Empowering Ukrainian refugees via participatory workshops

The goal of this project was to develop a non-formal training program with and for displaced Ukrainian people that could help them to cope with the challenges of adaptation to new contexts, increa...

The goal of this project was to develop a non-formal training program with and for displaced Ukrainian people that could help them to cope with the challenges of adaptation to new contexts, increase their psychological resilience, agency and the feeling of self-esteem.

We developed and implemented 3 participatory workshops for displaced Ukrainian people that combined non-formal education methods and creative work forms, such as storytelling, experiential and somatic exercises, and co-development methods all used to build resilience and support their integration. Based on these pilots and co-creation process with participant groups the partners have created a non-formal training program for displaced people, focused on preventing mental health problems, building resilience and supporting integration. It is addressed to social workers, adult educators, creative professionals and community organisations working with displaced people from Ukraine and other vulnerable groups and can enhance their competences in providing assistance to these people and other vulnerable groups with similar experiences. The program was shared with these professionals in the Netherlands, Lithuania and other EU countries via professional networks, feedback collection, EPALE, web-sites and social media.

The results of the project include 3 pilot psycho-educational trainings for 45 displaced Ukrainian people, 2 of which were held in the Netherlands and 1 in Lithuania, 3 self-support groups and a growing support community for displaced people, the non-formal training program and manual translated to English, Ukrainian, Dutch and Lithuanian languages, training materials and self-assessment tools, project web-site with resources for self-support groups, direct feedback on the program by 44 adult education professionals.