Before the full-scale invasion, Viktoria Bilousenko worked in the Volnovakha district as the head of the dance troupe at the Novotroitsk Cultural Center "Gornjak," where about 70 children learned to dance. Her students, aged 5 to 17, studied dance and participated in festivals, competitions, and district and national contests.
Her story is told by Volnovakha.City.
After the evacuation, Victoria and her family ended up in the village of Gavrilivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where she continued to work, but in completely different conditions. At first, she taught online via Zoom and Google Meet, gathering students from all over the world, then she began to involve local children and hold classes in the open air in her yard, as there were no suitable premises in the village.
"Working with children is the greatest pleasure for me! The local children turned out to be very active, eager for cultural activities, which were not available in the village. We danced, painted, recited poems, and participated in various interesting activities with them," the teacher shares.
However, due to the security situation, Viktoria's family moved to another town. And because it was impossible to gather children, she changed the direction of her work. She moved from choreography to environmental projects with young people. Currently, the teacher is the head of the project "Development of GreenSkills in Youth," which won the UNICEF "DIY Community" mini-grant competition.
Young people are not only learning about environmental responsibility, but are also actively working to protect the environment. A community of young eco-activists has been formed to develop initiatives in their communities. Project manager Viktoria Bilousenko notes that such activities are of great importance to the community.
"Thanks to such initiatives, we are not only improving the ecological state of our environment, but also forming a new culture — a responsible attitude towards resources, nature, and each other. Youth eco-projects bring residents together, create opportunities for cooperation, raise awareness, and engage more and more people in action," Victoria emphasizes.
Today, the project manager continues to develop environmental initiatives, proving that investing in environmental education for young people brings long-term results for preserving the environment and forming a responsible society.
"Despite the change in format, the main thing has remained the same — working with young people, their development, and unity," the activist notes.
Even in times of great change, the youth of Donetsk Oblast remain an example to others, inspiring them to change the world around them and leading the way.
Together to victory!