The Lviv Regional Children's Library — A Space of Safety

The Lviv Regional Library has held around five sessions as part of the HOVORY program. The Lviv Regional Children's Library has become a space of safety.

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4/20/20262 min read

The Lviv Regional Children's Library — A Space of Safety

Safety lessons for children now extend beyond schools. The Lviv Regional Children's Library has already held around five sessions as part of the HOVORY program.

The initiative takes the form of interactive sessions featuring videos, exercises, and the character Chubchyk, who helps explain difficult topics in simple language. The sessions are run by Kateryna Les, a library staff member and mental health specialist. According to her, children engage actively in the process and willingly complete the tasks. During the sessions, children learn to recognize dangerous situations, understand their own boundaries, talk about discomfort, and not stay silent when something feels "not okay."

"It's really convenient that the program has an online format — you can familiarize yourself with it at any time, run the sessions, and join the project. It's a genuinely valuable opportunity. The information is presented accessibly, so it's clear how to run the safety lessons. The teaching materials help a lot — they include engaging activities that children enjoy doing," says Kateryna Les, staff member at the Lviv Regional Children's Library and mental health specialist.

This format shows that the topic of safety can be naturally integrated into different environments where children spend their time. It creates more opportunities for learning in an atmosphere that feels comfortable and familiar to them.

"It's important not just to talk to children about safety, but to do it in language they understand. That's exactly why combining interactivity, stories, and a character toy helps children not just listen, but actually experience these topics. When a child is engaged in the process and feels interested, knowledge about safety stops being 'rules on paper' and becomes a real skill," says Nataliia Tarnovska, head of projects and programs in the Education direction at UCU's Centre for Child Dignity, who is confident in this approach.

That's why it's important for the topic of safety to be present everywhere a child grows up and interacts with others — and the HOVORY program works to make all these spaces safer for every child.