On September 24-26, media representatives from the southern regions of Ukraine – Kherson, Mykolayiv and Odesa madea press tour of Chernihiv region. The purpose of the event was to acquaint editors and journalists with the achievements of decentralization reform, successful local initiatives and cultural, historical and tourist potential of Chernihiv region.
The press tour participants first visited the Kiptivka united territorial community, where they talked to the village head Volodymyr Kuchma and representatives of the village council. According to the community head, in recent years their villages have improved their infrastructure, considerably renovated their educational institutions, raised the quality of administrative services, repaired roads and restored lighting. The journalists saw an updated infrastructure of the villages, in particular, the local administrative service center, an outpatient clinic, educational institutions, and the House of Culture.
The journalists then visited the town of Baturyn, where they got acquainted with the history of the prominent ethnographer and anthropologist Miklouho-Maclay and the National Historical and Cultural Reserve “Hetman’s Capital” with the restored Baturyn Fortress, the Hetman’s House, an ancient wooden church and the palace of Kyrylo Rozumovskyi.
In Chernihiv, the press tour participants met with Pavlo Veselov, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism, Nationalities and Religion at the Chernihiv Regional State Administration. According to the official, the Chernihiv Regional State Administration actively promotes the organization and development of the tourism sector, popularizes the region among Ukrainian tourists and foreigners. Pavlo Veselov noted that this year the project “Tourist Magnets of Ukraine” had been launched on the initiative of the President of Ukraine. Under the project, three to five most attractive tourist objects of historical, cultural and natural significance will be selected in each region. In Chernihiv region, the list includes the National Historical and Cultural Reserve “Hetman’s Capital”, the National Architectural and Historical Reserve “Ancient Chernihiv”, Nature Park “Beremytske” and Mizhrichyn Regional Landscape Park, the National Historical and Cultural Reserve “Kachanivka” and the Novgorod-Siversky Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “The Song of Igor’s Campaign.”
Besides, in Chernihiv, media representatives from the southern regions visited COLLAR Company – the company of Ukraine’s largest manufacturer of ammunition, toys, training tools and even clothes for pets. Ihor Andriichenko, Head of the Public Relations Department, held a presentation on the history and main activities of the company. In addition, he spoke about the company’s involvement in volunteering and took journalists to meet a local resident of the company, Cane Corso dog Lilu. The dog has been “working” at the comprehensive rehabilitation center “Renaissance” for several years and helping children with complex diagnoses and special needs to better socialize in this world. Together with Oleksandr Skoropys, COLLAR Company’s Production Director, the journalists visited the production and got acquainted with the company’s products.
Another example of decentralization that the press tour participants got acquainted with was the Gorodnya United Territorial Community. Andriy Bohdan, the mayor of Gorodnya, told journalists about the achievements, successes and difficulties that the community had to face. The community head shared his achievements in the communal sphere, in particular, he spoke about solving the problem of water supply and lighting in the community. Vitaliy Mammadov, the deputy mayor, acquainted the media representatives with the infrastructural facilities of the community.
At the end of the tour, the journalists got acquainted with the historical part of Chernihiv and visited the Beremytske Nature Park. Employees of the park are making the idea of park rewilding real. They plant and populate the area with the species that will form a closed biological cycle of ancient Chernihiv Polissya. In addition, this park is a successful example of local tourism development.
The press tour took place under the project of the Ukraine Crisis Media Center “Modern regional media – a guarantee of quality in a media-competent democratic Ukraine” implemented by the Ukraine Crisis Media Center with the financial support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in Kyiv