Participant of the Regional Competition "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the Nomination "Youth Worker of the Year" Yuliia Ryzhuk
My name is Yuliia Ryzhuk; I am 34 years old. I am a primary school teacher, a pedagogical organizer, and an individual learning teacher at the Zoryanske General Secondary Education Institution of I-III degrees in the Maryinka community. I am a teacher by calling, a mentor by conviction, and a creator of opportunities for every child. My calling is not just to teach children but to grow with them every day.
I chose the path of a teacher not by chance. Since childhood, my mother, a primary school teacher, was my example, inspiration, and role model. Every day, I saw the love with which she approached her work, the care with which she prepared for lessons, and the warmth with which she spoke about her students. It was thanks to her that I understood that teaching is not just a profession but a calling. It is the ability to inspire, support, and believe in one's students. I want to continue this work with the same heart as my mother does. To be not only a mentor for children but also a friend, a support, someone who will help them take their first steps into the great world of knowledge.
And so, in 2008, I entered Donetsk Pedagogical College. My educational journey began not with textbooks or curricula, but with children's eyes – sincere, open, full of trust. Already during my teaching practice, I felt that each student is a separate world, and I needed to find a key to each one. That is why I chose primary school, because it is here that the first ideas about learning, friendship, fairness, and oneself are formed. Then I decided not to stop there and entered Donbas State Pedagogical University. I completed my master's degree, specializing as a lecturer in pedagogy and methods of primary education.
Working with the youngest students, I became convinced every day of how important it is to create an environment where a child feels accepted and supported. This is the kind of space I always try to create as a teacher. In 2019, I participated in the district competition "Organization of the Educational Environment," where I won 1st place. If a child feels comfortable in the educational environment, they are capable of active work. My students and I participated in various Olympiads and competitions at all levels, where we won many prizes.
The topic of inclusive education is extremely close to me. That is why I actively cooperate with the Inclusive Resource Center of the Maryinka community. I am deeply convinced that every child deserves love, understanding, and an individual approach. In working with students in individual learning, I practice flexible methods, integrating play elements, art techniques, and motivational conversations. Sometimes I develop my own teaching methods. For me, success is not just a good grade, but the first smile of a child who previously did not believe in themselves.
In parallel, I actively work as a pedagogical organizer, creating and coordinating educational, cultural, and charitable initiatives within the school environment. Together with students, we implement national-patriotic events, charity actions, integrated weeks, flash mobs, and environmental projects. We also actively participate in district, regional, and all-Ukrainian competitions.
During martial law, my activities not only did not cease but, on the contrary, gained even greater significance. I became an active initiator and participant in military-patriotic education events. This is not just about national identity; it's about educating conscious, strong, and worthy citizens. During this period of work, volunteering at the educational hub of the Maryinka community took a special place in my life. For three consecutive years, I have participated in the innovative project "Educational Hub of the Maryinka City Territorial Community," which has two components. The first is an educational online platform where classes and mini-courses are organized, aimed at various target audiences – future first-graders, preschoolers, students, teachers, and parents. The second component of the project is offline locations in the city of Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
There, I help conduct classes, master classes, and meetings with children who have suffered from the war, have educational gaps, or psychological trauma. We create a safe space for them where knowledge is not just learning, but also therapy. Working at the hub taught me to be even more attentive to a child's internal state, to hear even what is not said aloud.
I also actively develop professionally: I participate in trainings on emotional intelligence, inclusive education, mental health, and youth participation. In 2024-2025, I became an assistant to the head in organizing and conducting the All-Ukrainian Children and Youth Military-Patriotic Game "Sokil" ("Dzhura") in the Maryinka community.
Another innovative project, "Teacher's Digital Workshop," was organized in our community, aimed at supporting and developing teachers' digital culture. The digitalization of the education system is based on the transition to a new competence-based approach, which fundamentally changes the structure of learning and the organization of the educational environment. Currently, the effectiveness of the educational process directly depends on the convergence of a teacher's deep knowledge and their desire and ability to use digital tools, their ability to apply new learning formats, and to design educational programs and academic disciplines using new technologies.
During the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years, I was a speaker for the project, during which I presented useful websites, online platforms, digital life hacks, and findings on using digital resources to my colleagues, and demonstrated their effective application in lessons. Regarding methodological work, I was a participant in district creative groups and co-authored electronic manuals such as "STEM Research in Primary School," "Learning Independent Parts of Speech with the 'Daily 5' Pedagogical Technology," "Learning Multi-Digit Numbers with the 'Daily 3' Pedagogical Technology," and "Internet Safety in Distance Learning." I also participated in district creative projects of the Maryinka community: "Great Idea! Digital Lesson Design: Asynchronous Format," "Overcoming Educational Losses: Secrets of Success," "We Are Ukrainians and This Is Our Strength," "Little Patriots of a Big Country," and "Teacher's Digital Workshop."
I also managed to participate in the creation of a collection of educational activities at the Donetsk Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education (OBLIPPO) and in the All-Ukrainian competition "Educator-Innovator," as well as in the project "Heroes of the Native Land."
For me, being a youth worker is not about status; it's about action. It's about being ready to be there, to listen, to support, to create opportunities. It's the ability to ignite, not to fade away. Because education is not just about transferring knowledge. It's an opportunity to touch a heart. And, perhaps, to change someone's life.