“Now it’s calmer. But we don’t know how it will be tomorrow.” At Urban Camp of LVIV Break Dance helps war refugees to redo their life

The young Portuguese and Ukrainians who participate in Enlargement CEMP had the opportunity to know the work of Urban CEMP of LVIV, where 42 people who had to leave their homes in the east of the country currently live due to war

“Are you having fun? Say Yeaaaaaah!” Young people answer “Yeaaaaaah”. They clap rhythms while the B-boys show their best break dance movements. “This was surprising,” comments one of the girls. Who would say? Throughout the morning, participants were at the Urban Camp of LVIV, Ukraine, discussing the challenges of the European Union and did not imagine that in that spaceless space there were young people like them heading on the floor and rehearsing complicated choreographies. It was only after lunch, when the young people were gathered in small working groups that Viktor Chulanovskyi appeared, with a microphone and a portable column and led them to a space guided by the space.

What is this Urban Camp anyway? When the Russians invaded the Ukrainian territory in 2022, Viktor left Kharkiv with his wife and two children. He chose to move to LVIV because they had friends in the city they could receive them. “We had a house where to live, but many other people not. When I arrived in LVIV, in March, I saw a lot of people at the train station they had nowhere to stay, who left their bags, lost children, people who had no documents needed. Very complicated situations. And I decided I had to help people, to work as a volunteer. I only had a microphone and a small sound system, but tried to tell people where they were the self -cars, which organizations were what the organizations were what the organizations were what the organizations were what the organizations were what the organizations Volunteers where they could stay, where they could have hot food, because some people had nothing, fled or moved and could not bring anything and that is terrible.

In Kharkiv, Viktor was already part of an urban art group and had the idea of ​​creating a holiday field where kids had the opportunity to learn more about “urban culture” and at the same time having fun. “So we thought we could adapt the idea and do something here, have a place to help the people coming from the front line and at the same time develop Street Culture.”

The first Urban Camp was at a school next to the train station, which was closed because of the war. In the gym were ping pong tables and tennis classes. The resorts had two showers. In the classrooms 35 beds were placed. And there was still a small kitchen. “We gave people a free space to people who needed to live for two or three weeks, a month, to adapt to the situation, until they can go to another city or get a home, have a normal life,” says Viktor.

Then, in September, classes resumed and had to leave school. “But the situation was still critical, there were still many people needing help.” It was then that they asked for help from the LVIV City Council and found the building where they moved in 2023, an old culture palace of the Soviet Union times, located next to a factory. The building had been abandoned for several years, had no windows, had no electricity. “There was nothing, it was in ruins,” recalls Viktor. “We had the help of many volunteers, a financing from the European capital of culture and other partnerships. Without this help we would not have achieved.” In fact, the space is still only semi remodeled, there is a part that is still closed, but the works advance.

There is now the “Urban Camp” which is a center for youth dedicated to urban art. It already has a kitchen and bathroom, a conference and living room, work rooms, a basketball field outside and a gym in the countryside, the break-dancers’ rehearsal room. A skate pit is still under construction. On the other hand, one of the parts of the building acts as residence for people displaced from the war, with camarats and cliffs where they can keep their belongings. The space has a capacity of 100 people and right now welcomes 42. “Now it’s calmer. But we don’t know how it will be tomorrow,” warns Viktor. They welcome all kinds of people, but are focused mainly on younger people and mothers with young children. “We have been doing a huge job. This is much more than a Summer Camp or an Urban Camp. It’s our mission. That’s our energy, trying to understand what people need and help,” says Viktor.

In two of the walls the huge tile panels of the original building are still visible, but there are increasing graffitis to color the walls. The hip hop beat gives the pace and young people can rehearse a B-boy’s movements, improvise some rhymes, train skills with a soccer or basketball ball, parkour or skate. Imagination is the limit. “Some of the kids live here, others are from the neighborhood, we work with the community.”

The young Portuguese and Ukrainians who are participating in Enlargement CEMP tried to make some Freestyle Football skills and had fun with the basketball ball in the basket. But best of all was to see the breakdancers. And at the end of the visit, they left their mark (graffites say tag) in a panel that will be as memory of this day.

Under the European Culture Capital, Urban Camp has participated in some initiatives together with Agencies Erasmus + and at the beginning of the year were in Portugal to present some shows. “We try to inspire people with our music and acrobatics. Urban culture is universal, young people around the world can identify themselves and it is very easy to relate,” says Viktor. “I learned a lot from war. I learned that there are no differences between Ukraine from the east and west. The people we work with lean on each other, no matter where we came from. We all have friends who are on the front line. Either we all work together or we’ll get nothing.”