Camp “Rovesnyk” near Chervonohrad, Ukraine was the site of this year’s charitable summer camp for 150 internally displaced Ukrainian children as well as for children of Ukrainian ATO soldiers. Organized by the Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM), camp “We are Ukraine” took place August 1 to 12, 2016.
The campers were children ranged in age from 5 to 15 years and came from all corners of Ukraine, such as from the regions of Donbas, Khmelnycky, Dnipro, Chernihiv and Halychyna. Many lost their beloved fathers, grandfathers, brothers. Yet others were internally displaced due to the war in Eastern Ukraine. One of the goals of this year’s summer camp was to foster friendships among these groups of children, to ensure a peaceful future.
The camp program afforded the campers the opportunity to discover Ukraine through its culture. Not only did they learn interesting facts from the history of literature, music, theater, cinema, science, but they also got to meet some famous contemporaries of Ukrainian culture – Viktor Vinnik of the band “Mary”; Natalia Maletić , a Ukrainian children’s writer, the author of “Elf’s Diary” and editor of “Old Lion Publishing House”; as well as Sergei Pudychem, a young and talented director. On top of performing in theatrical shows, the campers also learned to create their very own cartoons with the help of specialists who visited from Dnieper. Perhaps the most popular of all the activities was meeting the dog handlers and their four-legged friends, part of the social initiative “Hero’s Companion”.
The children left camp with positive feelings, experiences and new friends. Two months have passed since camp ended, and the youth are still busy e-mailing and staying in touch with camp councilors and each other. The Educational and Instructional team consisted of councilors from CYM Ukraine and CYM USA, volunteers from Kramatorsk Dnieper. Father Roman Mirchuk and the Brothers and Seminarians of Three Saints of Kyiv Theological Seminary, who are already actively preparing a new charitable program for the 2017 charitable camp, provided spiritual care.
Remember that “Ukraine Begins with You”, which means that with our actions we can educate its future.
Brother Paul Loyek, III Course, Three Saints Kyiv Theological Seminary, spiritual care of camp “We are Ukraine”
More detailed information about this year’s camp you will find here: День за днем благодійного табору «Ми – Україна!»
Additional photographs you will find here!
