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🤓 Ever wondered who those serious-looking intellectuals on Ukrainian hryvnias are?

⚠️ Spoiler alert: they're not just there for aesthetics — these literary legends helped build Ukraine’s cultural soul. Let's meet the fab four who made it onto the bills and into the hearts of millions by scrolling through the pictures. 📲

🇺🇦 Whether you're a volunteer looking to understand Ukraine beyond the headlines or a lit-lover who’s been sleeping on Eastern Europe, these names are your gateway. Want to learn more? Join our ENGin: Speak Ukrainian program: https://www.enginprogram.org/learn-ukrainian

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🎉 Happy Easter from ENGin CEO Katerina Manoff and Ukraine Global Scholars President Julia Lemesh!

💪 Partners in rebuilding Ukraine and friends honoring centuries-old Ukrainian traditions together ❤️ Rapid scaling isn’t just for our nonprofits: today we doubled our paska output from a planned 14 to 29 😆

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🌺🐣 Last year, we shared with you the timeless beauty of Ukrainian Easter traditions (still iconic — check the post here: https://shorturl.at/aLf7J). But this year, we’re diving into the modern remix. 😆

Because while Ukrainians keep faith and family at the heart of the holiday, they’re not afraid to sprinkle in some 2025 energy. Scroll through the pictures to discover how tradition meets innovation… with a side of sprinkles. 😍

Easter in Ukraine? It’s sacred. It’s spruced up. It’s sweet (sometimes literally).

Happy modern Easter, the Ukrainian way 💛💙

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🤩 This week, our founder Katerina held an extra-special session with her buddy Anna in Lviv.

📜 Anna leads a Ukrainian nonprofit called Після тиші / After silence, which shines a light on hidden stories from Ukrainian history. In the session, Anna took Katerina on a tour of her organization’s newly-renovated office and exhibition space, including their brand-new exhibition “Gulyaipole: Temporarily Displaced Stories”.

Gulyaipole is a town only a few kilometers from the front lines. Constant russian attacks are destroying not only lives and buildings, but the region’s history. For the past few years, After Silence’s local partner Gulyaipole Antiquities has been rescuing museum collections and family archives from the area to preserve them. The exhibition contains a number of these rescued items and stories relating to traumatic events of the twentieth century.

💬 “Anna’s videotour made me feel like I was in Lviv with her,” shares Katerina. “I learned a ton about Ukrainian history and was so touched by the stories Anna’s team masterfully captured in images, audio, and special objects. My favorite display was an old handmill that had been repurposed as a headstone in a Jewish cemetery near Gulyaipole. I was also so, so proud of Anna’s amazing work renovating the space and putting on this incredible exhibition!”

🌟 Katerina and Anna’s story captures the best of ENGin – cultural immersion, conversation partners sharing their lives with each other, and the joy of watching our students thrive. ✨

😍 Have you had a powerful session with your ENGin buddy recently? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

PS. Are you currently in Lviv? Check out the exhibition until May 4th, Weds-Sun 12PM-6PM 😊

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🎉 Запрошуємо практикувати розмовну англійську з англомовними волонтерами!

Наша україно-американська команда вже 5 років працює для того, щоб українці розмовляли англійською вільно та впевнено. Зараз ми маємо місця у програмі для нових студентів, тож запрошуємо вас, ваших рідних та друзів долучатися ✨

Ми знайдемо для вас англомовного волонтера-співрозмовника, і ви будете зустр��чатися раз в тиждень онлайн та спілкуватися англійською. А ще — ви зможете дізнаватися про іншу культуру та розказувати іноземцям про Україну.

✅ до програми вже долучилося понад 55 тисяч учасників (дуже хочемо, щоб було 100 тисяч, тож ласкаво просимо до програми:)

✅ 99% студентів долають мовний бар'єр та покращують свою англійську вже за 3 місяці участі.

Участь можуть брати і діти (від 9 років), і дорослі. Приймаємо учасників з рівнем англійської від базового до просунутого.

📜 Умови участі: одноразовий донат у 1200 грн на підтримку організації за ЦІЛИЙ РІК участі або безоплатно через стипендіальну програму.

➡️ Читайте більше за посиланням:

https://uk.enginprogram.org/learn. Долучайтеся самі та поширюйте серед друзів та рідних 🌟

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🗓️🌟 On Saturday, April 26 at 12pm ET / 7pm Kyiv, we invite you to gather with the ENGin community for a special event marking five years of our journey together — connecting thousands of Ukrainians and English-speaking volunteers around the world. 🌍💬

This event will feature:

🔷 A keynote by former First Lady of Ukraine Kateryna Yushchenko

🔷 A conversation with Olena, the young girl whose story helped spark the idea for ENGin

🔷 A student panel from Ukraine, sharing how their ENGin experiences have shaped them

🔷 Moments to connect with each other — because connection is at the heart of everything we do

Through every conversation and every shared story, we’ve seen how powerful human connection can be — even in the most challenging times. We hope you’ll join us to honor these five years and look ahead, together.

Register to join us: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../register/kZCaCzgtQ46aA0d8qEWZ1w

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💔 Our hearts are with Sumy, Ukraine.

As Ukraine marked Palm Sunday — a sacred day of peace and renewal — russian missiles struck the heart of Sumy’s city center. The attack claimed 34 lives, injured 117 people, and once again shattered the calm of an ordinary day. Among the victims are children.

These attacks no longer shock the world as they should. But they must never become “normal.” They are not.

We mourn with those who lost loved ones. We stand with the survivors. And we draw strength, as Ukrainians always do — not only to endure, but to keep fighting for a future without war.

At ENGin, we remain committed to building that future: by empowering Ukrainians, connecting them with the world, and helping their voices be heard louder than the sounds of sirens. 🙏

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😍🇺🇦 Explore the beauty of Ukrainian culture through its language. Join the Speak UA Program by ENGin and dive into 1-on-1 online lessons with an experienced Ukrainian teacher!

Why choose ENGin’s Speak Ukrainian program?

🌍 Open to learners of all ages, anywhere in the world.

✨ Learn at your own pace with flexible scheduling.

🎓 Customized lessons with an individual approach.

✅ Nonprofit project - all proceeds support our flagship program offering free English speaking practice for Ukrainians.

More than just words, the Ukrainian language is a testament to resilience, the voice of an unconquerable spirit. It's the language of a nation that stands tall, a culture rich with history, art, and unwavering strength. And now, you have the opportunity to connect with this powerful heritage!

💙💛 Book your class today: https://www.enginprogram.org/learn-ukrainian

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🌟 Our founder & CEO Katerina Manoff just dropped major wisdom on The Nonprofit Show with hosts Wendy F. Adams and Julia C. Patrick — and trust us, this one’s worth a listen.

🎙️ In this wide-ranging convo, Katerina dives into:

🔷 How ENGin grew from an idea into a 55,000-strong global community

🔷 Why ENGin volunteers “don’t feel like they’re giving — they feel like they’re fighting alongside us”

🔷 The secret to building a nonprofit that thrives even in wartime

🔷 Her ambitious plan to reach one million Ukrainians.

👉 Listen, learn, and get inspired:

🎧 Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937137/episodes/16913460

📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/AUaq-gxq6Tg

Whether you're leading a nonprofit, dreaming up your own world-changing idea, or just love a good origin story, you’ll want to hear this!

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🤗 When we launched 5 years ago, ENGin was nothing more than a few Google forms and one very large Google spreadsheet. No training for students or volunteer, no session materials or other resources, not even a proper website 😊 Applications occasionally disappeared into cyberspace and it could take months to make a match for a new participant.

😄 And yet, people still kept signing up. And telling their friends. And that's when we knew that we had built something special.

💪 Over the past 5 years, we've worked hard to bring you the best possible ENGin experience:

🔹 A custom online platform for seamless onboarding and session scheduling

🔹 A huge and growing resource library, full of session ideas, how-to videos, detailed tutorials, and more

🔹 New ways to connect, from ENGin Clubs for volunteers to online volunteer communities to special volunteer events

🔹 Extra opportunities for students, such as free mock interviews and resumes reviews by experienced professionals

🔹 Special subprograms like ENGin for Educators and private Ukrainian lessons through our Speak Ukrainian program

... and much, much more! 🤩

🚀 What's coming up in the future:

🟣 ENGin Hubs that enrich the ENGin experience by allowing students and volunteers to connect over shared interests

🟣 ENGin mobile app (helps make ENGin accessible on the go and easier to use for students who may only have access to mobile devices)

🟣 ENGinPRO: Mix and match small-group English classes for students who need an extra boost in grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc.

🟣 Continuing rapid growth: We dream of reaching enough Ukrainians to see a transformational impact on a national scale, catalyzing economic growth and social development

We’re so proud of how far we’ve come — and we’re just getting started! THANK YOU to everyone who made this journey possible! 💙💛

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🤩 This spring marks a transformative beginning for 203 Ukrainian English teachers who joined the ENGin for Educators program.

ENGin4EDU, made possible by the support of our partner Nova Ukraine, addresses a critical challenge in Ukrainian education: a shortage of English teachers who can confidently speak English themselves and guide their students to spoken English fluency.

📚 Within the program's framework, these Ukrainian educators will spend the next several months working with international volunteers with professional backgrounds in education, diving into a unique curriculum focused on modern teaching methods, classroom strategies, and professional growth.

🔎 In phase one, they’ll explore education-focused content. In phase two, which will also last for 3 months, it’s all about real-world English fluency through open conversation practice, further honing teachers’ English skills.

💪 By empowering educators with the tools to significantly improve their English fluency, ENGin4EDU aims to create a lasting ripple effect:

✅ Fluent teachers create confident, fluent students

✅ Each teacher can impact 15–20 learners per class, creating a ‘domino effect’ of improved English proficiency.

🥳 We’re proud to support these educators as they grow, inspire, and lead the next generation of English learners. And once again, we extend our deepest thanks to Nova Ukraine for their continued support in making ENGin4EDU possible. 💛🩵

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🤓 Let's get to know each other! “Who Are We?” for New Followers | Давайте познайомимося! “Хто ми такі?” для нових читачів

🔽 Українська версія — нижче

💻 What We Do:

ENGin is a nonprofit organization founded in 2020 by Ukrainian-American Katerina Manoff. We connect Ukrainians with English-speaking volunteers from around the world for free weekly online conversations. Each participant is matched with a speaking buddy with whom they meet throughout the program.

In the past five years, we've helped 29,000 students enhance their English skills, discover new cultures, and build international friendships. We’ve provided 26,000 volunteers a rewarding opportunity to make an impact through authentic communication (as of April 2025, and these numbers are constantly growing!)

🌐 Our Impact:

99% of students improve their English skills

99% of students overcome the language barrier

79% of participants become friends

ℹ️ Who Can Join:

Ukrainians: Ages 9+, basic English level and higher

Volunteers: Fluent English speakers, ages 13+

Only requires a stable internet connection and 1 hour per week

Join Us:

👉 Ukrainian students, apply here: https://uk.enginprogram.org/learn

👉 Volunteers, apply here: https://www.enginprogram.org/volunteer

📱 Have questions? Leave a comment, and we’ll be happy to help!

______________________________________________________________

ENGin — це неприбуткова організація, заснована у 2020 році американкою українського походження Катериною Манофф.

💻 Що ми робимо:

Поєднуємо українців з англомовними волонтерами з усього світу для безкоштовних щотижневих онлайн-розмов. Учасникам підбирається speaking buddy (співрозмовник), з яким вони зустрічаються протягом участі у програмі.

За п'ять років ми допомогли 29 000 студентам покращити навички англійської мови, відкрити нові культури та побудувати міжнародну дружбу. Ми надали 26 000 волонтерам можливість зробити свій внесок через автентичне спілкування (станом на квітень 2025 року, і ці цифри постійно зростають!).

🌐 Наш вплив:

99% студентів покращують свої навички англійської мови

99% студентів долають мовний бар'єр

79% учасників стають друзями зі своїми волонтерами/студентами.

ℹ️ Хто може приєднатись:

Українці: від 9 років, базовий рівень англійської та вище

Волонтери: вільне володіння англійською, від 13 років

Потрібно лише стабільне інтернет-з'єднання та 1 година на тиждень

Приєднуйтесь:

👉 Реєстрація для українських студентів: https://uk.enginprogram.org/learn

👉 Реєстрація для волонтерів: https://www.enginprogram.org/volunteer

📱 Маєте питання? Залиште коментар, і ми будемо раді допомогти!

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😍 From Zoom Calls to Real-Life Hugs!

👩‍🦱 When Katya Malkova, a determined student from Ukraine, and Adelka Shawn, a warm-hearted volunteer from the U.S., first met on Zoom in 2022, they had no idea they were about to become lifelong friends. 😄

💬 “We have been meeting for almost three years and I can’t imagine not having our weekly calls. I really look forward to seeing her. And I love that she saves up stories from her week, her children and husband, gymnastics, swimming and school,” Adelka shared.

✨ For nearly three years, they’ve met weekly — laughing, learning, and swapping stories. Katya now knows more about pickleball than she ever planned, and Adelka is basically an honorary Ukrainian. But the highlight? In October 2024, they finally met in person in Kraków! Cue the hugs, happy tears, and a weekend filled with Ukrainian food, carriage rides, and endless stories.

💬 “To be honest, when I first read some stories on this account about volunteers and their students meeting face-to-face, I didn’t believe it could happen to me,” Katya said.

❤️‍🔥 Saying goodbye wasn’t easy, but their bond is stronger than ever. Weekly calls, Christmas gifts, life updates — it’s more than just language practice; it’s friendship at its finest. Oh, and by the way, Katya’s English? Absolutely amazing! 🔥

🤓 Want to find your own ENGin buddy and create a story like theirs? Join the ENGin family today! 🩵✨

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Languages shape the way we see the world, and Ukrainian has some truly unique words with no direct English equivalents. Ready to enrich your vocabulary? Let’s dive in! 👉

Want to sprinkle a little Ukrainian magic into your vocabulary? ✨🌻 These words are just the beginning! There’s a whole world of beautiful, untranslatable expressions waiting for you.

🇺🇦 Join ENGin: Speak Ukrainian and unlock the language, culture, and charm of Ukraine: https://www.enginprogram.org/learn-ukrainian

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🎥 ENGin in the Spotlight! ✨

Our founder, Katerina Manoff, is on a mission to make ENGin known to as many people as possible! One way she’s doing this? Accepting invitations to speak on TV! 📺💬

In just the first half of March, Katerina was featured on multiple news programs — most recently on Central Valley Today in Fresno, CA! 🎉 This is a fantastic opportunity to spread the word about ENGin and our mission.

We encourage every ENGin participant to share their love for our program. Though the Ukrainian saying goes "Love loves silence", we have to disagree in this case - our love for ENGin is too special to keep quiet! 🩵🌎

Watch the video on our Facebook!

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✨🌐 Imagine the power of creating a ripple effect of positive change that echoes through generations. 🌟 When you include ENGin in your planned giving, you give the power of conversation and connection to a new generation — allowing future volunteers and their buddies to enjoy the rewards of creating meaningful connections across borders.

💌 By including ENGin in your will or estate plan, you ensure that your values and commitment to our important mission will continue to inspire and transform lives long into the future.

🎁 Every legacy gift, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference. Join our legacy donors in building a brighter, more sustainable future. Your legacy starts today, no matter the format you choose: a simple bequest, inclusion of ENGin as a beneficiary in a Charitable Trust, or in a life insurance policy. Your legacy gift can also be made through instructions to a donor-advised charitable fund.

📨 Please reach out to Katerina Manoff at katerina@enginprogram.org with any questions regarding legacy giving. If you have already included a gift for ENGin in your estate plans, please let us know about it so that we may best honor your wishes! 💫

👆 Note that ENGin holds 501(c)3 status. The organization’s official name is ENGin Inc. and our EIN number is 88-3527494.

💬 Says one ENGin volunteer, Linda W. : I’m pleased to be able to designate ENGin as a beneficiary in my estate planning. With my legacy gift to ENGin, others in the future will be able to benefit from deeply rewarding relationships, similar to the ones I’ve built with my Ukrainian buddies through my volunteering with ENGin. 🩵💛

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🇺🇦🌟 Traditional art isn’t just a thing of the past — it’s a vibrant part of modern culture! Across Ukraine, designers and brands are weaving centuries-old craftsmanship into contemporary fashion, decor, and accessories. In this post, you’ll discover five incredible brands that are bringing folk heritage to life today.

🩵💛 Ukrainian folk art isn’t just history — it’s an evolving form of expression. Which of these brands would you love to explore? 🤩