Winter days are a good time to do your favorite things or self-development. There is no hustle and bustle or plans inherent in the warm seasons, there is always time for reflection, peace or a long occupation with something. The employees of the Community Center "Thia" at the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" took this into account when planning their work in advance, so in winter you can always find something to do here!
So, what do visitors to our center do when it's cold outside, it gets dark early, and they have a lot of free time? Let's start by finding out from our youngest clients. After all, they can have the most activities within the walls of the Thiia Center. Working to enrich the inner world of our younger generation, we offer kids a lot of interesting and useful ways to develop their creativity. Under the guidance of the head of the visual arts studio, Vlada Pylypchuk-Katz, children study music, draw, glue, and dance. Piano lessons and music notation are available to them. These classes are attended by children from the age of five, and approximately equal numbers of boys and girls are interested in music. Our young clients also have access to all the resources of the visual arts studio, where you can learn to make a variety of souvenirs, installations, crafts, and jewelry. And those who want to try their hand at "pop" are happy to contact the head of the vocal studio, Anatoly Muzyka.
With the onset of winter, conditions were also created for children that encourage them to think about others. Those who are currently having a hard time. We are talking about visits by children's program students led by Natalia Smolinska to centers for working with children with special needs, boarding schools and orphanages. It is nice to note that our clients understand other people's pain perfectly and strive to make the world a better place in every way. And older children recently had the opportunity to visit the Skolmo winter camp in the Rivne region, which is known throughout the country for its excellent reputation.
For young people, the Community Center also has enough ways to realize themselves. Every Wednesday and Friday, a youth club operates for this group of clients. It is considered prestigious to play the intellectual game "Mafia" here (unlike other opportunities in the city, our games are free). Youth gatherings are held in the comfortable atmosphere of the Center, where bad habits are condemned and creativity, leadership, innovation and wit are welcomed. Young clients are also eagerly awaiting the results of the seminar for youth program leaders in Chisinau at the end of January, because after it there will definitely be positive developments and new methods, which are always a joy for the young and restless.
Older people are interested in the creative and self-developing social services of the Center. Here, fitness classes are held for them, which are best suited to young mothers, information work is carried out on the possibilities of informal Jewish education. For young parents, training classes "Parents and Children" are held, which allow newly formed families to better understand each other.
For those who already have "children who don't cry at home," there are also many ways to spend their free time with benefit. As for children, there is a needlework group for them, but it is called "Shalva", it is led by Tamara Kitsak, and they make serious creative things here. Working with plastic, with beads, with knitting - truly masterpieces can be found among the works of our clients. There are also computer literacy courses for older people. Teacher Vyacheslav Nagnybida teaches everyone who wants to skillfully use a computer, those who consider themselves "dummies" in the world of high technology, and helps those who want to know more to understand the latest news. Computer courses are not only studying computer technology and programs, but also the first step to participating in the women's organization "Project Kesher."
People of respectable age find solace in the events that Lyudmila Shvartsman takes care of. If in the warm season Lyudmila Mendelivna organizes trips and excursions, then in the winter her events are focused on the warm, homely atmosphere of the Community Center, where everyone feels like a friend. Then the “Interesting Meetings Club” is held, where people learn something new about the Jewish history of our city, and other meetings with interesting people are organized. Thanks to working with people who belong to risk groups, our most vulnerable clients also do not feel lonely and isolated in the cold season. For all those who are interested, those who know the value of the printed word, the “Thia” Community Center has a library where you can find literature for every taste. Lisa Biletska works as a guide to the world of literature.
In order to fully describe all the possibilities of the Community Center "Thia", not even a few pages will be enough, so let's focus on the main ones. It is better to see once than to hear several times - so please visit our Center in person at the address: Khmelnytskyi, Kam'yanets'ka St., 58/1, from Monday to Friday, starting at 9:00. Remember that the Community Center works not only for the cultural enrichment of community members, but also to support them and their family members in moral and social terms. So if you have difficulties or incomprehensible life events, here they will be able to provide you with qualified advice and together find a way out of a difficult situation. And do not forget that if you want to run your own personal program for other people on a volunteer basis - we only welcome it. We are always glad to meet you!
