Karazin University Representatives Conducted Another Series of Trainings for Internally Displaced Persons of the Odesa Region within the Activities of the Public Union “ARPNE”

Last week, staff members of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University together with activists of the Public Union “Association for the Development of Professional and Lifelong Education” (PU “ARPNE”) held a comprehensive training titled “Creative Thinking and Idea Generation” for internally displaced persons in the Odesa region.

The training took place at the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky within the framework of the project TURBO — “Universities’ Response to Big Obstacles: Building Higher Education for Responding to and Managing Societal Crises” (ERASMUS-EDU-2023-CBHE 101129315).

The trainers were Tetiana Bondarenko, Executive Director of PU “ARPNE” and Professor at the Department of Information Computer Technologies and Mathematics of the Education and Research Institute “Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy”; Marina Vasylieva, Professor and Deputy Director of the same Institute, and member of PU “ARPNE”; as well as Roman Nesterenko, Deputy Head of the International Relations Office of Karazin University.

The trainings took place in a friendly and inspiring atmosphere. The goal of the event was to unlock the participants’ creative potential, teach them to use creative techniques to search for unconventional solutions, and to develop their own ideas. The program of the training included a number of interactive exercises and team games, such as:

• “Tower of Acquaintance” — an exercise that helped participants get to know each other and immediately feel team spirit;

• a game with associative cards “Invent a Story”, aimed at developing imagination and storytelling skills;

• “Invent Things from One Material” — an exercise for finding unusual ways of using everyday materials;

• “Crazy Business Idea” with LEGO construction sets — creating creative business concepts in a playful format;

• the “Hammer” game — practicing quick thinking and flexibility;

• “Closed Eyes” — participants competed in making paper figures based on hints, relying on their intuition and team support;

• “My Startup in 3D” with LEGO — the final exercise, where each participant presented their startup in the form of a 3D model.

The event proved that creativity is an important resource in life and professional activity, and that unconventional exercises can help find new ideas even in the most challenging circumstances. Participants noted that the training provided them not only with new tools for developing creative thinking, but also with a boost of positivity, support, and new acquaintances.