The three-day “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” training was held on November 12, 19 and 20, 2022 for educators from Irpin and Bucha – small towns of the Kyiv region that suffered tremendously from the russian occupation. The training was organized in cooperation with the Zoryanytsya project (mental health recovery space), which unites several charity foundations and NGOs. Among the 17 participants of the training were educators and psychologists of the Irpin and Bucha districts, also educators from Plast youth organization in Irpin. The “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project trainers, Iryna Sukhova, Nataliya Podolyak, and Olena Bozhor, worked with the participants.
It was the third out of 12 planned trainings within the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” Project held with the financial support of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF). In August 2022 CUF provided a grant to expand a trauma therapy program, which trains the trainers to work with children and adults with war trauma. The project is implemented by the “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation with the support of American and Canadian partners, HOPE worldwide (USA) and HOPE worldwide Canada.
“Implementing the project our team uses the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” methodology, one of the most effective proven methodologies of support and recovery for children and adults with war trauma, – says Iryna Sukhova, “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project leader. – We teach the participants the understanding of psychological trauma, how children experience trauma, the importance of the parents’ role in healing children’s traumas. We also give them tools for working with traumatized children, which are described in the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” methodology. On the other hand, our participants – educators, psychologists, teachers, and tutors – also survived the occupation and were traumatized by war in their own homes. Therefore, our task is to treat them with care and give them the opportunity to heal their personal wounds. They all are heroes. They take care of children and help them. And we teach them to take care of themselves in order to have the power to further continue their important work”.
Here are some reviews of the participants:
“The topic of the training was relevant for me personally. I often encounter various emotions and thoughts, which will now be easier to deal with, thanks to an imaginary “backpack” with tools and techniques. It will also help in my personal communication with the closest people, to improve their emotional state. I will use the tools in the work with children, I plan to do it after my personal practice” – Oleksandr Makhakhing
“The topic of the training was very important for me personally, as I am a mother of two children and also, I work with children. During the training, I managed to process and cope with some personal memories, traumas, and bad dreams. The most useful for me were the techniques that will help in further work with children. Everything was clear and easy to understand. Thank you for the training and for the work you are doing” – Anna Bazylyuk
“This topic is very relevant nowadays, because the war is going on. I work in a school where many children have seen the war with their own eyes, many of them are in an unstable emotional state. And this training helped me to enrich my baggage of knowledge, which I will use to help children. I am very glad to have attended this training. Thank you!” – Svitlana Cherapanova
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REFERENCE INFORMATION
International Charity Project “Helping Hand in Ukraine” exists since 2015. The Project aims to improve the socio-emotional and psychological state and wellbeing of children with war trauma and their families who witnessed and suffered from the war against Ukraine. The Project trains the trainers to work with the “Children and War: Teaching Recovery Techniques” methodology; provides psychological assistance to children and their parents with war trauma, teaching them skills of psychological self-regulation and self-assistance and techniques of relaxation; fosters cooperation with state social services in order to ensure immediate attention from professionals to cases of mild and severe mental problems as well as constant aftercare and social support. More information about the Project is provided on the website of “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation.
Contact person for media: Olga Batiuk, mob. +38 050 359 7266 (Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp), olga.batiuk@gmail.com
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