{"id":86179,"date":"2018-03-23T23:50:28","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T23:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uacrisis.org\/?p=65507"},"modified":"2018-03-24T13:40:51","modified_gmt":"2018-03-24T11:40:51","slug":"65507-uchoose-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/65507-uchoose-project","title":{"rendered":"Uchoose: how to battle populism?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four years after the Revolution of Dignity the hostilities in eastern Ukraine and corruption are not the only threats to the legacy of the Euromaidan. The demands of the Euromaidan may get betrayed as Ukrainians increasingly trust populism and populists who are skillfully using their fatigue, disillusionment,\u00a0and\u00a0disenchantment. A recent opinion poll held by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology impressed many analysts: a year before the presidential elections the populist forces are heading the rankings in Ukraine. We want to show you how a small team of enthusiasts from UCMC tries to counter the phenomenon and what their actual achievements are so far.
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On March 13, 2018, the\u00a0Uchoose<\/a>\u00a0website was launched aiming at countering populism and encouraging critical thinking. On the website,\u00a0the users will find a video game, several short quizzes,\u00a0and\u00a0tests, as well as a variety of funny pictures and a few analytical articles. On social media, the project is being promoted by videos featuring celebrities. Among them is Serhiy Zhadan, a Ukrainian poet who rapped on camera for the ad.
\nThe main page of the website reads: \u201cWe\u2019ve created this project so that you may choose something that you can read, think over, analyze and get inspired with. Here we talk media hygiene, critical thinking, and logic, and debunk stereotypes. Here we are joking and being naughty, we draw funny pictures, shoot entertaining videos and collaborate with the authors who are the best of the best in our opinion. We are talking about complex themes but are not looking for simple solutions.\u201d<\/em>
\nIn the first ten days of its existence, this small website,\u00a0as well as the social media that support it,\u00a0were visited or followed by a half a million Ukrainians. The authors of the project also received an invitation to read lectures to students and send out the project to high school students across the country.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve\u00a0<\/em>received<\/em>\u00a0a phone call from the President\u2019s Office these days,\u201d said Svitlana Tkachenko, project coordinator. \u201cThey called us and said: \u2018You derailed our working day. Our staff is playing your game instead of doing their work\u2019\u201d.\"\"
\nSvitlana Tkachenko, Uchoose project coordinator<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Reference: The rise of populist moods in Ukraine.<\/strong>
\nThe Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KMIS) held an all-Ukrainian opinion poll between February 5 and 21, 2018 ordered by a client. According to the opinion poll:<\/p>\n