This summer, once again, ChildrenUA ran a summer camp for teenage orphans from the Ukraine. At this year’s #IMBoss charity auction, you’ll remember, we raised enough money that IM Alumni could contribute CHF 4000 to the costs.
ChildrenUA was set up by a small group of people, including alumna Antonina Strickler, to help these disadvantages teens. There are 100 000 orphans in the Ukraine – only 1% goes on to higher education, every 5th becomes homeless, every 2nd becomes criminal and every 7th attempts suicide. Antonina says: „They don’t know how to live independently. They lack basic social skills. We want to change it. We see how different, fragile, touching and talented they are. We know they deserve better life and we want to give them a chance.“
This year 22 teens participated in the programme which included inputs on professions (e.g. company visits or helping out at the Nomad Hotel and getting hands-on experience), cultures and especially too on their personal development. There were discussions on how to deal with conflict, manipulations and emotions. „Our camps’ aim is to show these prickly teenagers the way to listen to themselves, to value themselves, to believe in themselves. We encourage them to think on how they can start planning and acting for better future already now.“ The teens also produced a film clip in small groups giving them experience in story telling, scriptwriting, editing and filming.
Thanks once again to all of you who contributed to this worthwhile project by bidding at #IMBoss. If you’d like to contribute to future camps (due to volunteering the cost is at around CHF 25 000 per year , all in) then you can donate at www.children-ua.org. Equally valuable is support in other ways: providing input at the camp about your profession or skill, hosting the group for a visit or session, tickets to the swimming-pool, etc etc. Or donating goods ( sports shoes, t-shirts, water bottles). Or acting as mentor.
There’s more information – including a film clip, on the charity’s Facebook page
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