Support for 60 Vulnerable Ukrainian Children

Between 1 October 2025 and 20 January 2026 CF “Chance to Change” ran a coordinated, multi-site programme continuing our work to support adolescents’ psychosocial recovery, life skills and social integration after the upheavals of war. The season built on previous curricula and formed a coherent learning arc: group workshops that reinforced emotional literacy and communication skills; one-to-one consultations and informal mentoring that deepened individual support; practical leadership and financial-literacy sessions that encouraged agency; and experiential activities that created safe, joyful spaces for participants to practise new skills together.

Our activities were delivered across five groups located on Kyiv’s Left and Right Banks. The core cohort numbered 72 adolescents (average ≈15 children per group). Across all groups the programme delivered 65 practical and lecture sessions (approximately 13 sessions per group on average). The content and pedagogical approach remained consistent with prior seasons: self-knowledge and psychological literacy; emotional-domain work (recognition, regulation, healthy expression); body- and self-worth practices; communication and boundary work; leadership and basic financial-literacy; and experiential cultural/creative labs to translate learning into embodied practice.

Programme delivery and logistics

• Core beneficiaries: 72 adolescents (aged 10–17), including orphans, internally displaced children and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  
  
• Group structure: 5 groups operating across Left and Right Banks; sessions scheduled weekly and supplemented by occasional intensive modules.
  
  
• Sessions delivered: 65 sessions in total across modalities (workshops, lectures, experiential labs and individual consultations).
  
  
• Additional practical support: continued provision of nutritious snacks/meals during sessions, transport stipends where required, and targeted small grants to remove participation barriers (e.g., stationery, warm clothes when needed).
  
  
• Seasonal support: for Christmas, using donated funds the project purchased meaningful gifts for every child. Each beneficiary had the opportunity to select their own present from a curated list; this choice reinforced dignity, autonomy and positive affect during the holiday period.
  
  

Curriculum and methods

The curriculum followed the same complementary block structure used previously:

• Self-knowledge & psychological literacy: modules such as “Who am I?”, values and goal-setting, basic career orientation.
  
  
• Emotional work: recognition and regulation of feelings (shame, guilt, fear, vulnerability, gratitude).
  
  
• Body & self-worth practices: routines to strengthen positive self-image and somatic grounding.
  
  
• Communication & social ties: boundaries, conflict resolution, peer support skills and resistance to manipulation.
  
  
• Leadership & financial literacy: practical leadership habits, budgeting basics and small enterprise thinking.
  
  
• Experiential activities: creative labs, role-plays, community outings and ritualised group practices to consolidate learning.
  
  

Monitoring & evaluation

We employed the same mixed-methods assessment approach used in previous reporting periods: a matched pre/post design augmented by projective and behavioural tools. Instruments included an anxiety questionnaire with subscales, a standardised self-esteem scale, an emotional-intelligence inventory (awareness, regulation, empathy, motivation), the House-Tree-Person drawing for qualitative insight, communicative/organisational skills tests, and psychogeometric profiling. These quantitative measures were complemented by session observations, mentor reports and case studies to capture processual and contextual change.

Outcomes — headline figures & qualitative highlights

• Core beneficiaries: 72 adolescents across five groups.
  
  
• Sessions delivered: 65 practical and lecture sessions across sites.
  
  
• Assessment results: Using the same indicators and matched-score approach as prior periods, the programme continued to demonstrate meaningful, multi-dimensional improvement across psychosocial domains. Results were consistent with prior findings: notable gains in emotional intelligence, reductions in measured anxiety, and increases in self-esteem and communication/organisational skills. These quantitative shifts were corroborated by qualitative evidence from drawings, behavioural observation and mentor testimony.
  
  
• Qualitative impact: facilitators reported increased group cohesion and openness; participants showed greater willingness to take responsibility in group tasks, greater creativity in collaborative assignments, and improved peer support behaviours. Several adolescents received targeted support (equipment, course fees, referrals) enabling continued education or vocational enrolment. The Christmas gift initiative had a marked positive effect on morale and agency: children reported pride and gratitude at choosing their own present, which contributed to a stronger sense of dignity and belonging within the groups.