Slava finds security in painting
He dreams of becoming a YouTube celebrity. And that one day his channel might get a million views. But 11-year-old Slava also knows exactly what to do when the air raid sirens sound in Kiev. An unusual upbringing for an ordinary boy.
Thanks to Erikshjälpen's work in Ukraine, Slava has the opportunity to develop his creative talent while getting help to process traumas from the war.
On that day, Slava was supposed to go to school. The day Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, but no one woke him up. He woke up in a daze and asked his parents, a little annoyed, why they hadn't woken him up. Their answer changed his life.
It is war.
Slava has been forced to flee
For the second time in his life, Slava was forced to flee Russia's aggression. Escape from endless grenade explosions and constant turmoil. Since then, nothing has been the same for him.
- The alarm often goes off and then I have to take shelter in the bathroom or in the hall. Then the power usually goes out too and it gets completely dark. It's not fun at all. Outside there are alarms and explosions all the time.
Outside, there are constant alarms and explosions.
Slava, 11 years old, dreams of one day becoming a famous youtuber with over a million views.
Slava 11 years.
Slava, 11 years old, dreams of one day becoming a famous youtuber with over a million views.
Slava 11 years.
Slava's childhood was marked by war and conflict
Today, Slava is 11 years old. In many ways, he is an ordinary boy who likes to hang out on social media. He has his own YouTube channel and enjoys playing the popular computer game Roblox. It's hard to believe that he has fled war twice in his life.
And that he is actually still on the run.
But that's the way it is. His entire childhood has been marked by war and conflict. The first time he and his family were forced to flee was when Russia occupied Luhansk in 2014. The second time was that day in 2022 when no one woke him up. Kiev, Skvyra, six months in Spain, and then Kiev again.
When the air raid siren goes off, he knows what to do
He wasn't even two years old when his family first fled and now, ten years later, he has had to learn things that no 11-year-old should have to learn.
- I know exactly what to do if the alarm goes off when no one else is home. But I still panic, precisely because I'm all alone. But I do what my parents taught me, I take a blanket and a pillow, and go either to the bathroom or the hallway," he says.
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Painting and being creative calms Slava
In many ways, the computer world has saved Slava's life. It is the world where he connects with his friends and where he has an opportunity to express his creativity. He started drawing on paper during the coronavirus pandemic, and his creative spirit has now made its way into the digital world. Here, Slava creates his own videos which he then shows on his YouTube channel.
Slava's creativity is also allowed to flow when he participates in Erikshjälpen's art therapy. It's a way for him to develop his drawing skills while he gets the opportunity to process everything he has been through since his family left Luhansk in 2014. But also a way to just get away from the war for a while.
- It helps me deal with the fear. I feel calm when I paint or do something creative. Something that is not about the war. I just want it to be over and everything to be good again.
I get calm when I paint or do something else creative.
Slava 11 years.
Slava 11 years.
Give a Christmas gift to children living in war
Author: Johan Larsson
Published: 11 November 2024
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