Sometimes, some of our ideas seem ridiculous, and big projects seem scary and unrealistic. We often doubt our own abilities, wondering if we can take a step toward success while the world is actively moving forward. And while some of us are stuck in the territory of our own insecurities, others are creating culture, rethinking history, and breaking all the molds by building a museum out of a trash can.

Believe me, this is no joke. A young, ambitious, and dedicated team from the Center for Sustainable Initiatives NGO has taken up the challenge of challenging stereotypes about museums. These enthusiasts come from the small town of Zdolbuniv. “I started volunteering at the local history museum at the age of 14, and when I was 18, almost 19, I became its head because, unfortunately, the previous director died of COVID-19 (by the way, the museum now bears his name). And so I went through this process from volunteering to working in the cultural sector. The people who work in the organization have a similar process. That is, they came to the organization having no connection to culture at all and just wanted to create a quality space around them,” said Oleksandr, the head of the NGO.

And you know, they succeeded. They created a public organization from an initiative group, which consisted mainly of volunteers, and made their way from gathering a team to official registration. “Some of them came to us to create culture for free and realized that they wanted to do it not only in the museum, but also outside of it. This is how the organization was formed, which aims to transform and give a new look to the culture of small local communities in Ukraine.”

As you might have guessed, it is the Zdolbuniv Museum of Local Lore that was built from scratch. And no, this is not a clickbait headline, but a real story of the transformation of a godforsaken building into a creative space for activists. “The museum is relatively young. It is 9 years old. But we have already managed to do a lot. Starting with the fact that we turned a relatively dumpy building into a cool place with renovations, expositions and exhibits. In fact, we have created a cultural space, the first exhibition hall in Zdolbuniv with professional equipment, where local artists can showcase their work. As part of the project “Secrets of the Building on Fabrychna”, with the support of the ARPI, we made 3 historical corridors with stands to maximize the use of the space and make it all operational and interesting. We also recorded three podcasts on what historical and cultural aspects should be taken into account when turning a prison into a museum. Now we are implementing the next project, which has already passed the equator. We are making an exhibition in the dungeons of our premises, because this building was built as a police station with pre-trial detention cells and served as such until 1954, under all occupation authorities. This is a building with a difficult past that needs to be rethought. It's not just about dancing, fun, and event space, but also about the complex history of terror that needs to be broadcast in some way. Now we are rethinking it and creating an exposition around it in the dungeon of more than 200 square meters of operational territory. This will be a new space for Ukraine, because we will talk about terror in the context of how it affected society and what needs to be done to prevent it from happening again,” says the head of the NGO.

The Zdolbuniv Museum of Local Lore is a vivid example of how a big project is not so scary and unrealistic when you have an idea and your eyes are burning with your own work. Volunteers and the team of the Center for Sustainable Initiatives have been implementing their ideas one by one and continue to do so, uniting people around cool initiatives. The museum, which seems to be in every town, has now gained great popularity among young people.

The head of the NGO said that the main thing in their business is not to give up. “Initially, we focused on writing grant projects and raising Ukrainian and international funds. There were many failures, but also many victories. We also work with food culture, events, merchandise, and anything that can earn money and provide us with a source of income.”

Oleksandr also shared that the greatest value of their museum is that Zdolbuniv is now associated with this interesting space. That is, it has become a real cultural magnet for the town. “What we are doing is something completely new. This is a new look at museums. There is a young team here that creates a cool cultural product around them and gets a thrill from the fact that it works.” But people remain the museum's greatest value. The volunteer community of about 20 people has proven that local heritage can also be interesting for tourists and locals alike. These people not only create something incredible, but also inspire others with their ideas.

“The Center for Sustainable Initiatives is not resting on its laurels and is already planning new projects and even more high-quality cultural space. The head of the NGO says: “We have more than 300 square meters of attic space that we want to turn into an exhibition space about rethinking the tragic history. There are also many more ideas that we would like to put there. In general, it would be an attic where young people, and not only them, could learn more about history and even touch it somewhere.” Thus, the young, ambitious team of the NGO breathed a second wind into the museum, combining the incompatible, namely an event space and a building with a complex history.

What motivates you to develop Ukraine's cultural heritage, especially in times of war? Of course, the desire to realize resources that for some reason are not in the priorities of Ukrainians, but are among the first on the occupiers' list of destruction. “For some reason, we forget about cultural heritage, although looking at European countries, it is a must-have. In Europe, it is super important, it is what unites and unites the nation and what people leave behind. We preserve the achievements of our ancestors and show them in a new format. In times of a full-scale invasion, the heritage is being destroyed, our culture is being taken out of the occupied territories, and it's scary. We need to preserve, show and broadcast our heritage not only in Ukraine but also abroad. Because culture is a factor of unification!” Oleksandr emphasizes.

So let's not be intimidated by ideas that require effort. “What really drives you is what you get. Heritage is a cool product that you can develop and for which there is a demand,” summed up the young leader of the Center for Sustainable Initiatives NGO.

The article was prepared within the framework of the project of the Agency for Private Initiative Development  "Promoting Youth Civic Participation in Decentralized Communities" with co-financing from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)..