They discussed how to help a person with an acute psychological trauma using the protocol of military psychologists “I'm with you”.
Over a cozy tea party, the participants shared their experiences, met and found support in a circle of like-minded people.
A constant highlight of the meeting was a playback theater performance. The stage was filled with personal stories of the participants, embodied by the actors at the moment of storytelling.
One of the stories belonged to a woman from Dnipro who admitted that she did not realize the importance of psychology before and coped with stress on her own. But she recently started attending support groups and felt it helped. “I realized that I also needed help. At the meetings, I received tools to relieve stress, and I felt better,” she said.
Such meetings help people cope with stress, find support and unite. “Our events create a space where you can not only learn something useful, but also feel that you are not alone in your experiences. This is our strength,” said the team members.
Each such meeting helps participants to restore their inner resources, share experiences and find inspiration to move on.

Life in Mykolaiv remains difficult: the constant threat of Russian attacks, separation from loved ones, and uncertainty about the future. However, even in such circumstances, people are looking for ways to find support, restore social ties and feel part of something bigger. To help the city's residents, the Contact2U project team organized a unique networking event that became a breath of fresh air for many.

At the event, participants could meet, exchange contacts and find friends. The creative atmosphere helped everyone feel comfortable and open. The guests were treated to a unifying art practice, a heartwarming tea party with treats, and the evening culminated in a playback theater performance.

One of the stories that was told that evening particularly touched everyone present. A woman from the Kherson region told how she left her destroyed home after a Russian missile strike. She decided to return to pick up her surviving belongings, but faced a new threat: a Russian drone flew into her yard, hovered right over her and did not leave. The woman fell to the ground and managed to crawl to safety. At that moment, the Ukrainian military shot down the drone. Later, when she was leaving the city, she met them at a checkpoint and learned that they had saved her life.

This story has become a symbol of the strength, courage and support that unite people in difficult circumstances.

Events like this one help participants restore broken ties, find support and build a new community united by shared pain and a desire to move forward.
“Our project helps people start their lives anew, find like-minded people and feel that they are not alone. Together we are stronger,” the organizers say.

These meetings become not just a time of communication and creativity, but also an important step towards recovery, where even one story heard can inspire dozens of others.

The project is being implemented within the framework of the EMPOWER project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with the European Union and implemented by GIZ Ukraine.