May became another month of action — filled with events that brought people together, opened new opportunities, and created spaces of trust and growth. We launched courses, opened art exhibitions, and held conversations on inclusion, urbanism, and the power of communication.
We signed memorandums, prepared for the Ukrainian Urban Forum, presented projects abroad, and supported culture — from lullabies to audiovisual performances. Here’s a look at the month’s key highlights.
May 1 — Opening of the "ABETKA" Exhibition at 4/8 Gallery
The open-air 4/8 Gallery (City Park, Lutsk) hosted the exhibition "ABETKA" by artist Vitalii Ruppelt (Appex). The project explored cultural continuity through the language of forms, textures, and brutalism.
"Algorythm" supported this initiative as a powerful example of local interaction between contemporary art and urban space.
Currently, a new exhibition is being prepared at the gallery.
4/8 Gallery is an informal open-air exhibition space — a street gallery under the open sky. The project introduces Lutsk residents to street art, public art, graffiti, and urban art. Artists take turns exhibiting their work, engaging in a visual dialogue with the local community.
May 2 — Urban Hackathon
This year’s Urban Hackathon, held in Kalush and organized with the participation of Her City and CO-HATY, brought together urbanists, architects, internally displaced persons (IDPs), local authorities, and activists to work on the revitalization of the abandoned “Zirochka” kindergarten — a future site for social housing.
Lidiia Hontar, coordinator of the Urban Vision Lutsk program, presented "Algorythm" and joined an interdisciplinary team exploring challenges related to housing for IDPs and seeking inclusive ways to rethink space.
Participating in the hackathon was an important opportunity for us:
- to exchange experiences with initiatives at the intersection of architecture, social design, and humanitarian response,
- to dive deeper into the topic of affordable housing,
- to expand the circle of partners.
May 7 — How to develop a city despite the war: Urban Talks 2.0 with Urbanists from Sumy
Lutsk hosted a lecture by Ihor Tytarenko and Yurii Leonets, urbanists who are creating spaces for life, culture, and memory in a city just 30 km from the Russian border. They shared their experience of working under constant shelling: from building an underground cultural space to restoring urban heritage and designing a forest park for veterans’ rehabilitation.
The event took place as part of Urban Talks 2.0 — a series of urban lectures and discussions initiated by the "misto.reboot" NGO within the framework of the "Urban Vision Lutsk" project, supported by the "Algorythm" NGO.
May 9 — “Tasting Books with Spoons”: a literary and gastronomic club in Lutsk
Books you can taste — a new cultural format was launched in Lutsk by the Literary Platform Frontera and the social impact café misto.cafe.
Each meeting is a discussion of a book about Ukrainian culinary heritage, followed by a tasting of dishes inspired by the text. The first was “Culinary Journey to the Hetmanate” by Oleksiy Sokyrko — a deep dive into what Cossacks, nobles, and peasants ate in the 17th–18th centuries.
- three authentic dishes in a modern interpretation from the chef of misto.cafe
- discussion with "Frontera" project manager, Anna Yekymenko-Polishchuk
- autograph session and the opportunity to receive a book
May 12 — Barrier-free communication: how to talk about sensitive topics in public spaces
An open lecture by Anastasiia Pustova — a strategic communications expert and co-founder of the SUPERWISE bureau, took place at Diia.Business Entrepreneur Support Center in Lutsk. She shared practical advice on how to address topics that require particular sensitivity: health, disability, religion, migration, and national or ethnic identity.
The lecture was initiated by the Communication Academy "ComA" - an educational project of the "Algorythm" NGO, which forms a community of communication professionals in Volyn.
May 14 — “Poems. Bread. Wine”, a poetic performance in a space coming back to life
The performance "Poems. Bread. Wine." took place at Abo Abo, the Center for the Development of Creative Industries, a space currently undergoing revitalization. The event gathered over 200 attendees and became the only public event of EcoLab 2.0, a professional program organized by the Frontera Literary Platform for cultural and artistic practitioners.
The performance focuses on poetry about people, the environment, loss, and renewal. On stage, there were the Garmyder theater actors, Castle Studio dancers, and poems by Ukrainian and international authors, including the deceased Maksym Kryvtsov and Viktoria Amelina.
The event was realized thanks to the synergy of organizations — "Algorythm", "Frontera", "Garmyder" Theater, and the "Abo Abo" space. For us, this is an example of how culture becomes a shared place of power and memory.
May 15 — “Identities”: Free Education for veterans and their partners
In May, a new project called “Identities” was launched — an initiative of the Projector Foundation in conjunction with the "Algorythm" NGO, the "Abo Abo" center for the development of creative industries, and the Diia.Business entrepreneur support center in Lutsk.
The program provides 25 scholarships for military personnel, veterans, and their partners from Volyn. Training will be provided in six areas: from SMM and copywriting to graphic and motion design.
The goal of the initiative is to help those returning from the front, as well as those supporting their loved ones, to acquire new professions in the creative industries.
May 16 — "Algorythm" NGO signed memorandums with organizations working with veterans
In May, the "Algorythm" NGO entered into partnerships with four organizations that have experience in supporting veterans and the military: "PRO Women UA" NGO, “Nomad Live” NGO, “Angar.Ukraine” CO, and “Hub Veteran” CI. The Department of Veteran Policy of the Lutsk City Community also joined the partnership.
The memorandums became part of the implementation of the "Identities" project, which is aimed at retraining military personnel and their families in the creative industries.
May 17 — "Lullabies as a Space of Care" — a lecture by Ella Yevtushenko at misto.cafe
A warm, intimate gathering dedicated to Ukrainian lullabies took place at the social impact café misto.cafe. Poet Ella Yevtushenko presented an anthology project featuring 18 unique songs from various regions of Ukraine and the diaspora.
The lecture combined a conversation about the connection between a child and an adult, listening to songs, and visual storytelling. The atmosphere felt like home: with cocoa, pastries, and a space for those who wish to create tenderness and pass it on.
May 20 — "Content That Speaks for You" — an intensive workshop at Diia.Business in Lutsk
In May, the Diya.Business center in Lutsk hosted a five-day intensive video shooting course led by creator and director Nazar Dubyna. Participants — entrepreneurs, content makers, and experts — learned how to create high-quality video content on their own, without unnecessary expenses and with a professional presentation.
May 21, "Algorythm" NGO is among the partners of the Gongadze Prize 2025
The "Algorythm" NGO has become one of the partners of this year's Gongadze Prize — an award for contributions to the development of independent journalism in Ukraine.
This is an important collaboration for us: by supporting professional journalism, we support responsible society. Adam Kharlampovych, co-founder of the "Algorythm" NGO, became a patron of the prize.
The values of the Prize — freedom, responsibility, dialogue — resonate with what we do in Lutsk every day.
May 26 — Intensive: effective marketing strategy
An intensive course on building a marketing strategy was held at the Diya.Business business support center in Lutsk.
Speakers — Iryna Novosad — communications officer of the "Algorythm" NGO, consultant in strategic marketing, PR and communications, mentor of the "Diya.Business" programs — and Vitalii Okseniuk — founder of the marketing agency "Marketer Oksenyuk's Office", expert in crisis marketing and communications. They shared tools that help businesses not just survive, but grow strategically.
Participants learned how to conduct a PEST analysis, work with the audience using the JTBD approach, create value propositions, and avoid chaotic actions in communications.
May 28 — Date and venue of UkrUrbanForum 2025 announced
This year, the Ukrainian Urban Forum will be held on September 19–20 in Lutsk.
The theme will be "Human Scale" — in urban policies, design, access to housing, social protection and community space.
The platform "Algorythm" NGO will act as a local partner of the forum together with the Urban Vision Lutsk program. For us, this is a continuation of systematic work on the development of the urban environment, participation, and urban education.
The date is already known — we are preparing to host the urban community of Ukraine in September. Registration — coming soon.
May 28 — BUDCHUK LIVE: music — in a lively city
BUDCHUK LIVE is a series of audiovisual sets that convey the pulse of modern Ukrainian music in real urban spaces. The first episode of the Lutsk season was filmed at BAR11 — without scripts or productions, in the rhythm of a regular evening.
The project features original music by Artem Budchuk, as well as tracks by ANSTAY and askwhen.
The project was implemented with the support of "Algorythm" NGO and Creative Industries Development Centre "Abo Abo".
May 28 — "Algorythm" NGO at the international forum Growth Reimagined in Montenegro
Ella Yatsuta, CEO of "Algorythm" NGO, presented our platform at the Growth Reimagined forum in Kotor (Montenegro). The event brought together representatives of creative industries from different countries, and Algorythm’s participation was made possible by the invitation of the British Council.
For us, this is recognition that local initiatives from Lutsk resonate in an international context.
May 29 — The first stream of the Communication Academy "ComA" has ended
In Lutsk, the first session of the "Start in the World of PR" course has finished. The course is part of the "ComA" Communication Academy, an educational project by "Algorythm" NGO created in response to the region's need for professional communicators.
30 participants spent two months learning how to build SMM strategies, work with information guide, visuals, and messages. In the finals, they defended real strategies for Volyn public sector organizations, and ultimately received certificates — at the misto.cafe public impact cafe, in an atmosphere of support for opportunities.
The ComA Academy is part of the Algorithm ecosystem, which cultivates specialists, forms communities, and creates a chance to stay, work, and develop here in Volyn.
May 30 — Urban Talks 2.0: design code as a language of caring for the city
More and more events are taking place at the Abo Abo Creative Industries Development Center — even though the space is still in the process of revitalization.
In late May, another meeting within the framework of Urban Talks 2.0 took place here, dedicated to the city's design code. The discussion focused on how coherent visual solutions can enhance the quality of life, influence daily comfort, and foster a sense of care in public spaces. We discussed examples from Dnipro, shared ideas, and dreamed of a harmonious Lutsk.
The meeting was held as part of Urban Talks 2.0 — a series of urban lectures and discussions initiated by the "misto.reboot" NGO within the "Urban Vision Lutsk" project, with the support of the "Algorythm" NGO.