Legal form
Non-profit NGO “Icebreaker”
Unified State Register Number: 41286989
Mission of ShoTam
Creating a positive environment that inspires Ukrainians to believe in themselves and in Ukraine, fostering a better future through informational support and the dissemination of positive examples.
01
While most Ukrainian media focus on negative news, ShoTam chooses a different strategy. We create positive content—true stories of resilience, innovation, mutual aid, and effective action that inspire Ukrainians to become active agents of change.
02
In times of prolonged stress and media trauma, we help society preserve faith, hope, and the desire to develop Ukraine.
03
ShoTam operates within the framework of constructive journalism—we don’t report on problems, but on real solutions that transform the country for the better.
Goals of ShoTam
Highlight success stories that motivate Ukrainians to take active civic and social engagement.
Promote local civic initiatives, small and medium socially responsible businesses, and volunteer projects.
Encourage citizens to become actively involved in decision-making at both local and national levels.
Foster a proactive society through sharing examples of effective solutions to social problems—solutions that can be scaled and replicated.
Strengthen social trust and cohesion by enhancing the level of trust between citizens, local authorities, and organizations.
Promoting the development of an inclusive society by highlighting issues of social equality, human rights, and support for vulnerable groups.
Promoting cultural renewal and preservation, as well as safeguarding historical memory.
Combating the impact of disinformation and propaganda on Ukrainian society.
Audience
July 2025
🎯
Target Audience
Ukrainians—both men and women—primarily proactive residents of local communities, small towns, and villages. A special focus of the media is on frontline and de-occupied territories.
Particular attention is given to:
Local civic activists
Owners of local small and medium-sized businesses
Internally displaced persons
Veterans
Women’s leadership
National, ethnic minorities
Youth
Seniors
Experience
Since 2017
Experience in implementing grant projects
35+ grants
Successfully implemented
30+
Team members
ShoTam Partners
Main Tool – Media Campaigns
ShoTam uses media campaigns as its key instrument for achieving social impact.
These are systematic, strategically designed information campaigns that combine various content formats to provide comprehensive coverage of a topic and ensure broad outreach among target audiences.
What Makes It Special?
📉 We base our work on in-depth analysis of the project topic and target audience—their needs, barriers, values, and media consumption habits.
👂 We speak a human language through stories that inspire trust and empathy, success examples, as well as educational and advocacy materials.
👀 We use adaptive formats tailored to the specifics of each platform (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, X, website, local media).
🤳 We ensure cross-regional outreach: from nationwide platforms to cooperation with local media and community influencers.
What Are the Benefits?
✋ Active Engagement Instead of Passive Informing. Campaigns foster a new culture of thinking, motivating behavioral change, participation, decision-making, and social dialogue.
☀️ Building Trust in Decisions and Institutions. A constructive, human-centered approach strengthens trust, a sense of belonging, and openness to collaborative solutions.
🕰 Long-Term Impact. Content remains permanently in the information space, preserved on social media and search engines, and is utilized by communities, NGOs, journalists, educational institutions, and more.
✏️ Flexibility in Implementation. Campaigns allow rapid response to changes in social or security contexts, adapting messages and formats to the audience’s current needs.
50 million
Total reach of our media campaigns since 2017
4-5 million
Average reach of a single media campaign
Key Implemented Projects
2023-2025
National Endowment for Democracy
Fostering Media Literacy and Countering Disinformation Among Vulnerable Populations
- 3 400 000+ views
- 133 300+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To reduce the impact of disinformation and Russian propaganda on vulnerable groups in Ukraine, especially people aged 55+ and residents of small towns and villages.
By creating accessible, interactive, and emotionally engaging content, the project fosters critical thinking skills, enhances media literacy, and strengthens resilience to manipulative narratives among audiences most frequently targeted by information attacks.
🐝 Project Activities
- 36-month media campaign
- 54 video stories of individuals whose lives were affected by propaganda and disinformation
- 36 anti-disinformation crosswords in local print media for seniors living in communities
- Distribution of content on ShoTam media platforms and broadcast on regional TV channels
⚡️ Additional
Sociological study on the project’s impact on media literacy among Ukrainians
2023-2025
USAID Hoverla
Effective Solutions for Progressive Communities
- 5 000 000+ views
- 210 000+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To promote active citizen participation in Ukraine’s recovery by strengthening dialogue, trust, and cooperation among local authorities, civil society, volunteers, youth, journalists, and experts.
The project is to support communities seeking solutions to the challenges caused by the war while disseminating effective practices that have already proven successful on the ground.
🐝 Project Activities
- 86 articles and 86 caption videos highlighting successful cases of community and citizen partnerships
- 22 series of informational cards — educational and explanatory materials on civilian safety during wartime
- 12 animated videos — content on community safety and action protocols in critical situations
- Educational materials for school students — 1,200 large-format coloring sheets on safety for 60 partner schools
- 5 advocacy events in regions with the participation of local CSOs
- Forum of Effective Solutions (100 participants)
- Distribution of content across ShoTam media platforms, local online and print media, as well as broadcasts on Intercity trains and regional TV channels
2024-2025
DG East
Ukrainians by Spirit
- 3 560 000+ views
- 120 000+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To foster a positive public dialogue around inclusivity, the participation of IDPs in civil society development, and the shaping of Ukrainian identity.
Amid the ongoing war, as Ukraine increasingly recognizes the importance of unity, this project highlights stories of successful adaptation and active engagement of IDPs from marginalized and underrepresented groups — women, people with disabilities, the LGBTQI+ community, older adults, and youth — in community life, economic development, and the strengthening of democratic values.
🐝 Project Activities
- 11-month nationwide media campaign
- 22 documentary videos showcasing the success stories of IDPs in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions
- 22 social media–adapted caption videos and 24 articles providing deeper insights into the experiences of the protagonists
- Distribution of content on ShoTam media platforms, local online and print media, as well as broadcasting in Intercity trains and on regional TV channels
2024-2025
IREX
Third Age Against Disinformation (Grandma and Grandpa Against Lies)
- 1 020 000+ views
- 40 000+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To enhance media literacy among older adults (60+), reduce their vulnerability to disinformation, and strengthen their ability to critically assess information, particularly in regions historically exposed to Russian propaganda.
The project fosters a lasting culture of critical thinking among the elderly in small towns and villages across Ukraine, promoting their greater engagement in social life, reducing the impact of disinformation, and strengthening local information security.
🐝 Project Activities
- Conducting 3 in-person media literacy masterclasses for older adults in a ToT (Training of Trainers) format
- Conducting 1 online peer-to-peer practicum
- 19 educational videos on media literacy for older adults
- 10 visual Viber postcards with key media literacy tips
- Distribution of content through 24 regional TV channels, local online media in target regions, and Viber
2024-2025
International Media Support
Echoes of Independence
- 1 990 000+ views
- 67 000+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To enhance media literacy and resilience to disinformation about Ukrainian history among rural Ukrainians aged 30–39, and to promote an objective understanding of Ukrainian statehood and national identity.
The project counters myths and fake narratives about Ukraine’s history, engaging audiences in fact-based and critical interpretation of historical events, particularly the period of the Ukrainian Liberation Revolution (1917–1921), through interactive educational content.
🐝 Project Activities
- 10-month media campaign
- 10 animated videos
- Distribution of content on ShoTam media platforms and broadcast on regional TV channels
2023-2024
Internews in Ukraine
Liberation Journalism
- 4 500 000+ views
- 165 000+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To support the sustainable reconstruction of de-occupied Ukrainian communities by highlighting success stories, promoting local leadership solutions, and enhancing media literacy among youth through innovative social-comic content.
The project strengthens the role of community leaders and activists in reconstruction processes in de-occupied regions, promotes an inclusive approach to rebuilding territories, and fosters critical thinking and information hygiene among youth vulnerable to disinformation.
🐝 Project Activities
- 5-month media campaign
- 44 caption videos showcasing successful cases of reconstruction in de-occupied communities during the war
- 44 articles
- 6 online training sessions on urban planning, inclusivity, youth participation, communication, and infrastructure recovery for 100 participants from de-occupied communities
- 4 social comics addressing disinformation and propaganda in occupied and de-occupied territories
- Distribution of content on ShoTam media platforms, as well as broadcasts on Intercity trains and regional TV channels
2023-2024
UCBI IV (USAID)
Staying Here
- 17 680 000+ views
- 880 400+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To motivate women from rural areas of de-occupied and frontline regions in the South and East of Ukraine to develop their leadership and entrepreneurial potential through inspiring examples, training, and access to information.
🐝 Project Activities
- 60 caption videos featuring stories of women from target regions — entrepreneurs, activists, and community leaders
- 60 articles
- Distribution of 150 publications in online media
- Distribution of 60 publications in print media
- Distribution of content on ShoTam media platforms, local online and print media, as well as broadcasting in Intercity trains and on regional TV channels
- Conducting 5 online seminars for women with practical advice on business, funding, and civic engagement
- 100 female participants received knowledge and support
2023-2024
Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine
Strengthening the Strong
- 2 700 000+ views
- 102 000+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To increase awareness of and support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in frontline and de-occupied regions of the South and East of Ukraine.
The project strengthens confidence in the potential of small businesses as a driving force for Ukraine’s recovery and fosters constructive dialogue between entrepreneurs, the government, and society.
🐝 Project Activities
- 11-month media campaign
- 8 documentary films about 32 entrepreneurs developing businesses in frontline and de-occupied regions
- Distribution of content on ShoTam media platforms and broadcast on regional TV channels
2023-2024
Thomson Reuters Foundation
IDP Integration and Countering Russian Propaganda in the West of Ukraine
- 260 000+ views
More information
🎯 Project Goal
The project aims to reduce social tension between internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the East and South of Ukraine and local residents of Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, and Ternopil regions, while countering Russian propaganda that exacerbates divisions, by promoting tolerance and facilitating IDP integration.
It enhances mutual understanding and cooperation between Russian-speaking IDPs and Ukrainian-speaking communities in the West of Ukraine, increases engagement of local authorities and the public in integration processes, and mitigates the impact of anti-Ukrainian narratives.
🐝 Project Activities
- 14 original articles showcasing successful examples of IDP integration into the social and economic life of local communities
- Distribution of content across ShoTam media platforms
2021-2023
European Endowment for Democracy
INKER: Social Comics Magazine
- 4 600 000+ reach
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To create INKER — a new media platform engaging youth from Eastern Partnership countries in discussions of important social issues through a modern and visually appealing format: social comics.
The project aims to raise awareness among young people about social and wartime challenges, encourage participation in democratic processes, and strengthen the presence of inclusive narratives in the region. By combining journalism with artistic storytelling, INKER transforms complex topics into clear and emotionally relatable stories.
🐝 Project Activities
- Launch of the INKER media platform
- 36 graphic novels, 2 graphic reports, 6 visual explanatory materials, 40 graphic sketches, and 140 short animations
- Coverage of social topics: corruption, human rights, gender equality, environmental issues, LGBTQ+ discrimination, inclusion challenges, and persecution of civic activists
- Distribution of content through social media, adapted for a youth audience
2022-2023
USAID Hoverla
Community Acts
- 4 500 000+ views
- 143 000+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To increase the effectiveness of local communities in Ukraine during the war by sharing experience, knowledge, and tools to support internally displaced persons, vulnerable groups, and the restoration of local economies.
The project strengthens communities’ capacity to independently respond to wartime challenges, improves the quality of life for internally displaced persons and other vulnerable populations, fosters the development of sustainable initiatives in social protection, education, economy, and security, and enhances trust between local authorities and residents.
🐝 Project Activities
- 7-month media campaign
- 48 caption videos showcasing successful community initiatives during the war
- 1 animated video
- 36 infographics
- Distribution of content across ShoTam media platforms, local online and print media, as well as broadcasting on Intercity trains and regional TV channels
2023
Friedrich Naumann Foundation & Heinrich Boll Stiftung
Enhancing the Activities of Female Veterans and Women from Veteran Families in Rural Areas
- 16 200 000+ views
- 625 900+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To advocate for women’s leadership at the local level and enhance the role of women veterans and members of veteran families as agents of change within their communities.
The project promotes active civic participation of women, supports the development of women’s entrepreneurship, and opens new opportunities for realizing their potential.
🐝 Project Activities
- 4-month media campaign
- 20 caption videos showcasing successful business and community initiative stories led by women veterans or women from veteran families
- 20 articles
- Content distribution on the “ShoTam” media platforms and regional TV channels
2022-2023
ISAR Ednannia
Back to the Roots
- 2 150 000+ views
- 178 000+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To counter disinformation and Russian historical fakes spreading in frontline and temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine through the production of a series of short animated videos that debunk the most widespread myths about Ukraine’s past.
🐝 Project Activities
- 3-month media campaign
- 6 animated videos dedicated to debunking historical fakes
- Content distribution on the “ShoTam” media platforms and regional TV channels
2023
ERIM
RIVNI (EQUAL)
- 330 000+ views
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To launch a public discussion on the challenges faced by internally displaced persons and members of the LGBTQI+ community during the war, as well as the promotion of solutions for their integration through a solutions journalism approach.
🐝 Project Activities
- 5-month media campaign
- 22 expert columns
- Content distribution on the “ShoTam” media platforms
2023
United Nations Development Programme
Dissemination of successful cases of adaptation and integration of persons affected by explosive ordnance in Ukrainian communities
- 1 350 000+ views
- 50 000+ interactions
More information
🎯 Project Goal
To increase awareness among Ukrainians about the rights and needs of those affected by explosive ordnance, and promote their inclusion and socio-economic integration in Ukraine.
The project showcases successful examples of rehabilitation, adaptation, and employment of affected individuals, while also highlighting the role of families, communities, and socially responsible businesses in supporting them.
🐝 Project Activities
- 4-month media campaign
- 14 caption videos showcasing successful rehabilitation cases
- 14 articles
- Distribution of materials through ShoTam media platforms, online media, partner TV channels, and in the Ukrainian Railways.
Impact
🙌
Community Experience Exchange
After publishing reconstruction stories from the Kulykivka and Snihurivka communities, interregional experience exchanges were initiated—delegations visit to learn and adopt best practices.
⚡️
Increasing Media Literacy among Community Residents
A sociological study conducted in 2024 showed that ShoTam’s anti-disinformation content contributed to a 34% increase in media literacy and digital safety among Ukrainians, particularly among the older audience (55–64 years) and in frontline and de-occupied communities.
🏢
Inclusive Infrastructure Changes
A story about a displaced woman in a wheelchair in Lviv led the city authorities to install a ramp at her building.
🤌
New Business Partnerships after Video Publication
After ShoTam published a video about Daniel Bodu, an entrepreneur from Mykolaiv, several national and local companies reached out to him to establish cooperation. In particular, the hero successfully negotiated with the Ukrainian Maker Association, whose representatives proposed working together on a joint project.
🗂
Creation of New Jobs
Following the publication of a video about Artem Boldyrev, owner of a sewing workshop in Kherson, several displaced women approached him seeking employment in the workshop. Additional staff have now been hired, which helped increase the workshop’s capacity and attract new clients.
🌍
Increasing International Attention to Ukrainian Development
Oksana Myronenko, a doctor from Luhansk, noted that publishing materials about her on ShoTam increased international attention to her business. Specifically, one international medical clinic contacted her and requested her hospital’s details to provide direct support.
🦿
Supporting Rehabilitation for War-Injured Individuals
The rehabilitation center “UNBROKEN,” after ShoTam published a video about a girl injured by explosive devices, offered her participation in the “Not for Beauty” program and free assistance with scar correction.
Comments
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Ecosystem
TV Channels
Online Media Outlets
Printed Press
Reporting and Transparency
ShoTam adheres to high standards of accountability and transparency in project implementation.
We provide systematic reporting according to agreed schedules, including programmatic and financial reports, clearly reflecting completed activities, achieved indicators, and impact.
We are open to independent monitoring and audits and provide donors with full access to supporting materials within the scope of project activities.
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