Munichers* are incredibly committed

Learning from each other, fighting together. That is the motto under which Munich Kyiv Queer has been inviting queer people from Ukraine to the ‘Volunteers Workhop’ in Munich for years. The focus: volunteering. The goal: to convey what the community can achieve thanks to the commitment of its members! In the ‘Volunteers Blog’, our guests write about what moves them. Uliana, for example, was impressed by the report of the Munich Aids-Hilfe. And she loves Bavarian cuisine.

How quickly time flies! It’s the middle of the week, and it seems like it was only yesterday that we ate a delicious soup when we arrived at the Lesbian-Queer Community Centre LeZ.

In the morning, the usual routine: shower, breakfast, tram and latte at Sub. As we get ready for work, a few thoughts go through my mind: I have responsibilities: I have to pay attention, listen, take notes. There are interesting and important topics today. Nothing must be forgotten.

Life, Hope and Growth

COLOUR CHALK! To help our thoughts to become a little more abstract, Uwe asks us to draw how we are feeling today. Some of us take the task literally and draw concrete things like soup (see below). Others take it more abstractly and express their meaning through the combination of colours: in all the drawings, you can see life, hope and growth.

Our first meeting today is with Andreas, a representative of the Pink Party Rosa Liste (left). The agenda starts with questions about the party’s work in the faction and the appeals they take up as part of their volunteer work there. 27 years old, it has been around longer than most of us will ‘live’, as Kateryna would say. We end with a discussion about the challenges to expect in the future in light of the US election results.

We take a break for Bavarian cuisine. We look forward to lunch every day because we are so thrilled by how delicious and intercultural (hübsch) everything is ☺️ It’s a celebration!

After lunch, we continue as planned to talk to representatives of an organisation that deals with HIV/AIDS (and not only that), the Münchner Aids-Hilfe. We are greeted by Michael and Katharina. Michael was involved in the founding of the organisation in 1996, and Katharina works in public relations.

A high level of professionalism

The various areas of work of the organisation help the volunteers who work here to understand the aspects and scope of their activities, as well as, of course, the people who come to them because they really are effective. Of course, there are also curious requests or communication problems, but given the high level of training of the volunteers, no one doubts their expertise and understanding of the specifics of their work. The example of this organisation encourages us to think about the further development of such areas in Ukraine.

We also talked about Die Tafel. This organisation saves food from being thrown away and helps to redirect it to support socially disadvantaged people.

Overall, we see a high level of willingness among Munich residents to volunteer in various areas of life in their city and other regions. We would like to see a social phenomenon like this in our country as well, and we want to integrate it into Ukrainian society with our circle of volunteers. That’s our firm intention.

On Friday, Uliana and the others will talk about their week in Munich at the LeZ.

Living Library LGBTIQ* activists from Ukraine tell about their lives
When Friday, 8 November 2024, 7 pm
Where Lesbisch-Queeres Zentrum LeZ, Müllerstraße 26
Organisers Gay Alliance Ukraine, LeZ, Munich Pride, Munich Kyiv Queer, Cultural Department of the City of Munich

This is how you can donate

INDIVIDUAL HELP Munich Kyiv Queer has its own fundraising campaign via https://www.paypal.me/ConradBreyer to support queer people in Ukraine who are in need or on the run. Why? Because not all LGBTIQ* are organised in the local LGBTIQ*-groups. This help is direct, fast and free of charge if you choose the option “For friends and family” on PayPal. If you don’t have PayPal, you can alternatively send money to the private account of Conrad Breyer, speaker of Munich Kyiv Queer, IBAN: DE427015000021121454.

All requests from the community are meticulously checked in cooperation with our partner organisations in Ukraine. If they can help themselves, they take over. If the demands for help exceed their (financial and/or material) possibilities, we will step in.

HELP FOR LGBTIQ* ORGANISATIONS To support LGBTIQ* in Ukraine we have helped set up the Alliance Queer Emergency Aid Ukraine, in which around 40 German LGBTIQ* Human Rights organisations are involved. All these groups have access to very different Human Rights organisations in Ukraine and use funds for urgently needed care or evacuation of queer people. Every donation helps and is used 100 percent to benefit queer people in Ukraine. Donate here

VULNERABLE GROUP And here you can find out why queer people in war need our support.

Questions? www.MunichKyivQueer.org/help

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