Themes by tag: children

From September 20 to 22, Kyiv will welcome the “All Together” festival, an annual event organized by Mystetskyi Arsenal designed to engage children and teens in a variety of experiences through interaction, exploration, and creative play. The festival’s program features around 70 events, divided into two distinct sections. The first section, a long-standing part of the festival, caters to children under 12 with approximately 30 activities. New this year is a special program specifically designed for teenagers, marking its debut at Mystetskyi Arsenal’s educational festival. This teen-focused lineup includes 37 diverse events, such as film screenings, theater performances, discussions, and talks with psychologists, filmmakers, and artists. Festival-goers will also have the chance to participate in workshops led by artists, museum experts, book bloggers, and theater directors. Attendees can practice their English, take part in live podcast recordings, connect with peers, enjoy Odesa funk music, and engage in discussions on topics like movies, dreams, and subcultures. Teen participants can also explore career aspirations and join creative workshops led by their peers.

Journalists interested in covering the festival are invited to view the full program but must obtain accreditation in advance.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

On September 18, Kyiv will host the launch of the “Silenced Voices” campaign, a major initiative aimed at raising awareness about the reform of Ukraine’s child care and support system, known as deinstitutionalization. As part of the event, organizers will unveil an interactive installation—a phone booth where visitors can listen to stories from children in boarding schools, allowing their voices to finally be heard.

Participants: 

– Daria Herasymchuk, Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights and Child Rehabilitation;

– Representative of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine;

– Inna Miroshnychenko, blogger, adoptive mother, lawyer, partner at PRONIN&PARTNERS Law Firm, public figure;

– Mykola Lytvynenko, Deputy Head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Upbringing and Child Care;

– Serhii Lukashov, Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine;

– Daria Kasyanova, National Program Development Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine;

– Kyrylo Nevdokha, Head of the DIYMO Office for Children and Youth;

– Representatives of young people who grew up in boarding schools. 

Many children in these institutions remain unheard, with their dreams and struggles often going unnoticed. The “Silenced Voices” campaign draws on a 2022 media and sociological study, which revealed widespread societal tolerance toward the boarding school system and a lack of understanding about the needs and challenges faced by children in institutional care.

The goal of the campaign is to spotlight the reform, which seeks to ensure that all children in Ukraine can grow up in family environments rather than institutions.

For more information, contact the organizers: SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine.

• children
• Kyiv

Media representatives are invited to attend an inclusive and interactive theatrical performance for children with disabilities, “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales”, performed by the chamber ensemble of the Kyiv Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko. On September 14, the performance will be held for the patients of the Okhmatdyt hospital.

The premiere of this performance took place on July 5 in the main building of Kyiv’s Ohmatdyt Hospital, just two days before the russian shelling. As a result, the musicians of the Kyiv Classic Orchestra had to perform a Requiem over the ruins – footage that was seen by the entire world.

Initially the authors of the project hoped to perform the show in the Okhmatdyt hospital several times during the summer. Unfortunately, these plans were thwarted by russian missiles.

For reference: The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

The Children’s Voices Charitable Foundation launched the “Children Dream” campaign and asked children from different regions about their dreams. The aim is to show that despite difficult circumstances, children continue to dream and need the support of adults. Moreover, children’s dreams are a source of strength for adults as well.

“I hope that when the war is over, we will have a very beautiful sea that will be very popular with tourists. (…) Let our music flourish all over the world…”

This is an excerpt from a letter written by 12-year-old Eva, who shares her dreams. Three months after the outbreak of the full-scale war, she was forced to leave her native village in the Zaporizhia region (now occupied) and moved to the city of Zaporizhia, where she participates in the activities of the Center of the Children’s Voices Charitable Foundation.

Among the dreams shared by other children is the desire to attend school in person instead of studying online. And, of course, the children dream of Ukraine’s victory and the liberation of the occupied territories.

Journalists can learn more about the “Children Dream” campaign and, with prior agreement, speak with the children (whose parents consent), particularly in the Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, and in Kyiv.

• children
• Dnipro
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv
• Zaporizhzhia

On September 13, the Media Center Ukraine will present a new study titled “(Non-)Return of Children: Ukraine Faces Its Greatest Challenge Since Independence.” The research, conducted by the Regional Center for Human Rights, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, and the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, delves into the legal and humanitarian challenges surrounding the return of Ukrainian children from russian control.

The study highlights the experiences of these three NGOs in defending the rights of children who were under russia’s control and have since been returned. It provides insights into the legal efforts, the return process, and the reintegration of these children. The findings are based on interviews with children, their parents or guardians, return specialists, and a detailed review of international humanitarian and child rights law.

Participants:

– Kateryna Rashevska, PhD in International Law, expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights;

– Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder and director of Voices of Children Charitable Foundation;

– Daria Kasyanova, Chairperson of the Board of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, Program Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine. 

Moderator: Natalia Yemchenko, member of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation. 

For reference: Since russia’s full-scale invasion, over 19,500 Ukrainian children, including 4,000 orphans, have been forcibly displaced or deported, with the vast majority remaining under russian control. Among them are 1.6 million children from the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine. 

• children
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

British students Finley and Charlie have begun a 2,000 km bike tour from London to the Ukrainian border, with a final stop in Chełm, Poland. The duo is riding to raise funds for Voices of Children, a charity supporting Ukrainian children affected by the war. 

Their journey, which started on August 20, is expected to take 20 days. All donations will go directly to the charity.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Finley online for more information.

• children
• volunteers

Lisa, a 10-year-old from Sievierodonetsk in the now-occupied Luhansk Oblast, is a young girl with a deep love for music. Alongside her interests in drawing, learning English, and reading Harry Potter, Lisa shares a special bond with the cello—a passion she inherited from her mother, a professional cellist.

Two years ago, tragedy struck when a missile hit her grandmother’s house, destroying all their belongings, including Lisa’s cherished cello. The loss devastated Lisa, who admits that she would cry whenever she heard the sound of a cello, a painful reminder of what she had lost.

Recently, Lisa had a memorable experience at a concert by renowned French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, held at the Kyiv center of the Charity Foundation “Voices of Children.” The performance left her deeply moved and inspired, reigniting her passion for the instrument.

Journalists have the opportunity to meet Lisa and her mother in Kyiv by prior arrangement, and a video of Jean-Guihen Queyras’s special concert is also available.

• casualties
• children
• occupation
• Kyiv

“Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales,” an inclusive and interactive theatrical event for children with disabilities performed by the Kyiv Classic Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko will be held in Kyiv on August 28.

In “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” musical and theatrical art are combined using an interactive approach. The script is based on Ukrainian folklore. The performance will feature the works of Semen Hulak-Artemovsky, Mykola Lysenko, Levko Kolodub and Volodymyr Ptushkin, as well as Ukrainian folk melodies.

The program of the event includes: press briefing; performance; communication with participants and the audience.

For reference: The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

On August 24, the Children of War global photo project will start in Kyiv. It aims to draw attention to the plight of children who suffered from the russian aggression. This important initiative headed by Sofia Tchkonia, a well-known entrepreneur and founder of the Be Next charity fund, will start its journey in Kyiv and then continue to the main squares of the world.

The Children of War project is comprised of powerful images captured by talented Ukrainian photographers Marina Karpiy and Sasha Mazur.

The project serves as an important platform to amplify the voices of young Ukrainians, providing a visual narrative that conveys the emotional burden and physical impact of war on innocent lives. By sharing their stories with a global audience, organizers hope to bring compassion, understanding and support to these brave children and the communities in which they live.

French artist JR and the InsideOut project cooperate with the initiative.

A similar exhibition will be opened in Brussels on the same day.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

On August 22, the “Voices Camp” will begin its fourth session in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region, offering a safe haven for children aged 10-16 who have been affected by the ongoing conflict. The camp specifically welcomes those from de-occupied and frontline areas, providing them with an environment where they can connect with peers, receive psychosocial support, and explore their talents and creativity. Over the course of two weeks, participants will have the opportunity to make new friends and begin to heal from the traumas of war.

Journalists interested in covering the camp and its activities can obtain more information through the foundation.

For context: This summer camp is organized by The Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, with financial backing from the Olena Zelenska Foundation. 

The camp’s mission is more critical than ever, as nearly half of Ukraine’s children—44%—are showing signs of potential post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a recent Future Index study.

• casualties
• children
• psychological support
• Uzhhorod