Series of trainings on psychological aid from the Ukrainian Red Cross for specialists of higher educational institutions in the field of art studies has been completed

The Ukrainian Red Cross has conducted the first stage of psychological first aid training for specialists of higher educational institutions in the field of art studies. Almost 140 participants took part in the trainings, which took place in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Kropyvnytskyi and Lviv.

The last training in the series took place on October 21, 2023, in Lviv and caused a lot of positive emotions among its participants. The training was conducted jointly with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and with the support of the State Agency of Ukraine for Arts and Art Education.

The main goal of all the trainings is to raise teachers’ awareness of how to provide first aid in a timely and proper way; how to support the emotional state of students in need; how to identify whether a student is experiencing acute or accumulated stress; how to be able to refer for professional help if necessary, as well as how to take care of their own mental health and the well-being of their colleagues.

In the course of their work, specialists in art education institutions may encounter students who have moved from other regions of Ukraine and are adapting to new living conditions; who are sensitive to events related to the war; who have difficult family situations or peculiarities of their own emotional state, etc. Therefore, it is important for everyone to know how to effectively and properly support a person in need, how to understand who needs help, and how to create a safe, trusting space for a person without causing them even more harm.

The training was part of the National Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Program initiated by the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska. The Ukrainian Red Cross conducted the training as part of the #EU4Health program with the support of the European Commission and the Danish Red Cross.