Two Weeks of the Warmest Tea Gatherings within the “October – For Seniors” Campaign Through the Eyes of Coordinators and Volunteers
As part of our “October – For Seniors” campaign, leading up to International Day of Older Persons, a series of tea gatherings took place in Kyiv, Dykanka, Kremenchuk, Opishnya, and Ivano-Frankivsk. Everywhere, it was truly warm. Through the eyes of the coordinators of the tea gatherings, who helped create this festive atmosphere, these are special moments they wanted to share sincerely. The tea gatherings continue, so we are collecting more stories and impressions.
“We organized a coffee master class for the seniors. Many were initially skeptical, but then they became so engaged in the process and began to put in effort! It was so joyful to see those childlike smiles when they managed to finish their drawings. It’s very simple, but very touching to see the childlike delight in their eyes!” – shares Sofia Sadybaeva, the coordinator of the tea gathering in Dnipro.
“The Opishnya Youth Center prepared an incredible program where the seniors enjoyed dancing, singing, and even an interactive activity: they were presented with tea bags and had to guess the aromas. This made the event atmospheric, and the seniors requested to keep some of the tea bags,” – shares Veronika Burminova, a youth worker at the “Starenki” Charity Foundation.
“It was interesting to observe the collaboration between seniors from two organizations, how they got to know each other and enjoyed the event. During the tea gathering, the seniors painted handprints with wishes and were as joyful as children, and then they received gifts – drawings from children. It was so much fun!”
“Here, I met seniors who truly needed a celebration like this tea gathering. They listened so sincerely, wished young people various pleasant things, and were happy. It was a very genuine tea gathering. What impressed me most was their desire to participate in activities despite various circumstances,” – continues Veronika.
“There were heartfelt master classes from schoolchildren in Irpin, and a dance master class. One of the seniors didn’t miss a single dance, which was very sweet. A 92-year-old grandfather composed a poem about volunteering and recited it to us,” – says Aliona Melnyk, the coordinator of the tea gathering in Kyiv.
“It was a warm meeting of active seniors who have the strength and inspiration not only to satisfy their basic needs but also to strive for development and interactivity,” – shared Alina, the coordinator of this tea gathering.
Our tea gatherings for seniors in October are ongoing. The main focus is on providing opportunities for seniors to feel like an important part of society and to establish a connection with it.