By Vanda KOVALSKA, The Day
A seminar in Kyiv organized by the Association of Social Teachers and Workers
of Ukraine with the assistance
of the Ukrainian Children's' Christian Foundation is drawing to a close.
The government of Switzerland is allocating funds for the second stage
of the project, Social Education in Ukraine. Ms. Ellen Muraviova-Apostol,
who represents the International Association of Social Workers, said, "Switzerland
believes in Ukraine's future and wants it to stand on its feet as soon
as possible."
With our state being unable to provide the individual with decent living
standards, material problems become transformed into psychological ones,
while lack of belief in the future leads to depression. In a moment like
this, people have to help each other. It is very good if that person is
a friend or a neighbor. But depression assumes a massive nature during
crises. This is why society needs highly-skilled social workers. Until
recently, this term only referred to people visiting bed-ridden sick persons.
These were visiting nurses from social security bodies or the Red Cross.
But society's needs are of far broader scope. Among those who need social
help are the distressed children, underprivileged families, and risk groups.
Even the well-off are often in need of psychological help. No wonder that
such people in many countries have psychoanalysts of their own.
The Association of Social Teachers and the movement of volunteers have
started to establish social institutions in Ukraine. Excellent experience
in social work (of teachers, psychologists, doctors and social governors)
has already been developed in Western Ukraine, Simferopol, Luhansk, and
Dnipropetrovsk. Representatives of Russia, Moldova, Belarus, and Poland
also told the seminar about their successes. Now it is up to our scholars
to link practice with theory and ground the notion of "social worker."






