For the third year in a row, students from Sumy National Agrarian University have been participating in the “Non-Existent Forum,” which takes place in Zhytomyr at Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University. On August 14–16, 2026, SNAU was represented at the All-Ukrainian Student Forum by Student Rector Andrii Makarenko and Viktoria Rostoka, First Deputy Chair of the SNAU Primary Trade Union Organization of Students and Graduate Students.
This year’s forum program combined learning, discussions, and live interaction. Lectures on the use of digital tools in project management and social media development were interspersed with workshops organized by the Ukrainian Student Association and panel discussions on the interaction between student self-governance bodies and municipalities, the digitization of education, and the use of artificial intelligence in universities. There was also a separate discussion on how digital changes are affecting student life and the competitiveness of higher education institutions.
The forum served as a space for networking and exchanging practical experiences with representatives of student government bodies from various universities across Ukraine. Participants also visited Zhytomyr Polytechnic, spoke with guest speakers—including Ukrainian actor and screenwriter Yevhen Yanovych—and took part in a tour of Zhytomyr.
“This year marked the third edition of the ‘Non-Existent Forum,’ and after speaking with the student rector of Zhytomyr Polytechnic and visiting the campus in person, I can say that my impressions were entirely positive. Interacting with representatives of student self-government bodies from other universities was particularly valuable—the forum brought together about 30 higher education institutions from across Ukraine. We discovered shared values and many ideas that can be implemented back home at our own universities. In particular, we plan to apply the experience of using artificial intelligence in the work of SNAU and develop it further during the traditional Academic Integrity Day, which will take place at the university in October,” said Andrii Makarenko, student rector of SNAU.
For representatives of SNAU, participating in the forum provided an opportunity to view student self-government in a broader context—not merely as a tool for organizing university life, but as an environment where new ideas, partnerships, and modern solutions are born. They plan to apply the knowledge and contacts gained to the work of SNAU’s student self-government in the near future.
Our students’ participation in such nationwide events is another step toward an open, modern, and active student environment, where young people not only study but also shape the future of the university themselves.
