Project Heart Beats - Heart for Ukraine
March 11, 2022
This Project Heart Beats, Heart for Ukraine, is a special edition in response to requests from teachers and parents looking for ways to help their kids process what's happening in Ukraine.
Europe's first major war in almost 80 years began when Russia's military invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Now that social media is such a big part of kids' lives, they can't help but hear and see things that cause them to have difficult thoughts and feelings. As adults it is important to help kids process how they are thinking and feeling and lead them out of anxiety, worry and fear. One of the best ways to feel better about tough situations is to take action!
This Project Heart Beats offers a brief summary of what is happening in Ukraine and then proposes a challenge to take action and make a difference. There are many open ended questions with links to videos and websites that will help kids determine the type of action they can take using their 3Ts (time, talent and treasure) to make a difference.
We intentionally left out images or videos that could potentially be triggering, so as the teacher or parent supporting this activity you can decide what and where your kids research - there's even suggestions on where to look. You may find an article like Talking to Kids About the War in Ukraine from the American Psychological Association to be helpful as you prepare to introduce this activity. The reading and research in the lesson will only take about 30 minutes, but be prepared to continue the conversations, planning and execution as your kids take action.
We know your kids have the power to make a difference and we look forward to seeing what they come up with. You can share updates via social media using #myprojectheart #projectheartbeats and @ottercares or email us at info@ottercares.org
We believe that everyone and anyone can be a philanthropist who can change our world and make it better. That is why we created Project Heart and offer this philanthropy program for free to educators around the world - igniting the giver inside of every student at any age has the power to transform our world in ways we cannot begin to imagine.