Great psychosocial football events for children of IDPs, children of military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and war-affected children were organized by the Ukrainian Football Association, Kyiv Association of Football Associations, and the community of Bila Tserkva.

Local schools received a large amount of sports equipment and balls for football events; volunteers were equipped, and each child who participated received a project t-shirt and a participant certificate as a gift.

Photo by the press service of the UAF

The football festival was opened at the Bila Tserkva stadium "Zmina" by the project coordinator from the UAF, Yevgeniy Stolitenko, a representative of the education and science department of the Bila Tserkva City Council, Fedir Lata, and the regional project coordinator from KOAF, Volodymyr Maslov.

It should be noted that local volunteers and their leader Vitaliy Merkushev did a great job during the football lessons. Children from the following local institutions participated in the events:

— Hetman Lyceum-Gymnasium (volunteer — Oksana Dudareva);

— Gymnasium No. 4 (Serhiy Pokaz');

— Gymnasium No. 7 (Volodymyr Mykhaylenko);

— Gymnasium No. 11 (Oleksandr Fomin);

— Lyceum No. 12 (Nataliya Yevpak');

— Natural-Mathematical Lyceum-Gymnasium No. 16 named after M. Kyrilenko (Serhiy Dugin);

— Lyceum-Gymnasium No. 17 (Leonid Gevz');

— Academic Lyceum "Vector" — Gymnasium No. 18 (Olena Kaptsanovska);

— Support Lyceum-Gymnasium No. 20 (Denys Shypulin');

— Gymnasium No. 21 (Lyudmila Chutkivska);

— Gymnasium No. 22 (Valeriy Zaderezynskyi');

— Lyceum (Bila Tserkva College) (Yuri Farenik).

We also thank the local police for their active participation.

All project events are held in regions with the approval of regional military administrations.

Photo by the press service of the UAF

The Ukrainian Football Association, supported by Common Goal and the Danish Association for Cross-Cultural Projects, continues the "Open Football Lessons" project which includes:

— psychosocial support for children of IDPs, children of military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and war-affected children;

— uniting and friendship between children of IDPs and local children, social integration;

— an inclusive environment where participants are independent of their level of ability, gender, as well as the participation of children with special educational needs;

— knowledge about safety in wartime conditions;

— the philosophy of mass football — joy from playing rather than results at any cost;

— fostering a healthy lifestyle;

— development of volunteering;

— activation of local communities through intersectoral networks (teachers, coaches, psychologists, security experts, parents, youth leaders, local authorities, benefactors, etc.).

Photo by the press service of the UAF