“Smilyva“ returns with a new series of training sessions! This means that this autumn another 800 girls from different cities across Ukraine will gain practical skills that can help them feel safer in everyday life.
The “Smilyva“ project’s safety training sessions, organised by “Masha Foundation“, combine psychological support with practical skills. During the sessions, girls talk about personal boundaries, learn to recognise dangerous situations, develop practical ways to respond to them, and practise basic self-defence techniques. Practice is an essential part of the training – participants do not simply receive information but also practice their new skills straight away. This is what girlssay they like most, according to their feedback.
Adolescence is a period when self-esteem, identity and the ability to make decisions independently are formed. That is why, during the sessions, Smilyva’s experts not only teach specific self-defence techniques but also help girls better understand their own emotions and bodysignals, recognise pressure, manipulation and dangerous behaviour, and distinguish care from control. Participants learn to act in difficult situations, to ask for help without shame and to support one another. Practical exercises and group work restore a sense of control, strengthen self-confidence and build inner stability: “I have the right to protect myself, to trust my feelings and to ask for help.”
This autumn, “Smilyva“ safety training will take place in Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro. Training sessions are also planned in Sumy region. The team deliberately chose to work in regions that are under constant attack. After all, “Smilyva“ is not just a training but also an opportunity for teenagers to take their minds off things and to interact with other girls.
“Girls’ safety begins not only with the ability to protect themselves physically. It is also about understanding their own boundaries, being able to say “no“ in time, noticing danger, reaching out for help and not being left to face a difficult situation alone. It is extremely important to us that every girl knows: her voice matters, her boundaries must be respected, and responsibility for violence never lies with the survivor”, says Tetiana Muratkina, Head of Masha Foundation. “These skills are especially important today, when Ukrainian teenagers are maturing in wartime, constant anxiety, forced displacement and increased risks of violence. Because when a girl has learned to protect her boundaries, trust herself and support others, it is an important change not only in her life but also in the future of our society.”
Of course, like any project carried out during the war in Ukraine, “Smilyva“ faces challenges. Sessions have to be rescheduled because of shelling, and in conditions of constant danger, additional learning for teenagers sometimes takes a back seat: children’s safety comes first, then education, and only after that development. Finding enough specialists who are able to work in such conditions remains another challenge. But the project team is successfully overcoming all obstacles.
“During the war, we often talk about the challenges we face today, but it is important not to let these challenges overshadow those who will shape our tomorrow. Teenagers are growing up in a reality of constant instability, and today they especially need attention, support and a space where they are heard and taken seriously. For us, “Smilyva“ is a chance to give them not only practical knowledge about safety and self-defence, but also a sense of their own strength, an understanding of personal boundaries and confidence that their voice matters. We want every girl to know: she has the right to protect herself, to talk about what worries her and to ask for help when she needs it”, says Anastasiia Kariakina, Smilyva Project Manager.
The importance of Smilyva is also confirmed by the participants themselves. After the training, one of the girls shared that she had gained a better understanding of the meaning of personal boundaries and learned to say no to things that made her uncomfortable. Another noted that the new knowledge gave her a greater sense of inner calm.
About the project
The “Smilyva“ project has been running since 2022 and teaches teenage girls to assert their personal boundaries and to stand up to physical and psychological violence. Since then, 12,000 girls aged 14–18 have completed the training and programme.
The project has been implemented with the support of the International Gender Equality Prize of the Government of Finland.
