Safety Week in Lviv’s schools: a review

From October 10 to 17, the second Safety Week took place in schools across the Lviv community. During this time, lessons were held for students of various grade levels, teaching them how to respond to unacceptable situations and whom to turn to in cases of bullying, harassment, violence, or physical or verbal abuse.

The students engaged actively with the speakers, asking questions and sharing their own experiences and perspectives on various situations. Afterward, they approached the speakers to take photos and ask about the issues that concern them most in their own lives.

Read more: Creating a Safe Environment for Teenagers: The Third "TeenEd" Forum at UCU

Starting Monday, October 12, schools held lessons on personal safety, during which students learned personal safety skills, how to recognize potential threats, how to take action, and whom to turn to for help.

To assist with the lessons, educators used the "HOVORY" ("SPEAK UP") methodological materials, developed by experts from the UCU Center for Child Dignity.

Primary school students were also introduced to Chubchyk—a character who, through engaging videos, teaches children how to distinguish between safe and unsafe situations.

Additionally, the students were reminded about the special "HOVORY" ("SPEAK UP") safety button available in the NIT online school diary.

"It is crucial to talk to children about personal safety from an early age, as it is at school that they learn to build friendships and relationships, understand their own boundaries, and respect the boundaries of others. Therefore, it is essential to be a source of support for them—teaching them to recognize situations that are 'not okay,' to feel comfortable speaking up, and to know whom they can turn to at school for help," emphasizes Nataliia Tarnovska, Head of projects and programs in the Education direction at the UCU Child Dignity Centre. "It is so important that children grow up in a safe environment and with a sense of trust—trust in themselves, in their own feelings, and in the adults who are ready to listen, support, and protect them."

Olesia Mandziuk, Head of the Education Development Department at the Lviv City Council, adds: “Safety is not about fear; it is about knowledge, trust, and the ability to ask for help when needed. We are grateful to our partners from the Center for Child Dignity and the ‘HOVORY’ (SPEAK) project for providing effective tools and essential materials that help us talk to children about safety in simple, accessible language. And we thank the educators who, every single day, create an environment of trust in our schools—a space where a child knows they will be heard, believed, and never left alone.”