Finding Support Together: EAST SOS Support Groups and Training Events in June

The war forces people to leave home, change their familiar way of life, and keep looking for something to rely on. Sometimes, that kind of support is found in other people.

In June, the EAST SOS Charity Foundation held support groups and training events in Kyiv, Lviv, Chernihiv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. More than 100 people took part in the events, where they learned to better understand themselves, speak about their needs, and find inner resources to keep going.

Several communities hosted support groups based on the “I Can” manual. In the village of Shevchenkove in Kyiv Oblast, invited psychologist Tetiana Kucher held two meetings for teenagers. In the city of Vyshneve, Maryna Danyliuk, Manager of the Psychological Support Team at EAST SOS, ran psychological support groups with art therapy sessions for families affected by the military aggression of the russian federation, as well as for women educators, activists, and IDPs. In the cities of Truskavets and Stebnyk of Lviv Oblast, psychologist Iryna Kostenko helped participants learn self-regulation, grounding techniques, and body practices, while encouraging them to share their stories and support one another.

“We are gradually becoming friends, and every meeting gives us strength,” said Olena, a participant of the support group in Lviv Oblast.

Another event in June was training on Nonviolent Communication and dialogue. In the city of Nizhyn, Chernihiv Oblast, trainer and psychologist Viktoriia Preobrazhenska held the final module of the course Nonviolent Approach to Building Dialogue in Hromadas. The group brought together women civil servants, social workers, activists, and IDPs. They practiced empathetic communication, looked for ways to build mutual understanding, worked on consensus-based decision-making, and learned how to hear other people’s needs and find solutions that consider everyone involved.

“An interesting and inspiring training that gave me a new perspective on communication and taught me how to express my thoughts clearly and build dialogue,” shared Nataliia, one of the participants.

In Dnipro, psychologist Tetiana Kucher conducted a training session for educators Nonviolent Communication and Self-Care: How This Relates to an Educator’s Life. Participants explored ways to care for their emotional state and learned how the principles of Nonviolent Communication can support them both in their work and in their personal lives.

Each meeting like this becomes a space where people do not have to face their experiences alone, but can be heard, understood, and supported.

The activities were implemented as part of the project Empowering Civil Society for Nonviolent Conflict Transformation with State Actors funded by KURVE Wustrow.