On April 4, a final meeting was held in Kyiv to discuss the project “Girls leaders work to promote the prevention of violence against women among their peers.” The project was implemented with the support of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.
Under the project, 9 women’s organizations from different regions of Ukraine have been implementing their own projects for 2 years, which were aimed at the prevention of violence against girls and women.
During the meeting, representatives of NGOs presented the results of their activities implemented under the project.
Particularly in Vinnitsya, NGO “Informational and Educational Center VIS ” trained 60 teenagers and 50 teachers under the project to implement the activities aimed to combat and prevent violence against girls within the youth environment, it held theme-based events for more than 1,000 adolescents, distributed over 15 thousand copies of information materials. The organization has successfully used innovative methods, including forum theater to shape a negative attitude of young people towards violence against girls and women. At the meeting, Svetlana Dubina, director of the center has presented this technique and shared practical advice and tips on how to use it.
In Bila Tserkva, NGO “Legal Unity” held 56 educational sessions in schools for children aged 7-10 years, 7 training of trainers (for teenagers aged 16-20) who later held 12 training sessions under the “peer to peer” initiative for school pupils, students of technical colleges, vocational schools, colleges, and universities. Also, thematic “round-tables” were held in Bila Tserkva, public installations, public street actions, sociological polls (students aged 10 – 17, youth aged 18-20), including children’s drawing and photography contests.
In Zhytomyr, oblast youth NGO “Parity” held 112 different events with participation of over 2.5 thousand young people. As a result, 20 video clubs were opened at the vocational schools to support the systematic interaction of young people on a regular basis with an aim to promote prevention of gender-based violence.
Zaporizhzhya oblast NGO “Association of psychologists and psychiatrists “Interaction” has also worked to shape a non-violent behavior among young people by raising awareness and self-esteem of girls and young women. The regional contest of children’s drawings was held for students of secondary schools. Group-based psychological sessions for girls and young women on the formation of self-worth and self-esteem were organized and facilitated, a workshop for journalists, two training sessions on the formation of non-violent models of behavior for graduates of schools and students of vocational schools were also organized and held in addition to information and the educational quest. A film club was organized to watch cyber terror film.
In Kirovohrad oblast, NGO “Territory of Success” held a training on bullying prevention and prevention of violence and gender inequality. Podium discussions, quests, and more traditional street actions were among the events of the original format. Flyers, leaflets, badges, and bracelets were distributed predominantly at the actions.
In Lutsk, NGO “Joy of Childhood” and Volyn NGO “Corporation of Happiness” created a «Teen-Studio –tolerant communication workshop” where 600 adolescents aged 14-19 years were trained. One of the most effective approaches in the workshop was the art therapy and project representative Olga Sozonik who held a separate workshop for participants in Kyiv where she shared the relevant experience.
In L’viv, NGO Center “Women’s Perspectives” covered more than 300 teenagers with the project activities. It held training, drawing contests and exhibition of the best works and screened the films about human rights, children’s rights history, the concept of violence, violence against girls and safety rules.
Odessa “Center for Democratic Development of Youth” with NGO “Faith, Hope, Love” worked not only in the schools of the oblast center but it also spread its activities to rural schools of the oblast which extended the coverage to more than 1,000 people. The organization conducted the interactive training and visited family which experienced incidents of violence, as well as conducted other activities.
Representatives of the Center for Support of Public Initiatives “Chaika” of the city of Rivne shared about the project activities. There were more than 20 training sessions held, including 2 training of trainers and 1 multidisciplinary training. The events were attended by 650 people aged 10 to 19. 95 participants took part in drawing and photography contest “Love and friendship without violence.” 1,500 people visited the traveling exhibition of drawings and photography. About 9,000 residents of Rivne and its visitors received information through city lights that were placed on the streets. About 15 thousand residents of Rivne oblast received information about the project, its results and the idea of combating violence among young people through the media.
Participants of the meeting also shared their future plans. Despite the fact that the project is completed, everyone without the exception determined that the challenge of violence remains relevant because every organization has undertaken certain obligations to the extent to continue the information and educational activities based on the lessons learned.