Last year, our partners, the charity foundation “A-help,” created an interesting project, which was initially conducted in test mode and later expanded based on the results. We spoke with psychologist and project author Irina Vodomyerova to find out more about this program, its importance for children, and its successes. Get your tissues ready, as sometimes emotions can run high.
The “Strength Within You” project is aimed at helping children develop their cognitive functions through a comprehensive program that includes neuropsychological and sensorimotor correction. The goal of the project is to improve children’s mental and physical abilities through interactive activities that help develop attention, memory, and motor coordination.
“Unfortunately, the pandemic, full-scale war, and constant distance learning have not been fostering development in our children. Can you imagine a 9-10-year-old child who can’t walk in a straight line with a bag on their head? Yes, there are many different projects focused on children’s emotional support, but no one is systematically addressing issues such as impaired coordination, posture, or balance,” shares Irina.
In the fall of 2024, the team of psychologists formed 4 groups from children who had previously attended their classes and began making up for lost time.
“It turned out that even children from the same family hardly communicated with each other. Two brothers, aged 10 and 13, had different school schedules and extracurricular activities, so they spent all their time separately, even though they lived in the same apartment. They fought over small things when they occasionally met in adjacent spaces. They started participating in our program, and the older brother made a discovery – the younger one knew a lot, was smart, they had things to talk about, and even had common interests. After the 4th session, their mother was pleasantly surprised by the changes: the children began communicating, and the older brother started involving the younger one in his activities,” says Irina.
Now, after a successful testing period, the program has been expanded and is working with 3 groups of children. The first group consists of displaced children from the Kupiansk region, where fighting takes place every day. The second group comes from the Izium region, which was occupied by the enemy. The third group consists of children with visual impairments.
Irina notes that each of these groups has its own context, so the team must approach the work carefully.
“Children are quite open, emotional, and readily engage in games or various exercises, but adults need to be very attentive to conversations – any words can become a trigger. For example, an innocent mention of parents can provoke tears because there are children of defenders who have not seen their relatives since the de-occupation,” says Irina.
Although there is constant talk that “children are angry now,” this program brings out the best qualities. Peers support and calm each other down.
Over the course of the program, the team of psychologists has achieved remarkable results, as children:
1. Have become more focused – they have learned to concentrate on tasks.
2. Have improved their motor skills – since they are no longer constantly using gadgets.
3. Perform physical exercises of varying difficulty without hesitation – for example, juggling movements.
4. Solve logical puzzles without the fear of making mistakes – and even enjoy it.
And, of course, children are improving their communication skills daily.
“In one of the groups, there is only one boy among the girls. The girls didn’t want to talk to him and considered him strange. After a few sessions, one of the girls offered to help him solve a task. The boy blushed – it was clear how pleased he was with the attention. He agreed, and after the session, the children walked together and discussed their plans,” Irina observes.
There are many achievements of the project, but when 70 children no longer say, “I can’t” or “I won’t” – that’s an undeniable success. Belief in their abilities and healthy self-esteem is the strength that our children have found within themselves.