Two years in the past, Ukrainian youngsters have been busy with friendship, falling in love and making an attempt new issues, like their friends in different nations.
However the plans and goals have been shortly crushed by the Russian invasion that started on February 24, 2022, forcing many younger individuals to flee their properties, associates and colleges and construct a brand new existence in a wierd nation.
Tens of hundreds of Ukrainian youngsters have ended up in neighboring Poland, some with their households and a few with out, among the many hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to different European nations. Nearly six million Ukrainians stay displaced exterior the nation, a research by the World Financial institution reveals.
Two years later, lots of them have settled into a brand new life. However some battle with anxiousness, anger and despair, in addition to a way of limbo as they ponder the potential for returning to Ukraine someday if the battle ends.
The transition to maturity is usually a tough passage, and the hazard and disruption attributable to struggle have made it much more tough.
Marharyta Chykalova, who turns 17 in March, left her hometown of Kherson in southern Ukraine along with her mom in April 2022 after sleeping in a basement for weeks – and fearing for her life – whereas troops Russians occupied the town.
They fled to Moldova, then Romania earlier than settling within the Polish metropolis of Gdynia. Marharyta began studying Polish, making an attempt exhausting to adapt to her new Polish college, however the first six months have been exhausting.
She says she stayed in contact with a few of her closest associates again dwelling, however she felt lonely.
To assist deal with melancholy, the soft-spoken scholar joined theater lessons that allowed him to specific his feelings on stage and helped him make new associates.
“Some individuals say that dwelling shouldn’t be a spot the place you reside, however house is a spot the place you’re feeling good,” he mentioned. “I really feel good on stage, with individuals subsequent to me. That is my dwelling.”
About 165,000 Ukrainian youngsters between the ages of 13 and 18 are registered as refugees in Poland, in line with January knowledge from the Workplace for Foreigners.
Some collect at Blue Trainers, a group house in a shopping mall in Gdansk the place they play board video games, billiards and desk tennis. Most of all, he connects along with his Ukrainian and Polish friends.
Signing up for sports activities was a very widespread method of dealing with the shock of struggle amongst younger individuals.
Andrii Nonka, 15, from Kharkiv, arrived in Poland on his birthday, March 6, 2022, along with his mom. His father lived in Ukraine. Sometimes, he feels a powerful need to return dwelling to see his associates and father.
Becoming a member of a boxing membership helped him discover new associates and now he sees Poland increasingly as a chance to discover a good job, probably in IT.
“I feel due to the struggle, I matured quicker,” Andrii mentioned. “For now, it's exhausting to say the place my house is. For now, my house is in Ukraine.”
Dariia Vynohradova, 17, additionally from Kharkiv, left her mother and father and says she by no means needs to return.
“I don't need to return as a result of Kharkiv is destroyed a lot, there’s nothing to return to,” he mentioned. “Generally I’ll return to go to my mother and father, however I need to keep right here.”
