A significant event took place at Poltava Polytechnic: the presentation of the book by American author Angie Yoder-Mayne, “Healing as a Guarantee of Peace: An Approach to Peacemaking in Traumatized Societies”. The book was translated, adapted, published, and distributed free of charge in a print run of 1,000 copies by UA VETERANS thanks to the US Embassy in Ukraine. The initiator and editor of the book was professor and public figure Anna Romanova, who spent over a year looking for ways to make the English version of the book available to Ukrainian readers.
The event was unique in that it brought together more than 600 educators, trauma specialists, and veterans from all corners of Ukraine – from Poltava to Kherson, from Lviv to Kharkiv – with their American colleagues. More than 20 institutions joined the event: government agencies, educational institutions, veteran centers, psychological support services, social work centers, women's organizations, and other public associations that work daily with people who have experienced various psychological traumas. At the same time, thanks to a teleconference, the event was broadcast in real time on several continents, giving it a unique international scale.
The book is devoted to restoring the mental health of entire societies that have experienced traumatic events and collective trauma in the past. American peacebuilding scholar Dr. Angie Yoder-Mayne, who has devoted more than 30 years to building peace in hot spots around the world, calls this process of social recovery “healing.” The author currently serves as Director of the Institute for Resilience at Florida State University (USA) and is fascinated by the Ukrainian people, who demonstrate unprecedented resilience and intuitively apply wise approaches to healing that Ukrainians have inherited from their ancestors. She has granted free copyright for the publication of the book in Ukrainian so that her approaches to understanding collective trauma and methods of healing the social wounds of war can help Ukrainian society heal the wounds of war.
The highlight of the Ukrainian version of the book is the illustrations, which have been adapted to Ukrainian realities. The vivid, colorful, and expressive images were created by Ukrainian art therapist and psychologist Svitlana Homeniuk. Her images appeared after the start of the war, as a result of psychotherapy sessions with Ukrainians who had experienced trauma. Svitlana told the audience how art therapy can help overcome collective trauma and demonstrated a technique for freeing oneself from subconscious archetypal thinking patterns.
The following speakers addressed the participants with welcoming remarks:
Yuliia Hrytsku, Reform Support Manager at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine;
Vilma Fuentes, Director of the Ukraine Support Group at Florida State University, USA.
“Ukrainians need this book in these difficult times for recovery and resilience, for our victory!” said Yuliia Hrytsku.
Anna Ageicheva, Dean of the Faculty of Philology, Psychology, and Pedagogy at Poltava Polytechnic, conveyed warm greetings on behalf of Volodymyr Onyshchenko, President of Poltava Polytechnic, and Olena Filonych, Rector of the University, to all participants. She also emphasized the importance of caring for mental health.
Tetiana Korol, associate professor of the Department of General Linguistics, and Maryna Teslenko, associate professor of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, shared some practical cases developed at Poltava Polytechnic as part of Olena Zelenska’s “How are you?” program with the event participants. The event at Poltava Polytechnic brought together over 100 participants, including mental health and veteran rehabilitation specialists.
This book presentation was not only an important cultural and scientific event, but also a confirmation of a shared commitment to healing and recovery, as Poltava Polytechnic, as a participant in First Lady Olena Zelenska’s national program “How Are You?”, pays considerable attention to supporting the mental health of its students and staff.
The university community of Poltava Polytechnic expresses its sincere gratitude to Vilma Fuentes, Director of the Ukraine Support Group at Florida State University, USA, Angie Yoder-Mayne, author of the book, Doctor of Peacemaking, and Anna Romanova, professor and public figure, for their work, invaluable experience, and knowledge, which will undoubtedly become a reliable foundation for further fruitful cooperation. Your support is not just help, it is our shared belief in the victory of good over evil, light over darkness. Together, we will surely prevail!
Media Center of
National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
