Working in education changed the trajectory of her life
Anastasiia Sapsai, a 2021–2023 alumna of the Teach for Ukraine Fellowship program, was previously a graphic designer and book blogger. Today, she is the director of the Kalynivka Village Council’s Municipal Out-of-School Education Institution “Center for Youth Development.”
During the program, Anastasiia taught computer science in the village of Voronkiv, Kyiv region. After completing the program, she started working in the out-of-school education sector alongside her cohort peer, Volodymyr Pererva, and in 2024, she became the director of the Center.
Here is how Anastasiia describes her new position:
At first, I had no idea what a Center for Youth Development even does, but I figured becoming a director would be a valuable and transformative experience! It was actually super easy to decide to move to Kalynivka 😁
People here really care about the place they live in—both in how it looks and in how vibrant and active the community is. There’s always something happening, and there’s something for everyone! (And honestly, I was just tired of waking up early to catch the suburban train 🙈)
My previous director was very democratic—it was a joy to work with him. We rarely had conflicts, and even if there were some tensions, we were always able to calmly talk things through. Every person on our team is unique and amazing at what they do. We’re different, but we share the same goal—providing high-quality out-of-school education for children and youth in the community 🫂
Becoming the acting director—and then the actual director—was never part of my plan, and honestly, it was scary at first. But my curiosity and drive to learn something new won out 😊
This job helps me see where I still have room to grow—even in areas I thought I had figured out. Thanks to the Teach for Ukraine program, I no longer see challenges as signs that I’m failing. I remind myself: everyone starts out not knowing things. Everyone makes mistakes. And it’s absolutely okay to ask for help or advice 😌
In 2024–2025, Anastasiia is also implementing projects with financial support from Teach for Ukraine NGO
One of her 2024 initiatives was the “Shadows of (Un)forgotten Ancestors” project, which aims to promote Ukrainian literature and reading among children and teenagers.
This project includes:
- Educational lectures
- Literary evenings
- A cultural newspaper featuring Ukrainian literary figures
- Author meet-ups
- Theater performances based on real-life stories of Ukrainian writers
- Creative workshops and discussions
The project’s goals are simple yet powerful: Gentle Ukrainization of children and teens and Popularization of Ukrainian literature.
So far, the project has hosted a meet-up with writer Oleksii Kononenko, where children participated in a Q&A session and received autographed copies of his book.
Another event—“Literary Discoveries”—highlighted iconic figures like Taras Shevchenko, Olha Kobylianska, Ostap Vyshnia, Mykola Khvylovyi, and Yurii Andrukhovych. To better remember the material, participants created a literary mood board, expressing their vision of Ukrainian culture.
The children also watched the film “The Stronghold” based on Volodymyr Rutkivskyi’s novel and completed a literary quest called “Secrets of the Book Country.”
Our love for books inspired my colleague and me to create this project 💛
As we brainstormed ideas, we were literally glowing with excitement!
It wasn’t easy at first—getting kids interested in literature is no small feat—but I think we’ve found our way.
Now the kids ask us when the next event is 🎉
And we’re definitely ready to keep surprising them!” — says Anastasiia.
