Author:
Mariia Kucova
From April 24 to May 6, the “Voices of Children” team traveled across the United States to share our experience and meet with partners. The Foundation representatives visited Washington DC, New Orleans, Chicago, and New York City.
The delegation included:
- Olena Rozvadovska, Head of the Foundation;
- Nataliia Masiak, Child Psychiatrist;
- Alla Shyrshyna, Project Manager;
- Olha Mykytchyn, Head of Online Psychological Support Line;
- Olha Chymbir, Coordinator of Educational Programs;
- Sarah Slimp, Partnership Development Manager.
Read on to find out how the trip across the ocean went.
Experience Exchange Visits
Everywhere we shared our practical experience, we witnessed the high level of professionalism at which we operate. We have things to learn but also much to share,
noted Olena Rozvadovska, Head of the Foundation.
noted Olena Rozvadovska, Head of the Foundation.
The "Voices of Children" team's trip began with participation in the annual conference of the Society of Pediatric Psychology, "What's Next? The Future Path of Child Psychology" in New Orleans. On April 26, the Foundation representatives shared their experience working with families affected by the war and, along with the European Paediatric Psychology Network, presented a series of webinars titled "Child Mental Health".
On April 29, in Chicago, they met with the Ukrainian Studies Hub Working group and Clemens Sedmak, Professor of Social Ethics and Director of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
The Foundation's team discussed the challenges faced by Ukrainian children, the specifics of psychological and psychosocial support for families in wartime, and working with professionals providing this support. They also explored potential partnership opportunities with the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame (USA), particularly regarding joint research.
A highly productive meeting for professional development took place on April 30 in Washington with the team from the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing. The organization's specialists shared their activities and approaches to psychological support, organizational spaces, and their psychosocial activities.
The meeting was valuable for getting acquainted with various practices or items that specialists utilize when working with children. These include handmade drums, the "Eat Your Bad Feelings" doll, and the 5-point finger breathing technique,
shared Sarah Slimp, one of the Foundation's partnership development managers.
shared Sarah Slimp, one of the Foundation's partnership development managers.
The parties discussed the possibility of training Ukrainian professionals in specific techniques for handling trauma and bereavement. Moreover, the “Voices of Children” team drew inspiration from the dedicated colleagues' approach to visualizing the rehabilitation Center they plan to build in the Kyiv region.
At the same time, the Foundation's experience was unique for the American colleagues, as they do not specialize in war-related trauma.
On May 1, the "Voices of Children" team visited the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, specifically the Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress. Sarah A. Gardner, Director of Clinical Services, helps families in the Baltimore community recover from traumatic events with a team of clinical social workers. This is an unusual position for Ukraine, where clinical psychologists have only recently become more established.
Clinical social workers can also provide psychological counseling and psychotherapy services. In that context, the responsibility for promoting mental health in communities is shared among various roles — not just psychologists,
noted Olha Chymbir, Coordinator of Educational Programs.
noted Olha Chymbir, Coordinator of Educational Programs.
Since family health is closely tied to community well-being and vice versa, the Center also works with the community. In particular, specialists conduct training sessions for teachers on supporting families dealing with traumatic stress.
Sarah A. Gardner shared family support programs with the "Voices of Children" team. Specialists from the Foundation either implement them in the organization’s regional Centers or use them to train Ukrainian professionals.
On the same day, representatives from "Voices of Children" met with the team from the Psychiatric Institute of Washington to discuss the challenges of the mental health support system during the war in Ukraine.
Foreign colleagues shared principles for working with children and adults and gave a tour of the institute's building. The facility's departments successfully combine a safe environment with coziness.
The Foundation team observed an interesting trend in the USA: after the COVID-19 era, local psychologists and other specialists predominantly provide services online. At the same time, Ukrainian specialists, particularly those at the "Voices of Children" Charitable Foundation, conduct most interventions in person, even in frontline regions.
Partnership Meetings
In addition to experience exchange visits, the "Voices of Children" team had equally important meetings with partners who support the Foundation's work.
On April 26, the Foundation’s Project Manager Alla Shyrshyna visited the Microsoft headquarters in Seattle and arranged for "Voices of Children" to be added to the list of trusted organizations for support. From now on, employees will contribute to our Foundation, and the corporation will double their donations.
I was impressed that there is a page dedicated to funds supporting Ukraine, and among those funds, we are the first to specifically work with children,
commented Alla Shyrshyna.
commented Alla Shyrshyna.
On April 30, two meetings were held in Washington DC with the World Bank team. The first was with representatives of the Community Connections Campaign (CCC). As part of this campaign, the "Voices of Children" Foundation became one of two Ukrainian NGOs selected by the World Bank for support in 2023. One of the program's specialists informed us that employees from 31 countries had made donations to our Foundation.
The second meeting was with Bob Saum, the incoming World Bank Director in Kyiv. The "Voices of Children" team shared the Foundation’s history and work, grateful to connect with Bob prior to his arrival in Kyiv.
On May 1, Foundation representatives gave a presentation at the strategic risk consulting firm TD International, which has pledged $50,000 for the CAMP+ psychological recovery program. The meeting was incredibly valuable, as it not only reinforced our partnership but also afforded our Foundation the opportunity to present before experts dedicated to advancing Ukrainian-United States relations from Washington DC.
During the trip, we had the chance to engage with representatives from both our existing and prospective partners, including making connections with our partner from The Humanity Funds. The organization received copies of the quote book "War through the Voices of Children", a unique edition from our organization, also gifted to other partners and to the Library of Congress in the USA.
No matter how much effort all the traveling around the world, the round-the-clock work, and the countless presentations about the traumas and dreams of our children take — it is still our duty. Only forward — there are so many children's dreams waiting for their time,
summarized Olena Rozvadovska, Head of the Foundation.
summarized Olena Rozvadovska, Head of the Foundation.
Share: