Study in Ukraine

Attention! Attention! Attention!📣📣📣
If you were looking for a sign, this is it! 🧐😎
If you want to become a Master of Project Management and just make a breakthrough in these area, then it's up to us😏.
Recruitment for the program is carried out from July 1 to October 30.
We are waiting for you!
If you have questions or you are ready to join us, just fill out the form: https://forms.office.com/r/DQNXFhbUr4

ATTENTION! 📣📣📣We started recruiting for training !!! 🔍🔎 Do you want to join Project Management? Write to us! 📝 The set is valid until April 15! 🏋️🤔🙂 We are waiting for You😉

🌷Graduation is over! Diplomas were awarded! 🥇And now ATTENTION! 📣📣📣We started recruiting for training !!! 🔍🔎 Do you want to join Project Management or do you dream of becoming a computer genius? Write to us! 📝 The set is valid until October 30! 🏋️🤔🙂 We are waiting for You😉

Our students do not sit still. Prior to quarantine, some of our beautiful and talented students took part in a scientific conference, where they was able to present their own scientific achievements in the field of project management. Do you know where the action took place? It was sunny Odessa, which greeted our wonderful 𝘿𝙤𝙮𝙣 𝙇𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙡 and 𝙄𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙄. with good weather and gave inspiration for future accomplishments.

Today we have a story from one of our students. His name is 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙝𝙞 𝙆𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙧. He just started his journey with us. Kishor aspires to be a specialist in project management, but so far he is studying only basic skills in an Academic Internship. We are fascinated by Kishor's desire to explore the new and his vision of the world. However, we were interested in Kishor's opinion about education, Ukraine ... So let's see the result together:
"After entering into this country for first few days it was not so easy to stay and habit to the weather and timings and exactly I entered in mid winter so very cool and early nights days are short and nights are long but few days later everything started going normal and coming to university it was too good. Professors are very interactive to me and and our first meeting impresed me. Now we coming to my mentor Maria, she's very interactive and clears every of my doubt. Because of the carantine we have online classes and they are going well. To be honest University and people in Ukraine are too good and as spring season started weather is becoming so beautiful I'm very happy with this country and people over here, overall I love this country and people are friendly."

This is the end of a series of interviews with our students about Real Madrid project. We are sincerely grateful to them that they responded to the Real Madrid project from the NGO "Epicenter for Children". Each of them breathed life, became a faithful friend and mentor to the children. Everyone was able to reveal themselves as a real project manager.
Also, we will continue to talk about our students. Their life in Ukraine, about their adventures and ups and downs, as well as what interests many - studying in Ukraine.
So, keep your hand on your pulse.🧐

And here is another story from our beautiful and wonderful 𝙈𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮𝙨 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝. She told us what it's like to take part in similar projects, such as those proposed by the Real Madrid Foundation. In addition, the student told a little about learning. Let's see together her story:
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧: Why you decided to participate in a similar social project proposed by the Real Madrid Foundation?
𝙈𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮𝙨 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝: I participated in this social project because, first of all it was one of school requirement as initially we participated as part of our internship, where we were able to practice the essence of project management. And proudly represent our university. Secondly, it was a great opportunity to participate in a social project, were in one way or another we were able to contribute to the welfare of the students involved in this project, to have a chance to work with them and help them in one way or another.
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧: Describe a typical day in this project, what does it consist of?
𝙈𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮𝙨 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝: Day spent working on the project is full of energy and excitement, Classes consisted of 45 minutes and we had 3 different sessions starting from 10:00 to 10:45 with group A (Age from 6-8years old), Then we had 15 minutes break then group B (9-11years), then 15 minutes break and the last group C (12-15 years)
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧: In your opinion, what role do such projects play?
𝙈𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮𝙨 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝: Both socially and Educational development. Since every week student had the chance to learn new things and also their social improvement a friendly environment was created among the students.
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧: What else do you think a person who is going to work in such projects should know?
𝙈𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮𝙨 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝: Probably to try learn some few Ukrainian words (in case for foreigners) to be able to communicate with students. Also, the students are great and love to participate and learn mostly in form of games and creative/innovative way.
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧: What role did you as a project manager play in this project?
𝙈𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮𝙨 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝: First I was a contractor for my own project which was “Communication, Creativity and Teamwork (CCT) workshop”. Where I was able to put my project management skills in to practice. Second, was Manager 1 for Ms. Igho’s Project. Where I was able to exercise my project planning skills.
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧: Tell me, did everything go smoothly and go exactly as planned? And if there were any force majeure then how did you find a way out?
𝙈𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮𝙨 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝: Unfortunately there were some slightly minor deviations and incidents, But through this we were able to put into practice, what we have learnt regarding project management regarding dealing with and managing deviations, and uncertainty and risk. Hence it was a practical lesson learnt working on really project.
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧: What do you like most about your work in this project?
𝙈𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮𝙨 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝: First, was working with students (Kids), by teaching them, I also got some valuable life lessons I will carry with me.Second, I had opportunity to participate in an international project run by charity fund of Real Madrid football club, and again experience.Third, was able to visit Iripin town. such a beautiful and quite place.
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙧: What career paths exist for you in the future? And would you choose similar projects as a springboard in the future?
𝙈𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮𝙨 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝: Definitely yes, as matter of fact my master thesis is also a social project focusing on earlier education development so it’s much similar to the project we did and I was able to learn a lot from this (Real Madrid Foundation project) that will help my future project.

Quite a lot of time was spent by our students taking part in the Real Madrid project. Someone encouraged the children to dance, sing, just have an interesting conversation. And someone just played a game and understood what the children want. This is exactly what can be said about our next hero - 𝘼𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙞 𝘼𝙮𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙀𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙡. He understood the wishes of children and was able to realize them.
We got a bit of a mess from this cut and will be happy to share it with you:
"When I got the proposal to participate in the REAL MADRID FOUNDATION project, I was excited because I'm a big fan of Real Madrid football club and I also see it as an opportunity to explore and try something new to boost my confidence as a project manager to face the outside world. A typical day is to meet local kids, get along with them and manager their activities within a short time frame given to me. The project played a huge role in my life and in the life of the kids. The kids was opportune to speak and get close to a foreigner for the first time. I also had a great opportunity to work with kids between the age range I've never worked with. It was a bit difficult at first but along the line , I got to understand them and work with them perfectly fine. It really changed my point of view towards kids and how to work with them. Anyone that'll work in such project needs to know that understanding and communication is very important in such a project.
As a project manager, I planned the activities for each classes and what to present to the kids. I also presented different presentations to the kids and we had some exercise to wake them up before each classes.
You asked if everything went smoothly. No, no, no. As a project manager, I understand not everything will always go smoothly and as planned, there as to be plans for an unforeseen circumstances. I have my activities planned for 45minutes and I somehow finished it in less than 20minutes. I just improvised with other activities that wasn’t planned. The previous time I was going again, I have extra activities planned for unforeseen circumstances and it was better than previous day.
I love the fact that I learnt how to work with kids and communicate with them. I learnt what different kids with different age groups like and how to work with them.
On the first day, it was difficult for me. I just leave such kid and focus on the rest that are calm and attentive but I tried to understand how to deal with such kid and fixed it during the second visit. Kids like to play a lot but they get to play more when they see their play partner so I separate those play pairs and involve them more in the activities. I understand when they get less busy, they play and fight so I involve them in the activities.
I was about to quit while working with the older kids because they just want to be on their phones and refuse to do whatever I ask them to, just a few was listening to me so on the first day, I focused on those who listened to me. I read more about how to work with such kids and the second visit was different, I told the teacher present at that time to get their phones from them and I noticed they like to draw and play the X and O game so I involved them in that.
My Career path is Real Estate which as well deals with property projects and working with kids is far from it. I can choose a similar project but not so little kids, matured kids between the age range of 16years and above will be better.
Also, I've wanted to help kids that has financial obstacle to go to school. I want to open a school and allow less privileged to study in my school for free."

Remember the interview with our first hero 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙮? Yes, a similar interview was conducted with our next participant in the Real Madrid project - 𝙇𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙮𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙠𝙚. She is bright, always positive and ready to share her mood with others.
𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙙 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣?
The Real Madrid Foundation Project was particularly interesting for me because it afforded me the opportunity to have an active involvement with the local community and help to improve social interactions amongst vulnerable children. It also allowed me to transfer my knowledge on the crucial topic of global warming and climate change, educating the children on the importance of saving the planet for their future. The fact that I could be a part of making an impact in the lives of children from vulnerable families was the most valuable consideration for me in this project.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛?
A typical day in the project on my watch consisted of interacting with the children and meeting them at their different levels of understanding. Having to deal with three different age groups, it was imperative to have my educative content tailored towards the needs and attention of each specific group. A typical day involved playing age appropriate fun videos for the children to give them a basic understanding of the terms to be discussed per session. After that, we played games according to the topic for the day and I also incorporated a dance routine with simplicity for each age group; one activity which all the children evidently enjoyed.
𝙄𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮?
The role such projects play is to improve communication and build beneficial relationships amongst children in a healthy environment while also promoting learning and development of new ideas. The project also created an environment that fostered happiness, creativity and expression of passion. One aspect of this project is to teach the children skills and help them develop mechanisms for them to rely on to better their lives and experiences.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬?
A person going to work in this project should have some knowledge about caring for children (young children and pre teens), being intentional about how to captivate their attention.
It would be helpful to engage the children using the following:
• Patience and Love
• Praise and reward children for good work and good behaviour
• Keep it entertaining using audio, visuals and props
• Expect children to make mistakes and be ready to guide them through doing the right thing.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩?
As the project manager, I was responsible for planning all the activities in line with the goals of the project. My role also involved providing a blueprint that guided the project from ideation to fruition while exercising leadership through out the project. I assigned tasks, analyzed and handled risks as well as ensured effective communication within the team.
𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤 𝙨𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙? 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙪𝙩?
Everything went relatively well in regards to handling the children and having no events of accidents. With regards to the activity plan, there were times I noticed that the children were losing focus or their attention span had lapsed during a particular activity. When this happened, I quickly infused an icebreaker to spike their attention again or I simply moved on to the next activity depending on the time that we had left. Whatever be the case, my priority was always to have the children engaged at every point in time and I always maneuvered with what I felt was best for them.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩?
What I liked most about my work in this project is that I got to share in and experience the happiness of the children. I also liked that I was able to make them have fun while learning about something vital for their future. A bond was created between myself and some of the kids and that is something I would never take for granted. I was also able to learn how to interact with the kids in Ukrainian language and this has been helpful to improve my Ukrainian vocabulary.
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙨?
I dealt with conflict situations by firstly making sure to remain calm and polite. Then I would proceed to employ a huge dose of love and patience, while paying attention to the focal point of the children’s distraction in order to pin point what I was dealing with and what I had to take away. If it was a group of children trying to frustrate my efforts, I separated them and paired them up with other children. If it was an item they were distracted with, I took it away and replaced it with something less distracting.
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙨?
While there was never anytime I wanted to quit, there were times when I was just physically drained from having engaged with the children, especially as my project involved some form of Afro-beat dance moves. There were also times when I would be struggling to catch the attention of all the kids at the same time (this was the usual struggle) as some kids would just want to do things on their own and in their own way.
I dealt with it by taking short breaks while the kids are engaged with each other. Also, I infused some competition in their activities so that they could be focused on something else and have to work together without necessarily needing my physical energy to support them.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚? 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚?
Being a Project Manager in the Sustainable Development corporate space is a career path that I’m looking to follow, specifically projects that deal with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12. Working on this project created a platform for me to introduce the necessity of this goal to children and explain the fundamental principles of ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns to them.
Although this was an awesome project and I loved every aspect of it, I would not particularly choose a similar project as a springboard for my career as I desire to work more in the corporate marketplace than in the line of social ventures. Notwithstanding, I would not mind volunteering in a social project over again because of the impact that was made and the life changing experience I had.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠?
I see my mission in the emphasis of substantially reducing waste generation in the world through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse of materials and resources.
I would like to impact change in the environment and the society with my work.
My goal is not to do what has been done before, but to totally reimagine it and do better.

The following story from the amazing 𝙄𝙜𝙝𝙤 𝙄. This woman knows how to set the mood. From her first meetings with children, she was able to inspire them to work and believe in themselves. Here is what Igho herself says:
"It was 6:00am Saturday 26 October 2019, I got ready, took a train to Akademmistechko metro station, exited and the task now was to look for the bus terminal for bus 392. Met my friend, course mate, project manager Ms. Gladys and together we stated looking for the bus terminal.
We were determined to get to Irpin early so we brave the cold that morning to look for the bus terminal. We knew we were representing our school, (Krok University Educational and Scientific Institute of Information and Communication Technologies) so no matter what it takes we must get to Irpin before 9:30am.
Finally, after 20 minutes of searching, we saw it. What a relief!
Ms. Natalia B. received us and took to the location of the project, we were introduced to the staff how gave us all the materials we needed.
Got into action, got the project location ready and all the resources we needed.
Few minutes to 10am, the students in the first group started coming, ages 6 to 8 years.
After 15minutes, we had 27 of them. Some parents stayed back to observe.
The students observed us with knee interest, some were reserved at the beginning but 90% took take part in the activities. They smiled when we tried to pronounce some words in Ukrainian and helped us. Their expression when they understood some new words in English language was priceless.
It was like ’’oh! So that is what it means’’
The second group had ages 9 to 11years while the third group was between ages 12 to 15 years.
To keep their attention and interest, we made the activities, interesting, spontaneous, lively, practical and interactive. Having the strategic goal of the project in mind (To create friendly environment where kids can experience positive emotions due to communication and learning).
Some of the students took the role of coordinators in their small groups
Some were translators.
10:45am, 11:45 am and 12:45 am, was time to say ‘’Goodbye,
До иобачення, see you next week’’. It was also time to catch our breaths.
This we did every Saturday until December 14, 2019.
The Project management team, project managers, parents, students and sponsors were amazing. All wanted the project to succeed.
It was a memorable experience.
Will I do it again?
YES!!!!!!! "

And here is the story of our first hero.𝙀𝙜𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙗𝙖 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙊𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙬𝙚 is a future project manager, a person who by his energy is able to inspire others.
Gregory answered some of our questions about his involvement in the Real Madrid project and here's what came out.
𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙙 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣?
One of the most important thing I have learnt through my life journey is that true wealth is not a function of how much gains a person makes for his or herself, but a function of how much a person gives. You are not wealthy because you receive but you are wealthy because you give. I believe that the most invaluable thing a person can give is time.
My personal mission is to be a tool of impact for the present world generation and a shaper of the next. I always make it a duty to submit myself to service to humanity, irrespective of race or culture. This is the true mindset of leadership
Real Madrid project was a social project that aligned with my essense as a human being. it aligned with why I exist. on my own I was already preparing and thoroughly thinking of a creative project which targeted support for the same group of less privileged people in Ukraine when I heard about it. it was as if God saw my heart and gave me a platform to serve the Ukrainian people. I did not just decide to do the project. I made the project and the kids mine. This attitude may have been the defining factor for my success in the project.
𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚, 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛?
A typical day in the project for me comes with a lot of preparation. I may be awake as early as 2.00 am in the morning just to fix materials and do some scenario planning since children can be unpredictable because of variable emotions. This preparation may include creating visual contents to support learning. I make a 30 minutes’ drive from Kyiv to arrive at least 30 minutes before the kids arrive at the center, just to prepare the space before their arrival. Then I switch my character from that of an adult to that of a teenager to enhance my connection with the kids. When they come in, we recite some ground rules that are easy to comprehend, then we learn some Key words which are core to the Topic. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes and then we apply this words while we play interesting games that teach the children a lot of values. At the end of the session they tell me what they have learnt. Once I confirm their understanding, we do lots of pictures, hugs, high-fives and finally bid them farewell. They are always happy. And I am always fulfilled.
𝙄𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮?
Such projects are very important, to me they simply carry a message of hope to the children they affect. A child's mind is like a rich soil waiting to be cultivated. If you plant potatoes, you will harvest only potatoes. if you plant hate, and ill knowledge they will be misguided for the rest of their lives. A nation can only grow through the mind of its people this is why every child in this world deserves the right to learn and grow in the right way irrespective of their social status. They are the future of Ukraine and what the world will become tomorrow.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬?
They dont need to know everything, they only need to be genuine about their intention to serve kids. Once that is in place, things will take their natural course. another key thing to know is that children respond to energy. if your energy is low, they will stay away from you, but if it is warm, high, friendly, they will submit their innocence to you. only then you can help them grow
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩?
My role as a project manager was to ensure high quality and timely appearance of all deliverables by applying good negotiation skills to substitute for high cost of the deliverables that where essential to creating the final product - ''Learning English By Play''
𝙏𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚, 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤 𝙨𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙? 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙪𝙩?
This is the most interesting part. It did not go as planned, I honestly thought that I will get all the support to deliver the product to the kids on time, but there where lot of delays. this delay had led to an unforseen cancellation of part of the project as it seemed like the material needed, may not be fulfilled soon enough. This threatened the quality of the entire product. It was obvious that, if there were no materials to achieve the product then it may be best to compromise the quality. this was devastating.
Only I understood the importance of the quality of the product and that a compromise will simply mean no product. I decided to take a different approach by approaching some organisations in ukraine then negotiating shared benefits of the project in exchage for their participation in the project. This was highly successful because I was able to get the deliverables at high quality, not at my own pocket cost. but by using my skills to savage the situation once this was done. I was ready to deliver.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩?
I loved my interaction with the kids, I loved that I could teach them about collaboration and working together, sharing, loving and caring for other people, I loved that they could see that a person of colour can also love them irrespective of identity. I have faith that one day they will be light to others as well. I love that I was privileged to serve on this soil - Ukraine.
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙨?
Fortunately, they loved my plans and executed it very well. children love active and exciting tasks. Trust me, the tasks was like vanilla and chocolate ice cream on a saturday morning. they loved it.
𝙏𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩? 𝙒𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨, 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨?
The only moment I wanted to quit was when I was told that I will not start the project at the time I was initially scheduled due to unavailability, it almost took my spirit away. But with every challenge comes a new opportunity. I dealt with it by reminding myself that I wasn't doing it for my glorification but for the lives of the young ones who may never have the opportunity to receive from me because I let my emotions drive my actions. So, instead I used the situation and converted the energy towards replanning an alternative approach towards the realization of the project.
My life hacks is in good relationship. Getting through tough times for me is about having quality support system. My support system is my fiancee. She plays vital roles in helping me get past alot of difficult situations.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚? 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚?
I am a project manager in development (both human and technological). I intend to support Humanitarian projects not neglecting every other oppprtunity in the field of management. I am also an Engineer, so there is vast experience and skills which I can offer in different field. my sincere desire is to find my self one day in a place of authority in the United nations representing my continent and supporting sustainable development through people. Also, enhancing positive relationship between the global community
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠?
Please see my mission in first question.
Also, LOVE - this is my mission. We will never find peace until we understand and know who LOVE is.
My journey in Ukraine has taught me:
- patience,
- courage,
- the will to give more than is required. That is sacrifice.
I hope to share this with the world.