Horrified by the atrocities of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Goda Veličkaitė, a 17-year-old from Kaunas, decided to use Christmas cards to call for an end to the war. She designed them herself and sent out to opinion leaders, media and businesses around the world, including in Russia. Goda has also written to Vladimir Putin.
The twelfth-grader at Kaunas Jesuit Gymnasium tells LRT.lt that the war has shaken her deeply and affected her peers. “During the first months of the war, I heard the words ‘war’, ‘Ukraine’, ‘Russia’ in every corridor and every classroom. Teachers used to discuss the situation with us and we even checked the news during class,” she says.
She saw people all around her – her teachers, parents, peers – contributing something to help the Ukrainians. The mobilisation, however, gradually abated
“In recent months, I rarely hear people talking about the ongoing conflict anymore, and most of the time it is only mentioned in Lithuanian language classes as a present-day context. I don’t exclude myself, and I forget what is going on,” says Goda.
This is what prompted her to take up designing themed Christmas cards to remind herself and the world that war is still happening and that many people are still suffering.
“As I thought about these events, I wondered how I could do my part to help put an end to this inhumanity,” Goda says.
A skilled artist, she decided that Christmas cards would be the most suitable medium.
“The idea was quite fresh, it came to me at the end of last week, and I got to work straight away.”
After letting her family critique and share their insights, Goda designed three cards on her own. She then sent them out to around 100 recipients in different countries.
“Most of them are media companies, opinion makers, and I have tried to include as many individuals and companies from Russia as possible. When looking for contacts, I think about the most effective ways to reach the desired audience, people who can help. I look for ways to send the letters on the Internet and consult my acquaintances,” says Goda.
She also looked up e-mail addresses of people in the Kremlin and sent a Christmas card to Vladimir Putin, calling for an end to the war. Unlikely though it is that the Russian president will read her message, Goda is not discouraged: nothing will change unless one does something.
“The postcard first goes to the office that deals with letters for the president, not directly to the person. But this is the most direct way I could find,” Goda says of her letter to Putin.
“In the letter, I wrote that I hoped that all the atrocities of the war would come to an end next year.”
So far, Goda has not received any replies or reactions from other addressees of her postcards. “I hope that at least they have seen them and that the message has touched them,” she says.
She has also made her designs available to download, if others want to help spread the message (here or on Goda’s instagram account).
“I would like the postcards to spread and reach those who can make a difference, so I encourage everyone to send them,” says the 17-year-old.
Goda herself is preparing for her last semester at school. After graduation, she says she plans to study art. “I plan to enrol in a computer game concept art course, design studies or concept art,” says Goda.
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