Programmes for children

Classes take place where the children live: in shelters, centres for social and psychological rehabilitation, boarding institutions and family-type children's homes. We bring teachers, laptops, instruments and materials for experiments.

Who it is for

Classes are open to every child in the institution, with no selection by ability. A child does not have to choose between science and arts: both are possible.

How a class works

• A cycle lasts 12 weeks: one class a week, about two hours.
• A group of 15 to 30 children is split into subgroups of 6 to 8. Each subgroup has its own leader or volunteer.
• At the end of the cycle each subgroup presents a result: a project, a concert or an exhibition.
• There are no grades or rankings. Interest and the feeling "I can do this" come first, difficulty comes later.
• Everything is free for the children.

Science

• Mathematics and logic. Problems, puzzles, hands-on geometry. We teach how to break a big problem into steps rather than memorise formulas.
• Hands-on physics. Experiments and measurements with simple objects: a pendulum, sound, light, electricity.
• Programming. Python from scratch to a small program of one's own: a game, a chart, a chat bot.
• Research projects. Older children prepare a project for the competition of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine or for their own portfolio. Olympiads only for those who want them.

Arts

• Musical instruments. Piano, guitar, ukulele, percussion. Digital pianos with headphones let several children practise in one room at the same time.
• Singing. Ensemble and solo singing, breathing, ear training. An ensemble teaches being part of a group by itself.
• Drawing. Drawing, painting, comics, digital illustration on a tablet.
• The bridge between science and arts. The physics of sound, harmony as mathematics, music from code, pictures drawn by a Python program.

If a child wants to continue professionally, we help with admission to a music or art school.

Mentoring and care leavers

Every child has an assigned mentor: an adult volunteer who commits to at least a year and meets the child every one or two weeks.

• A mentor is not a therapist. Volunteers give support; therapy is provided only by a qualified partner psychologist.
• Formal mentoring is arranged through the children's services in line with the Law of Ukraine "On Mentoring".
• For young people aged 18 to 23 who grew up in care we help with university admission, internships with partners and financial literacy: budgeting, taxes, first steps in self-employment.
• Care leavers become assistants in classes with younger children.

Child safeguarding

A residential institution will only admit an organization with a written child safeguarding policy, so it is our first document after the statute. The main rules:

1. An agreement before the first class. We work only under an agreement with the institution or the children's services.
2. The two-adult rule. No adult is alone with a child behind a closed door.
3. Every adult is vetted: a criminal record certificate, an interview, training and a signed code of conduct before the first meeting with children.
4. No faces, surnames or stories of children in publications and reports without the written consent of the legal guardian.
5. No personal gifts or money, no private messaging and no meetings outside the programme.
6. A group starts only if its leader is committed for at least a year.

What comes next

The first step is a pilot in one or two institutions in Odesa. We are talking to institutions and the children's services, collecting the first set of equipment and preparing the team. If you represent an institution and would like to discuss the programme, write to info@appliedmathlab.org.