In a powerful culmination of months of virtual exchange, students from Northwest High School in Omaha, Nebraska, joined students from Школа повного дня MriyDiy School and the Lviv Children’s Orchestra for a live concert in Lviv, Ukraine. Together, they performed “Ya pidu v daleki hory” (“I Will Go to the Mountains”), a beloved Ukrainian folk song—sung in Ukrainian by students in Omaha who had never met their Ukrainian peers in person until that day.
This cross-continental performance was more than a finale—it was the result of a deeply collaborative creative process. Over the course of several weeks, students from both schools worked together to shape a shared musical piece, selecting the song, learning each other’s traditions, and preparing for a joint performance that would symbolize their connection across distance and culture.
The performance marked the closing chapter of a semester-long collaboration through the Ukraine Youth Action Network (UYAN), a 14-week program developed by MapWorks Learning. UYAN connects youth in Ukraine and the EU with students in the U.S. to explore identity, community, and leadership—and to co-create projects that address the needs of war-affected Ukrainians.
Throughout the program, students engaged in weekly activities like photo blogging, video storytelling, and collaborative design—culminating in this musical project, which blended cultural preservation with creative expression. It showed that the arts can do what politics and geography often cannot: build trust, spark empathy, and create something beautiful together.
“When we began this journey, we asked: how can we foster intercultural understanding and become agents of positive change?” said one of the UYAN facilitators. “This performance is one answer.”
The concert was not only a celebration of Ukrainian and American folk traditions—it was a testament to what’s possible when students come together with openness, curiosity, and shared purpose. As the first voices from Omaha harmonized with the orchestra in Lviv, distance disappeared. What remained was a sense of unity that neither time zones nor language barriers could disrupt.
We are incredibly proud of all the students who participated in this exchange—and especially those who stepped beyond their comfort zones to sing in a new language and co-create something unforgettable.
The Ukraine Youth Action Network is supported by the Stevens Initiative at the Aspen Institute, with funding provided by the Bezos Family Foundation.