Free Global Ukrainian Education Program: Designs for Hope

Supporting Ukraine With FREE Elementary/Primary Education

Many schools, education departments, and organizations around the world are doing an important part in welcoming students displaced by the conflict in Ukraine into their communities. However, many of these groups are finding 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, will receive FREE educational content through the Makers Empire platform. 

Ukrainian children participating in the program will learn vital skills around resilience, problem-solving, social-emotional skills, and critical thinking. This will be an important step as they continue their journey to building their capacity for future careers, by developing important real-world skills.

 

Building Resilience and Community Despite Displacement

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:

  1. Getting to know each other. Students reflect on the characteristics and interests that make them unique. They will watch two videos created by Ukrainian-speaking children and respond to reflection questions about their interests, and activities they enjoy. They will design their own 3D avatar to share some of the things they like to do. Students will also learn how to create simple 3D models including a photo frame and a fun toy.
  2. Welcome to the neighbourhood
  3. Show your strengths
  4. Activating resilience
The aim of the free program is to meet Ukrainian children where they are socio-emotionally and academically by providing a community of online learners to bring some sense that they are not alone in their current reality. We aim to design a healing learning experience to help children build efficacy and resilience despite displacement and trauma. 

Aligns with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 4

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.

For Ukrainian Children and Their Classmates Around the World

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 Receive Certificates from the UN's University for Peace

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. 

What You Need to Know & Frequently Asked Questions

Please visit Sign Up to Ukraine and enter your details. 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

  1. Download Makers Empire onto the device
  2. Get students to login using the provided access code
  3. Go the challenge course found under Challenge Central in the Maker world in Makers Empire. 

Absolutely. This program has been designed to be delivered fully within the app. You simply need to:

  1. Download Makers Empire onto the device
  2. Get your children to login using the provided access code
  3. Find the challenge course found under Challenge Central in the Maker world in Makers Empire.