“I simply wanted to find out how we will be living 20 years from now”

For the benefit of those who don’t waste their Friday nights watching meaningless verbal exchanges (for some unknown reason called political debates) among a limited number of public figures on the show “Freedom with Slavik Shuster,” last Friday the program’s producers must have decided to give it new meaning by taking a risky step. They invited some gifted Ukrainian adolescents, who have already made a name for themselves in some area of expertise.

Their intention was quite innocent: the teenagers would ask questions on subjects that are interesting to them, and the politicians would answer them. So where’s the risk? Any director will tell you that there is no greater challenge for a professional actor than to find himself or herself in a studio next to a child. Even if the script has been written and learned in advance, the natural playmanship of a child is hard to match; it takes real professionalism. Imagine what happens when you throw improvisation into this mix. In this sense, our politicians revealed their professional ineptness, to put it mildly.

A normal person who is in control of himself or herself and aspires to be acknowledged as a politician should not throw a tantrum in response to a reasonable question posed with youthful brashness, for example, why do MPs constantly return to parliament, like criminals to the scene of a crime? The girl who asked that question was forced to hear some caustic remarks in response: about the “abnormal” level of aggression for a child of her age and her lack of respect for MPs. Everything ended disgracefully, with the young participant, Sofia Vatuliak, bursting into tears and the complete self-satisfaction of those who had reduced her to them.

Sofia was not the only one to suffer that night. Any awkward question from the teenagers, whether about the Euro-2012 preparations or open testing, sparked mumbling displeasure in the politicians, who reprimanded their young questioners in mentorial tones and even resorted to slinging some hastily collected dirt along these lines: what can you expect of children whose parents, who were also present in the studio, were pleading for financial support for their offspring during the commercial breaks? The politicians ran through their usual bag of tricks, which is so typical of them. Again there was a feeling of shame but not of surprise.

I tried to find out about Sofia’s feelings and impressions when she left the studio.

We hit it off from the start, and I immediately understood that she has a great future ahead of her, and she will certainly become a journalist. She expressed herself in an articulate and competent manner. There are plenty of young people who speak with clarity and conciseness, but not everyone has the same conviction that there is one target to be aimed at and hit-injustice and lies.

“Why did you say you would be a killer? This sparked some confusion in the audience.”

“Wouldn’t you agree that you can kill even with a single word? This is what I will do: I will strike with words. The main thing is that I know what my future goal is.”

Frankly, I met Sofia precisely because she did not fit into the context of the last program. The plan for the show was to get young people involved in a discussion, which really livened up the program. Most of the invited students asked the politicians uncomfortable questions, and they were not always up to the mark. But Sofia’s conduct seemed to have been out of bounds.

“Why did you start crying so hard that you couldn’t stop?

“I was offended: I raised my hand again and again, and they kept ignoring me.”

“Well, you have to get used to that if you want to become a journalist. They will ignore you and your raised hand. That is our lot, my dear colleague.”

When the Lviv branch of the Small Academy of Sciences (MAN) was invited to pick two students for the program, the two instant candidates were Nastia Sybirna of the Lviv Linguistic Gymnasium, the winner of an international student competition in environmental studies, and Sofia Vatuliak, an 11th-grader from School No. 64. According to her teachers, Sofia has the best writing skills of any student at the academy. She is even considered something of a playwright: she has written a play about Roman Shukhevych, which was staged by the academy students. She is a generally a person with an independent and strong character.

“Which historical figure has undeniable authority for you?” I asked this question as we were strolling across Rynok Square in the middle of an interesting conversation.

“Bandera. He is sometimes accused of favoring fascist ideology, but he was simply a man of radical actions. Nothing was more important for him than Ukraine and God. Ukraine, however, is a broad concept. It involves people and relationships among them, but God is love.”

“Where did you get that from?”

“A while ago, in the book Idy za mnoiu (Follow Me). I came across the first law of UPA soldiers: “You will achieve a Ukrainian state or die in the struggle for it.” I was deeply moved, and it stayed with me from that moment. One of my relatives was in the UPA. Growing up in our family, it was natural for me to become a conscious citizen of Ukraine.”

“What did you want to ask Ukrainian politicians about?”

“When will they finally recognize the UPA as a combatant in World War II? And in general, I badly wanted to hear their answer to this question: do they know how we will be living in 20 years?”

“I don’t think they would have answered this particular question. How we will be living 20 years from now depends more on people like you. I would like to clarify something: you were sitting next to students from various regions. Did you find a common language with them?”

“Sure. But I realized that we disagree on certain issues. Some are categorically against contacts with Russia, while others don’t want us to join the EU. But there is something greater that unites us all. UKRAINE unites us! Everyone without exception dreams of Ukraine’s prosperity and success. Personally, I would like to say that it is important for all of us to cherish Ukrainian traditions and customs and our heroes.”

“Many young people were there with their parents. Did you talk during the breaks? And about what?

“The kids simply asked the politicians for their autographs, and the parents-for financial support to develop their children’s talents. Some promised to help, especially Lytvyn, who gave promises to many people. Interestingly, it was the politicians who sought us out. They approached many children and told them something. The atmosphere was generally warm. Only Semeniuk, Herashchenko, Zhvania, and Chervonenko were somewhat aloof.”

“What did you ask for and of whom?

“I didn’t ask anyone for anything. I earn some money and can afford at least not to ask my parents for pocket money. Our family knows the value of money. My mom had a baby recently, my brother, and she is on maternity leave now.”

“You know, Sofia, my son tried telling me something about the divisions among young people. I got only a vague idea: there are mazhory (rich kids), hopnyky (muggers), neformaly (members of the youth subculture), etc. What group do you belong to?

“I hope I belong to...people. Of course, young people are divided into groups and naturally they are sometimes in conflict with each other. They listen to different music and dress differently, too. But I try to find a common language to speak with all of them. People are essentially good, and it is only because of their life circumstances or because of society that they change: some break down and some make a complete turnabout. But anyway, time will show who is who.”

At that moment we came up to a stone statue, one of Lviv’s many lions. I wanted to take a quick picture of Sofia standing next to these noble animals, which go so nicely with Lviv’s cityscape.

Sofia posed for a minute and waving goodbye, went along the cobblestone road in her simple but durable and strong shoes. It seemed to me that wherever she goes-into journalism or politics-she will walk equally confidently, without losing her posture or face.

Of course, I write about this girl with admiration, showing my intense sympathy for her. But it’s not just because I am in good spirits and have a certain assurance that we will be all right in the future. Of course, you can scold young people, but you can also pin your hopes on them.

There is one condition, though- you have to treat them with care. For example, Sofia looked tired today. She arrived from Kyiv shattered with exhaustion and did not go to school. When I later discussed Shuster’s show with Ivanna Borodchuk, the principal of the Lviv branch of the MAN, she gave an absolutely fair assessment:

“You don’t invite schoolchildren to programs that last well after midnight, to marathon debates that are a challenge to their immature psyches. That’s why Sofia cried-she was tired and stressed out. She kept raising her hand because she had prepared herself to speak so earnestly. Some children can keep themselves in check, but some can’t.”

The way those politicians behaved on the show really takes the cake. Of course, the boys and girls asked pointed questions, but how could the adults have reacted the way they did? They treated the children literally as their serious opponents. They should have softened some of their remarks and attributed some of the teenagers’ remarks to maximalist attitudes, which are so characteristic of young people. They should not have exploded like Chervonenko did. Instead of posing before the microphones, they should have turned around and openly faced the children.

As far as the production crew is concerned, they should have talked to the students in advance, telling them how they were supposed to conduct themselves. I am not talking about censorship: children have to be psychologically prepared so that rather than burdening and destroying them, this first experience can become a positive one and facilitate their spiritual growth. Politicians have to be educators who are able to look ahead, and they also need to have the qualities of diplomats and psychologists-provided, of course, that they are real politicians.

Yesterday a life-saving hope came to me-the hope that the politicians of the future will be precisely like that.