Information and edutainment activities for children and their parents

The main events and activities will take place in three tents / zones, located at the intersection of Pushkin and Tolstoy streets in Vitebsk city. Interactive activity zones will be open from 10:00 to 20:00 on July 12-16 and from 10:00 to 15:00 on July 17. UNICEF has prepared a platform where every child, including children with disabilities, will feel comfortable.

Residents and guests of Vitebsk will be able to participate in free information sessions for parents and teenagers. Psychologists, doctors, bloggers, volunteers will share their experience and talk about the prevention of bullying and cyberbullying, stress prevention and mitigation, eco habits, development of younger children, psychological wellbeing of parents, and much more (detailed schedule below).

In addition, there will be a children's playground with board games and a photo zone. Boys and girls will be able to take part in a soap bubble show, make face painting, chat and play with UNICEF volunteers and with UNICEF Belarus mascot Uni-Uni sun bunny.

A breastfeeding zone and other amenities for taking caring of a young child will be provided for parents.

Information stands will have resources on UNICEF in Belarus programmes, as well as resources for parents, children and adolescents. Volunteers and UNICEF staff will introduce visitors to the “Family for Every Child” project, the implementation of which kickstarted in the Vitebsk region in 2022. The project helps children from residential institutions reconnect with their biological parents or find a new family. Each visitor will be able to support the project by making a donation and as a sign of contribution, tie a symbolic ribbon on the HOUSE art object. HOUSE is a symbol of family, love and care.

The Ministry of Emergency will team up with UNICEF and hold several sessions on children’s safe practices at home and on the street. A photo exhibition in one of the tents will showcase UNICEF's work in emergencies. Visitors will learn about children and families who need help in crisis situations, and those who help people in need.

Schedule of information sessions

12 July

14.00 - How to live in an eco-friendly way. Polina Zhoglo, SDG Youth Ambassador

15.15 - How to give a second life to old things. Polina Zhoglo, SDG Youth Ambassador

13 July

11.30 – How to prevent bullying and cyberbullying. Olga Matyukhova and Emilia Buracheskaya, psychologists

14.00 - How to improve skills to achieve results in social networks - Ilya Belobrovich, blogger

14 July

14.00 - How to cope with stress and emotional tension.  Alexander Pakhomchik, specialist of the Republican Center for Psychological Assistance, Belarusian State Pedagogical University

15 July

12.00 – Children’s safe practices at home. Anna Simchenko, Head of the Monitoring Information and Methodological Department of Children's Health of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center "Mother and Child"

14.00 - Development of children under one and the psycho-emotional state of parents. Inna Tsygankova and Kira Kazitskaya, specialists from the Early Intervention Center

16.00 - Dietary rules for parents raising children with disabilities. Nadezhda Sirotenko, Early Intervention Specialist

16 July

10.30 - Youth-friendly centers. Anna Kasyanenko and Ekaterina Shatitsa, health volunteers

14.00 - Formation of a healthy lifestyle among adolescents and youth. Svetlana Guminskaya and Elena Bugaeva, Specialists of the Health and Youth Center "Nadezhda" in Orsha

16.30 – Peer-to-peer psychological counselling. Anna Kasyanenko and Ekaterina Shatitsa, health volunteers