At the first meeting, with the reading of a fairy tale in her own language, Yuliya took the families who had fled Ukraine even further away from the atrocities of war, giving the children present a carefree moment.
This is happening in Trento in the Municipal Library, where a desk dedicated to Ukrainian citizens has been opened.
The initiative is the result of a virtuous collaboration between Trento’s municipal administration and Euro&Promos Fm S.p.A., the company that manages part of the library’s front office services.
A tangible sign of closeness to the people wounded and destabilised by the Russian invasion, who have also found refuge in Trentino.
“I couldn’t sit idly by, given what is happening to the people of my country, and we decided to support them with this initiative. Welcoming and integration are also about culture”.
Yuliya Lenko was born and raised in Ukraine, has been living in Trento for 12 years, graduated from the socio-psycho-pedagogical high school, and obtained a three-year degree in Social Work and a Master’s degree in Methodology, Organisation and Evaluation of Social Services at the University of Trento.
Her studies and professionalism over the years have given her specific skills that can be put to the service of those who are currently in difficulty: “Unfortunately, I can see fear and disbelief in the eyes of my compatriots because of what is happening. We want to give them a hand and we hope that the appointments in the library will be a moment of relief.
In addition to finding a wide range of books, Ukrainian families will also find a friendly voice in the library: “We have become a point of reference. In just a few days, dozens of people from the cities hit by the bombings have come through. Just hearing their own language is a psychological and moral support”.
For several years now, the Municipal Library of Trento has been paying attention to the needs of the foreign communities present or newly arrived in the territory with specific policies to purchase and promote books in their original language. The collections in Ukrainian language, initially set up to meet the reading needs of Ukrainian women working in Trento, in particular those working in the care of the elderly, have been enriched year after year with new titles, also thinking of families of Ukrainian origin who have in the meantime arrived or set up in our territory. For this reason, the library found itself having to deal with the emergency of the war and the massive arrival in Trento of Ukrainian families with an already rich collection of books for adults and children, and quickly purchased new titles, thus increasing its stock, in addition to the approximately 300 books already available.
A series of read alouds of fairy tales and stories have been organised on Saturday mornings. A small, great gesture of solidarity and humanity that at the same time proves to be a way to deepen the value and beauty of a culture that has never been as close to common feeling as it is today.
“The citizenship has shown great attention and closeness. The library is a treasure chest of culture and is the guardian of the word, using the right words is fundamental,” Yuliya explains.
DOWNLOAD HERE THE FLYER of the readings