Yesterday, thanks to the United Voices in Action program, 12 children from among IDPs and Kyiv residents joined forces to craft pysanka Easter eggs. A workshop on painting and the traditional Easter rituals was held with the participation of the artists from the Likhtyaryk art studio. Under the guidance of experts, each participant painted an egg, which would remain a keepsake for the child. The artists from the studio introduced the children to the traditions of Easter egg making in the Kyivska Oblast, described the main points of creating Easter masterpieces, offered variants of traditional patterns, and explained their meaning.

Oleksandr Yavtushenko, regional coordinator of the United Voices in Action program in the Kyivska Oblast

At the workshop, we were happy to see both local and IDP children aged 8 to 12 working together to create Easter eggs. The children had the opportunity to express their personalities and work together to create Easter eggs, as those who finished early began to help others. It was great that everyone got to know each other. This workshop allowed the children to better understand each other and turn the artistic process into an integrative one. It is symbolic that one IDP girl from Kherson painted an egg to look like a watermelon

Such events help children develop their creativity and imagination and contribute to social cohesion and the development of the participants’ cultural awareness. Each drawing on the pysanka Easter eggs had its own symbolic meaning, and the children learned to understand both the traditions of Easter egg making in the Kyivska Oblast and each other. In the future, we will continue to hold similar integration events in all the communities where the project is being implemented.