My name is Yaryna, I am 17 years old, and I come from the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine.
Six months ago, my friends and I decided to address a problem that is often overlooked in our community: the emotional health of young people.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was studying remotely and noticed a lack of live communication with my peers. With the outbreak of full-scale war, Ukrainians have faced enormous stress amidst the hostilities, and I was no exception. I felt apathetic, unsure of what to expect next or how to continue living. The constant stress from various factors negatively impacted my psychological state. It was then that I realized psychological help was unavailable in our small community because I didn't know where to turn. Many teenagers were in the same situation.
When I met my friends Maria, Anya, and Nastya, I finally understood that the lack of access to psychological help needed to be addressed. Each of us had faced similar problems. Our observations confirmed that boys and girls lacked confidence in their abilities, had low self-esteem, and were afraid to express themselves. The lack of communication, absence of a clear vision for the future, stress from military operations, pressure from relatives, and other factors had severely affected the mental state of adolescents.
Our Team
Maria, Anya, Nastia, and I are four active girls, united by the Youth Council of the village council of Vyhodal, who care deeply about the future of our community and its people. Vyhoda is a small village in the Ivano-Frankivska region of western Ukraine.
Our project
Our project has two main goals:
1. To make it easier for young people in our community to access psychological help.
2. To demonstrate that youth initiatives are cool and worth participating in.
Gathering all our determination, we applied for the UPSHIFT programme. We were selected,
developed a concept for our project, and received funding from UNICEF to bring our idea to life.
Our happiness knew no bounds as we embarked on something that had been on our minds for
a long time.
We created the Dilemma Project and held six events for young people aged between 14 and 18. The first three workshops covered different topics: How to maintain your mental state during war, Emotional intelligence, Non-violent communication and defending personal boundaries.
For each workshop, we invited an experienced psychologist. Participants had the opportunity to make new acquaintances, learn valuable information about mental health, apply it in practice, communicate personally with the specialists, and share their experiences.
The fourth workshop was focused on time management, a crucial skill for young people who are studying, preparing for entrance exams, and seeking their first job. The speaker shared effective time management techniques and conducted practical exercises to reinforce them.
For the fifth session, we initiated a Book day. We purchased a collection of books on psychology and personal development, allowing participants to choose and read these books for free. During our meeting, they discussed the books, fostering better communication and deeper connections among them.
The final session was an art therapy workshop led by a qualified professional. This emotionally charged session was highly engaging, and the participants were reluctant for the project to end. It provided them with free psychological support and the opportunity to make new friends they had dearly missed.
The participants have tools to express their emotions freely, communicate positively, and defend
their personal boundaries. They have learned to manage and prioritize their time and have
found a supportive social circle to stay in touch with after the project.
Although the project meetings have concluded, our bookshelf of psychology books remains available and open to everyone. The most important outcome is that participants now have a reliable support system, including both new friends and qualified professionals who are always ready to listen for free.
We believe we have fulfilled our mission. Psychological help is now more accessible to the youth in our community. They are also eager to attend new events at Vyhoda and to invite their friends.
Take care of yourself and remember that your well-being is the most important thing.
