Peter Wagner visited the ‘Green School Recovery Camp’ for children and teachers from Pokrovsk
On 18 May 2026, Peter Wagner, Head of the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) of the European Commission, visited the “Green School Recovery Camp.” The retreat camp is organised by the Lviv Sincere Heart Charity Foundation within the grant programme of the project “Integrated support for war-affected children, families and communities”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Solidarity Fund PL in Ukraine in the framework of its PRO_MentalHealth Psychosocial Support Programme. The camp brings together around 70 high school students and teachers from a lyceum in the frontline city of Pokrovsk (Donetsk Oblast). Before joining the camp, the participants had been studying and working remotely under constant shelling and were forced to relocate. This resulted in their losing their familiar school environment and access to a stable educational process. The retreat camp aims to restore a sense of community, provide young people with an opportunity to experience an important milestone celebrating the completion of their schooling, create a safe space for in-person interaction, and help address educational losses caused by prolonged remote learning and living in wartime conditions. “Education is about more than lessons and exams. It is also about human connection, emotional well-being, and the possibility to dream about the future. This is why the European Union supports places like the “Green School Recovery Camp” – to provide a young generation of Ukrainians who is going through hardships that no young person should go through with the opportunity to learn in at least some relative peace, build friendships in person and enjoy a sense of normality,” said Peter Wagner during his visit to the camp. According to Paweł Kost, Country Director, Solidarity Fund PL in Ukraine, supporting people affected by the war is an investment in the country’s ability to recover and move forward. Such camps create a safe space where children, together with teachers, can not only restore their emotional resources but also make up for educational losses, so these projects make it possible to support both children and adults during this difficult time and give them an opportunity to rest and spend time in a friendly environment. According to the camp management team, the agenda combines educational, social, and psycho-emotional components. A key focus is maintaining children’s motivation for further learning and development, as many participants are winners and laureates of international and national competitions and Olympiads, recipients of scholarships from the mayor and the President of Ukraine, and participants in international programmes. “The Green School Recovery Camp is a space for recovery, support, and returning to a sense of normal teenage life. One of the camp’s defining features is the opportunity for children who have not seen each other offline for several years to reunite. For many, this is their first in-person meeting with classmates since the fifth grade,” the organisers noted. During the retreat and rehabilitation programme, participants also celebrated a symbolic “Last Bell” ceremony, marking an important milestone and conclusion of the academic year. Within the framework of the EU project “Integrated support for war-affected children, families and communities,” the Solidarity Fund PL in Ukraine, together with 16 partner non-governmental organisations, plans to conduct 103 camps between April and September this year for approximately 4,300 children, their families, and teachers affected by the war. The camps are intended to strengthen psychological resilience through rapid access to psychosocial rehabilitation and educational support for children, adolescents, and their families. Last year, the Solidarity Fund PL in Ukraine, together with 10 NGO partners, organised and conducted 29 retreats, camps, and rehabilitation programmes for approximately 2,000 children, their families, and educators. Children and adults from 23 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv participated in these rehabilitation initiatives. The camps focused on addressing educational losses among children from frontline regions, developing career orientation and personal growth skills, and creating safe spaces for psychological support and recovery for those who had experienced trauma or loss. The camp activities also included family recovery initiatives for mothers and children, as well as support for professionals working with families and children. More information: Service for Foreign Policy Instruments: https://fpi.ec.europa.eu/index_en Service for Foreign Policy Instruments – https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/eu-in- Emergencies/ Service for Foreign Policy Instruments – https://x.com/EU_FPI/Solidarity Fund PL in Ukraine – https://solidarityfund.org.ua PRO_MentalHealth Programme – https://promentalhealth.in.ua Facebook – www.facebook.com/solidarityfund.ua EU support to Ukraine – https://eu4ukraine.eu Delegation of the European Union in Ukraine - https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/ukraine
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