KIDS ART RETREAT PROJECT
is a series of art therapy camps designed for children from the most war-affected regions of Ukraine (Kharkiv, Kherson, Donetsk, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Chernihiv) who are interested in various forms of creative activities.
Art Therapy Force presents creativity as a powerful tool for therapy, transforming negative experiences and challenging emotional states.
The project’s objectives are:
- Creating a safe and supportive environment for children and adolescents to process and recover from traumatic events;
- Conducting art therapy sessions aimed at the rehabilitation and recovery of the children’s and adolescents’ psycho-emotional states;
- Teaching self-help and self-regulation techniques to manage anxiety and other challenging emotional states;
- Supporting social integration and overall improvement of the participants’ psycho-emotional well-being.
The main principles of the project included voluntarism, non-compulsion, altruism—both from the professionals and the children—a lack of competition, psychological “ecological awareness,” and “horizontal” collaborative communication.
The main principles of the project are voluntariness, ease, absence of competition and evaluation, psychological “safety,” and “horizontal” partnership communication.
To date, four camps have been held:
- 1st, March 18-27, 2023, 37 children aged 7 to 17.
- 2nd, July 10-20, 2023, 43 children aged 8 to 16.
- 3rd, October 6-17, 2023, 53 children aged 10 to 16.
- 4th, April 3-12, 2024, 45 children aged 10 to 16.
- 5th, October 7-18, 2024, 50 children aged 10 to 16.
- 6th, January 31 – February 11, 2025, 45 children aged 10 to 16.
- 7th, April 7-18, 2025, 45 children aged 10 to 16.
- 8th, October 17-28 2005, 45 children aged 10 to 16.
- 9th, January 16-27 2006, 45 children aged 10 to 16.
- 10th, April 16-27 2006, 45 children aged 10 to 16.
Program
Each camp’s program is designed to offer children the opportunity to explore various forms of creative activities, facilitating recovery and healing through artistic expression. The activities are tailored to the age and developmental stages of the participants and are adjusted to meet specific goals and objectives within different age groups.
The program features improvisational activities such as acting, music-making, body movement practices, and collage creation, all of which have been proven effective in promoting mental recovery and healing through creativity. These activities focus on relaxation, skill development, social interaction, and physical, emotional, and mental recovery.
- Acting helps alleviate psycho-emotional tension, release heavy emotions, develop empathy, and enhance group communication.
- Music therapy improves the ability to listen to oneself and others, fosters a sense of belonging, creates unity through synchronization, and strengthens teamwork through playing in an orchestra and writing collaborative therapeutic songs.
- Body movement therapy reduces muscle tension, allows for non-verbal expression of internal states, releases emotional stress, and restores a sense of internal stability.
- Doing crafts, modeling with clay and plasticine, drawing, group drawing, and collage creation help achieve focus, balance, and inner peace.
- Board games boost mood, provide enjoyment, and foster teamwork skills.
- Shows, where participants present themselves and their teams, boost self-esteem, restore confidence in their creative abilities, and motivate them to generate ideas and express themselves more vividly and as leaders.
- Sexual education sessions for teenagers offer clear and confident explanations of topics that parents might find difficult to discuss.
- Videomaking and editing classes enhance practical creativity and provide a comprehensive understanding of the creative process.
The program also includes activities such as hiking, rock climbing, swimming, and campfire evenings, depending on the season and location of the project.
According to surveys, 100% of children express positive impressions from participating in the project and show a desire to participate in similar initiatives in the future. Children and their parents notice improvements in overall well-being, including sleep, appetite, and physical condition.
During each project, we analyze its impact on the participants’ psycho-emotional state at all stages of implementation. We survey children before and after the project, as well as the team of mentors and coordinators, and the parents/guardians of our participants.
Project Team*
*Mentors who have contributed to the project at different time.
Natalia Shapovalova is an actress, puppeteer, and acting coach. She is a lecturer at the Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts and a mentor in acting. She also works as a director and is the co-founder of VECHORIA, a theater and studio for teenagers. She has participated in international theater projects, festivals, and academic conferences in Poland, Italy, Croatia, France, and Sweden.
A recipient of the Gaude Polonia scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland (2020), she completed an internship at the Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Białystok under the mentorship of Professor Marek Waszkiel.
Yaroslav Voytenko is an actor and theater disciplines lecturer at the “Children’s School of Arts No. 3” in Kharkiv. He is the co-founder and mentor of VECHORIA, a theater and studio for teenagers, and collaborates with the A3 theater (Poland).
He has worked as an actor at the BRAMA Theater (Poland) and ARABESKY (Kharkiv). With experience in organizing and conducting theater festivals, creative events, and staging performances. He has participated in international festivals and cultural exchanges in Italy, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, and Romania.
Hryhoriy Semenchuk is a poet, musician, and cultural activist. He chairs the NGO “Artistic Council ‘Dialog’”. He curates and produces numerous artistic projects and directs the “Month of Author’s Readings in Lviv” festival.
He’s the author of poetry collections such as “Internal Jihad” (published by Meridian Czernowitz, 2012), “MORE Poems and Songs” (Old Lion Publishing, 2015), and “According to the Original” (published by Ljuta Sprava, 2021). He edited the anthology of contemporary Ukrainian poetry “Letters from Ukraine” (Artistic Council ‘Dialog’, 2016) and co-edited the “AUUA” anthology (Krok Publishing, 2012).
He’s participated in various literary and music festivals in Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, France, the Czech Republic, Romania, and the UK. He is a co-author of the Ukrainian-German poetic-musical band “LANDSCHAFT” and the creator of the solo music project “BRAT.” He’s also a member of the musical-poetic project “Ukrainian Songs of Love and Hate.”
Iryna Avdeyeva is a dancer, performer, choreographer, and trainer in dance improvisation and performance. She has participated in numerous international theater and dance festivals, street social initiatives, and residencies, including inclusive ones.
Hospital and crisis clown in the “Fine Noses” project in Kharkiv; corrective pedagogue at the NGO “HFDP”.
Worked as a movement and improvisation trainer and choreographer at the Inclusive Theater Studio and Playback Theater “Teen Hub Khalabuda”, choreographer in the theater project of KHUIH – Inclusive Theater Laboratory “Crossing Borders”, and was part of the performance group “Dancelab” (Kharkiv). Founder and leader of the “ArTtilo Body Images Laboratory”. Actively collaborates with musicians in theatrical-musical projects (contemporary academic, experimental, and improvisational music).
Maryna Sliot is a musician, psychologist, certified music therapist (educational project USP and Vienna Institute of Music Therapy 2018-2022), lecturer, and psychologist in our project.
Maryna is a participant in numerous charitable projects and a speaker at international conferences, including the Conference for Speech Therapists and Related Professionals (2019, Odesa) and the Secrets of Music Pedagogy (2019-2023). She was a co-trainer for the seminar “Orff Approach in Working with Children with Special Needs” (2019, Mariupol).
Maryna is also a trainer for international Erasmus+ projects and a specialist at the NGO “Confidence Center for Psychological Assistance,” which implements projects to support families with children with special needs, families raising children in foster care, foster parents, guardians, internally displaced persons, as well as specialists from inclusive resource centers, rehabilitation centers, social services, and more.
Nigel Osborne is a composer, art therapist, and expert in using music and art to support children traumatized by military conflicts. This method was developed during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995) and later implemented in the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, East Africa, South-West Asia, and India.
For his work with Bosnian children during the siege of Sarajevo, Nigel Osborne was awarded the Freedom Prize of the Peace Institute. He also worked with the Committee for the Protection of Workers in Poland (1970-1989), the Civic Forum, and the Jazz Section alongside Václav Havel in former Czechoslovakia (1987-1989), and in organizations supporting Syrian refugees. From 2012 to 2014, Nigel Osborne served as co-chair of the Global Agenda Council on Arts in Society for the World Economic Forum.
Currently, Nigel works in Lviv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kropyvnytskyi with children in shelters, hospitals, and those from de-occupied territories.
Ruaraidh Osborne is a musician, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He works with children suffering from epilepsy through music as part of the X-System project.
Galya Kozjutynska is a director, art director, editing director, and creator of her creative studio What If, the eponymous school for teenagers VPO, and her course “Videography and Editing” for adolescents and adults. She has worked with brands and companies such as SoftServe, BUR, UNICEF, UAnimals, I-gallery, Jabko, Podorozhnyk, LVBS, ROOM 8, Leo Energy, Keel Solution, A7 BURO, UNDP.
Experienced in organizing and conducting Creative Camps for teenagers, art residencies for artists, international cultural exchanges, ERASMUS+, creative evenings, and events in Lviv (apartment gatherings, film screenings, workshops), she participated in international projects in Malta, on the island of Gozo, and in the theatrical-performative residency “See beyond” (Lviv).
Yaroslav Bondarenko is a video blogger, and organizer of board games. Host and author of video blogs TheDrotUA, Igromag, GRA, Igames. Cooperates with board game publishers and film video reviews of board games, thus popularizing the board game industry of Ukraine.
He regularly conducts game centers in Kyiv, where he gathers both players and beginners. He also participates in projects as a board master and volunteer, working with children of different ages.
Viktor Ruban is a director, curator, choreographer, researcher, performer, dancer, and somatic therapy expert. He teaches in the educational program of the advanced training course “Theory and Practice of Art Therapy: a variety of approaches” by the “All-Ukrainian Art Therapy Association” (dance movement therapy and somatically-oriented approach).
He is a program and artistic director of the #KyivDanceResidency space — an international platform for art and research working with movement, as well as the study of bodily, dance, and performative practices. Viktor has been working with dance and movement for about twenty years. He has executed hundreds of projects in Belarus, Bulgaria, the UK, Georgia, Spain, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, France, and Croatia. He organizes and conducts workshops, workshops, trainings, and educational programs.
Inna Khartova is a psychologist, trauma therapist specializing in the Somatic Experiencing method, and a certified psychotherapist in the Symbol Drama method. She has over 16 years of professional experience.
Anastasiia Stetsenko is a choreographer, psychologist, osteopath, craniosacral therapist, and head of the MiStetstVO Center for Applied Kinesiology, Osteopathy, and Child Development in Ternopil.
She organizes educational seminars and creative events across Ukraine and leads movement-based play practices for both children and adults. She also founded her own children’s theater.
Michael Reisman holds a Master of Arts, a Juris Doctor degree, and is a trained drama therapist and civil prosecutor at the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
He has worked as an actor, director, playwright, stage manager, and producer with a variety of theater companies, including the American Conservatory Theater, Los Angeles Poverty Department, Lincoln Center Theater Directors’ Lab, Misery Loves Company in Prague (Czech Republic), and the Hudson Valley Performing Arts Laboratory.
As a drama therapist, he has collaborated with psychiatric hospital patients to create original performances in San Francisco, at Bellevue Hospital in New York, and in the Czech Republic, where he was a Fulbright Fellow.
Seila Fernández Arconada is a Spanish multidisciplinary artist-researcher whose practice focuses on contemporary ecosocial uncertainties particularly in watery territories.
Through situated collaborations, her practice aims to address these pressing environmental and social challenges by nurturing transdisciplinarity, embodied learning, sense of belonging, decoloniality, ecofeminism and trauma-informed practices.
She has exhibited internationally as well as leading numerous multidisciplinary workshops and interventions including Migration, Identity and Belonging (2018, Mauritius), Ukraine Lab (2016, Kramatorsk, Ukraine), Colombia Bioresilience: Biodiversity resilience and ecosystem services in post-conflict socio-ecological systems in Colombia, etc.
Recently, she has directed the project “Estudio Flotante, when the river sounds like the river Amazon” in Amazonia among others. She is currently working in the project “Dnipro River: Ecosocial Belonging in War Time”.
Photo: Aitor Sánchez Smith
Veronika Ivonina is a musician and a student at the I. P. Kotlyarevsky Kharkiv National University of Arts. She is a mentee of Nigel Osborne and a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship for Young Artists.
Yuriy Gurzhy is a musician, songwriter, composer, DJ, and writer.
He is the founder and member of numerous musical projects, including RotFront, Shtetl Superstars, The Disorientalists, and Kaminer & Die Antikörpers. As a curator, he has compiled twelve landmark music compilations for leading European labels. With RotFront, he recorded three albums and toured extensively worldwide.
He participated in an artistic expedition to Donbas as part of the Misto To Go project, collaborating with local teenagers on the album Nova Symfoniya Donbasu (New Donbas Symphony).
Together with Serhii Zhadan, he released three albums: Foxtrots, Skovorodance, and Semafory. He composed music for five plays by playwright Anastasiia Kosodii and has published two books: Richard Wagner & The Klezmer Band and An Aquarium Full of Keys.
Photo: Urban Lys Photos
The project is implemented by the public organization “ART DOT” (Kharkiv, Ukraine) with financial support from the Terre des Hommes foundation.
ABOUT ART DOT
ART DOT is a non-governmental grass roots organization that aims to produce and conduct artistic and educational events for stimulating civic activity, creating an ecological space for the implementation of social improvements and responsibility.
In 8 years of existence, the organization has conducted numerous cultural programs and events, released educational materials on the work of art institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and organized networking programs for librarians in district centers of Kharkiv region, etc. One of the most important projects is “Parade-fest” – a cross-sectoral festival about the right to the city, which, through education, art, and social initiatives, promotes harmonious democratic changes in civil society and raises the level of cultural leaders.
In response to the full-scale invasion, the organization reoriented its work and launched the Art Therapy Force project — an initiative aimed at institutionalizing and promoting art therapy and trauma-informed practices to support the psycho-emotional recovery of Ukrainians through the arts.
We work across several directions, implementing educational programs and socio-cultural projects focused on societal restoration. Our efforts are centered on training specialists to integrate art therapy and trauma-informed art into their professional practice, as well as on direct engagement through art with children, teenagers, students, volunteers, veterans, and internally displaced persons.
Feedback from parents/guardians
Natalia Kuryanova
My son is filled with pleasant impressions! He keeps remembering and telling stories all the time. He is proud that he fulfilled both his and my dream – to relax in the mountains. It seems to me that he even matured during this time! It was his first independent trip, and so far away from home. I was worried, but the experience turned out to be successful! Thank you to the team of organizers who were in constant communication with parents and helped the children adapt, open up, and become independent!
Your camp is the brightest impression this summer! 🌸
You are cool! 💛💙
Thank you☀️
Sofia Kulinenko
Thank you for the incredible experiences and acquaintances that my daughter gained. She is still ready to cry when she shares her emotions. Everything was perfectly selected and organized. You have an amazing team! You are truly awesome!
P.S. I don’t even know if I should share my impressions of you on social media because my daughter already dreams of going on another trip with you, and the more eager participants, the more competition there is. I am sure that this summer was the best thing that happened to her. THANK YOU!
Julia Volkova
Our family expresses sincere gratitude to the “ART THERAPY FORCE” project team for their professionalism, compassion, and genuine interest in children. Nigel, Ruaraidh, Iryna, Anya Petukhova, Yaroslav Voitenko, Yaroslav Bondarenko, Gryts, Iryna from Kotaniv, and Natalia – interacting with you has left an indelible mark on my son’s soul. He says about you: “…they are AWESOME! Open the website and write down all the mentors – they’re all GREAT))). The project has given my son new friends, experiences in creative activities, communication with interesting, passionate adults, new self-knowledge, relaxation without explosions and sirens. Thank you! We wish the team strength and inspiration!
Olesia Bohdan
You are all incredibly cool!!!
Everything is organized to the max, starting from notifying that the child has passed the selection process and ending with their return home! The ability of coordinators and mentors to find an approach to each child, to make it so that “home” children never wanted to leave, never felt homesick, speaks volumes about the extraordinary level of professionalism of every member of your team, which is simply impressive!!!
The emotions and inspiration, gifted by your project, are invaluable experiences for our children in such challenging times. Natalia, Irina, Yaroslav, Anna, and many others involved in the project, I am sincerely grateful to all of you for my child considering you friends all this time, for her comfort in your presence… There are no words to express our gratitude and emotions.
You are INCREDIBLE!!!
I wish you never to stop at what you’ve achieved, to preserve your uniqueness so that no troubles hinder you from pursuing creativity. Victories and peace to all of us!
Olga Puchkova
A big thank you to all the organizers, curators, and mentors for this wonderful journey!!! For giving the children so many emotions, new friends, and experiences. You shared your creativity and energy with them!
I sincerely wish you inspiration for new fantastic projects and ideas!!! This is very important work!
Olena Skalyun
A wonderful project, created by truly professional and dedicated individuals. I sincerely want to thank everyone involved (both financially and physically) and wish you all inspiration, grateful children, and their parents, so that there is enough enthusiasm for many more interesting projects, and so that while working on them, you derive as much pleasure and excitement from the process and results as our children did! Your work has left the best memories and skills in the hearts and minds of our children for years to come. Thank you to all the parents for the wonderful, talented children and for the new friends of my daughter! After the project, only the taste of happiness and unconditional gratitude remain!
Marina Kuznetsova
Words of gratitude for a new step in the development of my child’s independence! I know it was difficult for everyone: parents found it hard to let their children go so far in such a dangerous time and trust strangers; for the organizers, it was a crazy responsibility and a task to work with children of different ages, taking into account the needs of each. And we all coped! We all gained new powerful experiences. Thank you to the organizers for selecting us for participation and for being able to give the children a ray of light in these cloudy times! 🌝
Irina Sidun
Thank you so much for the wonderful trip and vacation for my son. He is thrilled with the amazing mentors and activities. He truly found his element, where he had the opportunity to unfold and try something new. Today he said that after the camp, he has a ton of motivation and energy. So for both him and me, the reality you created exceeded expectations. You are incredible people because not everyone can find an approach to such different children and organize a time that will suit them all. I wish inspiration, new projects, and, of course, the full realization of the planned Victory and peace in Ukraine to all the organizers and mentors. 💙💛
Machula Olena
I want to express my sincere gratitude for the flawless organization and fulfilling vacation. My child received a positive charge of emotions, skills, and knowledge. Every day at the camp was unique. We left with the best emotions and with the hope to return. Keep up the good work! Thank you very much!!!! Wishing you success and all the best!!!!!
Tetiana Moroz
The project is an inspiration and a breath of fresh air for children in need of socialization! For parents, it has also been an experience in parting with their child, feeling that our kids are not left without attention, that they can receive proper care and attention from caring people. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity to be a part of it and to feel the presence of people who have a great desire to help children find themselves!!! You are all amazing, doing a great job, organization at the highest level!!!
Lyudmyla Kopylenko
The words of my child speak of a great vacation, excellent organization, sensitivity, and help: “It’s a pity that it all went by so quickly, I would have liked to stay longer.” A big thank you to the organizers. 💙💛
Olga Perelyhina
An incredible project for children and youth that allows them to discover themselves, believe in themselves, and try something new. And all this at a high level of organization. Sincerely thank you for creating this project. Thank you to all the organizers, sponsors, and the team who were with the children. Thank you for creating miracles in these turbulent times. Thank you ❤️
Yuliia Sergiivna
I want to separately thank all the mentors for their timely help and attention to the sick children!🙏 And also for staying in constant contact with the parents! Although the illness slightly spoiled the vacation, my child really enjoyed all the activities❤️ Thank you for choosing my child and giving such a cool experience! You are doing a very important job in our time! I wish everyone a quick victory and development in a peaceful country 🙏
Dmitriy Budzynskyi
After this trip, I can definitely say that participation in this project is an event that any child and even adult would want to experience 100%. I am very impressed with the organization of the trip, the stay at the camp, the individual approach to each child, and the implementation of all the activities that took place. The child returned home with some sadness, which says a lot, as she is usually very home-oriented and has never stayed away from her family for long. The organizers and supervisors are amazing, true professionals in their field!
Nadiia Semenova
Sincerely grateful to everyone who was involved in creating the Kids Art Retreat Project! My son had a wonderful opportunity to reset his psychological state and experience emotional recovery. During the times of remote learning, he had the chance for live communication with teenagers, where they immersed themselves in the world of music, dance, and theater together. He had the opportunity to simply play and draw, go hiking. Thank you to the mentors and educators who gave a piece of themselves to the children every day. Thank you to the sponsors who invest funds in the implementation of the project for the emotional recovery of the future of our nation!
Svitlana Ostrokon
I am truly grateful for the opportunity given to my son to participate in this project. I haven’t seen him this excited in a long time! He loved every moment and never felt bored. He even forgot about his mobile phone 😊, as the camp program was so engaging and enriching that he didn’t have a spare moment to call home. The project’s organization was top-notch—transport, accommodation, meals, activities, and communication with parents were all handled excellently. An amazing team of professionals came together, with mentors who were perfectly in tune with the kids, warmly supportive, and always encouraging them. It was an unforgettable vacation and an incredible experience my son will remember for a lifetime. You are fantastic!!!
Alina Feoktistova
My son and I are absolutely thrilled with the project! You gave my child the chance to dive into a world of adventure and meaningful, engaging interactions, if only for a while. The level of involvement for the kids in all kinds of activities is truly impressive. You enabled them to come together and create—forming creative teams, putting on performances, musical numbers, and so much more. My son lights up when he talks about the time he spent at ATF. What’s more, after the project ended, the children had grown so close and formed such a strong community that they continue to keep in touch beyond the project. They meet up, write to each other. It’s priceless! Especially in these challenging times. Thank you to everyone involved in organizing this experience. Your work is essential and invaluable for this world, for our children.
Natalia Kronda
A huge thank you to everyone who created such a wonderful, magical experience for my child. Childhood has been lost for so many of our kids, but you managed to give them a safe place, even for a little while, where they could forget their worries. Thank you for making my daughter’s dream of visiting the Carpathians and seeing the mountains come true. It was a bit challenging for her, as this was her first camp experience and far from home. But she did great—she became more independent, even learned to comb her long hair, which she was so concerned about. New friendships, new impressions, and all the excitement were well worth it. She had a chance to explore different creative outlets and test herself. My deepest gratitude to everyone involved in creating this unforgettable atmosphere for the children.
Thank you! Glory to Ukraine!
Olena Holubytska
We are so grateful to your project for giving our child the chance to enjoy an amazing experience in such fantastic conditions, surrounded by the beautiful landscapes of our country. It was an opportunity to learn how to manage emotions in difficult situations, to relax, connect with peers, and learn to find common ground while living together. She also learned self-care, explored creative expression, developed acting skills, enjoyed creating music, and discovered both musical rhythm and the rhythm of life. Thank you for providing safe transport, great meals, and wonderful living conditions for our kids.
Nadiya Savchuk
Our family wasn’t sure if Sofiika would actually get into the camp, but our daughter’s belief made miracles happen. We prepared carefully, both with packing and going over instructions and rules, discussing different situations and how to handle them. The train station, smiles through the train window, and then two weeks that felt like one wonderful day of adventures. Our family is immensely grateful to everyone involved, from sponsors to cleaners, to all participants. The format of this project is incredibly important in our time and in our country. The care shown toward each child’s needs and emotions was heartwarming. May your projects continue to grow and flourish. We hope all the children of our country have the chance to experience this with you, not just once. Many, many thanks to everyone 🫶
Feedback from children
Polina Symonenko, 15 years old
From the very beginning, when I got into this project, I knew it would become a very important part of my life. It helped me open up to new people and activities, provided me with support, helped me realize myself in various activities, and also gave me incredible friends with whom we became a real family.
Pavlo Shramchenko, 16 years old
Your project is truly a unique and diverse endeavor. You managed to offer so much on one location, and it was implemented in such an interesting way. Literally every activity was something new and exciting. And the people! What great coordinators, mentors, staff, and so on. They all play a significant role in the project and do it as well as possible.
Most importantly, this project provides you with a platform for expression, and moreover, helps you to unfold. Not just academically, but from entirely different angles that someone might not have even imagined. And the mountains! We went on a hike, admired the beauty of nature, ate, walked. It was all very cool. And overall, this area seems to set you up for further achievements.
Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to participate in this project!
Kira Kibets, 16 years old
These 10 days were truly unforgettable. Honestly, I don’t know how to go back to everyday life. Seriously, I enjoyed absolutely every activity. It was all very interesting. I think I’ve really changed. Or at least for the time being here. Although, perhaps, it was the people who created this atmosphere: our beloved “Orelada” and the mentors/coordinators/volunteers. Everyone was very pleasant and genuinely interested in our development. Everyone communicated freely with each other. In such a comfortable environment, I felt absolutely comfortable expressing myself. Also, I hope that the skills I acquired in self-care will stay with me :). Special thanks to the games, the exercises from which I already have in my notes. This project, without exaggeration, has turned my life upside down. I didn’t know there was anything like this in Ukraine. I’m happy that these memories will be with me forever.
Diana Panfilova, 15 years old
This project was really incredible!! Definitely the best camp I’ve ever been to. I am very grateful to the organizers, coordinators, and our wonderful team. All the activities were very interesting, this camp gave me energy, strength, and motivation. I tried myself in acting and realized that I wanted to continue doing it. I understood that we are all incredibly different, but at the same time, we became a family to each other because of this project. The most important thing for me is the people in the team. We had just a wonderful and friendly team, and amazing mentors. Without all of them, this project would not have been so wonderful.
Yaroslav Alyеshchenko, 16 years old
People. Mountains. Atmosphere. Incredible 10 days. Interesting activities. New acquaintances. Bright memories. When I was going there, I knew I was heading to a marvelous ranch with incredibly beautiful surroundings and unique nature. I didn’t think I would be surprised, however, upon arrival, I was impressed to see comfortable rooms and beautiful scenery around.
However, you can find many projects with nice locations, interesting programs, and convenient living conditions, but what makes Art Therapy Force unique is the people. Incredible mentors, coordinators, photographers, volunteers, and the whole team, as well as talented participants, made these 10 days unlike any other. Art Therapy Force is about people who are ready to change, improve, and make this world a better place. Stay as awesome as you are!
Vladyslava Domnich, 15 years old
These were some of the most enchanting 10 days of my life! Somewhere here in the Carpathians, a part of me will definitely remain, but I’ll return home with an even greater new part – filled with friends, experiences, knowledge, and memories✨ Here, I realized that home is not always about the place where you live, but about where you feel free, safe, and among your own. And that adults are not only about seriousness and lecturing)
Sasha Ivanyuk, 16 years old
You’re incredible!!! This is an incredible experience that helped me stand on my own feet and discover myself from a completely different perspective! In the project, I realized that we are amazing, that everyone here is a unique individual with whom you want to talk, create, and support. Thanks to the project, I became more sociable and learned how to maintain communication with people.
Polina Kalchenko, 13 years old
Your project is far from just a camp; it’s a place that ignites creativity and opens doors to a meaningful future. Thanks to your program, I was able to understand what I truly want to pursue, what deserves my time, and what I should pay attention to more often. Spiritual values and their principles have become much more important to me. I’ve realized that there are many different kinds of people out there; yes, they’re not always easy to find, but they exist, and they’re willing to connect with genuine openness. This camp is not about “hanging out and goofing off.” It offers the chance to learn, gain new experiences, and discover activities that might even become your hobbies in the future!
Ilya Feoktistov, 16 years old
These were unforgettable 10 days with amazing people, as if in another beautiful world. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be part of this project, to try myself in art forms that were completely new to me, to meet wonderful and talented peers, and to create together with others. It was incredible to be in such a safe space, where everyone supported each other’s ideas, creativity, and conversation. I’ve never felt so much energy and inspiration ✨ This camp will always stay with me in memories that warmly embrace my heart ❤️
Hanna Bulgakova, 15 years old
This project changed my life; these were the happiest, most fulfilling days I’ve ever experienced. I was surrounded by incredibly talented people, and working with them was pure joy. I’m immensely grateful to all the mentors—together, they created such an inspiring space that it honestly blew my mind. I had always dreamed of being in an environment like this.
Polina Labunets, 15 years old
I thought I wouldn’t make it, but once I did, I realized this is the best project I’ve ever been a part of. I’ve never seen so many wonderful and amazing people in one place. They gather incredible young people here who create a magical and creative atmosphere. Attending and performing at creative evenings made me feel happy and free because there’s no judgment for mistakes, only support from everyone. Thank you, Art Therapy Force, for the opportunity to visit this place and experience creativity to the fullest! ♥️
Oleksandra Dovhopolova, 16 years old
This project introduced me to incredible people who will forever stay in my heart. These 10 days felt like living on another planet, where everything was good, peaceful, and calm. Through this project, I was finally able to let my creativity out into something bigger than just notes on my phone, thanks to the people around me, the mentors, and my friends. During this time, I had an incredible emotional and creative explosion that continues to inspire me to create! Thank you, Art Therapy Force 🩶
PROJECT ANALYSIS:
