Language Lab Turns 10 and Launches ‘Ukraine Connected,’ a Community for Internationals in Ukraine

For a decade, Kyiv’s Language Lab has taught Ukrainian to foreigners, including online, and along the way become an informal support network for its students, helping with everything from everyday problems to calling an ambulance. Now, marking its tenth anniversary, the school is formalizing that role with Ukraine Connected, a curated community with coordinators, meetups and regular events that aims to become the biggest network for internationals in Ukraine.For founder Ksenia Golubytska, reaching 10 years is about more than longevity.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“First and foremost, it’s about trust – the trust of my team, my clients, my close ones who supported me along the way, and myself,” she said.She said the milestone also reflects a deeper shift in how people see the Ukrainian language: “More and more people are finding real importance and value in learning Ukrainian, and being part of that is something I cherish deeply.”The road was not easy.“We got through COVID, through the full-scale invasion and ongoing war, and everything that came with it – so reaching 10 years feels earned,” Golubytska said.Finding its identityLanguage Lab did not start out as a Ukrainian-language school. In its early years, Golubytska said, the team experimented with “different languages, different approaches, different formats.”The school found its clear identity around the time of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, when it settled on Ukrainian and on a format that worked for its clients. Other Topics of Interest ‘This Is My Personal Contribution to Ukraine's Victory’ The teachers of Language Lab in Kyiv are doing more than teaching Ukrainian to foreigners. They are part of a quiet front line of their own. “That gave us solid ground, a real foundation to build on,” she said.Over the years, the school has had more than 1,500 clients and more than 200 organized events. Its client list includes major international humanitarian and aid organizations, as well as embassies and diplomatic staff, international and Ukrainian companies, and media outlets such as Kyiv Post, with which it has a partnership.Golubytska said the school plans to widen its reach further. One goal is to serve Ukrainians in the diaspora who want to reconnect with the language, alongside new courses and formats for different kinds of learners.More than a language schoolOver the years, Language Lab’s role for many foreign students has gone well beyond grammar lessons.“We’ve become something like an entry point for them into Ukraine,” Golubytska said. That has meant “supporting them, answering questions, helping with everyday problems, even things like calling an ambulance when needed.”The school has also hosted cultural events and social meetups for its students. Ukraine Connected, Golubytska said, is designed to take that to the next level.“It’s structured as a social initiative, and to us it feels like a natural, logical continuation of everything the school has been doing all along,” she said.How Ukraine Connected will workMembers will be able to register and join organized chats around different topics. But Golubytska stressed that the chats are a means, not the goal.“The main focus isn’t the chat itself – it’s real connection: people meeting in real life or online and doing things together,” she said.Coordinators will curate who joins and help organize the community’s activities. Members will share recommendations, help each other with urgent questions, and suggest ideas for small meetups and activities. The whole community will gather for larger events at least once every six months.The initiative is aimed at people who live or work in Ukraine, want to understand Ukrainian culture better, are looking for Ukrainian business partners, are interested in investment opportunities, or want to support and promote Ukraine abroad. Its stated mission is to help foreigners lead a comfortable and fulfilling life in the country.The ambition is large.“Our ambition is to build the biggest community for internationals in Ukraine,” Golubytska said.A bet on Ukraine’s futureFor Golubytska, the anniversary is ultimately about looking ahead.“It’s about hope – hope that this will keep developing, that more people will visit, invest, and move to Ukraine, and that Ukraine will be in the spotlight in the way it deserves,” she said.“More than anything,” she added, “we want Ukraine Connected to be an entry point – a place that helps people feel at home in Ukraine, genuinely welcomed and part of something, not just passing through.”To sign up for Ukraine Connected, click here.