“Healing ourselves, healing the community, healing Ukraine”: a strategic session was held in Kropyvnytskyi

The project is inspired by the ideas of the Righteous Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, who believed that education and enlightenment are the key to a better and more authentic life.

It is intended to create conditions for development and transformation for war-affected communities. To help them become more resilient and stronger. It also includes support for active communities that can implement positive changes in their communities and, as a result, in the whole of Ukraine.

The trainers taught the participants to ignore the negative, to preserve and increase resources, and not to be afraid of change and leadership. They talked about how to lead others and change the world for the better. They also taught how to train and strengthen resilience, as it is not an inherent quality, but a skill that can and should be developed.

Participants share that the training within the initiative is truly inspiring and rebooting. They note that they have learned to understand themselves and their needs better, how to deal with stress, respond wisely to the challenges of today, restore themselves and support those in need. This was facilitated by the cultural and spiritual programme during the visit to Lviv.

This time, we talked about the benefits of communities and the problems they face. Together we looked for solutions, built a strategy, and planned its implementation. We developed several ideas on how to make hromadas more modern, comfortable, environmentally friendly, interesting and attractive to tourists.

“The strategic session of the ‘Healing Communities’ project has come to an end. I thank the trainer Svitlana Buhay for the case of strategic planning. It was very powerful and inspiring! ‘Strong person — strong community — strong Ukraine’. I am grateful to Lyubomyr Yavorskyy and all the organisers, trainers and my administration for the opportunity to participate in the educational project, to study and mentally heal in Lviv”, shares her impressions Iryna Svitenko from Kropyvnytskyi.

It should be added that representatives of eight communities in the Kropyvnytskyi district took part in the “Healing Communities” project. These are residents of the Kropyvnytskyi urban community, Sokolivska, Adzhamska, Malovyskivska, Subottsivska, Dmytrivska, Velykoseverinivska territorial communities, Oleksandriyska and Ketrysanivska communities.

“We have together to overcome all the challenges that each of us and the country have faced. We must survive for a happy future on our native Ukrainian land! Only a united, healed and cohesive community will act in a coordinated manner and in accordance with common ideas and values!” said the programme participants from the parish community of the Nativity of St John the Baptist of the UGCC.