KIK, Rebuilding Lives

Empowering Ukrainian Youth through KIK's Initiatives

At the same time I met Eliza, I discovered KIK, the Catholic Intelligentsia Club in Warsaw, a foundation in Poland that had been actively helping Ukrainians since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. Deeply moved by their work, I felt a strong desire to support their efforts. Ukraine stood strong, while Poland faced an overwhelming influx of refugees, particularly women and children. Although my countrymen initially responded with great enthusiasm, signs of fatigue began to emerge after a month of heroic assistance. By the end of March 2022, a friend in Warsaw advised me to reach out to KIK, and so I did. Through several Zoom meetings with the secretary and other dedicated individuals involved in aiding Ukraine, I sensed a profound connection, just as I had with Eliza. It became clear to me that our paths had crossed for a reason.

Motivated by my American friends and family's desire to support Ukraine and my own engagement in assisting Ukrainian refugees, we rallied together and sent financial contributions to KIK. This infusion of funds allowed KIK to expand its response to the massive wave of Ukrainian mothers, children, and youth seeking refuge in our country. In April, they successfully established the Ukrainian School in Warsaw, called SzkoUA, catering to 270 children aged 7-17 from active war zones. The school employed Ukrainian refugee teachers, enabling these grieving, shocked, and uprooted children and youth to continue their education, communicate in their native language, and maintain a sense of connection to their homeland despite their displacement. As April unfolded, I realized that my journey would soon take me back to Poland.

Collaborating with the dedicated staff of KIK's Ukrainian initiative, we delved into discussions on how I could contribute to their efforts in supporting Ukrainian families in Poland. Drawing upon my teaching philosophy and experience at Cogitania, as well as my knowledge of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), I intrigued KIK with the idea of implementing a program called "Summer in the City" for Ukrainian children between the ages of 7 and 17 hailing from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in active war zones such as Kherson, Mariupol, and Kharkiv.

Little did I know the immense challenge and transformative impact that awaited me. Over the course of seven weeks, I conducted workshops for groups of 15 children, totaling 120 in all. Each Monday from 10 am to 4 pm, these resilient youngsters, who had lost their homes and, in some cases, even parents, eagerly participated in our sessions. I chose the theme "Our Planet," believing that exploring the story of Earth would captivate their interest and reignite their passion for learning and personal growth.