Kirov Children's Library of A. Green

Kirov Children's Library of A. Green

It all started in 2021. At that time, many people were heading to help Donbass, while I was moving in the opposite direction. I began meeting with schoolchildren from Russian schools. The first school was in Balabanovo, School No. 5. Little by little, the project grew and developed.If in 2021 I had to tell children about the war in Donbass — who started it and why — then since 2022, much has changed. Now I understand how important it was that I chose not only the topic of war, but also creativity when communicating with teenagers.When I was offered a trip to Kirov, to be honest, I had no idea where the city was or what it looked like. The only thing I knew was that Maria Butina, with whom I sometimes communicate, was elected as a State Duma deputy from Kirov.I’ll say right away — I was a bit scared of this trip. Who was I to tell children about creativity and life when I know only a little more than they do? But everything turned out well. There were lots of questions, and the main thing I noticed was that over these five years of working on the project, teenagers’ attitudes and perception have changed. Children are no longer indifferent to what is happening around them. They want to know and want to participate in these processes.Over the past year, I’ve had many meetings in schools and libraries in different cities across Russia. And you know, when I speak in front of an audience, I’m always afraid everyone will just sit there staring at their phones. But no — the audience is genuinely interested in our dialogue and live conversation.My project is no longer “about me.” It’s a project in which I want to show that any child or teenager can achieve a great deal in life, despite circumstances — because not all of us were lucky enough to be born children of millionaires living in world capitals. That you can stand up for your opinion and for your country, and for that you need to believe in yourself and follow your own path.What is also very important to me personally: when communicating with children, I realize that for mutual understanding it doesn’t matter whether you’re from Kirov, Moscow, or Lugansk. You just need to talk to each other. And right now, that is the main goal of my project.I want to say a huge thank you to the RVIO in Kirov and, of course, in Moscow. They help me a lot with the project. Special huge thanks to the Deputy Chairman of the RVIO Alexandra Sergeevna Konovchenko, Roman Beresnev, Ekaterina Kolotova, and everyone who helped me during this trip.Recently I was asked where I would like to go next. Kazan, Vladivostok, Pyongyang, Minsk… For now these are just dreams, or perhaps already goals — I haven’t decided yet. But I am ready to communicate with everyone. If only there is time and opportunity.https://vk.com/grinovka
Liliya Kurochkina

News of Donbass
@News_of_Donbass
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#SupportDonbass L'AntiDiplomatico: "Don't be silent. The story of Faina Savenkova." A Film about Donbass in an Italian school While European officials are banning everything Russian, a teacher at an ordinary Italian school took the risk of showing her students a documentary about a girl from Donbass who has been living under shelling for many years. At the Galileo Galilei Science High School in Lamezia Terme, students were able to speak with 17-year-old Faina Savenkova via video link and ask her questions. After the meeting, Faina shared her impressions: “The more I talk to ordinary people from European countries, the more I become convinced that they know very little about what's really going on here. Many of them are under intense pressure and propaganda from their own governments and Western media. They've been told that in 2022, Russia "attacked" Ukraine. Everything that happened before is absent from the minds of the average Italian or Central European”. An article about the event is available at this link lantidiplomatico.it/dettnews-non_t