by Sergey Krasin and Anya Trukhan
ICDP is continuing to be active in Ukraine. This year, training was carried out in several cities, such as: Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv.
Two facilitators, a married couple, Nikolai and Galina Khomchenko, conduct parent groups in the territory close to the front line, as part of a humanitarian project. The participants were not only parents, but also grandparents. The program dialogues were discussed at the meetings. Nikolai notes that this group format is very useful, as it provides an opportunity to expand discussions and exchange experiences. It is especially useful for those families in which not only parents, but also the older generation are involved in raising children.
Galina conducts ICDP courses for parents at the Children’s Center for Mental Health. The participants are the parents of children who attend the center. The facilitator notes that her groups were attended only by women, as there are very few young men left in the city now. Before starting with the ICDP program and its dialogues, there are meetings in which a process of psycho-emotional stabilization takes place.
Active work was also carried out by new facilitators who were trained under war conditions. Natasha Vinichenko and Amelia Khomchenko began their work in the Donetsk region. The new facilitators held their groups in one of the city schools, and the participants were parents of first-grade children. A Parents’ Club was created linked to the school. Familiarization with the program took place throughout the year.
ICDP facilitator Olesya Romancha from Krivoy Rog conducts parent groups as part of the “Conscious Parenting” project. The project was created for young parents and young people who are planning to become parents. Olesya receives a lot of positive feedback from the participants of the meetings,
“It was important for me to talk about and see this or that situation. Theory is one thing. And practice is completely different. Although my son is almost an adult, I found useful recommendations for myself for further reflection”
“It’s never too late to learn! I thought that I knew everything about children and their behavior, but when I took the course, I learned a lot of new things. I thought most deeply assessing my actions in relation to the principles of the program”.
Facilitator Liliya Dolgikh was trained by a married couple from Kharkov: regional trainer Victoria Lepekha and facilitator Alexander Lepekha. Liliya recalls that immediately after the training she began to practice the principles of the program at the Church School. Several parent groups were organized at the same time, one of which was held regularly once a week. Three more groups were organized at different times. This was done so that women – parishioners could attend meetings at a time convenient for them. The group participants speak very positively about the meetings and attend them willingly, saying that “they come for knowledge that leads to good changes.” Over two years, more than 160 parents attended parent meetings with Liliya Dolgikh.