Many schools, education departments, and organizations around the world have done an important part in welcoming students displaced by the conflict in Ukraine into their communities. However, many of these groups have found it difficult to provide high-quality educational resources that are age-appropriate, culturally and emotionally sensitive, and engaging.
Through the generous support of Antanas Guoga Foundation, and in collaboration with education companies, Makers Empire and Coherent Educational Solutions (CES), all school-aged Ukrainian children worldwide, whether displaced from or still living in Ukraine, can receive FREE educational content through the Makers Empire platform. .
Tony Guoga, founder of the Antanas Guoga Foundation said, “It’s good to do good deeds and to contribute to a project that involves more than a thousand school-age Ukrainian children all over the world, whether they were moved from Ukraine or still live in Ukraine. Kids get FREE educational content through Makers Empire. Ukrainian children participating in the program will learn important skills such as resilience, problem solving, social-emotional skills, critical thinking. This will be a vital step for them to further upskill and build the ability for their future careers.”
The Designs for Hope program provides activities and content for youth to build resilience through adversity, learn about their new community, and provide multiple spaces for them to express and articulate what they need – to themselves, their peers, their families, and their teachers. The program is delivered via the Makers Empire app and comprises via four Challenge Courses, sequenced intentionally from general to specific:
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership.
The Designs for Hope project aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4: ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Many countries have provided shelter to Ukrainian families fleeing the war. Schools, libraries and community groups that are working with Ukrainian elementary/primary-aged students can get free access to this program.
Thanks to the generous support of our sponsor, partners and supporters, free access to the Designs for Hope program will be extended to the whole class. So if there are three Ukrainian students in a class, those three students can complete the challenge course in Ukrainian, and the same course is available for free to the rest of the class in English.
The program is available in both Ukrainian and English so more classmates can participate. Ukrainian students can feel comfortable doing the activities in their native language, whilst also being able to switch between languages as they start to feel more comfortable using a program in English as well.
Students who complete module in this program will receive certificates from the University for Peace, the only recognized educational institution from the UN. Students who complete the whole program will receive four certificates.
Ukrainian students around the world were involved in the initial pilot of the program at the Ukrainian community centers in LA and San Francisco, schools in the USA, Australia Lithuania, and Ukraine.
The first lesson of the program, Getting to Know Each Other, has had over 13.000 students around the world engaging in lessons created by Ukrainian children displaced by the conflict. 4,000 students have earned their first UN certificate. This includes over 1,200 Ukrainian students who have used the Makers Empire program to continue their education.
Ukrainian teachers both in the Ukraine and internationally have expressed their support for this program, and have appreciated the creation of learning opportunities available in the Ukrainian language.
By investing in the education of displaced students, this Designs for Hope project contributes to the student’s ability to rebuild their lives whilst working toward stability and peace.
Please sign up for a trial and enter your details – set your country to Ukraine. You will then be sent an access code to use when setting up your account.
To access the course, children need some kind of device (phone, ipad) or computer and an internet connection.
Each of the four modules comprises 10 activities and takes around one hour to complete. So the full program would take around four hours to complete.
In a classroom setting, we would recommend doing each module across a double or two lessons so you also have time for discussion additional information about the Ukraine situation and answering questions. So you could teach the full program over a term of 8+ weeks.
You simply need to
Absolutely. This program has been designed to be delivered fully within the app. You simply need to:
