In March 2026, a two-day workshop “The Power of Shadows” was held in Sheptytskyi, Lviv region, as part of the international project Empowering Creative Minds. 29 participants took part: teachers, internally displaced persons, and representatives of creative professions.
This workshop showed how international methodologies can be adapted to Ukrainian realities, combining them with local creative practices — charcoal drawing and micro-embroidery, which work as tools of psychosocial support. Thanks to this, it was possible to create a methodological framework that is understandable and close to our participants.
Today, Ukraine increasingly needs psychosocial support formats that work with different groups of people and are not limited to conversations. Therefore, it is important not to simply transfer ready-made methods, but to adapt them to our context – taking into account cultural, social and emotional characteristics.
The workshop was built as a holistic process of two interconnected stages. On the first day, participants explored their inner state through charcoal drawing. This practice complemented the main methodology and allowed them to express feelings through lines, shapes, and pressure. In parallel, exercises on spatial awareness, group interaction, and nonverbal communication took place.
This approach is in line with current trends in psychosocial work, which place great emphasis on process, bodily experience, and unconscious responses. According to participants, the practice helped them relieve tension, gain a better understanding of their own condition, and feel renewed.
The second day focused on integrating experiences through micro-embroidery, another locally adapted tool. Working with fabric and symbols allowed participants to organize their experiences and find their own meanings. The Cadavre Exquis technique was used at the beginning, which helped to establish group interaction and launch a joint creative process.
The inclusion of traditional elements, such as embroidery, enhanced the impact of the methodology, adding a cultural dimension and making the process more understandable and acceptable to participants. This confirms once again that combining universal approaches with local practices really works.
Following the workshop, participants noted improved emotional well-being, reduced anxiety, and developed self-regulation skills. Importantly, these results were achieved by combining a clear methodology with flexible, adaptable tools.
The experience of “Shadow Power” shows that effective psychosocial support in Ukraine requires not only borrowing international practices, but also their thoughtful adaptation. It is the combination of basic methods with local creative approaches that makes it possible to create formats that work with different audiences and can be scaled.
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
