Ukrainian charity fund “Enjoying Life” opens new community center for older people

For International Day of the Elderly, the "Enjoying Life" charity foundation is launching a new major project — a new community center in the Ukrainian capital.

What is the problem?

In times of war, the elderly become even more vulnerable. Wartime problems and negative experiences affect not only their mental health but also their physical health. Many older people from among the displaced Ukrainians find it difficult to find their way in a new city, find a job to their liking, and find new acquaintances or friends. In this difficult time, they really need a place to gather, communicate, share news from life, and get practical knowledge and moral support.

What is the solution?

The Enjoying Life Foundation believes elderly people should not feel alone, so for the International Day of the Elderly, the foundation opens a new community space.

"Enjoying Life" has been operating in Ukraine for ten years to improve older Ukrainian lives. They work so that older people can enjoy a full life, learn new things, do sports and favorite hobbies, work in skilled jobs, be healthy, and always have a burning desire to achieve their goals. During a full-scale invasion, the foundation socially adapts older people who were forced to flee their homes.

How does it work?

In 2017, "Enjoying Life" opened the Kinosad space on an abandoned summer cinema site and held lectures and master classes for older people in the warm season. There, older Ukrainians could dance, do yoga on the lawn, listen to lectures, and watch movies in the open air. Unfortunately, the space had to be suspended due to the pandemic, and then Russia came to Ukraine with the war.

This year, the fund wants to resume the work of their space in a new format. The new community center will work all year round.

"We are opening the Enjoying Life Space because we see that older people have a great urge for offline communication," says the foundation's co-founder Tina Nikolova Mykhailovska. "The full-scale war changed their lives and the lives of all Ukrainians. Someone's children and grandchildren are fighting in the Armed Forces, someone has gone abroad, and the circle of communication has broken up. In our space. they will find friends and feel part of the community. Also, many older people cannot afford, for example, yoga classes with a trainer. In our space, they will have the opportunity to practice for free."

Foundation member Natalia Leontieva manages the new space. She used to work at Kinosad, so she knows all the wards and their needs. Natalia is currently arranging the space and has already announced the events that will take place on the Telegram channel. At least three activities will be held in the space daily — sports, educational, and cultural.

The foundation decided to divide the new space into zones. There is a place where wards will do sports, where they will listen to lectures, and participate in master classes, and there is an area where they can just chat, play board games, or read books.

"We will invite experts to give lectures and choose topics that are interesting to wards. We also want to do courses for them, for example, painting, because many of our wards gravitate towards creativity," says the co-founder. "In general, we want the space to become a place where older people will gather from all over Kyiv to realize their need for social activity and feel like active members of society."

The opening will be on September 29 at Dream Yellow, Obolonskyi Avenue, 1B. For sports, educational, and cultural events, pre-registration will apply due to the limited number of spots, and you can just come to chat, read, or play board games.

"Enjoying Life" is useful and interesting, as well as a sense of security and positive emotions.

To stay up to date with the events of the space, subscribe to its Telegram channel. All announcements and registration forms for events will be there.

If you want to give classes to those who enjoy life on a volunteer basis, write to the foundation's social media. The fund is actively looking for partners for a new space.

Rubryka reported that the foundation is looking for people aged 50+ to participate in the Adult Trainee Week project. This year, the project will be devoted to employment assistance for older Kyiv residents for the first time and the displaced.