South Charlotte Teen Worries About Ukrainian Student He Met In Online Cultural Exchange Program

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A South Charlotte teen is keeping close tabs on a Ukrainian student he met in an online cultural exchange.

The two are part of a program that helps Ukrainian teens improve their English skills.

“The experience is amazing. It’s been about five to six months I’m with him, I’m with him almost every single week,” says 15-year-old Savir Shingne.

The Ardrey Kell High School Freshman met a teen from Ukraine named Victor when he began volunteering for an online cultural exchange program called “ENGin.”

Savir helps Victor with English skills and the two learn about each other’s country.

“And it’s kind of eye-opening to me and him too, cause he doesn’t know a lot of stuff about the U.S. and same, I don’t know a lot of stuff about Ukraine,” he says.

But things changed as Russian prepared to invade Ukraine.

“Now, since the past two or three weeks I’ve seen him kind of in class a little bit more shy than usual, and I can see his voice trembling and shaking,” Shingne says.

Savir says Victor lost internet access and is staying in a bomb shelter.

The two still communicate by text, with Victor sending photos from where he lives outside Kyiv.

“He’s been telling me, ‘Oh, this happened, this happened,’ you know, “Oh my God, we just heard gunshots,’ stuff like that, we hear planes, then he sends me a photo,” Shingne says.

Savir says with all the pressure teens face with grades and school, he can’t imagine what it would be like to add a war on top of that.

“He said that he hadn’t slept in three days which I though was, you know, for a kid that’s very unusual, so I worry for him all the time,” Shingne says.

Savir hopes the war ends soon, until then he worries for Victor.

“I do every single day. And every single hour actually, I just think ‘Oh what must he be doing?’ Shingne says.