On August 10, as part of the 'Peaceful School' project, we held a webinar for teachers and psychologists titled 'Children from Military Families: How Can We Support Them?'.
These issues are timely and sensitive in the current circumstances. Therefore, we are implementing targeted initiatives to address them.
The webinar took the form of a facilitated meeting, involved an exchange of experience among colleagues, and was conducted according to the principles of voluntariness, confidentiality, care and mutual respect.
FacilitatorAliona Kopina – mediator, practicing psychologist, trainer for the 'Peaceful School' project, mother of a serviceman.
Key conclusions:
- The war has been a major trauma for many Ukrainian families. Families with servicemembers face various challenges related to changes in the family's established routines;
- Women and men often do not recognize what is happening when their family is 'fragmenting' and when it is 'reintegrating';
- Children from military families experience these processes most acutely. Often their behavior reflects the vulnerability and disorientation of adults during stressful and traumatic times;
Therefore, we advise parents to keep the following in mind:
- Discipline in relationships is for adults; children need trust, love, honesty and genuine interest in their lives;
- Calming a child at any cost, or telling them to 'pull themselves together,' does not provide the kind of support they need;
- Sometimes a teacher is the only adult in a child's environment who can be a source of support and strength during wartime.
Because many more people wanted to participate than the meeting format allowed, it was decided to hold further events on this topic in the near future.