“Believe in Your Strength”: Eurovision 2022 Winners KALUSH Visit Children at Blogger Camp

The new summer session of the “Rinat Akhmetov to Children. Peaceful Recreation for the Children of Ukraine” project in Zakarpattia began with a special event. The participants of Blogger Camp were visited by KALUSH, winners of the international Eurovision Song Contest 2022.

The musicians prepared a packed program for the campers and held a motivational master class. Band members Tymofii Muzychuk, Oleksandr “Tab” Slobodianyk, and KYLYMMEN shared their own success stories, spoke about the journey of creating the group, and inspired the children not to be afraid of creativity and to believe in themselves.

During the candid conversation, the children asked questions about how the idea for the group was born and how its distinctive style was developed. The musicians admitted that they had spent a long time searching for their own creative identity and combining contemporary music with Ukrainian folk traditions.

“If we are talking about KALUSH Orchestra, it is hip-hop mixed with folk music. We were looking for our own identity because every brand needs to have its own face. It did not appear immediately — it changed over the years and evolved along with the band and our creative focus,” the musicians shared.

The master class placed particular emphasis on self-realization and the fear of starting to pursue creative activities. According to the musicians, the most important thing is to create not for the sake of someone else’s approval, but at the prompting of your heart.

“You should not be afraid to start. If you want to create only to make someone like it, then the fear will always be there. But if you are ready to do it even when no one will see it, then you are on the right path. At first, creativity should come from the soul, and only then can external recognition follow,” the band members emphasized.

The participants of Blogger Camp also created TikTok videos together with the performers, learned how to work with a camera and shoot dynamic content, and discovered professional secrets of creating viral videos. The master class gave the children not only an opportunity to communicate with famous artists, but also practical skills for developing their own creative projects.

After the conversation, the campers enjoyed a concert by the band. KALUSH performed their best-known hits, while the children enthusiastically sang along to every familiar song and danced together with the artists. The campers did not hide their excitement about the meeting. The children admitted that they had long dreamed of seeing the band perform live, and that communicating with the musicians in person became a source of inspiration and confidence in their own abilities.

The “Blogger Camp” offers activities that help young Ukrainians believe in themselves, relax and recover in the fresh air, make new friends, and look with confidence toward their own future and the future of their country despite today's challenges.

Traditionally, Blogger Camp participants are Ukrainian children who have lost their parents because of the war, live near the front line or in de-occupied territories, have been affected by hostilities, or have experienced illegal deportation to russia. The session also includes children from foster families, family-type children’s homes, as well as families of guardians and adoptive parents.

Thanks to the program “Rinat Akhmetov - to Children. Peaceful Recreation for the Children of Ukraine,” more than 5,000 children from different parts of the country have already had the opportunity to regain strength, find hope, and gain new impressions. Over the years of its work, the Foundation has provided support to more than 6 million children across Ukraine.