Psychological and Pedagogical Support for the Children from the Regions of Local Military Conflicts as the Part of a Summer Multidisciplinary Educational Camp Shift

Abstract

Introduction. Currently, the level of social tension in relation to the special operation carried out by Russia on the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics is growing, such inter-ethnic conflicts develop from local military disasters into the level of an inter-ethnic catastrophe. The urgency of the situation affects the entire population living in the war zone, undoubtedly affecting the lives and well-being of children. Within the framework of the federal project “University specialized educational shifts” on the territory of the campus of the Tula State Pedagogical University named after L. N. Tolstoy, conditions were created for the reception of children from regions of military conflicts. The aim of the study is to describe the experience of psychological and pedagogical support for the children who arrived from the zone of local military conflict on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The objectives of the study are to assess the psycho-emotional state of the children who find themselves in a difficult life situation, and to develop areas of work with children during their stay in Russia. The article analyzes the publications of N. G. Osukhova, N. F. Zubkova, O. V. Isahakyan, A. A. Tkachenko and other authors involved in practice-oriented research in the field of psychological support for the children caught in a combat zone. Materials and Methods. Theoretical analysis of the literature, screening diagnostics (individual and group), generalization of empirically obtained data, observation, conversation, experiment. Discussion and Conclusion. The article substantiates the content characteristics of the support position and provides a brief analytical review of the definition of this concept in domestic psychological science. The research material presented in the article was obtained in the course of systematizing the results of the implementation of psychological support for the children who arrived from the territory of the DPR within the framework of the federal project of university specialized educational sessions with the support of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. The article presents the structural components of the program of psychological support for the children participating in this project, consisting of two blocks that complement each other. The first block of classes is focused on developing the skills of self-knowledge of the children and on their ability to develop ideas about their significance and value. The second block is aimed at harmonizing the emotional sphere, relieving stress, developing self-regulation skills, and constructive communication. It was concluded that the anxiety-depressive state in which adolescents arrive is associated with the awareness of the tragedy of what is happening, the situation of being in the war zone itself, separation from home, which requires psychological service specialists to take a more constructive approach to organizing crisis assistance and psychological support for children from regions of local military conflicts.