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Hope and Promise: AFT and Save Ukraine Connect Our Youth
Russia's ongoing invasion of U kraine has a devastating impact on schools and their teachers and students. As a new school year begins, students and teachers face continued violence and uncertainty. The learning loss and socio-emotional trauma from the war are very real, and unless swift action is taken, this generation of young people will likely be permanently scarred.
To address this issue, the American Federation of Teachers and the Ukrainian humanitarian organization Save Ukraine are creating an innovative partnership connecting displaced young people in Ukraine to students in schools across the United States in order to break the walls of isolation being built in Ukraine throughout this war and create global connections for Ukrainian and American students.
This partnership grew out of several AFT fact-finding missions to Ukraine—the most recent in May 2023—where AFT leaders saw first-hand the disruption to education caused by the war and grasped the immense magnitude of the cost to begin education reconstruction and recovery. The delegation met with government and nongovernment education stakeholders as well as international agencies. Some of the more moving conversations were had with members of communities who are helping to rebuild their towns and schools.
On this mission, AFT President Randi Weingarten met Mykola Kuleba, executive officer of Save Ukraine. Together, the delegation visited several of the 15 community centers run by Save Ukraine. These centers provide shelter, healthcare, education and social and emotional support for women and children. Here, they met with women and their children displaced by the war.
As a result of these meetings, Kuleba asked Weingarten to work with Save Ukraine and connect their community centers to classrooms in the United States. In response to that request, the AFT and Save Ukraine have partnered together in a pilot project that creates that connection. This pilot project will connect AFT teachers representing K-12 classrooms with a Ukrainian classroom or community center of a comparable age. They will work together to create student-to-student virtual pen-pal connections through art projects, online games, video messages and other means. The medium of the exchange is up to the educators and their students.
Beyond this student connection, the teacher teams are aware that addressing children's socioemotional losses is essential. The war has not only disrupted education but also affected the delivery of essential services, including school meals, protection, and psycho-social support, impacting the overall well-being and mental health of children.
The AFT-Save Ukraine partnership is a powerful combination. The AFT's understanding of trauma-informed curricula, and Save Ukraine's deep roots in its homeland, will be the basis for a uniquely collaborative and complementary approach. Together, working as one team, even in the midst of war, we hope to unlock the full potential of our digital pen-pal project and place students in both countries on the best path for learning and success.
AFT Members Volunteering in the AFT-Save Ukraine Pilot Project
To address this issue, the American Federation of Teachers and the Ukrainian humanitarian organization Save Ukraine are creating an innovative partnership connecting displaced young people in Ukraine to students in schools across the United States in order to break the walls of isolation being built in Ukraine throughout this war and create global connections for Ukrainian and American students.
This partnership grew out of several AFT fact-finding missions to Ukraine—the most recent in May 2023—where AFT leaders saw first-hand the disruption to education caused by the war and grasped the immense magnitude of the cost to begin education reconstruction and recovery. The delegation met with government and nongovernment education stakeholders as well as international agencies. Some of the more moving conversations were had with members of communities who are helping to rebuild their towns and schools.
On this mission, AFT President Randi Weingarten met Mykola Kuleba, executive officer of Save Ukraine. Together, the delegation visited several of the 15 community centers run by Save Ukraine. These centers provide shelter, healthcare, education and social and emotional support for women and children. Here, they met with women and their children displaced by the war.
As a result of these meetings, Kuleba asked Weingarten to work with Save Ukraine and connect their community centers to classrooms in the United States. In response to that request, the AFT and Save Ukraine have partnered together in a pilot project that creates that connection. This pilot project will connect AFT teachers representing K-12 classrooms with a Ukrainian classroom or community center of a comparable age. They will work together to create student-to-student virtual pen-pal connections through art projects, online games, video messages and other means. The medium of the exchange is up to the educators and their students.
Beyond this student connection, the teacher teams are aware that addressing children's socioemotional losses is essential. The war has not only disrupted education but also affected the delivery of essential services, including school meals, protection, and psycho-social support, impacting the overall well-being and mental health of children.
The AFT-Save Ukraine partnership is a powerful combination. The AFT's understanding of trauma-informed curricula, and Save Ukraine's deep roots in its homeland, will be the basis for a uniquely collaborative and complementary approach. Together, working as one team, even in the midst of war, we hope to unlock the full potential of our digital pen-pal project and place students in both countries on the best path for learning and success.
AFT Members Volunteering in the AFT-Save Ukraine Pilot Project
- Christina Burke and Shannon Liu, Jamaica Plain, MA — Grade 2
- Gabrielle DeVilla, Salinas, CA — Grades 7-8
- Kathryn Gorr, Chicago, IL — Kindergarten-Grade 5
- Agnes Jurczak, Chicago, IL — Prekindergarten-Grade 3
- Samuel Kohn, Cleveland, OH — Grades 9-12
- Tracy Lally, Cocoa Beach, FL — Grade 6
- James Musser, Cleveland, OH — Grades 11-12
- Tracy Radich, Cleveland, OH — Grade 4
- Denise Silva and Katie Haruska, Chicago, IL — Grades 6-7
For more information, please contact John Lindenau, senior associate, in the AFT's International Affairs Department at jlindenau@aft.org