Prague, February 28, 2024 - In a video marking two years since the escalation of the war in Ukraine, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska supports a volunteer project Stojím při tobě / Stand By Me The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (DofE for short) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The aim of the programme is to facilitate the temporary or permanent stay of Ukrainian pupils in the Czech Republic through new friendships with Czech classmates.
"It is an opportunity to meet peers from local communities and explore and gain new experiences together," Olena Zelenska encouraged the Ukrainian students. "These are true friends - the ones who help you when you're having a hard time," she appreciated the interest of the Czech students in helping their Ukrainian peers to learn about Czech culture, learn a new language and integrate into established school groups. More than 300 Czech pupils have joined the programme to support Ukrainian refugees since the project started in September 2022. "I would like to express my gratitude to His Royal Highness for this programme," she added.
The three-month free programme is currently being delivered by 60 primary schools, secondary schools and leisure centres across the Czech Republic, led by the youth organisation DofE. It has drawn on its extensive experience in after-school and experiential pedagogy, as well as on cooperation with established professional institutions such as People in Need, Cyril Mooney Value Education, Locika Centre and the Czech Professional Society for Inclusive Education (ČOSIV). Anyone between the ages of 12 and 24 can get involved, even online.
"We wanted Ukrainian students to feel comfortable and safe at school and in their host country. Standing by you offers them the opportunity to make new friends and systematically pursue what they enjoy and bring them joy. Pairs of buddies work together to develop soft skills such as teamwork, creativity, communication, adaptability, perseverance and determination," says Naděžda Vránová, the project manager. "Secondarily, it also promotes their mental and physical well-being and interest in continuing to develop their potential," he adds. In addition to the Czech Republic, the Stand by You programme is also operating in Slovakia and Romania, and other countries are considering its implementation.
"I am no longer ashamed of my Czech, it has boosted my confidence," says Ivanna Betsa, 16, from Ukraine, who participated in the last school year together with her classmate Jan Handlíř while studying at the Secondary Pedagogical School and Secondary Medical School in Krnov. "I feel more comfortable and less alien. I know that I can communicate and I'm really happy that I know a foreign language as perfectly as Czech. I have better relationships with people and new friends," adds his experience.
Two years of destruction, displacement, violence, separation from family members and friends, loss of loved ones, and disruption of schooling, health care and social services have led to not only anxiety disorders but also educational paralysis among Ukrainian children. According to Survey PAQ Research and the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic with the support of UNICEF from November 2023, problems with the integration of Ukrainian children and adolescents into Czech collectives persist. According to parents, more than half of the pupils are not well integrated in their classrooms, and those aged 15-17 are most often without Czech friends. In this age group, 29 % children have no Czech friends.
For its contribution in the field of in-depth integration and social sensitivity, the programme has received the patronage of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
Interested parties can register for the programme at the following link.
