehood against the Moscow regime.

The event continued with speeches by Anastasia Berezhna, a DonNABA student, who delivered a report "A Teacher from Kramatorsk –  Defender of the Territorial Integrity and Independence of Ukraine" and Danylo Papusha, a DonNABA student, who delivered a report "Defenders of Ukraine from Kramatorsk".

The roundtable participants were also invited to watch the documentary “Yes, I am a Woman”, a special project of the Public Broadcasting Company about the stories of women in war, namely about Olena Zinchenko, a teacher who became the heroine of the project, a woman who joined the National Guard and is now defending the children she taught on the front line.

All those present will observe a minute of silence to honor the feat of the courageous defenders of Ukraine who died defending our country and Ukrainians.

Alla Kolodiazhna, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor of the Department of Professional Education in Technology and Design, summed up the event and thanked the teachers of the Department of Humanitarian Training of DonNABA for organizing and holding the inter-university meeting, the speakers for their interesting and informative research, and expressed her hopes for fruitful cooperation in the future.

Vita Hryhorieva, Doctor of Philosophy in Vocational Education, Associate Professor of the Department of Professional Education in Technology and Design, emphasized that such educational events are extremely useful for the national and patriotic education of our youth.

We thank our heroic compatriots who keep the sky above the free world. We are grateful to everyone who is fighting this battle, building a free Ukraine through their own actions. We will win.

Glory to Ukraine!

02.10.2023