James Rampersad
As the two-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine approaches, Bridges 2030, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, screened their documentary “Beyond the Statistics”.
Temple Office of Global Engagement Vice Provost, Emilia Zankina, speaks to attendees at the “Beyond The Statistics” screening Wednesday. (Photo Credit: James Rampersad)
Ukrainian refugees, high school students, and many more from the Philadelphia community and beyond flocked to Temple University’s Science Education and Research Center for the debut screening of the Ukrainian Refugee documentary, “Beyond the Statistics” Wednesday.
Along with the showing of the new film, a handful of speakers made remarks before the screening, and the event closed with a brief Q and A with the producers of the documentary, as well as some of those who were featured in the film. Bridges 2030 hopes that Temple University will be the first of many universities to show the film, as “Beyond The Statistics” is available to any college campus that would like to spread the word about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
“Beyond The Statistics”, just as the title implies, strives to put the stories of those affected ahead of the numbers that are projected through social media and the mainstream news.
“To tell a story, you should experience the story,” explained Bridges 2030 founder, Fernando Ramirez.
And that is exactly what they did. In collaboration with nine other non-profit organizations and Be The Good media, the Philadelphia production company that produced the project, they made the bold decision to shoot much of the film in Poland, where many effects of the war are being felt still being felt nearly two years later. Ramirez served as the executive producer of the documentary.
“I am so admirable of the courage of the Ukrainian people,” he shared, “we walked in their footsteps, we followed them”.
Among those in attendance was Ukrainian refugee, Yulia Kozirkova. A native of Mariupol, off the northern coast of Ukraine, Yulia along with her mother, Yana, had to flee once the war broke out on February 24, 2022.
Since arriving in Philadelphia, Yulia has been very active in the Ukrainian refugee community, continually seeking to assist in the efforts of ensuring safety for those fleeing the war in Ukraine. Her volunteer efforts started long before the crisis in her home country broke out.
“I grew up in a family that always helped out in the community,” she explained.
However, she now feels her outreach is needed more than ever given the current situation in Ukraine.
"Last year, we did a Christmas gift drive for the orphans who are in Ukraine,” said Kozirkova.
Compassion is a big theme in the film, and showing the human element of how the war has affected so many is the driving force behind the call to action of the story. The experiences shared in the film are those that are not typically translated in the mainstream flow of news.
Ultimately, the message is to shift from the question of “Should I help?” to the question of “How do I help?” expressed Ramirez, “That is where the change happens” he concluded.
“Beyond The Statistics” will continue to be screened as a part of Bridges 2030 mission to bring awareness to this ongoing crisis.
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