From Scouting to community building: Czech Scouts ease the integration of Ukrainians at Prague community centre

After being a Scout for most of her life, 25-year-old Mája joined the staff of the Svitlo Community Centre - which became a part of World Scouting and UNICEF's UAct project in 2023 - to work closely with Ukrainians who fled to her country, Czechia. She has organised the programmes offered to Ukrainians at Svitlo Community Centre in Prague, run by the Czech Scouting Institute. Balancing her studies in community development and her work at the centre, Mája has been putting her passion and knowledge to practise and sharing her story:

I've been a Scout since the first grade. I followed in the footsteps of my older siblings. Last year, I came to Prague for university, where I'm now studying for my Master's Degree in Social Geography and Regional Development. 

My passion is learning and working in community development, so I jumped at the opportunity to join Czech Scouts in supporting Ukrainian refugees. I'm now part of the team which is coordinating all the activities that take place at the community centre here in Prague. The Scouting Institute founded the community centre, and we're now running the activities within the same complex of buildings as the Scouting Institute.

After considerable renovations, we've been running the centre since April 2022 to welcome Ukrainian refugees under this project. The centre is enormous, having 15 different rooms provided by the Prague municipality. We cooperate with many other organisations that offer various services to Ukrainian refugees. It's been my dream role at this point in my life. I help to coordinate the daily timetables of activities and rooms, and I'm communicating with the different organisations and lecturers and helping to organise educational or community events.

One of the most unique and successful things about this project is how we've partnered with other organisations that specialise in different areas and offer various services to Ukrainian refugees under one roof. Ukrainians come here for language courses, psychological support, legal services, health consultations, children's programmes, etc. 

Every day, 150-200 Ukrainians come through our doors, and we run seven programmes simultaneously. We focus on making it easier for families to transition and feel secure and comfortable in their new lives here in Czechia.

For example, one of our recent workshops was led by a Ukrainian lawyer who has been living in Czechia for years. She talked to refugees about their legal rights in the country, giving them a much better understanding of what they're entitled to and how the laws protect them. We also started a Czech-speaking club, where Ukrainians meet each week to practise their Czech language skills with Czech volunteers and connect with one another over discussion topics like culture, food and family. For youth, we launched a group therapy programme two weeks ago specifically for ages 12-15, in addition to another organisation that organises a youth club with movie nights, themed parties or game nights. These are very successful because they help them make friends and spend their time in a good way.

Even within the centre, the Ukrainians have formed their little community here, and I love that the centre has played a part in creating that. We have about 15 Ukrainian lecturers, many of whom started different free time activities as volunteers. There are lectures of Zumba, bachata, yoga or art and music sessions, all provided by the Ukrainian lecturers who came here after the war started. It's impressive to see this and see that they are trying to make the best of this challenging time.

There are still a lot of challenges the refugees are facing. Since working at the centre, I also see the patterns in the challenges they face and try to adapt to their needs. At the start, the struggles were more short-term and urgent, while now the effort of finding employment is very apparent since the war is still ongoing for over one year. It takes work to find jobs, especially with the language barrier. Still, we're trying to help them acquire new skills, learn the Czech language and provide counselling for finding jobs that match their qualifications. Many of them have university degrees and have good jobs in Ukraine. We had courses on online jobs or software testing, and we've even been running high school entrance exam preparation courses for youth.

My role is demanding, for sure, but it's also gratifying. I've learned so much about myself and my abilities through this experience, and I've formed many meaningful connections with the Ukrainian refugees I work with. It's taught me the importance of setting healthy boundaries and listening to people's stories and struggles. The most rewarding part is seeing the community and connections that the refugees have been able to build for themselves here at the centre. I know that will persist even if the community centre ends.

It's incredible to see how much of an impact we can make in their lives. I hope this centre continues to operate and thrive because it's making a difference for these families.