Students create Images of Tolerance

The Kherson Centre for Youth Initiatives “Totem”, as part of the project “Reach out your hand!”, ran master classes for students on social advertising, following which students themselves prepared posters designed to promote tolerance and support for people living with HIV.

Over 50 ideas were presented by students from the Kherson National Technical University, the Kherson Branch of the International University for Human Development “Ukraine” and volunteers from civic organizations.

30 of the best were chosen for an exhibition. They proved very varied not only in the techniques used (from plasticine and photographs to graphic art and children’s pictures), but also in their mood.

There were gloomy posters expressing how lonely a person feels when those around turn away from him or her. Yet there were also optimistic ones since after all young people are capable not simply of “overdosing on adolescent maximalism”, but also of understanding the importance of friendship and mutual support.

“In the name of tolerance we do not have to endure intolerance”, the famous philosopher Karl Popper said. The students have already taken their first step towards tolerance – they have tried to understand themselves, and show others what tolerance is all about.

The exhibition will be shown in educational institutions in Kherson. For those interested in spreading the ideas of tolerance, “Totem” has prepared CDs with all the material from the project “Reach out your hand!” – articles of young journalists, posters by designers, the results of sociological research on the level of tolerance among young people, video recordings of performances by the youth theatre.

The disks can be obtained, free of charge, by sending an email to  totem @ public.kherson.ua (the person to contact is Olena Afanasyeva, Head of the Project.)

The project “Reach out your hand!” is being run in Kherson with the support of the Institute for Sustainable Communities and the Ukraine Citizen Action Network (UCAN)

The Centre for Youth Initiatives “Totem”