On June 18–19, the Skarb and Freedom Diaries project teams took part in the Teachers of the Future Festival, Ukraine’s largest educational event organized by the Osvitoria Union. Held at !FESTrepublic in Lviv, the festival brought together thousands of educators from across the country.
On June 18, at the Pedagogical Laboratory venue, Valerii Khmelnytskyi, Head of Communications at the Maibutni Democratic School and methodology expert for the Skarb project at the Hrystia Hranovska Foundation, introduced the Skarb project. He was joined by ethnographer Natalka Leshchenko, who has spent many years researching traditional crafts and techniques for working with a wide range of materials. She led the workshop “History in the Style of Generation Alpha,” which explored contemporary approaches to teaching history.
More than 70 educators attended the session, and the enthusiasm continued long after it had ended. Participants stepped into the role of medieval scribes, worked with birch bark manuscripts, explored the characteristics of early writing systems, and discovered history through hands-on experience.
At the end of the workshop, each participant received a copy of the handwriting workbook, which will soon be distributed to schools across Ukraine. Many teachers shared their plans to incorporate these activities into their own classrooms and organize similar learning experiences for their students.
For the Skarb team, it is especially rewarding to see the project’s educational materials making their way into classrooms, helping children discover history not as a list of dates and events, but as the lived experience of people from the past.
June 19 was dedicated to Freedom Diaries. Led by the project’s Creative Director, Mariia Proshkovska, the team presented the project and facilitated a practical workshop for educators and psychologists.
The session explored how war and today’s challenges shape children’s identities, why it is essential to create safe spaces for children’s self-expression, and how creative arts practices can become a powerful tool for psychological support. Participants also had the opportunity to experience elements of the Freedom Diaries methodology firsthand and gain insight into the project’s unique approach.
Interest in the workshop exceeded all expectations, with more than 100 educators and psychologists taking part.
We sincerely thank every educator who joined us for their interest, trust, and thoughtful questions. Their engagement reaffirms that together we are doing truly meaningful work—helping children preserve their voices, their identities, and their sense of self, even in the most challenging times.
