HURI Teams with Clubhouse and AverPoint to Promote Factual Discussions on Ukraine-Russia Crisis

February 4, 2022
AverPoint, Clubhouse, and HURI logos over page with Ukrainian news article collection

AverPoint, a news app that promotes media literacy, Clubhouse, the social audio app, and Harvard’s Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI), the leading center of Ukrainian studies in the US, are collaborating on an exclusive series of factual discussions on the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Each week, Harvard’s Dr. Emily Channell-Justice posts five articles pertaining to a specific aspect of the crisis on the AverPoint app. On Saturdays at 1pm eastern, Dr. Channell-Justice and AverPoint’s Shouvik Banerjee will moderate a discussion on Clubhouse centered on the readings. The premiere of the series aligns with HURI’s international online conference on Ukraine on February 7-11, which is also open to the public; after each day’s session, participants can attend special “breakout rooms” on Clubhouse, where AverPoint and HURI will facilitate a dialogue about the conference proceedings.

“As tensions with Russia rise and uncertainty grows, the world’s eyes are on Ukraine, a country that may be unfamiliar to many people. Working with AverPoint and Clubhouse helps us achieve our goal of bridging the academic, policy, journalist, and public spheres for a deeper and more nuanced understanding of Ukraine,” said Dr. Channell-Justice, Director of the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program at HURI. The next talk (February 5 at 1pm eastern) is
Ukraine-Russia 101,” which lays out key themes for listeners who may be new to the conflict. Future talks will explore Ukraine’s interest in NATO, the history of Ukraine and Russia, Putin’s motives, the rise of information warfare, and Nord Stream 2. 

The first talk on January 29 attracted nearly 4,000 listeners from around the world, lasting over 90 minutes. “When you think of social media, you usually think of quick and divisive headlines. This series is giving Clubhouse members an intimate, friendly setting to learn from experts and benefit from content that goes beyond two-minute stories and 30-second soundbites,” said Kelly Stoezel, who leads thought leadership programming at Clubhouse.

The live discussions are linked to weekly readings on AverPoint, which form a common reference point and an informed foundation for dialogue. When attendees ask questions, they are expected to reference the readings, which come from credible sources. “Disinformation fueled the 2014 conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Today, many people are exhausted by these tactics, and prefer to learn and understand. Our partnership is creating a factual space for that audience,” said Shouvik Banerjee, the founder of media literacy app AverPoint. 

If you’re interested in the weekly series, sign up here to receive more information

About AverPoint

AverPoint is a news app that promotes media literacy, motivating users to build healthy media skills and habits. The company’s mission is to empower individuals to navigate the information crisis. Users can log their news reading, understand their trends, and set goals. Over time, AverPoint helps them read from higher-quality sources, more perspectives, wider geographies, and support local news. As users advance, AverPoint introduces critical thinking skills like evaluating evidence, questioning claims, and looking for independent reviews. You can sign up here.

About Clubhouse

Clubhouse is a new type of social network based on voice where people come together for great conversations. Communities gather on Clubhouse to talk, listen, and learn from each other in real-time, about topics like music, sports, comedy, politics, dating, and more. On Clubhouse, people can sit back and observe, raise their hands to chime in, or create their own rooms. For more information and to download the app, visit clubhouse.com or follow the company on
Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok

About the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University

The Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University was established to advance knowledge of Ukraine in the United States and abroad through research, teaching, and publication, particularly in history, language, and literature. The Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program (TCUP), established at HURI in 2019 in response to the ongoing crisis, is a bridge between the scholarly and policy communities with the goal of promoting a deeper understanding of Ukraine
in the world. Its role is to recognize, describe, and explain the complexity of contemporary Ukraine through contributions from social scientists and policy researchers.

Media contacts

AverPoint
Shouvik Banerjee, press@averpoint.com

Clubhouse
Rosy Baker, Rosy@Clubhouse.com

Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University
Kristina Conroy, kconroy@fas.harvard.edu