Career guidance unites. How evacuated Dobropilska community cares for its children’s future, even online

The community is located in an area of active hostilities; its residents have been fully evacuated and are now scattered across Ukraine and the world, whilst teaching continues remotely. It would seem that, in such conditions, the main task of education is simply to maintain the educational process in schools.

However, Dobropilska community in Donetsk region proves that even during wartime and whilst evacuated, it is possible to successfully relaunch the career guidance system, introduce unique online tours to enterprises, and help teenagers find their career path.

One-off events here have evolved into a structured system of careers guidance and counselling; the community has managed to build a space of trust through computer screens, whilst today’s teenagers are surprising adults with their pragmatism. Read on to find out how careers guidance is becoming a tool for community building.

From single excursions to an effective system

Before the full-scale invasion, career guidance in Dobropillia was largely seasonal in nature: summer internships, careers fairs, and occasional meetings with specialists and representatives from the unemployment office.

‘Career guidance existed before, but the activities lacked a clear structure,’ notes Svitlana Tomchuk, Director of Dobropilskyi Educational Complex No. 4.

Today, however, the community is developing a fundamentally different, structured approach.

‘DECIDE gave us the opportunity to organise this work and clearly see the direction we need to take next. Career counsellors have been appointed in the community to run sessions within the JOBS course for students in Grades 8–9, helping them to discover their strengths, interests, and talents. Field trips to enterprises, although now conducted online, have become regular, structured, and informative,’ notes Svitlana Klymenko, the community’s careers coordinator.

For this pilot educational institution, this step has also become a strategic milestone in the context of the forthcoming reform of senior secondary education.

‘The education system is currently undergoing reform. Our school is set to be reorganised into a lyceum, and senior secondary education is becoming more specialised. So we are striving to prepare teachers, schoolchildren, and parents for these changes in advance,’ explains Svitlana Tomchuk.

At the same time, even experienced teachers initially had to overcome their own reservations about the new careers guidance course.

‘We often take part in different projects, but career guidance was a new field for me, despite my extensive work experience. At first, I was even scared and refused, because I thought the subject was not interesting. However, after working with the mentors, my perspective changed completely. We realised how traditional teaching tools can be successfully used in career guidance. Now I view the career guidance system not only as a teacher, but also as a mum: if someone had worked with my son so purposefully when he was a teenager, many of the difficulties he faced in choosing a profession could have been avoided,’ admits Olena Istomina, a career counsellor.

Discovering the personality and building trust through the screen

The main change that has taken place in career guidance is a shift in focus. Career guidance used to focus mainly on the job market, but now it is child-centred.

‘Now we focus on the child’s personality, their critical thinking, resilience, and strengths. Coaching questions encourage children to reflect and engage in exploratory activities, which significantly changes their attitude to their future profession,’ explains Daria Malashchuk, a career counsellor.

It is not easy to hold the attention of teenagers in an online format, so counsellors adapt the materials they receive to suit distance learning.

‘Thanks to a combination of individual and group work, we manage to hold the students’ attention. Children also find it challenging, but they begin to explore themselves more deeply and analyse their qualities and achievements,’ says Olena Istomina.

The first practical tasks often prove to be a real eye-opener for the students, taking them out of their comfort zone.

‘In the first lesson, we explored the micro- and macro-society: we analysed the professions of our parents, neighbours, and bloggers. At first, some of the children were a bit at a loss, as the topic had never crossed their minds before, but later on we moved on to creating portfolios and maps of individual characteristics, helping each student unlock their potential,’ Daria Malashchuk explains.

The main task for teachers remains creating an atmosphere of trust and emotional comfort through computer screens.

‘Circumstances and sleepless nights affect teenagers’ emotional state. However, when one person starts sharing their thoughts, others pick up on that impulse,’ says Daria Malashchuk.

On online excursions

One of Dobropillia’s most interesting and successful initiatives has been the online career guidance tours to companies and meetings with businesses.

‘Online meetings where you can chat, ask questions, and discover a particular sector are the most interesting part of careers guidance. We are already building up a network of partners, thanks to which we have organised several tours. Business owners and organisations are keen to get involved in such initiatives,’ says Svitlana Klymenko.

Currently, schoolchildren of the community have already taken part in several virtual excursions. They gained an in-depth understanding of how the healthcare sector works and were also given an insight into the world of light industry thanks to the sewing workshop run by a local businesswoman who was forced to evacuate due to the war but managed to relaunch and expand her business in a new place.

One memorable experience was a meeting with the State Emergency Service team – rescue workers from different fields debunked myths about their service and showed the children that anyone can find their calling in this field, regardless of gender.

The format of these online excursions is nothing like monotonous lectures. It is an interactive, live exchange. Experts prepare visual presentation materials and videos for teenagers, which offer an insider’s view of the intricacies of the profession. A key feature of every session is a Q&A session, where children can ask the guests about the real challenges they face in their daily work.

‘Every single representative from businesses or organisations emphasises that it is important for children to choose a profession that they love. It should bring not only an income, but more importantly, pleasure from life. And also – that it is perfectly normal to make mistakes. If it does not work out the first time, you have to try again, but always with pleasure,’ adds Svitlana Klymenko.

The teenagers engage in discussions with entrepreneurs on a completely equal footing, confidently expanding their knowledge, especially in financial matters.

‘This generation of teenagers is very different from us: they are more intellectual and have more theoretical knowledge. On excursions, the children asked such profound questions that I listened with fascination to their very adult dialogue, in which cause-and-effect relationships were clearly evident,’ says Daria Malashchuk.

The careers counsellor adds that children are actively following economic events. For example, during a themed week on money, ninth-graders monitored the level of starting salaries in different fields, assessed the impact of inflation, and considered financial prospects.

What the children say and how they are changing

Students in the pilot Grades 8–9, who are studying the JOBS course, say that the new, interactive format is much more effective.

‘It’s definitely more interesting than just reading articles online or watching videos. We can ask the experts about their real-life experiences and training. I realised how little we knew about the daily work of, for example, the paramedics or doctors we met during the lessons. Each of these lessons was fascinating in its own way,’ says Daria Pavlenko, a student in Grade 8.

For senior students, such meetings have a very practical value – they help them decide on their next steps and choose their academic specialisations.

‘Although I haven’t yet decided on my future profession, these meetings are very useful. They help me understand which academic profile to choose in Grade 10 and which subjects I’ll need later on, and they also help me develop my communication skills with people from different professions,’ says Oleksandr Vasiunin, a student in Grade 9.

Adults, in turn, are deeply impressed by the pragmatism and maturity of today’s generation of teenagers, who have completely moved away from outdated stereotypes about career choices.

‘They ask themselves what real value their future studies will bring them (and increasingly, this refers to vocational education). They also wonder whether they will be able to work remotely in the future. But what touched me most was the question from one boy, who asked to what extent the career he had chosen would help rebuild the country,’ says Svitlana Tomchuk.

The main challenge for Donetsk region – preserving human capital

For the leadership of the Dobropillia Department of Education and the Military Administration, this project is much more than just part of the educational process. It is a strategic tool in the fight for the people and the future recovery of Donetsk region.

‘When our community joined the project, there were many doubts. Are career guidance and distance learning even compatible? There was a fear that we would not be able to rise to the challenge of bringing together the authorities, the business community, and schoolchildren online. Our community is in an extremely difficult situation, in an area of active hostilities, and the population has been completely evacuated. However, our greatest priority is not to lose touch. Right now, young people and their parents need stable guidance more than ever, as they are at a loss. Career guidance has become one of our priorities as we adapt to the new realities, and a clear plan of action today ensures the stability of the community tomorrow,’ says Inna Kalchenko, Head of the Education Department at Dobropillia City Council.

One of the most painful challenges for evacuated families is the complete breakdown of their former professional and personal lives, as Dobropillia has traditionally been a region of major industrial dynasties.

‘For example, when a father worked in the mine for decades and the whole family lived this lifestyle, but after the evacuation the industry was closed down and only three per cent of businesses were relocated. Parents have to start from scratch: change their profession or set up their own business. And the child sees completely different behavioural models. Our task is to help families adapt and ensure they do not become isolated,’ explains Inna Kalchenko.

To keep in touch and ensure young people do not leave, Dobropillia is actively developing its own network of community hubs across Ukraine and working closely with evacuated vocational education institutions.

‘We are expanding the scope of the project through our official hubs in Pavlohrad, Dnipro, Kamianske, and Sheptytskyi. Our fellow countrymen and relocated businesses are there, so we plan to introduce a mix of blended and in-person classes. We also work closely with evacuated vocational education institutions of Donetsk region, where new, modern courses are now offered. We aim to convey to children that vocational education is a pathway to a profession that will quickly bring in money,’ shares Inna Kalchenko.

Schools of the community are trying to keep in constant direct contact with colleges, helping to coordinate the forthcoming enrolment campaign.

‘We are in constant contact with vocational and pre-higher education institutions; in particular, we have just held meetings with the Volodarskyi Vocational College to discuss the enrolment campaign,’ says Svitlana Tomchuk.

The director adds that career counsellors also work closely with the teenagers’ parents.

‘One of the major challenges is to engage parents as partners, rather than as those who dictate choices. Adults often try to impose their own path on children, ignoring their real abilities. Our task is to organise online education for parents and explain that career guidance supports a child’s independence. Life is unpredictable, and it is difficult to plan a career ten years in advance, so the key thing now is to shift the focus from choosing a single profession for life to developing soft skills that will help a child succeed in any circumstances and not be afraid of making mistakes,’ adds Svitlana Tomchuk.

Ultimately, this course gives children who are scattered across the country and abroad the most important thing of all – a strong sense of unity and shared roots.

‘A normal lesson simply provides educational content, whereas in these sessions children have the opportunity to express their own opinions and discover a new side to their friends. This kind of open communication fosters closer bonds. We may be scattered far and wide, but this bridge remains, helping us to hold on to what is ours, to our roots,’ emphasises Svitlana Klymenko.

Dobropilska community continues to be actively involved, sign memoranda, and believe that the knowledge gained will form the foundation for their return.

‘We truly believe in returning home, and this belief is our main tool. Government, education, and business need to work as a unified system. We will not see the results of this work straight away, but with time, the children will certainly confirm that these career guidance tools have helped them choose a profession they love. And later, they will be the ones to restore and rebuild our native Donetsk region,’ concludes Inna Kalchenko.

The DECIDE project is implemented by NGO DOCCU and PHZH International Projects in Education with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.