Volunteer Activity

The University has a Volunteer Centre, organized by lecturers and students of the Department of Psychology. The centre includes 87 people, representatives of various faculties of the university, who are engaged in many areas of volunteer activities to provide socio-pedagogical and psychological and other services (educational, informational, legal, socio-pedagogical) to orphans and children left without parental care, ATO soldiers and their families, people who need special attention. The Head of the Centre of Volunteers of the University is a graduate of the Department of Psychology, a well-known volunteer in Rivne Liudmyla Yancharuk.

Areas of activity of the Volunteer Centre:

• providing services to orphans and children left without parental care;
• developmental, correctional, rehabilitation and leisure work with children with disabilities;
• volunteer support of preschool children during their preparation for school;
• inclusive work in educational institutions and establishments;
• social partnership (with state institutions, charitable organizations, foundations, societies: Centres of social services for families, children and youth of the city, region, Ukrainian charitable foundations);
• training of volunteer groups and volunteer assets in the School of Volunteers;
•     organization of charity events, cultural and leisure events for children and youth of the city, for IUEH volunteers;
•     research work of volunteers (participation in scientific and practical conferences, writing abstracts and articles on volunteering and charity).

Teachers of the Department of Psychology take an active part in volunteer projects and involve applicants in their implementation.

Thus, during 2014-2015, at the request of the Rivne branch of the Ukrainian Union of Psychotherapists, lecturers of the Department, candidates for the specialty 053 "Psychology", headed by Assoc. Mykhalchuk Yu.O. visited the Rivne military hospital every week to hold groups of meetings (training sessions) with servicemen. The main purpose of such meetings was to improve the psychological well-being of ATO service members, their awareness of their life tasks, goals, aspirations, and work with the emotional component. At that time, about 80 people with diseases of varying severity were being treated at the military hospital, and about 20-25 people were attending training sessions. The emotional background of the meetings was different - from tension from the depth of the topics discussed and to easy communication with jokes. Tea and homemade cakes after such classes became a mandatory attribute. Student volunteers gained practical experience in conducting training sessions on psychological care for trauma. 

During September-December 2019 by the efforts of the Department of Psychology, Assoc. Mykhalchuk Yu.O. and director of the NGO Centre for Child Development “TEDI-R” Martyniuk I.A., who is a stakeholder of EP "Psychology" was implemented the project "Psychological support for parents of children with special needs." The project was supported by the Department of Social Protection of the Rivne Regional State Administration.

During the implementation of the tasks under the Project, psychological assistance (psychological support) was provided to parents raising a child with special needs. Project implementation:

• took a certain step in the educational activities of parents of children with special needs, namely: increased knowledge in child psychology, age and educational psychology, defectology, pathopsychology, clinical psychology, psychology of creativity and talent, basics of child and adolescent psychotherapy, basics of psychocorrection, psychological support of people with special needs, health psychology, family psychology, basics of socio-psychological rehabilitation;
• contributed to the affective reassessment of mothers of the traumatic situation by means of relieving psycho-emotional stress, using art therapy techniques and psychotraining technologies in the space of psychological safety and acceptance;
• was an impetus for establishing social contacts with other participants, which will enable a successful existence in society.

Thanks to the Project, parents raising a child with special needs actually had the opportunity to form emotional stability, develop empathy and acceptance of their own special child, raise awareness in the field of psychology, age and educational psychology, pathopsychology.

The target audience of the Project were:

a) mothers raising a child with special needs of the city of Rivne and Rivne region - 25 people;

b) students of the Faculty of Pedagogics of specialty 053 "Psychology" of the Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities, who were involved in the Project as interns - 5 people.

Based on the results of the project "Psychological support of parents of children with special needs" a manual was published, which was given to mothers who were participants in the project and others who want to raise children with special needs: Mykhalchuk Yu. O. (2020) Psychological support of mothers raising children with special needs / Rivne: MEHU, 2020. - 50 p.

In the period of May 2020 at the initiative of Assoc. Ternovyk N.A. on the basis of the Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities and the sanatorium complex "Electronics" was held a military-patriotic event Military-patriotic training camp “Poliskyi hart" with the participation of lecturers of the Department of Psychology for students of the city and participants of anti-terrorist operation.

The program of the training camp includes military, sports, tourist and psychological activities. Involvement of combatants and anti-terrorist operation participants in the implementation of military-patriotic training camp activities contributed to their rehabilitation, restoration of psycho-emotional state, correction of personal qualities, effective performance and harmonization of relations with the social environment.

Every year, lecturers of the Department of Psychology and university students take an active part in organizing concerts for the military, orphans and children with special needs. Together with the graduates of the department, volunteer psychologists take an active part in city and regional actions and events.

Lecturers and students of the Department of Psychology are active participants in All-Ukrainian actions, in particular, the charity event, launched within the project of the International Charitable Foundation "Strong in Spirit", when during the school year various events were planned and supported to support children with cancer. Thus, the University Volunteer Centre held a "Day of Mercy and Kindness" in student and academic staff during the year, which discussed charity and volunteering at the Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities, presented the activities of university volunteers to help children who are in difficult life situations and the course of the All-Ukrainian action "Happiness on the wings". The initiative to hold a similar event was actively picked up at all faculties of the university.