How Can Coworking And Business Communities Support Ukraine?

• The European Coworking Assembly’s Coworking IDEA Project hosted a special international conversation about what the coworking and wider business community can do to support Ukraine right now. 
• Individuals from the coworking community in Ukraine also joined the call to talk about how they’ve been impacted, and share ways we can help to support the people of Ukraine.
• As well as sharing, joining or donating to initiatives, this article discusses some ways to leverage your own space to help. 

Do you want to support Ukraine but don’t know where to start?

On 9 March 2022, the European Coworking Assembly’s Coworking IDEA Project hosted a special international conversation about what the coworking and wider business community can do to support Ukraine right now. 

The European Coworking Assembly is an industry network that connects and supports coworkers, coworking spaces, federations and alliances. 

The assembly stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, as well as the people of Russia, the people of the Baltic States, and the people of Eastern Europe.

The Coworking IDEA Project is a movement dedicated to making spaces more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible. Sign up to the newsletter to join future calls.

Can you support one of these initiatives?

Dozens of people from across the coworking industry, as well as other industries, joined the call to voice their support and share the initiatives they are currently running. 

Individuals from the coworking community in Ukraine also joined the call to talk about how they’ve been impacted, and share ways we can help to support the people of Ukraine.

The European Coworking Assembly is continuing to work directly with its colleagues and coworkers impacted by the invasion of Ukraine. 

Go to the European Coworking Assembly’s support for Ukraine hub for a list of community-led initiatives to support, share or donate to. This is a growing list that the assembly will continue to add to as they identify new ones. 

As well as sharing, joining or donating to these initiatives, they might provide you with inspiration or ideas for how you could leverage your own space to help. 

Here’s a list of resources so far (visit the hub for the latest information):

• Spacent is offering a free membership to anyone arriving from Ukraine for Spacent locations in Finland, Sweden and Estonia.
• OneCoworking is offering free access to coworking spaces inside and outside of Ukraine, to people affected by the war in Ukraine.
• German Coworking Federation members are offering their support to refugees free of charge.
• Coliving for Ukraine is collecting information from European communities and coliving providers that want to support Ukrainians, which will be shared publicly to communities in need.  
• Vika Zhurbas, founder of the Ukrainian Coworking and Flex office Association, has set up a way for you to donate directly to the Ukraine Coworking Community here. 
• WeHelpUkraine: If you want to help with housing, medical, legal, psychological, logistics, financial support, local language classes, or provide a workplace for Ukrainian people, fill out this form. 

Organisations helping those in need include:

• UNICEF
• Doctors Without Borders
• Voices of Children
• Sunflower of Peace
• International Committee of the Red Cross
• Save the Children
• UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
• International Medical Corps

In the video below, Anastasiia Kachen of the Ukraine Coworking Association shares a message of hope, determination and thanks.

If your coworking space or organisation is running an initiative, get in touch with the European Coworking Assembly and they will add it to their list of resources.