17.11.11
Every year on 9 November Ukraine celebrates the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language. To mark this day, young clients of the One Hundred Talents studio in the L’viv region, which operates through the project for children of labour migrants, participated in a competition entitled “How well do you know your native language.”
Contestants named their teams Kobzarky and Kozachata. Nearly 20 children participated in the contest. They were able to show off their knowledge of Ukrainian literary language in contests called Anti-surzhyk (Anti-slang), Advertisements in our Native Language, Aphorisms and Proverbs about Language, and the Best Poem about our Native Language.
“It is very important and pleasant when children recognize the value of their native language, its importance and uniqueness! It’s even more pleasant when they maintain their language, care about their using it correctly and correct each other.
Sometimes when we talk, I am awed by how smart and independent our children are,” says Oksana Lotots’ka, Coordinator of Psycho-Social Support for Children of Labour Migrants in the city of Brody in the L’viv region.
For the last three years, Caritas Ukraine has been supporting and caring for the children of labour migrants. In various regions of Ukraine Day Centres for children 
operate where qualified social workers and pedagogues offer children various activities and events in order to overcome psychological difficulties and help foster their multi-faceted development.
The goal of the Network of Social Centres for Children of Labour Migrants run by Caritas Ukraine is to lessen the negative consequences of labour migration for Ukrainian society by supporting children, whose parents are labour migrants or plan on moving abroad. The project also hopes to increase public awareness of issues related to migration in Ukraine, because often migration is perceived as one-sided and the complex negative consequences that result from it are not attributed to it.
“There was no single winner during the competition to celebrate the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language. This attests to the fact that our knowledge of our native language is inadequate and needs constant improvement. We will work on this with our child and adolescent clients,” says Ms. Lotots’ka one of the event staff members.
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