The Wake of Civic Action

Two weeks before the war started, Rasmus began following the news after a year of intensive personal inward focus. The gathering of troops in Belarus caught his attention, and while the rest of the world carried on with business as usual, he grew increasingly alarmed. The night before the war began, he had a strong intuition that it was inevitable and contacted his friends in Stockholm's "burner community" to prepare in case of an emergency. This community of participatory event organizers has experience building and coordinating larger events in decentralized groups, making them a valuable resource of experienced doers.

Rasmus realized that the number of displaced people would far exceed Sweden's capacity, and that civil society would have to step up to support the upcoming wave of migration. He quickly formed a group with others interested in organizing civic action, including Daniel Stinzin, who created a Slack Server - a communication platform apt for collective organizing. Together with Rasmus, the platform turned into a database where people with ideas could upload their projects, and helpers could step up to assist with various tasks.

In less than two weeks after the war officially began, the group organized their biggest fundraiser to date at Blivande. This event included an auction of artworks by community artists, traditional Ukrainian foods, and performances and talks by Ukrainian citizens, stakeholders of Swedish NGOs, and cultural players such as Lusine Djanyan, a member of Pussy Riot. It was a beautiful and intense evening of sympathy and solidarity. Different individuals took ownership of different aspects of the fundraiser, allowing the group to donate 98,000 SEK to UNICEF.

Carebridge and the Nascent Center

While the fundraiser was underway, other projects were also taking shape on Slack. Rasmus was connecting volunteers with project ideas and helping those who wanted to step up and take responsibility for finding psychological support systems, potential work opportunities, housing support, and translation aid to prepare for the coming wave of Ukrainian newcomers. Through this project matchmaking, Rasmus connected with Carebridge, a "burner community" organization that had received donations after being featured on CNN in the US.

Working under the Carebridge banner, Rasmus helped organize buses from Poland to Sweden, transporting primarily Ukrainian women and children who arrived safely at Blivande. Here, they were connected with Swedish host families who would provide them with accommodation for one to two months until the government could offer permanent housing solutions. Security was a primary concern, as Carebridge wanted to protect Ukrainian citizens from human trafficking networks. As a result, Blivande became a space of arrival, first meet-ups, and verification of identities and documents.

In less than two weeks after the war officially began, the group organized their biggest fundraiser to date at Blivande. This event included an auction of artworks by community artists, traditional Ukrainian foods, and performances and talks by Ukrainian citizens, stakeholders of Swedish NGOs, and cultural players such as Lusine Djanyan, a member of Pussy Riot. It was a beautiful and intense evening of sympathy and solidarity. Different individuals took ownership of different aspects of the fundraiser, allowing the group to donate 98,000 SEK to UNICEF.