TV presenter Oleksandr Pedan held "NeLectures" on mine safety and health for young people in Poltava

Several hundred teenagers and young people from Poltava attended the "Non-Lectures" with TV presenter and public figure Alexander Pedan. Alexander visited the city where he spoke about safety and health, specifically how to act when you find an unknown object resembling a mine, or how to stay safe during artillery shelling. They also discussed the symptoms that may indicate depression and where to seek help (recommendations developed with UNICEF experts).

"Security is a key issue in our country. Everyone should be aware of and follow certain rules that can save their lives and health," says Alexander Pedan.

In addition to safety, the young people discussed two other important topics - mental and physical health, which should always be taken care of, especially in times of war.

"We are addressing a very acute issue - depression. We explain what may signal this illness, and most importantly, we emphasize that teenagers and young people should seek help and provide them with the necessary contacts," explains Alexander Pedan.

Poltava region became the fourth of the planned regions to host these events. Prior to this, the "Non-Lectures" team visited Mykolaiv, Odessa, and Chernihiv regions, and they will continue to visit several more regions in southern and eastern Ukraine.

In total, the project team plans to hold one hundred meetings. In addition to Alexander Pedan, another "non-lecturer" is stand-up comedian and volunteer Vasyl Baidak.

Alexander Pedan has already conducted twenty "Non-Lectures" and engaged with over five thousand teenagers.

The "Non-Lectures" project is implemented in collaboration with the NGO "UMIND" with the support of the UNICEF Ukraine Child Fund. The project involves offline meetings with teenagers and youth from the east and south of Ukraine on the topics of mine safety and the importance of education, mental and physical health.

The "UMIND" NGO is implementing the project under the "Together" program of the UNICEF Ukraine Child Fund to support young people affected by the war. The "Together" program brings together the efforts of UNICEF with the government, local authorities, civil society, and business partners for the sake of every child in Ukraine.