To mark the Day of Remembrance for Children Who Died as a Result of the Russian Federation’s Armed Aggression Against Ukraine, the Donetsk Youth Palace “Yunist” held a large-scale regional memorial event titled “White Cranes: Memory Through Time.”
The event brought together students from the Palace’s decorative arts and fine arts clubs, as well as internally displaced children from the Donetsk region, across several regions of the country: Kyiv, Dnipro, Zolotonosha, and Odesa.
During the event, the children used various techniques to handcraft white cranes, angels, and flowers, which became symbols of pure children’s souls, mercilessly taken by the war.
The final stage of the event at each participating location was the unification of these works into a touching art installation titled “Garden of Memory,” which was set up in courtyards and playgrounds where laughter should normally be heard.
This event served as a manifesto of children’s unity and national memory, as the joint activities of children and youth from eastern, central, and southern Ukraine underscored an unwavering commitment to preserving the memory of every Ukrainian child’s life cut short and to reminding the world of a tragedy that knows no statute of limitations.
The offline format of the event also had an important therapeutic effect, providing children among the displaced with a space for emotional release, mutual support, and a sense of solidarity.