Fund UNION

🔴 Запрошуємо на вебінар «Особливості спілкування із ветеранами та військовими» 📅 14 листопада, 2024, 16:00 – 17:30 ❗ Реєстрація до 13 листопада: http://bit.ly/40yBAn5 Теми, які розглянемо: ● Особливості спілкування з військовими та ветеранами. ● Етикет спілкування з військовими та ветеранами. ● Алгоритм спілкування з військовим або ветераном. ● Розбір типових ситуації спілкування. ● Складні випадки спілкування з військовими та ветеранами. Під час вебінару обговоримо також, які зміни відбуваються зі всіма нами під час війни, як це потрібно враховувати при спілкуванні, і не тільки з військовими та ветеранами. Ви визначите, який саме посібник* від Як ти, брате? може вам бути найбільш корисний. Вебінар проводить сертифікована лекторка Зоя Зинов'єва. • Посібники - прості та дієві алгоритми взаємодії в різних ситуаціях. Їх можна завантажити на сайті https://lnkd.in/dd2hW3jD

How do we overcome stress and cope with tiredness, panic, and fear? These questions are relevant for every Kherson resident. People may feel anxiety, badness, a decrease in self-esteem, mood swings, and constant tiredness. To survive in these conditions of daily stress, we need knowledge of how to care for ourselves and help others. That is why, today, at the Kherson Club of Active Citizens, representatives of condominiums, public organizations, volunteers and active citizens of the city had the opportunity to receive practical advice from a practicing psychologist, crisis Sand-play therapist, fairy tale therapist, specialist in metaphorical-associative cards Olga Furman at the meeting "Stress Management. Self-help Skills during Stress". The event participants got acquainted with the concept of stress and manifestations of stress, learned what a person can feel during a stressful situation, and how to improve their well-being. Olga Furman drew the participants' attention to the fact that during stress, the body and our subconscious react first, not the brain. During the training, the participants mastered practical skills for providing self-help during acute stress reactions. Ms. Olga also organized a group art therapy session. Art therapy is an excellent means of combating stress, and during this practice, the participants expressed their deep feelings. The participants of the event, together with a psychologist, practiced the “tapping technique” used to relieve accumulated stress, anxiety, and worry, and also in working with panic states. Overall, today's meeting was very emotional and warm... "I went to the training, thinking about what I wanted to get. But, first of all, I got a lot of relaxation and peace," - one of the training participants shared with us. We thank our reliable partners and friends from the Main Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Kherson region and Educational and methodological centers for civil protection and life safety of the Kherson region for their expertise and support of our events. This training is organized within the framework of the project "Kherson: on the Way to Recovery" conducted by the "Union" Foundation as part of its project implemented under the USAID/ENGAGE activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact. The activities of this Club are the sole responsibility of Pact and its implementing partners and do not necessary reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

📢 Today, in the new edition of "Conversations about Restoration," we talked with Ihor Tsurkan, executive director of the NGO "Kherson League of Social Workers." The NGO "Kherson League of Social Workers" was actively involved in humanitarian activities from the beginning of the full-scale invasion, during the occupation, and continues its activities today, helping families with children and people with limited mobility with basic necessities, opening social laundries and conducting activities for children and teenagers. Currently, Kherson's issue is not development but survival. People's social status has changed a lot. 60% of Kherson's population are elderly people who will not leave but must be supported. Ihor Tsurkan believes public organizations should focus on and help such people. Sometimes, the government tries to transfer some of its work to public organizations. "We understand very well that we cannot rely on the authorities. But the cooperation must be 100%. Help and support are mutually beneficial. The city authorities set certain of its functions to NGOs, and we do this because our function is to help people. And the authorities see that we are doing well." NGOs and volunteers can quickly respond to new challenges, but the government must be directly involved. However, cooperation should be transparent, open, and understandable from the very beginning. Each NGO in Kherson deals with its spectrum and direction of work, and everyone knows who is doing what, redirecting to each other. But, according to Ihor Tsurkan, there is actually no such coordination between different NGOs, between the distribution of humanitarian aid. Moreover, NGOs in Kherson are often faced with the fact that some "non-local" public organizations and foundations are unaware of the situation in Kherson and the region, and it often turns out that they receive an offer of help for those territories currently under occupation. Before the invasion, one of Ihor Tsurkan's areas of work was the tourist business, so we asked his opinion about the business situation in Kherson and the region: "Currently, two painful topics for Kherson are business and education. And now we have to think about how to provide people in Kherson with the most necessary. We need to develop small businesses and give people the opportunity to earn their own money. People should not only receive something from the city but also give something to the city themselves." Talking with Ihor Tsurkan, we concluded that the restoration of the city and the region is impossible without the residents' desire to work for this restoration. "We perfectly understand that no one from other cities will come to work in Kherson. We must find that resource here ourselves and involve people in all processes—recovery, development, and reduction of negative consequences." https://lnkd.in/dVViRaRC

☢ Members of the Kherson Club of Active Citizens learned how to protect themselves from radiological, chemical, biological, and nuclear threats How can we protect ourselves from radiological, chemical, biological, and nuclear threats? Representatives of condominiums, public organizations, volunteers, and active citizens of the city learned about this at the new meeting of the Kherson Club of Active Citizens. This topic is relevant because, if we draw analogies, we also did not believe in the possibility of undermining the Kakhovskaya HPP. However, the Russian occupying forces committed a terrorist attack, and it happened. Therefore, any threat - chemical, biological, or nuclear from the Russian Federation can become a reality. 🤝 So, together with the teacher of the Training and Methodological Center of Civil Protection and Life Safety of the Kherson Region, Yuriy Omelchenko, we considered the following:  ➡ What threats related to radiation and chemical hazards exist for the Kherson Region;  ➡ What are radiation, nuclear explosion, and biological weapons;  ➡ What dangerous chemical and military poisons exist? We also talked about means of individual protection of respiratory organs and skin. Yuriy Omelchenko instructed the event participants on preparing for potential threats, what actions should be taken during a particular disaster, and what should not be done, also worked out all the actions in practice. After the training, the Union Foundation and partners gave each participant in the event a set of personal protective equipment. This training is organized within the framework of the project "Kherson: on the Way to Кecovery" conducted by the "Union" Foundation as part of its project implemented under the USAID/ENGAGE activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact. The activities of this Club are the sole responsibility of Pact and its implementing partners and do not necessary reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

👥 Recently, the second meeting of the Club of Active Citizens took place in Kherson. The topic was "First psychological aid: Self-help and response with elements of crisis management." 🤝 Together with Olga Furman, a practicing psychologist, crisis Sand-play therapist, fairy-tale therapist, and specialist in MAС, representatives of Kherson condominiums, charitable organizations, NGOs, volunteers, and active citizens discussed the risks faced by people and the community in wartime Kherson. They also learned what " psychological first aid" is and what actions should be taken when providing PFA. Olga Furman shared the algorithm for actions in a crisis situation, how to act so as not to harm yourself and others. The psychologist advises always keeping a directory at hand, which should contain the necessary contacts of a psychologist, emergency services, the police, and an ambulance. It should be remembered that if you are helping another person, it is important to establish visual contact, "eyes to eyes." 💫 The event participants practiced physical, breathing, and stabilizing exercises and had the opportunity to see their effectiveness and importance directly. This training is organized within the framework of the project "Kherson: on the Way to Кecovery" conducted by the "Union" Foundation as part of its project implemented under the USAID/ENGAGE activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact. The activities of this Club are the sole responsibility of Pact and its implementing partners and do not necessary reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

✒️ Representatives of the Chornobayivka, Bilozerka and Stanislav communities drew communication plans for future restoration projects. During the workshop, participants defined target audiences, systematized communication channels, formulated key messages, and drew a content plan for the next few months. 🏗️ Soon, 11 projects developed based on previously collected ideas from local residents will be implemented in the three mentioned communities. The selected initiatives are supported as part of our collaboration with UCBI: Strengthening Public Trust in Ukraine We will discuss future projects in more detail separately. As a reminder, from November 2023 to February 2024, the "Union" Foundation, in cooperation with the military administrations of the Stanislav, Bilozerska, and Chornobayivka communities, collected 595 ideas in several stages regarding desired initiatives in the field of recovery among the population that left and remained in the specified communities. ✅ After evaluating the ideas, initiative groups were formed in the communities with the participation of representatives of the authorities and the public. These groups discussed the initiatives and developed 11 full-fledged projects. Each project involves both funding from the donor and co-financing from each of the three communities. At each stage, our Foundation provided consultations to communities regarding the implementation of each step, involved the local population in the process, built dialogue platforms for initiative groups, helped with the development of projects, and provided informational support for activities. A few very busy months of the active phase of implementing initiatives important to communities are ahead. 👉 Follow our updates.

🔴 We are pleased to invite you to our new Instagram page @fundunion You will find there: ✔ Materials on public safety. ✔ Useful tips from Yuriy Antoshchuk about digital security. ✔ The results of our surveys and research about the Kherson region. ✔ Of course, we also talk about the work of the Foundation there, but in a more orderly manner. 👉 Subscribe @fundunion

📢 Today, we have the opportunity to talk with Pavlo Yarmii, the head of the NGO "Agency of Regional Development of the Tavria Association of Territorial Communities," about how appropriate it is now to talk about restoration and what prospects await the Kherson region. Pavlo Yarmii is an entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience and extensive experience in community development. Therefore, it was exciting to learn his opinion on the prospect of business recovery in the Kherson region: "The first thing we need is to conduct research and extensive analytical work, surveying the population to understand in general what the situation is today in Kherson and the region. As far as I know, more than 50% of the population that moved is not ready to come back unless we do something so that people are interested in coming back to be involved in some important cause, the cause of their lives. We need to make such a visionary roadmap for what we will do in the Kherson region under different scenarios in the future." The question of restoration of the Kakhovska HPP should also play an important role here because it is vital for the left bank of the Kherson Region. 💬 In Pavlo's opinion, the visionary seeing of what the Kherson region will be is critical so businesses and entrepreneurs who have left the region understand why they should return: "Because of the lack of this seeing, we are losing the people we will need during the restoration. They do not see prospects. Where it will be no work, people will have nowhere to return to." Pavlo Yarmii believes that it is essential to establish cooperation between businesses, public organizations, and the authorities to restore the Kherson region. Today, the authorities are doing their job, but they need a strategic vision of how to return the population, attract investments, and use them effectively. Civil society organizations can play an essential role in recovery, but they must also be involved in developing strategies. Pavlo Yarmii emphasizes the importance of communication between the various players to avoid fragmentation and create a unified force for recovery. 💬 "If today we cannot unite and jointly launch projects on our territory, then we will simply lose; we are already losing the opportunities we have. We need to work together today, and this "together" can give much more. We must become a great player, and we can become a great player when we have strength and a team." Pavlo Yarmii emphasizes that restoring the Kherson region will be difficult without joint efforts. Cooperation between business, government, and public organizations is the key to success. Only together can we overcome difficulties and restore our region. 🎞 https://lnkd.in/dgkMGxUC

In the conditions of war, when the front-line communities of the Kherson region face real threats of shelling, destruction, and other crisis situations every day, the role of public communication between authorities, military administrations, and the local population becomes especially important. Our research shows that most residents constantly scan news about their community; 59% do it every hour or several times daily. Therefore, effectively informing citizens not only helps to ensure the safety of the population but also helps to maintain trust in the authorities, strengthen morale, and resist disinformation. These guidelines are designed to help local governments and military administrations implement effective and safe communications practices in communities near battle action. Considering the specifics of work in high-risk areas, the document focuses on essential aspects of information security, efficiency, and accuracy, selectivity of messages, psychological support of the population, and building trust through transparent communication. These guidelines aim to help authorities inform the public correctly and on time while balancing the need to respond quickly to threats and ensure privacy and security. In addition, interactive interaction with the community, which allows us to promptly respond to its requests and challenges and provide support in crises, is vital. The document covers various aspects of public communication, including managing information security, building an effective communication infrastructure, engaging opinion leaders, and organizing training for government officials and the public. Implementing these recommendations will strengthen the connection between the authorities and the community, strengthen trust, and help respond more effectively to the challenges faced by the frontline communities of the Kherson region. These guidelines are based on the experience of front-line communities in the Kherson region, where Working groups for public safety and recovery are operating, which face daily shelling and destruction of civilian infrastructure by the russian occupying forces, as well as modern approaches to crisis communication and information security. They are a tool for creating systematic, coherent, and reliable communication that will meet the requirements of contemporary challenges. These guidelines have been prepared within the framework of the initiative "Kherson region: public safety and recovery in conditions of change," implemented by the Kherson Regional Charity Foundation "Union" with the assistance of the UNDP Ukraine with the financial support of the Government of Denmark. 📥 You can read and download the guidelines on our website: https://lnkd.in/dQ94CkXE

📢The decrease in the number of young people in communities is an alarming trend today. "There are fewer young people in the communities. This is clear. Currently, there are those working youth in communities who become new agents, drivers of changes and processes, but they are very busy", - says the executive director of the NGO "Community Center "New Generation" Oksana Hlebushkina during "Conversations about Restoration". This NGO is one of those organizations that know best about the needs and challenges of youth, actively working with them in the frontline communities of the Kherson region. According to Oksana Hlebushkina, young people now want things to be like before. They sorely lack the usual things that existed before the war - sports grounds, places of leisure and relaxation, in a word, "everything that gives them a sense of normalcy, because they are now limited in this in their communities." Because of this, young people, in particular, move to other cities, where the situation is calmer. Therefore, one of the main tasks now is to make young people interested in staying in the community and inspire them to develop in their communities. This is how the idea of creating multifunctional spaces arose, listening to young people's ideas. Such processes can become the basis for positive changes. It is important that young people receive support in recovering and developing their own ideas. Public organizations have become important partners in reviving youth activity. They work on the front lines, restoring connections and communication that have disappeared during the pandemic and war. Cooperation with local authorities and businesses is the key to successful initiatives. When public organizations work together with businesses, they can provide resources and support for young professionals. Such projects go beyond theory; they create real development opportunities. The modern labor market faces several serious challenges. As a result of the war, economic difficulties and a lack of jobs became commonplace for many young people. Decaying infrastructure and closing businesses are only some of the problems they face today. 🗣"Now, there has been a complete upheaval in the labor market. Many employers left, and people automatically lost their jobs. Some enterprises in Kherson and the region have closed. There is an outflow of people due to mobilization and migration, and now we have half of the specialists we should have. This issue must be solved comprehensively - talk with employers about returning to Kherson and look for jobs and people who would meet the requirements and expectations of the employer. We want the people of Kherson to earn money in Kherson." Therefore, the Civic Center plans a series of measures to retrain and study citizens to obtain professions and jobs in Kherson. 🗣"The future belongs to those ready to work on themselves and their city" - Oksana Hlebushkina. 🎞https://lnkd.in/ggMxU6Uv