A Trip to the Carpathian Mountains with the Dovbysh Orphanage Students
(10/01/19)
Day 1
Today we travelled by train – some of us for, excitedly, the first time – to Mukacheve, a city near the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine.
We were welcomed to our accommodation for the next few days by complex owner Olena Kuchura.
We spent our first day exploring the surroundings, tasting snow, and attending a lecture hosted by volunteer Yuriy Trofimenko. We shared our dreams and learned how to open ourselves to others.
The evening fly by as we had fun playing a developmental game called ‘Who am I?’ donated by Olga Poma.
Our volunteers Harrison Brant, Lyalya Vasilieva, Yuriy Trofimenko, who are also here, have helped us organize this journey, will conduct master-classes and lectures, and act as mentors for the children during the holiday.
A Trip to the Carpathian Mountains with the Dovbysh Orphanage Students (11/01/19)
Day 2
We began our day with yoga, followed by a lecture hosted by Yuriy Trofimenko. We learned more about the importance of communication skills, how to express your thoughts and present yourself, and we played some team-building games.
Later, Harrison Brant hosted a photography and filming master-class, which we all enjoyed.
In the evening we bathed in thermal pools, taking an occasional dip in the ice-cold mountain river, then easing back into the thermal pools.
Professional massage therapist Lyalya Vasilieva (Ляля Васильева) later taught us some massage techniques while we were relaxed.
We had a fun and busy day, but we still found time to go sledging in the snow!
A Trip to the Carpathian Mountains with the Dovbysh Orphanage Students (12/01/19)
Day 3
Happy birthday to Bright Kids volunteer Lyalya Vasilieva. We made her handcrafted gifts, and hotel director Lilia Polukovskaya walked 10km in the snow to find a birthday cake so we could celebrate.
Yuriy Trofimenko’ hosted ‘Surviving after a Ship Wreck’ – a game in which we learned about managing stressful situations.
And finally, we had the opportunity to go skiing! For many of us, it was our first time trying to ski, and it was very exciting. Yurii Trofimenko and Harrison Brant helped us a lot. All the volunteers helped, and we all had a great time together.
It was a very special day and we hope you enjoy looking at our photos.
A Trip to the Carpathian Mountains with the Dovbysh Orphanage Students (13/01/19)
Day 4
It is the last day of our adventures in the Carpathian Mountains.
We played an interesting game today hosted by trainer Yuriy Trofimenko. One person is blindfolded while their partner acts as their eyes. The game teaches us to trust each other and ourselves by listening to our intuition. It also encourages us to use our other senses, such as smell, hearing and touch.
When the game was finished, we sat together and shared our experiences. It helped us to open up and discuss our emotions with each other, and learn how to share our feelings.
Then we played outdoors and enjoyed the snow as our journey started coming to an end.
Before leaving the area, we toured Palanok Castle with our guide Kateryna Shelevytska. Despite cold and the drizzle, we were all very happy.
For a final treat, we all ate pizza at a local pizzeria before boarding the train to return to Dovbysh.
Thank you to everyone made this wonderful trip possible!
Handmade Gifts Auction (21/01/19)
The talented children from the Dovbysh orphanage have handcrafted some lovely souvenirs, so we decided to host an auction to help them raise money.
All the money raised went directly to the children at the Dovbysh orphanage. Here you can see examples of souvenirs they made.
Thank You Dinternal Education for your Donation (25/01/19)
Bright Kids Charity would like to thank ‘DINTERNAL Education’ for their generous participation in our charity project. The company has presented us with more than 50 sets of English-language textbooks to help support children in need.
We received three boxes of new books that teach English-language skills.
These books are a huge asset in helping children learn English, and we look forward to distributing them to our Bright Kids very soon. Without such resources, teaching and learning are very difficult, text such as these make a huge difference in the life of many children.
We would also like to thank Victoria Garanina who initiated and organized this project.
A Chocolate Master Class for Volunteers (29/01/2019)
Team meetings are as important to us as our projects for Bright Kids. They make our team stronger and more dedicated. They help us to get to know each other better and make project development plans.
We presented a special present to our amazing assistants, volunteers and friends – a chocolate-making Master Class!
Chocolatier Alena Lisnevskaya (Kasyanchuk Alena) showed us not only how to make healthy and tasty sweets, but also how to express our creativity making chocolate.
It was an inspiring experience that we all enjoyed. (Check our photo report.)
Bright Kids are so happy to have such a great team and to have the opportunity to get together and enjoy our time discussing inspired projects that can help change the lives of the children we support.
Thank you to everyone for your contribution to our common goals!
© Photos by Zhanna Golub