Caritas Boryslav organized an unforgettable trip to Carpathian Ruthenia for disabled young people

17.06.2015, Carpathian Ruthenia
Recently workers of Caritas Boryslav has organized a summer camp in Carpathian Ruthenia for young beneficiaries with intellectual disability. Center for rendering help to disabled youth was founded in Boryslav in January 2014 and today it has over 12 beneficiaries. Qualified social worker, social care teacher and Center manager work with them.

Daily schedule of the youth camp included morning exercises, brain games, various contests and quizzes, joint prayers. During this leisure time they got chance to visit thermal waters in Kosyno village and Berehovo town, have an excursion in Mukachevo castle, visit a valley of daffodils, deer and ostrich farms. For many camp participants it was a possibility to train their social and household skills in arrangement of place for dwelling and acquire new ones; spend time communicating with friends and new people, take rest, feel themselves independent, responsible and wanted. As a rule, parents who bring up a disabled kid don’t have financial means to provide summer leisure and recreation for their children.

At the moment Caritas Ukraine coordinates activity of 6 social centers on work with people who have special needs: in Lviv, Drohobych, Stryi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kolomyia and Boryslav. Nearly 120 disabled persons, their parents and relatives are seized with such work on a daily basis.

Participants of Caritas Ukraine social centers benefit from trainings on acquiring occupational skills (occupational therapy) and basic social skills (self-service, cooking, behavior in different household communications and situations, etc); there are events on social integration (meetings with youth from other establishments and Caritas centers, organization of leisure,  recreational games,  getting involved in fairs and festivals, participation in Christian pilgrimages, summer camps, excursions, etc). Parents of disabled persons are secured with social and psychological support, informational assistance, they join activities and events of Caritas centers, trips and camps, see each other on certain events and seminars.

“Trip to Carpathian Ruthenia for 12 disabled young people from Boryslav was unforgettable. Such leisure positively impacts social adaptation of youth with special needs, development of their worldview, increase of self-esteem, improvement of moral and spiritual state of being. Parents and youth are grateful to everyone who got involved in the organization of this recreation, notably Caritas Ukraine, German foundation Rennovabis and workers of local Caritas,” notes Ivanka Bilynska, camp organizer.