On Friday, June 24, 2022, we had the pleasure of meeting 22 Ukrainian youth, ages 11-17, for a workshop at Lënster International High School in Junglinster. The activities explored the themes of “resilience” and “collaboration” for almost 4 hours at a fast pace. The program included image analysis, video and text materials, art productions, games, and small and large group brainstorming. When everyone contributes, the language barrier is no longer an obstacle: we were lucky to be able to count on the older members of the group who regularly translated what was said by the facilitators and their fellow students. English and Ukrainian were thus mixed together, creating a form of collaboration from the very first moments of the workshop.

Ukrainian students worked together on the workshop that was provided for them.

For the first part on resilience, the interest for the young people was to know how to differentiate between emotions and reactions to emotions, and to understand how we can reflect on the latter so that they are useful to us in our personal construction and in our relationships with others and with life’s trials in general. We discussed preconceived ideas about the so-called “negative” experiences we all face, in order to understand what to accept (first emotions, pain, despondency) and what to act on (adopting a learning position, mobilizing internal and external resources to overcome the pain, becoming aware of limiting beliefs, allowing ourselves time of introspection etc.).

Language is no barrier when it comes to unity, proven by our students using both Ukrainian and English to communicate.

In order to widen the concept of resilience, which is not only manifested in personal situations, we talked about more global issues that individuals face as a group. When a problem arises, such as a pandemic or war, collective resilience is essential to survive and to respond to threats in the most comprehensive way. To be collectively resilient, individuals must learn to work together in unity.

United discussion with all of our students for the day.

To practice collaboration, the youth participated in a game where they had to choose items to keep together while their boat was stranded on a deserted island. By working together in an emergency situation, they were able to practice the values and attitudes necessary for collaboration. To continue the practice of collaboration, the youth then drew pictures of kindness, tolerance, perseverance and empathy. Finally, they were given a short summary of ideas to remember as well as a self-assessment on their individual and collective resilience.

The beautiful work the students have done during the course of the workshop.

The day was intense, as they were asked to switch between languages and to think about situations and ideas that are not necessarily familiar. The involvement of some of the students encouraged the other members of the group to get involved as well, and all of them were encouraged to express themselves, to collaborate and to think together, a first step towards becoming actors in their lives!

Teamwork makes dream work!

A big thank you to the teachers of the class, the high school and all the organizers who welcomed us with professionalism and kindness. See you soon!