The "HOVORY" project from the UCU Child Dignity Centre was presented at the congress of the Association of Ukrainian Peace-Building School

The UCU Child Dignity Centre took part in the annual congress of the Association of Ukrainian Peace-Building School, which brought together around 50 participants from various regions of Ukraine. During the event, Nataliia Tarnovska, head of projects and programs in the Education direction at the UCU Child Dignity Centre, presented the ‘HOVORY’ project, an approach to fostering a culture of safety for children, and practical tools that are already being implemented in schools.

This year’s conference took place in Bryukhovychi and brought together around 50 participants from various regions of Ukraine — educators, representatives of local government, civil society organisations, volunteers and other members of the Association’s network. The programme included a general meeting and presentations on the activities of the Association’s members.

Particular attention was paid to the issue of child safety during the conference. That is why the UCU Child Dignity Centre was invited to take part – to share its experience of fostering a culture of safety in schools and communities, drawing on the ‘HOVORY’ programme.

Natalia Tarnovska spoke about the current challenges in creating a safe environment for children, the findings of the ‘A School Safe for Children’ study, and how the systematic approach of the ‘HOVORY’ project helps schools and organisations build trusting relationships between adults and children, teaches children the rules of personal safety and in which situations and through which channels to seek help, whilst equipping adults with the skills to respond sensitively and assist a child.

“This invitation is very valuable to us, as it marks a continuation of our collaboration with the UMSh Association. Its members have already completed our certification programme on child protection policy development. Today we discussed how these principles work in practice — through the tools of the ‘HOVORY’ programme. This is precisely how a safe environment is created, one that becomes part of the organisations’ day-to-day work,” said Nataliia Tarnovska.

According to Tetiana Shkodivska, manager of the Association of Ukrainian Peacebuilding School, introducing participants to the “HOVORY” programme was an important step towards strengthening the educational aspect of the Association’s work.

“We work in the field of peacebuilding and child safety and aim to strengthen the educational aspect of our work. Our network includes not only educators but also local government representatives, community activists and volunteers who work with children in various communities across Ukraine. It was important for them to learn about the ‘HOVORY’ programme, its practical tools and information materials, which they can use in their work,” said Tetiana Shkodivska.

The meeting marked another step towards expanding the ‘HOVORY’ programme’s partnership network. It is precisely through such professional exchanges that we are able to promote a systematic and preventive approach to child protection, unite organisations around a common goal and implement effective tools in communities across Ukraine.