1561 kilometers from Helsinki to Ukraine documented by Arcada’s students

On 18 May, the Relay to Ukraine kicked off with a group of Finns rowing, hiking and running all the way from Helsinki to Ukraine with the goal of raising 156,100 euros. But there's plenty of activity at home, too. The relay's editorial office is located in the Arcada building, where a team of student volunteers produces daily content updates for social media. 

“The Caravan to Ukraine was familiar from before. Instead of being part of the relay myself, I wanted to contribute with something else valuable: documenting and creating visibility for it. If we can engage someone with our content, then we have succeeded”, says Ivar Vuori, a student of film and media specialising in production. 

His responsibilities include producing video content for social media, as well as editing a longer documentary after the relay reaches its goal. Vuori is assisted by fellow student Dariia Zadvorska, for whom Ukraine is particularly close to her heart. 

"Being from Ukraine myself, know the country and the language, which I thought could be very helpful in this project. It is great to be part of something bigger to engage people and evoke emotions. I want to show both Finland and Ukraine, but also the whole world that we are doing something to help", says Zadvorska, also a student in film and media production. 

Arcada provides media facilities during May and June 

The entire route is filmed from start to finish and the relay has an active social media presence with daily updates. Both Vuori and Zadvorska have had the opportunity to tie their participation to their studies, in the form of development studies and internship. They have the editorial office in Arcada's film and media spaces.  

“Social media is a completely new experience for me. Planning strategies, task distribution, teamwork and how to work with content has taught me a lot. In addition, I have felt like a real journalist when I have practised reaching out to people I never thought I would dare to contact”, says Zadvorska. 

During the project, they get to work with both direct and long-term content production. They have also gained insight into the technical equipment and support needed in the field.  

“In addition to learning how to work within a charity project, both the social media production and later the documentary are huge learning projects. Skills from my studies that I’ve found useful include visual storytelling and how to build and follow up work processes. It is rewarding to gain experience in everything from working with a small budget and tight schedules, to building a timeline and writing scripts”, Vuori says.  

Commitment and concrete help  

The idea for the relay came from Fabian Londen, student in Energy and Environmental Engineering at Arcada. His father, Magnus Londen, started the organisation “The Caravan to Ukraine”, which also got Fabian involved at an early stage. 

"Last year, I walked from Turku to the Ukrainian Embassy in Helsinki, and that’s when I got the idea for a longer relay. Now, I've been part of the planning team since day one. I've learned a lot, and I'm sure I will learn a lot more," says Fabian Londen. 

He is also participating in this year's relay with his own leg, motivated by seeing the concrete impact the project makes. 

"During my walk last year, I already saw how important it is to engage others. There are many people in Finland who want to help, and the need for help is big. It feels good to inspire others and get them to donate or come up with their own ways to support." 

The relay is organised by the charity organisation ”Karavanen till Ukraina rf” External link. The donations will be used for buying ambulances and first aid equipment for Ukraine. Everyone in the project works entirely voluntarily.