Support Ukrainian Blue Cross work & refugees

Blue Cross Poland youth project for refugee children is an important success to help children to integrate to local community. Parents have also an opportunity to engage with each other and to receive meaningful tasks to fill their days whilst settling to a new place. Blue Crosses give a place where children and parents can be active participants  in rebuilding life in a new situation. It is important to have the opportunity that people with facilitation skills can enable safe space for discussing new circumstances. Facilitated peer support is known to be an effective long term support for dealing with changes in person’s life. It helps to realise nobody needs to cope alone and problem shared enables new perspectives for solutions with people in similar situation. The support prevents people from turning to negative behaviours such as alcohol and other addictions and to agreesive behaviour.

Some of the key points when people feel supported in a new life situation:

• through sharing and listening to others with same struggles
• accepting that it is ok to feel mixed feelings
• in a group issues become real and truth liberates, even bad things said out loud to others in similar situation is liberating
• realisation that one does not need to cope alone

The work with Ukraine refugees continues in Blue Cross Poland and Blue Cross Romania based on the above self help group principles. Thank you for your support, it helps us to build new beginnings to people’s life! 

Families suffering from the consequences of war and displacement receive support in form of organized activities for children during summer holidays

Summer day-camps are organized during holidays when schools are closed. Blue Cross Poland ensure that  children are taken care of in a positive, child centered programme where they can spend valuable time with safe adults and other children. At the same time they get to know Polish culture and language. Camps were organised in Pszczyna Poland.

Blue Cross Poland organized 3x2-weeks (10 days) day-camps for children and teenagers, the program of day-camps comprised varied activities and space to increase interpersonal skills, understand Polish culture and language better and spend free time in an attractive way.

-               Sport activities (swimming pool)

-               Craft activities,

-               Prevention of behavioral addictions,

-               Polish language classes

-               Visiting local places of interest (open-air museum, bison farm, palace)

-               Providing meals

Participants of the program have increased their capabilities to better adapt in new circumstances, deal with challenges related to change of the environment, having to function in different culture and language.

Blue Cross Poland  has enabled participation in activities during which children and youth acquired skills and knowledge to build self- confidence  and build skills to live in a new setting. Blue Cross Poland is now continuing the work with children on regular basis. We thank you for your support and hope that you can support us further to continue this important integration work.