The success story of team “Kazky do Chaiu”: social cohesion through fairy-tale therapy

The "Kazky do Chaiu" ("Tales for Tea") team became one of the winners of the fundraising challenge, demonstrating remarkable creativity and passion for their cause. They were the first to propose using "fairy-tale therapy" to strengthen cohesion in society. The team's main goal is to bring together children of IDPs and children from local communities. Together they compose fairy tales that reflect peace, safety, love, and harmony. By jointly solving the characters' problems in the tales, children and teenagers gain a sense that they can overcome their own difficulties too.

How the idea was born. Team captain Mykhailo shares: "In the summer of 2023 my collection of fairy tales, 'Tales for Tea', was ready, and it was already clear that these tales had social value, but it was unclear how to distribute them or where to find the money to print them. When I learned about FUNdraiser, an educational game that helps find funding for social projects, I registered right away. That is how the 'Tales for Tea' collection gave rise to a project aimed at bringing children and teenagers together for teamwork during master classes on writing socially oriented fairy tales."

At first the team was made up of close relatives and friends who had supported Mykhailo in creating the "Tales for Tea" collection; now the team has 27 enthusiasts. The project grew as a civic initiative and was later supported by the NGO "Impulsar". Today the team carries out a wide range of activities, including master classes on writing fairy tales, sociological research into life values, and creating a platform to promote children's creativity.

What is the project about and what is its social impact? The "Tales for Tea" project organises team-based master classes on writing fairy tales. "This practice integrates children with IDP status into the host community through teamwork, and gives children and teenagers a chance to experience the effectiveness of working together, which will influence the community's development in the future," Mykhailo says. The project's target audience is:

- children aged 10 to 14 as participants in the fairy-tale writing master classes;

- organisers who work with children and become potential moderators of these master classes;

- authors of children's works who will present their creativity on the "MRIY Platform" website.

Fairy-tale therapy helps gather important data about children's life values, which in turn contributes to understanding integration processes in communities. The impact of "Tales for Tea" goes beyond an ordinary educational process. The team builds social responsibility into its master classes, encouraging children towards tolerance, mutual support, and cooperation. Through creativity, children learn to resolve conflicts and understand different social and cultural aspects. The "Tales for Tea" project shows how art and joint activity can serve as a bridge of mutual understanding between people.

Engaging the community and developing communities. The master classes become a platform for engaging different groups of the population. In addition to the direct participation of children, parents also become involved as they learn about the positive news and opportunities offered within the project. The team is also actively working to expand the geography of its impact, which will help form more cohesive and stronger communities across Ukraine. The "MRIY Platform" website will be the main tool for attracting new audiences and spreading children's creativity. The team plans to use online learning and mentoring support to train master class organisers throughout Ukraine, providing them with all the necessary tools.

And one more key element of the project is a sociological study among master class participants, "Ranking Life Values." This study will provide important sociological data on the shared and differing values of people from different communities, which are essential for writing programmes for the effective development of communities.

The impact of FUNdraiser on the team and their plans. Taking part in FUNdraiser proved extremely valuable for the team. "We gained the necessary knowledge and skills and strengthened our belief in the success of our project. This experience motivates us to take further action," the team captain shares.

The "Tales for Tea" team inspires not only children and parents in their own communities but also other social projects across Ukraine, underscoring the power of creativity and collective work in tackling social challenges. Mykhailo and his team leave an important message for other youth initiatives: "The future is ours!"

The success story of the "Tales for Tea" team is testament to how one person's efforts, supported by a community, can turn into a powerful project with great impact. Their story inspires us to dream more boldly, act more confidently, and strive to build a more humane and cohesive society.