The war has a strong impact on the psycho-emotional state of children - 75% of children in Ukraine already have signs of psychological trauma, most often these are sleep and memory disorders, emotional swings and increased anxiety (Gradus Research).
On International Children's Day, an Instagram mask of children's drawings appeared in Ukraine, it was created by the Vivid brand content hub agency and Dobrodiy Club. This filter is 100% the result of children's creativity: every element is drawn by children who stay in Ukraine, in particular, those who were supported by the Dobrodiy Club.
More than 25,000 air raid signals, thousands of explosions and shelling's - this is what childhood looks like during the war in Ukraine.
"When the war started, I thought that it was the end of the world, how could I continue to live at all? Then I calmed down and started appreciating careless moments more: the opportunity to goof off a little, to play around, not to think about difficult things," recalls 14-year-old Lisa, a participant of Dobrodiy Club’s workshops in Kyiv.
The initiative is aimed to tell the importance of socio-emotional support for children and emphasizes the idea that creativity is an antidote to stress. It cannot stop rockets, but it can restore resourcefulness, provide a distraction, help express emotions, and work through different states - this is one of the ways a child can cope with trauma.
"War is the main thing children and teenagers in Ukraine are worried about. This is what our recent research has shown. Fear for life, almost daily shelling, sirens, the uncertainty of tomorrow - children live this difficult experience on the same level as adults. We cannot stop the rockets, but we fight to ensure that children have a childhood even during the war. On International Children's Day, we call on everyone to join this fight. Let's help children cope with the challenges of war in their own way," says Maria Artemenko, founder and head of the Dobrodiy Club.
Anyone can join the initiative for Children's Day. How exactly?
"Caring for children's mental health and their emotional state is our future. It is necessary that children have the resources to live and cope with all the burdens and challenges of war that they are currently experiencing. Otherwise, phobias, the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, and even depression may occur," says psychologist Anna Razumova.
The Dobrodiy Club will direct all funds to the activity of social and emotional support for children affected by the war in various regions of Ukraine: creative, art therapy classes, workshops, lectures for children and teenagers in Ukraine, and creative kits.
The Dobrodiy Club
All-Ukrainian charitable organization that helps children since 2016. During the war, the Dobrodiy Club works in two directions:
• urgent assistance to families with children who are on the verge of survival;
• childhood support – improving the emotional state and mental health of children and adolescents through creativity and social-emotional support activities.
During the full-scale war , the foundation already supported more than 70,000 children who remain in Ukraine.