Yeny Rojas

Presentations

In the current climate, all eyes are on Ukraine and its people. Countless citizens have been left on the streets with no food, water, or resources. Russia's leader proclaims that the motives for his incessant attack on Ukraine serves to free its people from "eight years of bullying and genocide".

           Russian forces have even gone as far as to spread damaging propaganda with claims of Nazis and genocide in Ukraine: which are entirely baseless and unsubstantiated.

           It is crucial that we as individuals educate ourselves on these matters to better aid those in need. From the onset of the presentation, tensions were high when discussing the effects of the war on Ukraine.

           The first presentation centered around immigration, housing, financial status, and unemployment. As the lecture commenced the presenter detailed their topics and paired this with a moving image depicting what seemingly looks like an older Ukrainian woman sitting next to the remains of her home. As she sits in the rubble and ash her facial expression is one of desperation and it is apparent that she is unsure of what her next move should be.

           From then on, the presenter details safety protocols for occasions such as fires, bombings, and overall building collapse. Such catastrophes are happening due to Russia’s targeting of not only military sites but villages and civilian populations as well. The presenter also pointed out that it is crucial one has documentation explicitly stating their ownership of the property, which will aid in the later claim of any financial government aid or insurance benefits.

           According to the presenter, for cases such as this, Ukraine has developed an app that serves as a secure cloud for citizens to upload scans of any documentation they have at hand to ensure their safety and wellbeing after the disaster.

           A notable event that came as a response to the war was the development and use of bomb shelters. Such shelters solve problems such as resource scarcity and distribution, medical attention, and temporary housing.

           The presenter then notes on future proceedings of filing for a refund. I appreciate that the speaker detailed safety protocols that are useful for both the present and future of citizens in Ukraine. Overall, their presentation was eloquent and concise. They not only detailed current events but they listed possible solutions for problems and went over proper safety protocols for during and after disasters such as this one.

           This presentation used visual aids such as pictures and videos that helped communicate the speaker's point. The videos included were well suited for said presentation and added useful information to the lecture.

           overall, this presentation was more than adequate at introducing the main problems that Ukraine citizens are facing because of Russia's attacks. I'd also like to add that the diversity in sources used in the first presentation reflects excellently on the reliability of the information given by the presenter.

           The following presentation focused on Ukraine's education system in the wake of war. The speaker begins by recognizing that this is a topic that viewers may take for granted and points out that not everyone has the luxury of a stable education.

           The presenter references a previous lesson on how the mode of communication can affect not only the delivery but how the message is received. Following this explanation, he utilizes a video depicting a woman crying out in distress. He cleverly uses a video in Ukraine instead of English to demonstrate that you don’t always have to understand what a person is saying to comprehend the interaction itself.

           This addition of the lesson recall gets the viewer aware of not only the message but its delivery as well. I'd like to point out that this mention of the gravity of the situation exposes how the presenter truly attempted to accurately paint Ukraine’s suffering with as much respect and compassion as possible.

           Going back to the topic of education in Ukraine, the speaker provides the audience with some useful statistics on how many individuals are currently enrolled in Ukrainian universities. From then on, they detail how colleges are contributing to the aid in Ukraine by providing citizens with food and other resources and even canceling classes.

           The most prominent part of this presentation was the conviction and evident effort the speakers put into assembling their lecture. They not only detailed the current struggle, but they also relied upon it in daily life in other countries and pointed out that we as viewers should approach this topic with more compassion to fully understand their point of view.

           The third and final presentation focused on Ukraine’s especially vulnerable population and their unique struggle to cope with the destruction going on around them.

           In my research, I found it difficult to stay distanced and unbiased of Russia’s role in this disaster. What came to mind was a psychological experiment that took place shortly after the holocaust. Its purpose was to investigate the individual responsibilities of each person involved in the heinous acts that took place from the commanders to their soldiers.

           What they discovered was that most people when presented with a clear authority figure will always betray their moral code and stay obedient rather than stay true to themselves and rebel.

           How this connects to the crisis in Ukraine is in Russia's targeting of especially vulnerable populations. Such as children, the elderly, disabled individuals, and those struggling with mental disorders. Soldiers are likely also betraying their moral code to appease commands from their superiors.

           After having personally researched as well as viewing other students’ presentations I am truly grateful for this assignment. It has opened my eyes to the experiences of others around the world and has made me realize the importance of staying informed.

           All in all, I frankly can’t determine my favorite presentation because they were all executed beautifully, and they all contained such valuable information. In the future, I look forward to other assignments such as this one which allow me to not only further my understanding of global issues, but also allowed me to educate my peers on such critical issues.