UVS

With the onset of the full-scale invasion, thousands of Ukrainians joined volunteer activities, dedicating themselves and their energy to helping others. Amid intense pressure, emergency responses and a strong sense of duty, volunteers can sometimes overlook the most important thing —their own safety. As safety is a top priority, we launched a series of offline training sessions, «Save, Don't Risk» in frontline cities across Ukraine, empowering volunteers to enhance their capacity to support others by ensuring their own protection.

Thanks to this training, active volunteers from Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Kyiv have gained practical skills through hands-on exercises, discussed personal case studies with experts and further strengthened the community by connecting with each other and representatives from partner organizations.

In collaboration with experts and trainers, we have developed a handbook on safe volunteering that covers topics such as legal, physical, psychological, digital and mine safety, as well as safety in frontline and temporarily occupied territories.

Download the handbook

The theoretical foundation can be obtained through our online course on safe volunteering during the war, «Save, Don't Risk».

Take the online course

For me, all aspects of the event were useful, so I take everything into my treasure trove. Interesting speakers, pleasant people. Now I will pay more attention to my feelings and to myself. I will replenish my resources more often.

Volunteer from Kharkiv

Super trainers with extensive experience and real-life examples. A great atmosphere, friendly and interesting people. Thank you for the training – I’m leaving with a good mood, new knowledge and useful contacts. Many thanks for the wonderful program, teaching methods and the careful organization.

Volunteer from Dnipro

For me, the most useful segments were those on psychological and digital safety. All the knowledge and skills I gained from the training will definitely come in handy in my work. The training was organized very professionally. Thank you to the team; now my actions will be more measured.

Volunteer from Mykolaiv

I have become more confident in my work thanks to the new knowledge about mine and digital safety. Thank you for the professionalism and expertise of the trainers.

Volunteer from Odesa

The most useful aspect for me was my personal reflections and realizations during the training: First my own state, and then the importance of helping others, digital safety and reliable passwords. All the information and practices provided were meaningful, useful and interesting. Thank you for the opportunity to gain new experience. I really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere; the training was a great pleasure.

Volunteer from Zaporizhzhia

I feel that the safety training will have a great impact on my future volunteer work! Personal safety is what should come first for a volunteer. As they say: help yourself, and then you can help others... Thank you so much for the training! It was truly informative, useful and practical.

Volunteer from Sumy

Participating in the training gave me openness, new acquaintances and, most importantly, the realization that this is a marathon, not a sprint!

Volunteer from Chernihiv

All aspects of the training were very relevant and useful. I take away, first and foremost, psychological advice and information about mine and digital safety – to apply both in volunteer work and in everyday life. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all the organizers. Together for victory! Together, we are strong.

Feedback