Oksana Yavorska

Work in Journalism

Oksana wrote 14 articles for 50vidsotkiv.org.ua about women in politics, developing her journalistic skills and supporting the feminist movement in Ukraine. She gained experience in election analysis, interviewing female politicians, and researching violence and social projects. She was particularly impressed by conversations with women at the local level who strive for change despite the obstacles. For her articles, Oksana received awards in competitions.

First Steps in Journalism

I can no longer recall who exactly recommended me as a contributor for the website 50vidsotkiv.org.ua, which focuses on women in politics, but I am very grateful to that person. Within one year, I managed to write 14 articles, which helped me develop my journalistic skills and make a modest contribution to the feminist movement in Ukraine.

Another important person who contributed to my development was the incredibly professional and strong-willed woman – my editor Lesya Hanzha. With her extensive experience, she mentored me by editing the somewhat clumsy articles I wrote at the beginning.

It all started with my analysis of the local council elections in the Ternopil region, where I discovered that only two women became mayors, compared to eleven men in the same position. I gathered information from public sources and formatted the data into an infographic. My next task was to interview people experienced in creating Wikipedia articles, aiming to teach young female politicians how to present themselves and encourage women to write more articles about prominent Ukrainian women from the past.

Next, I was entrusted with interviewing a deputy of the Ternopil Regional Council, conducting an online interview with Olena Malakhova (then an advisor to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine), and visiting the Ternopil Regional State Administration to learn about the officials’ programs for combating domestic violence.

Local Female Politicians as Examples of Stoicism

Every article was an exciting challenge for me, but the journey to Pidhaytsi, where I was to meet three female politicians, left a lasting impression. It was a cold January day, and I hitchhiked to save travel expenses. Through the frosty windowpanes, frost-covered trees were visible, and outside, the frost was biting. Putting the lyrical digressions aside, it was the first time a female politician refused to meet me, responding to my messages in a rather condescending tone. Luckily, I was able to speak in person with two leaders: the head of the district council (Iryna Baran) and the city council leader (Tetyana Levkovych). These women impressed me with their unity, motivation, and strong desire to improve their communities.

In general, I find talking to female politicians at the lowest level (villages or small communities) the most interesting because they have the least resources and the hardest time gaining public attention. Their stories are often extraordinary and ones they are reluctant to share on camera or into a recording device. Often, these women do everything possible and impossible to achieve their goals.

Meeting women who entered politics through activism in social movements was particularly inspiring. Among them were Yulia Gvozdovych (a deputy of the Lviv City Council) and Nataliya Serbin (a candidate for the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council). Both actively advocated for women’s projects and took a direct part in the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.

Later, I wrote articles about female politicians from the Vinnytsia region, and I concluded my career in journalism with an online publication about Nataliya Sholomeychuk, the only deputy of the Ternopil City Council who responded to my interview request.

It’s worth noting that my editor Lesya Hanzha, who was a role model for me, joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. She continues to serve there, protecting all of us from Russian aggression.

My articles for the website 50vidsotkiv.org.ua:

1. Natalia Sholomeychuk, Ternopil City Council: “Some said: She’s just a market vendor, what can she do?”

2. Is the pursuit of gender equality a perversion? What was discussed in Ternopil

3. Iryna Kolesnyk, Vinnytsia Regional Council: In politics, you constantly have to prove that you are an “Iron Lady”

4. Larisa Bilozir, Vinnytsia Regional Council: I teach communities how to obtain grants and win competitions

5. Nataliya Serbin: “The entire political situation in Ivano-Frankivsk is controlled by men”

6. Yulia Gvozdovych, Lviv City Council: “My sister won 13 votes for me in the elections”

7. Yaroslava Bilan: “People choose the leaders of their village, not the parties”

8. Photo exhibition, film, and self-defense courses: How the “Girls Fest” in Kamianets-Podilskyi went

9. Female Triumvirate in Pidhaytsi, Ternopil Region: How three women govern the city and district

10. Domestic violence: What is being done with offenders in the Ternopil Regional Administration

11. Olena Malakhova: Men are a group with privileges and don’t want to give them up

12. Deputy of Ternopil Regional Council: “As soon as you become a man’s competitor, you can forget about equality”

13. How to get into Wikipedia? (+ article template)

14. Not women’s work: In Ternopil region, out of 11 mayors, only 2 are women

Articles and videos for which I received awards:

1. https://genderindetail.org.ua/community/comments/zhinko-uyavi-svoe-zhittya-bez-strahu.html — Finalist of the UN competition “Ukraine on the Path to Sustainable Development”

2. https://detector.media/withoutsection/article/126101/2017-05-18-lisy-ukrainy-v-rezhymi-onlayn — Finalist of the World Bank competition “Law Enforcement in Ukraine’s Forestry Sector”

3. https://youtu.be/hTHwmD-riTs — 2nd place in the video competition by the Women’s Consortium of Ukraine