For the third month in a row, each of us is fighting with the Russian invaders by all available methods and ways. And while our soldiers beat the enemy with weapons in their hands, doctors, bakers, hairdressers, teachers, educators, and entrepreneurs continue to work day and night, paying taxes to the national budget. Too often, all of these units are coordinated by volunteers, without whom our victory is unimaginable.
One of the important aspects of volunteering is to provide support to those who were forced to leave their homes and flee to Lutsk to escape the explosions. They help them recover emotionally. Thus, Oleksandra Bekesh, a student of the Faculty of International Relations, and Halyna Kopachynska, an associate professor at the Department of International Relations and Regional Studies, initiated art therapy classes for such persons.
On April 8, as part of such psychological aid, a series of drawing master-classes was launched for children and their mothers, who have been housed on the campus of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University. The organizers of these classes note: “We are responsible not only for the settlement of people but also try to create the most comfortable and hospitable conditions for them”.
Ms. Halyna says that the author and ideological inspirer of this wonderful initiative is a student Oleksandra Bekesh, and Svitlana Shevchuk, the director of the campus, has instantly become an integral member of the team. They are convinced that art is one of the best ways to recover emotionally and, at the same time, get to know each other better in an atmosphere of creativity.
Meetings take place once a week, but the results of the four master-classes impress. Young artists' works are notably impressive. Compared to the first lesson, when black and white colors dominated their drawings, there are primarily bright color shades in them now. The drawing master-class appeared to be quite revealing. The participants got the task to draw Easter cards addressed to our defenders at the front, which were immediately handed over to soldiers. Therefore, everyone approached this task very diligently, and, in addition to bright pictures, they also wrote sincere wishes and gratitude to soldiers for their invaluable feat.
The friendship between the participants of the drawing classes is becoming stronger with every meeting. All of them were brought to the first lesson by bus, but then they preferred to get to the place on their own or together, in groups, having the opportunity to communicate and share their personal impressions. In addition, in each drawing class, they are always treated to delicacies and warm tea, and caring residents of our city try to give them a variety of nice things.
By the way, Halyna Kopachynska is engaged in volunteering in various areas solving problems to cover the urgent needs of our defenders from 14 OMBR Volodymyr-Volynskyi, territorial defense of Lutsk, law enforcement agencies, medical institutions, including Volyn Regional Perinatal Center, regional Children's Hospital and the City Clinical Maternity Hospital, providing aid to families of internally displaced persons in Volyn and those who found refuge on the campus of our University. That is why, as Ms. Galina states, she could not but support this wonderful initiative and idea of art therapy. She emphasizes that the main goal of the project is to create a comfortable environment for forcibly displaced Ukrainians, and due to the drawing classes, the boundaries of such assistance can be significantly expanded. For example, one of the students lost the opportunity to study German, but Ulyana Moroz, a master's degree student at the Faculty of International Relations at the university, offered him tutoring in this discipline for free.
The organizers of the art therapy note that this idea would be impossible to implement without significant financial assistance. This wonderful and inspiring idea was financially supported by Licia Elementi from Italy, Oleksii and Liudmyla Kukhanovsky from Germany, Alla Kozak and Kateryna Dedeliuk, lecturers at our University, and Maryna Liashuk, Deputy Director for Economic Affairs Department at the Lutsk Clinical Maternity Hospital. All of them belong to different groups of donors' funding, from which the necessary materials for drawing were partially purchased, as well as gifts and delicacies were repeatedly organized for the participants of these drawing classes. The implementation of such projects strengthens faith in our victory.
Information Policy Department
