Unless we say we want change, nothing will happen: the story of a teacher from Mykolaiv region

Work is in full swing at the playground near the Kuznetsovskiy Lyceum: older students are wheelbarrowing sand, parents and teachers are installing supports for swings and assembling exercise equipment. Everyone has a common goal: to have a playground for schoolchildren near the lyceum as soon as possible. The construction was initiated by Ukrainian language teacher Iryna Morar. She was joined by employees of the Domanivka village council. ShoTam talked to Iryna about how she managed to equip the school playground and why it is important to take the initiative and look for ways to implement the plans.

"People often say that the government gives nothing, does nothing, and there are no roads. I was always confused by this, because I realized that I should start with myself. I wanted to direct my energy in the right direction to prove that anyone who wants to change something can do it," says Iryna Morar.

Teaching children to speak their native language correctly

Iryna Morar, a future teacher, had her first "student" when she was a child - her sister, who was 6 years younger. She says she liked the feeling that she could teach another person something.

"There is a certain urge inside me. I have always loved the Ukrainian language, I am fond of our literature. And my dad fostered patriotism in me, so I chose to spend my life teaching," she admits.

At first, Iryna worked in a kindergarten for six years, but her calling was to be a Ukrainian language teacher, she says. When a vacancy appeared in Kuznetsovo, she did not hesitate for a minute.

"In addition to what we learn in the classroom, the children and I also make tiktoks on how to speak Ukrainian correctly, how to emphasize words correctly, and hold various anti-surzhyk minutes," she says.

Iryna Morar loves her job and is always looking for something new and interesting. Photo by the heroine for ShoTam

Mykolaiv region is a rather Russified region, but there are changes. When Iryna meets her students outside of class, they speak Ukrainian.

"Nowadays, we need to help people speak their native language correctly. Not to impose, but to help in a friendly way. Children often correct themselves. It's very satisfying," the teacher says.

She started writing projects for the community

The teacher's active position attracted the attention of not only children. So when the Domanivka village council received a proposal to conduct training for residents, the lyceum director recommended Iryna. The woman had never written a project before, but she wanted to try.

So in May 2023, Iryna and 20 other community members began training as part of the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Human Dimension project.

"We discussed the problems in our community. We learned how to write projects. Representatives of our village council and citizens of different professions attended the training: doctors, cleaners, police officers, etc." says Iryna.

Iryna Morar and her colleagues learned how to write grants and work on community challenges. Photo provided by the heroine

The training was organized as three-day workshops in May and June. Experts from Kropyvnytskyi, for example, came to visit. The trainings were followed by dialog sessions where you could present your project. And in December, a regional community forum was held where everyone shared their experiences. At that time, they managed to get waste sorting bins and surveillance cameras - this was the first community project.

The next project concerned young people, and Iryna says everyone had a common desire: "There are a lot of children in the village, but they have nowhere to put their energy. That's why we had this task: to keep the children busy."

To equip a school playground where everyone has access

Iryna was the coordinator of this project, although she says that she did not do everything alone, but together with the village council. Initially, they wanted to remodel the community center in Kuznetsovo: make a computer and gym for schoolchildren, a sandbox, and more.

But when we gathered the initiative group, we realized that we needed to do a lot of work and hire more people. So they decided to simplify things by setting up leisure areas for children on the street near the Kuznetsiv Lyceum so that everyone could access them at any time.

"It is important for us to equip a school playground for different age groups so that both younger and older students are interested," says the teacher.

To get the children's opinion, Iryna talked to the students, asking them what they would like to see: what kind of swing or exercise equipment they would prefer. She also consulted with physical education teachers.

When everything was agreed upon, she sent the information to the village council, and they contacted the donors. They liked the project very much, so they increased funding and we could choose some more equipment. At the beginning of 2024, the coveted swings, exercise equipment, and houses were delivered.

There is enough space for both the youngest schoolchildren and high school students. Photo provided by the heroine

"Parents came to help, as did the lyceum staff and high school students. Everyone wanted to see this beauty a little faster. And before the last bell rang, we had an opening," Iryna Morar recalls.

Arthur Murar, a student of the lyceum, spends a lot of time on the playground, he says, trying out different exercise equipment and is glad to have such a place now, because "children and adults spend more time outside."

Iryna advises not to be afraid to approach local authorities with your ideas. She says that their village council is active on social media, talking about projects and changes that have been implemented. They even send out a newsletter about current grant opportunities.

"I'm not satisfied with just going to work. I really enjoyed being involved in social activities. When I went to my first training session, I was impressed by the examples of other communities. I thought, 'Well, they can do it, why can't we? ' I was motivated," Iryna Morar admits.

The Domanivska community also became a partner of the USAID Hoverla Project and received an excavator and a generator for the local hospital. The village council also receives consultations in various areas from the Foundation's experts to provide even better services and be open to new ideas from residents.

You have to make yourself known

Local residents did not immediately believe that the projects would work: "People here are used to the fact that you can't always believe what you hear. You can write a lot, but where is the fact that you will get it? So we were a little skeptical. But when the equipment was actually delivered, people believed and are now very happy," says the teacher.

Changes are also felt in the lyceum - now all school breaks are held on the playground: "Previously, children used to surf the Internet during recess, but now, after waiting for the bell, they run to the playground: the older ones on the exercise equipment, and the younger ones on the swings. This way, the children can exercise after school. Because when you spend the recess with just a phone in your hand, you get lethargic. But this way, the child has run around, moved, and will not be spinning in class. I also notice that children become more focused after such breaks."

Children enjoy using the exercise equipment during recess. Photo provided by the heroine

Now Iryna wants not only to equip the school playground, but also to look for new opportunities, for example, to make a safety class in the lyceum shelter. She realized that change starts with us: "Let's take our lyceum as an example. Donors won't go around looking at websites or calling every school and asking: what do you need? Unless we say to ourselves that we have a problem and want to make changes, nothing will happen."

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