This summer, we had a very productive and vibrant time. From July 24 to August 25, the Teenergizer team had the wonderful opportunity to be part of the festival “Here we live summer: a space where we get to know ourselves and others”.
The event was organized by UNICEF in collaboration with the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program “How Are You?” and the NGO “JuniorS,” and was held in various cities across Ukraine.
Our team was invited to the festival as speakers on mental health and moderators for influencer meet-and-greets. This event was highly anticipated for us, as after a long period of online events, we finally had the chance to meet with young people in person.
Our activists and peer counselors conducted 10 training sessions titled “Mental Well-being: How to Maintain Balance?” based on the peer-to-peer principle in Kyiv, Irpin, Lutsk, Poltava, and the village of Ralivka, engaging around 300 teenagers!
Throughout the festival, we also moderated meetings with well-known Ukrainian stars and influencers.
In Kyiv, we were particularly impressed by our meetings with Oleksandr Pedan and actor Jimmy Woha-Woha. In Lutsk, we were energized by blogger Dasha Yevtukh, and in Irpin, we had engaging conversations with actor Hryhoriy Baklanov, actress Iryna Khomenko, and producer Iryna Horova.
We had sincere and open discussions about mental well-being and its components, self-esteem, daily habits, conducted the WHO-5 self-test, and explored the differences between psychologists and psychiatrists. It was especially valuable to see how our activists helped the youth find support within a community of like-minded individuals, as well as create an atmosphere of trust where every teenager could feel heard.
This festival became a highlight of our summer, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of it. We sincerely hope that more such events will take place, allowing us to continue supporting the youth of Ukraine not only online but also offline. Now more than ever, Ukrainian teenagers need a space where they can receive support and positive emotions!
