Ukraine Follow Up
Follow Up Activity
Due to the situation with the war in Ukraine we didnt managed to have in person follow up activity and in cooperation with the hosting organisation we decided to implement an online follow up activity. with all the participant of our organisation in the training. The activity was done from the participants Oleksii Kashtalian, Oleksandra Klochko, Dariia Ihnatenko, Kateryna Kulyna at Friday, July 8, 2022, 7PM Kyiv time. There were 26 participants (22F and 4M) in the event. All of them hold Ukrainian nationality. Mostly our participants were between 18 and 30 years old. Most of them were interested in the practical methods of how to overcome stressful situations and find the way to the inner selves. Also we have created a special made Google-form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LCojVw3Yqh3_-GY30SuCeFPjpcOrSFxvSaraWob9pzM/edit?usp=drive_web).
It was an online event based on the Zoom platform aimed at dissemination of information about Erasmus+ network, the training course ReConnect with Nature for Inner Peace and sharing some of the exercises learnt during the project.
The event holders expanded on existing opportunities offered by Erasmus+ including short- and long-term projects. Some tips and tricks on how to write a successful motivational letter were also shared. The majority of time then was devoted to the project "RECNEFIH". We shared our experience of participation in the training course: organisation, types of activities, the project's objectives and its learning outcomes. It was followed by the two activities which we had during the training course. The first exercise included guided meditation, during which the participants could calm down their thoughts and balance their inner state. This was leading the participants to the second activity, which was about drawing current feelings and state of mind of oneself while music was playing. At the end of the activity, they had to reflect on their drawings and could show them as well as describe their experience to everyone on a voluntary basis.
Participants demonstrated interest in all topics having asked the questions and having been actively engaged in the discussion which made the dissemination activity dynamic and useful for them. During the final part of the event, which was a Q & A session, they were curious about ways of tackling stress, finding balance, our experience and impression of this training course.
Since our target audience included the youth who are interested in the opportunities for young people and methods of reducing stress, the webinar helped us attain our goal. Overall, the activity resulted in raising awareness about Erasmus+ projects, ways of participation in these activities as well as ways of finding yourself and reconnecting with nature.
Actually in the whole presentation participants had the following tasks:
Oleksii Kashtalian - presentation of opportunities under Erasmus+ (Youth Exchanges, Training Exchanges, Erasmus Academic and Erasmus Mundus)
Dariia Ihnatenko - info promotion of the event, presenting of the project `Re-Connect with Nature` to the participants
Kateryna Kulyna - event moderation, meditation session in preparation for art therapy
Oleksandra Klochko - art therapy session based on intuitive painting (drawing of emotions and current state of mind)
Q&A session - everyone
In the following video you can see the whole follow up activity online in Ukraine languageActually in the whole presentation participants had the following tasks:
Oleksii Kashtalian - presentation of opportunities under Erasmus+ (Youth Exchanges, Training Exchanges, Erasmus Academic and Erasmus Mundus)
Dariia Ihnatenko - info promotion of the event, presenting of the project `Re-Connect with Nature` to the participants
Kateryna Kulyna - event moderation, meditation session in preparation for art therapy
Oleksandra Klochko - art therapy session based on intuitive painting (drawing of emotions and current state of mind)
Q&A session - everyone
In the following video you can see the whole follow up activity online in Ukraine languageWhat Our Participants said about the project?
Oleksandra: Overall, the uniqueness of the project lied not only in the set of excersises for their further usage in our initiatives but also in the opportunity to get to know better the inner self. I found this experience refreshing because it brought about insights regarding personal feelings and thoughts as well as harmonic interaction in the society. The course also gave an understanding of the necessity to feel and listen to others to support harmonic relationships. Last but not least, I was elated to meet new people, who are always open to cooperation in the field of youth work.
Daria: At the moment, the great social crisis in Ukraine is unfolding in our eyes. Mostly now young people who had to undergo dangerous situations find themselves completely lost, anxious, and depressed. It is something you can not prepare yourself for. In order to learn new methods for stress relief in youth work, I attended the training course, "RECONNECT WITH NATURE" , which was designed to develop competencies in the field of connecting again with our inner selves, finding calm, and clarity, and reducing stress and anxiety.
Every day, we used a wide variety of different techniques to reconnect with nature and raise environmental awareness, including meditation, mindfulness, art therapy, hiking, and yoga In addition, we had several sessions in which participants shared their unique ways of handling stressful situations. I had the opportunity to share my own experience of youth work as well as personal stories of the war in Ukraine with participants from 9 countries.
Oleksii: There is a greater need in Ukraine than ever for advanced specialists in the field of psychology and mindfulness. I am grateful that this project helped me to learn stress-relief techniques for better stress management. Through new methods, I will be able to organize more profound training for young people from Irpin, to help them become happier and well-balanced
Kateryna: The follow-up activity has been a great reminder for me of the huge positive impact the ReConnect with Nature project had on me. This time, being a person who has introduced others to the world of Erasmus I have been excited to share the variety of opportunities it presents and being happy in advance for all the discoveries to be made by every young person. I realized that I am now unofficially an Erasmus ambassador willing to promote and support youth mobility. Another thing that surprised me was that when I asked the participants what was their primary interest in the event half of them told that it was the topic of rebuilding inner peace and the following questions on meditation proved that. It made me very conscious of the need of people around the world and especially now in Ukraine to nourish individual resilience to the challenges presented by the outer circumstances. Profoundly grateful I am now entering a new phase of my life with an aim to share the learned techniques with everyone who needs them.