Lunchtime Talk: From Ukraine to Yorkshire – Stories of Hospitality

Hear about people’s experiences of Homes for Ukraine, from the surprising differences in day-to-day practices to the more moving moments of co-living. 

In 2022, people in the UK began sharing their homes with those who had left Ukraine due to the conflict there, under the national Homes for Ukraine scheme.   

In this insightful lunchtime talk from Dr Vanja Čelebičić at Migration Yorkshire, you’ll hear about the experiences of people who went through this process in Yorkshire and the Humber – whether people who (in most cases) provided a bedroom, or individuals and families from Ukraine that lived in someone else’s home here.  

Vanja will share some insights of how the relationships evolved over time and what people found surprising about each other’s priorities, values and practices. The stories shared through research reveal how mundane practices and things considered banal – such heating, clearing dishes, emptying bins, and food related habits – matter, and how, more often than not, they were backed by more complex emotions, making the whole journey of co-living more or less successful. 

You’ll find out more about the Everyday Co-Living exhibition on display at Weston Park Museum, which shares images created by people participants in Homes for Ukraine, where everyone taking part was asked to draw ‘hospitality’ and show what it means to them. 

Dr Vanja Čelebičić is a visual anthropologist, with research interests in homemaking, borders, locality, migration, temporality and participatory arts-based research methods.