Help fund one of our Researchers in Residence from Ukraine
Help fund one of our Researchers in Residence from Ukraine
We invite you to join our initiative which integrates refugees into the professional jobs market and helps people affected by the war in Ukraine.
Studio intO is an international research company with a globally distributed team and our members in Poland are now working with refugees from Ukraine face-to-face, offering moral and professional support, as well as paid employment as part of our ‘Researchers in Residence’ programme. We have an urgent objective, right now, to offer paid employment and training to displaced people from Ukraine, so they can work as researchers, translators and journalists.
intO Researchers in Residence
intO Researchers in Residence is a programme that employs research professionals to create positive social impact. Managed with donated time from intO’s team, and funded by Studio intO Ltd and our network of generous sponsors, the objectives of the programme are two-fold:
1. Provide and fund employment, training and professional support to displaced and disadvantaged researchers from around the world
2. Provide and fund researchers to support under-resourced projects that are striving to make a positive impact around the world
Our first initiative: Voices Ukraine
The first initiative to be supported by the intO Researchers in Residence programme is Voices Ukraine. By elevating the voices of those displaced, this research seeks to develop innovative solutions for improving the long-term understanding of refugee experiences in their host communities; and through this, to tackle xenophobia and improve social cohesion across European regions that are facing large-scale refugee intake. The refugee professionals we employ will work to expand community networks across countries, and promote collaboration and support for displaced communities by connecting people from Ukraine, host communities and experts from across the world. The project launched in March when we began working with Tatiana Kirova, whose salary and benefits are sponsored by intO.
Our immediate goal
We want to raise €48000 / £40000 and employ an additional 10 Researchers in Residence from Ukraine. Like Tatiana, these additional researchers will have fled the war and might now be located anywhere in Europe. Each paid researcher will work remotely with the central team of international volunteers who train, coordinate and lead the execution of the mission. The main responsibility of the 10 Researchers in Residence is to conduct interviews with other refugees and collect data that contextualise their experiences so that their stories can be told. Such a record of experiences will allow us to elevate the voices of people affected by the war in Ukraine amongst host communities.
Our longer-term goal
We are actively working to establish partnerships for the communication and dissemination of the information this research is collecting.
Join the mission
Support our project, Voices Ukraine, and be part of a long-term solution to this regional crisis by donating the equivalent of a refugee’s salary and benefits package (for one or two months – see the options below) so they may work with us as a Researcher in Residence.
Donation options
| Option 1 | Option 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| How much? | €4800 / £4000 | €2400 / £2000 |
| How many refugees? | 1 researcher | 1 researcher |
| For how long? | 2 months | 1 month |
| What’s covered? | Salary + benefits | Salary + benefits |
Why providing professional employment now is important
- Each refugee is employed legally and with a package of benefits and expenses (e.g. free transport and a laptop).
- This professional level of employment empowers women and sets a good example to their children and to others in their community, which impacts the stability of society in the long-run.
- Professional employment empowers refugees to organise their own accommodation and not rely on emergency support; it enables them to contribute to the rescue efforts of their family and communities, and help displaced people to establish self-organised networks to help themselves.
- We work face-to-face with refugees in the field of research, so our work is constantly being refocussed through first-hand experiences.
- The majority of refugees are women with children who require stability and access to education, providing a regular income will minimise the ricochet effect on future generations.
- Professional employment strengthens CVs and opens up employment opportunities in Europe, allowing refugees to move on from border regions.
- Professional positions offer mentorship and a support network to people experiencing stress and trauma.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a finishing point to this project?
This is an ongoing initiative. Each researcher works with us for two months unless we secure more funding and can extend the contracts. If the war finishes, we will continue working and collecting the experiences as many refugees will not have a home to return to and will remain in their host countries
How soon should the funding be secured?
The aim is to have 10 researchers working as soon as possible to ensure that memories and experiences are captured whilst they are still fresh in the mind. Therefore, we’re asking our sponsors to release their funds as soon as possible.
Do you know enough good researchers who could join the project?
We have already interviewed and selected 10 additional researchers who are refugees and are located in host countries. As soon as we have secured the funding the next person can start working.
How will I know who I am funding?
You will be sent the profile and three updates (week 1: introduction profile, week 4: WIP update, week 8: completion of their assignment, or next steps if work is continuing).
How would we keep up with the impact of this funding in terms of the individuals?
Updates in weeks 4 and 8 will include the researcher’s own perspective about the difference that funding, training, care and friendships have made to her/him. We can already see the impact of this programme: Our first researcher has money to care for her family here in Poland and in Ukraine and she’s creating a positive ripple effect on those around her in the community. She is learning, gaining skills and developing professional contacts.
How would we be in touch with the wider output from this programme and the results of the research?
We will update the sponsors via email as soon as any new collaboration, or tangible impact, has been launched or observed. We are already starting very fruitful conversations with potential partners who will spread the stories and fight xenophobia on a longer term basis, including: collaboration with an international documentary maker; the publication of a children’s book to support refugee children as they start new schools; and working with an artist and a city mayor in Poland to produce an outdoor, public exhibition.
Voices Ukraine
Our first Researcher in Residence is Tatiana Kirova. Tatiana and her family are refugees from Ukraine and are currently living in Poland. By finding Tatiana’s residency, intO has launched the programme’s inaugural research project: Voices Ukraine.
This work recognises the war in Ukraine as a major regional crisis, and aims to promote social cohesion, empathy and mutual support between Polish and refugee communities.
Learn more about Tatiana and Voices From Ukraine, and follow the project’s progress…