Seventeen-year-old Antonina, a guitarist aspiring to study music at university, understands the profound impact creativity can have on reducing stress and improving mental health. Leveraging this understanding, she has been actively helping other teenagers in Ukraine experience these benefits through a youth innovation programme run by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The UPSHIFT programme provided Antonina and her friends Alyona, Anastasia, and Lilya with the training, mentoring, and resources needed to organize a series of creative events for young people aged 14 to 24 in Balta, located in the Odeska region.
These events included a variety of creative and therapeutic activities such as music and film nights, where participants could paint, sing, listen to music, and watch and discuss their favorite films. Additionally, Antonina and her friends established a communication club that paired young people growing up amid the ongoing war with a psychologist.
“After the group meetings, several members of our club sought individual counseling with a psychologist,” Antonina explained. “This shows the importance of our project. We have managed to demonstrate to young people that it is normal to seek help. Taking care of your mental health improves your quality of life.”
Since the inception of their project, Antonina and her ‘4You’ team have successfully engaged over 500 young adults. They plan to continue their efforts with art therapy sessions and psychologist-led meetings for the youth in their community. Antonina’s UPSHIFT initiative, which focused on mental health, was implemented by the ‘Zadzerkallia’ NGO as part of the nationwide mental health programme ‘How are you?’, spearheaded by Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska. This initiative received expert guidance from the Coordination Center of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and financial support from UNICEF and the Government of Japan.
Related topics:
