Bookmark Box for Ukraine: Yulia's story
Meet Yulia
Yulia is 8 years old and arrived in London from Ukraine three months ago with only her mother, leaving her father to fight on the frontline in Ukraine. They couldn’t bring many belongings with them, just a small suitcase and backpack with a handful of toys for Yulia.
After arriving in London, Yulia joined St Mary’s Ukrainian School in Holland Park. Her headteacher, Inna Hryhorovych, said Yulia was “quiet and nervous” on her first day but “excited to get to know the other children in her class”.
Yulia struggled to adjust to life in london
However, the hustle and bustle of London proved to be a difficult environment for Yulia to get used to. “Construction work and drilling on the school’s street caused her to hide under her desk with fear” and an unplanned emergency alarm became a trigger to the frightening experiences she had been subjected to with the war in Ukraine. Another student in Yulia’s class is living in temporary accommodation by a train track and has nightmares at night, as she associates the sound of the trains with the missiles in Ukraine. The crisis in Yulia’s home country will have a lasting impact on herself, her classmates, and many other Ukrainian refugees.
the bookmark box for ukraine
Experiences like these are why Bookmark decided it was necessary to build the Bookmark Box for Ukraine. To help children feel comfortable and welcomed in their new home, as well as giving them language tools, and more importantly something to call their own.
Inna was able to give an insight into the struggle’s children arriving in the UK are facing. “They know they are now safe but still have many obstacles to overcome. Some may not be sure where they are, they may not know where their friends and family have ended up and they are now having to battle with a language barrier which causes frustration, feelings of rejection and often poor behaviour choices.”
For children like Yulia, recovering from what they have experienced will be a long process. Inna stated, “In the first month, they are very confused, the second month tends to be better, but the third month worsens again as they realise, they’re stuck here and it’s not just a visit.”
Research shows children who read and write in their spare time have better mental health than their peers (NLT)
The Bookmark Box for Ukraine is filled with the tools to support children's wellbeing, through storytelling and therapeutic play. It is their own precious treasure chest filled with items to make them feel welcomed and comfortable in their new surroundings, and to build familiarity with the English language.
Inna said the reaction to the boxes was amazing, from both the children and their parents.; “The emotion was – wow!” The boxes became a “memorable experience to help build trust and overcome the barrier of uncertainty to make them open up.”
“The Bookmark Box is a box of new memories for them”
Some children ripped open the boxes with pure excitement, others were careful and delicate, unpeeling the wrapping. However, all of them didn’t stop until they had taken every item out to look at. Inna said “they never expected to find everything inside like they did. The welcome letter in Ukrainian made a big difference, it was so powerful for them to recognise their own language.” Inna also commented that some parents are holding onto the welcome letter as a keepsake and a memory to last forever. “It gave an immediate reaction and stole your heart. The Bookmark Box is a box of new memories for them.”
Vodafone kindly donated 5,000 SIM cards preloaded with 20GB of data to help the children and their families keep in touch with loved one displaced around the world. Inna said: “the Vodafone card was so thoughtful. In fact, every item in the box was thought through.” The entire box was specially curated with the advice of literary experts to include high quality Ukrainian and English resources for the children to enjoy.
“Box of treasures.”
When asked to describe the Bookmark Box for Ukraine in three words, Inna simply said: “Box of treasures.”