Summer School "East and West together or Ukrainian festivities" - Міжнародний благодійний фонд "СНІД Фонд Схід-Захід"

On July 22-25 in Kyiv (Ukraine) was held the Summer School “East and West together or Ukrainian festivities” within the framework of the project “Bridging the Gaps: Health and Rights for Key Populations”.

“To learn, learn and once again learn” – a lot of people would agree that this slogan fits perfectly for Summer School. But organizers from AFEW-Ukraine decided that the unofficial slogan of the Summer School in Kyiv would be “Let’s come together, learn and make friends!” So we named the School “East and West together or Ukrainian festivities”. This year we chose the key theme of our Summer School to be unity and national customs not without reason. We have the greatest respect and love for our Motherland, to its every corner and every person from the East to the West. And the name of the Foundation is accordant with our views and values. Our School is not only training, but also recreation and unity. And since olden times festivities have been the best recreation activities in Ukraine. And to invite friends from the brotherly country Georgia for the festivities was the great honor and joy for us.

It is well-known, as the ship you will name so it and will float. So our participants awaited for the thrilling journey for knowledge and new experiences. Indeed the organizers planned and conducted the School with abandon. To invite the best trainers from all over Ukraine and even from Latvia? Of course! To plan in detail four days agenda from very morning till night? Sure! To develop competitions, quizzes and fortunetelling for every day? Absolutely! To figure out how to make sure that participants would be beautiful, happy and cheerful? Yes, yes, yes, it’s about our Summer School. And, of course, to invite motivated and passionate participants.

On July 22, 2014 a marathon entitled “Summer School 2014” began. 6 trainers. 1 guest of honor – Executive Director of AFEW-Ukraine Olena Voskresenska. 1 wonderful host. 1 fairy-assistant. 35 participants in the beautiful national costumes – employees of the organizations that implement the project in Kirovograd, Poltava, Kharkiv, Chernivtsi (Ukraine), Tbilisi and Telavi (Georgia), as well as representatives of partner NGOs and governmental organizations. And a huge amount of knowledge, new ideas, experiences and positive emotions.

Maryna Hovorukhina, PR manager of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union: “I’ve been on many trainings, as well as conducted many trainings myself. But it is the first time I saw someone who organize the event with such care and soul. Everything was planned in details including many small surprises from the AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW). That moment when the participants understand that this is not just another training, but the whole event! I’m glad that I was a trainer there. Need to adopt best practices.”

Anastasiya Shebardina, Senior Project Manager of AFEW-Ukraine: “We worried a lot getting ready for the Summer School, because for us it is not just a training. First of all it is an opportunity to combine informal communication of specialists from different areas with the learning process. Most of all I remember the willingness of people to actively participate in competitions and respond to any adventurous ideas of organizers.”

During the Summer School participants learned about an effective communication, use of social networks in the work of NGOs, programs “Child’s Skills” and “The Tree of Life” for most-at-risk adolescents; worked with their personal motivation and acquired skills on working with traumas.

The Participant the Summer School: “I liked training topics, the venue, trainers, participants, openness and friendliness of the entire group, the organizers’ efforts on the Summer School.”

The Participant the Summer School: “Participation in the Summer School gave me the huge bundle of knowledge and experience that further will help me to improve the professional level of my work with vulnerable groups.”

We are pleased that participants have already begun to use some of the new skills, for example, in the preparation of their final presentations. It is also important that the participants began planning how to take advantage of the information received and the experience of trainers and colleagues right away during the Summer School. There are even those who have already taken the first steps in improving their work.

Hopefully, next year our tradition to lead the summer school will continue.