It has been wonderful to hear of the difference ACET Ukraine’s Teens and Joy project has had on young people.
The project’s aim is to support children and young people during this overwhelming season of war, enabling them to express their feelings and fears, build resilience, and experience increased hope for the future.
The team delivered 505 sessions in the first 6 months of the year, which included art therapy, games, creative tasks, practical psychological techniques (led by an experienced trained psychologist), and plenty of fun!
440 young people were reached through the sessions, and 532 through one-to-one consultations.
Some of the counselling sessions have been online, with Ukrainian teenage refugees who have had to flee to other countries.
15-year-old Ekaterina: "When the war began, it was a terrible time. Everyone was afraid. Explosions, enemy planes, news that someone died in the city where I live, schools and homes blown up. My insides were all broken up.
ACET held the Teens and Joy project in the city - it became a place for me where I was safe. I learned about what stress resistance is. I'm more confident now.
I really enjoyed drawing on the bag, it was fun and at the same time very touching. After all, we drew Ukrainian themes. The bag always reminds me of what I heard on the ACET project. This is a symbol of the fact that soon everything will be better, that the war will pass and we will be able to meet in a country where there is peace."
