A special meeting took place at the War Museum. We welcomed pupils from Special Boarding School No. 16 in Kyiv, children with intellectual and psychosocial developmental needs.
Camilla Christensen Rai, Advisor at the Embassy of Denmark in Ukraine, held a workshop for them as part of her charity initiative “Teddy Bears with Hope for Ukraine”. The event aimed to introduce children, in a playful and accessible way, to the topic of mental health and support for people affected by the trauma of war.
The meeting began with Ms. Camilla showing the children a video from the opening of her exhibition “Warmth”. She then spoke about the idea behind the toys, which are sent to different regions of Ukraine as a symbol of mutual support among children. Then the hands-on part began: the boys and girls enthusiastically filled the knitted teddy bears with soft stuffing themselves. During the creative process, the screen displayed paintings by Camilla Christensen Rai from her exhibition “Blackbird”, created during her tenure in Ukraine. The artist shared the stories behind her works, while the children let their imaginations roam and together created a story about a blackbird’s adventures in Ukraine during the war.
At the end of the event, Camilla Christensen Rai presented each young participant with a soft teddy bear as a keepsake. A special surprise awaited the Danish diplomat as well: the children presented Camilla Christensen Rai with a Ukrainian amulet, a motanka doll they had made themselves.
We are sincerely grateful to Ms. Camilla for her thoughtful initiative and to the pupils and teachers of the boarding school for their visit and genuine interest in the Museum.
