Children should dream, be happy and maintain a tireless desire to learn about the world. But when war breaks into childhood, this world becomes less understandable and much more dangerous. We want every child to feel confident and supported in this world. To increase the emotional resilience of children in the region, the team and friends of the foundation organized a series of workshops in acting in the safe spaces of Derhachi and Bezruky.

The workshops were led by actors from the Kharkiv Natural Theater “Ocheret” – Oleksiy Dubinin, Ilona Ismailova and Anastasia Temna. The girls are also the volunteers in our team. About 20 children of different ages took part in the classes. Together with teachers and presenters, they immersed themselves in the world of movement, trust and creative freedom. The master classes included exercises on:

  • Concentration of attention – children learned to concentrate, remember sequences of movements and act synchronously. For example, in a ball game, participants had to accurately transmit it according to a certain algorithm, which helped train attentiveness.
  • Trust and partnership – one of the key exercises was that one of the partners walked with his eyes closed, relying only on the feelings and help of the other. Such practices help children feel safe, even when they do not control the situation.
  • Bodily expressiveness and creative thinking – in the exercise “I am a sprout”, children imagined themselves as a small seed that germinates, opens, and gains strength. This helped them feel their body, show imagination, and work without fear of making the “wrong” movement.
  • Working with emotions – using associations with colors, participants learned to express their feelings through movement. This was especially useful for children who have difficulty verbalizing their experiences.

In addition, the workshops included performance practices, where participants invented short scenes and stories through movement. This develops imagination and helps them open up in communication. These exercises help children develop self-expression skills, improve interaction with others, and allow them to get to know themselves more deeply. They also become valuable tools for overcoming emotional difficulties and developing confidence.

We sincerely thank Oleksiy Dubinin, Ilona Ismailova, and Anastasia Temna for the unforgettable experience. This is another step towards developing the creative potential of children in the Kharkiv region.