For a group of schoolchildren from the frontline city of Nikopol, a “golden ticket” from the educational Advent calendar created by Teach For Ukraine turned into a real journey — and a rare chance to experience life beyond constant danger, if only for a few days.
Today, we share what learning looks like in frontline Nikopol, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and reflect on the children’s recent trip to Kyiv.
Nikopol lies just five kilometers from the occupied city of Enerhodar. The city is regularly targeted by shelling, with enemy drones appearing overhead at any time of day. As a result, children have been forced to study remotely for several years, seeing one another only occasionally during short walks when the skies are clear. Recently, the situation has worsened: drones now even target public transport, making any movement around the city — much like advanced school assignments — a challenge with an asterisk.
Despite these conditions, the students who remain have not lost their motivation to learn. In December 2025, a team from a Nikopol lyceum joined Teach For Ukraine’s educational Advent calendar, completed the full journey alongside Vern the penguin, and ultimately won thanks to the dedication of every participant.
Their reward was a trip to Kyiv. For the first time in a long while, the children were able to meet their teacher and classmates in person — the same group they had collaborated with online during the Advent calendar in winter. Two days in the capital became a true reset for both the children and their parents.
The program combined rest with career exploration. The students visited the innovative space MacPaw Space, went behind the scenes at the ICTV television channel, and even took part in a live broadcast alongside TV host Oksana Kutsai.
“I was overwhelmed by how bright and motivated they are—I wanted to spend every minute with them. This wasn’t just about exploring professions; it was a chance for the children to finally exhale and experience life beyond constant тревоги. They asked so many thoughtful questions about management, different jobs, and career choices,” says Iryna Kopaigorodska, Project Coordinator at Teach For Ukraine.
The Teach For Ukraine team jokes that they wrote a postcard about this trip to Vern the penguin — the symbol of the Advent calendar — and filled it with dozens of photographs. Now they are sharing this story more widely to remind us all: even in the most difficult circumstances, childhood still has room for joy, discovery, and dreams.
Some of the children are considering careers in journalism, others aspire to become psychiatrists and plan to apply to the Bogomolets National Medical University. Some are passionate about technology, some volunteer and travel abroad, and others are already writing their own books. These dreams — tender and fragile — are a powerful reminder of what must be protected.
The educational Advent calendar is an initiative by Teach For Ukraine aimed at supporting children and nurturing their interest in learning through play, exploration, and inspiration. On December 5, 2025, middle and high school students embarked on a festive online journey together with Vern the penguin.
The project was implemented as part of the Multi-Year Resilience Programme 2024–2026 (MYRP) and is funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. In Ukraine, MYRP is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
