A Magic Camp in Ukraine
Like many of you, we have watched in horror as the war in Ukraine has continued to develop. The tragic loss of life and destruction of livelihoods is as petrifying as it is devastating. In these circumstances, it’s easy to feel hopeless, and like so many others, we’ve found ourselves asking what we can do to help.
In the fall of 2024, we were contacted by a charity in Ukraine called Sincere Heart. They were established in 2014, and like ShareMagic, their mission focuses on helping disadvantaged young people.
We held numerous meetings with their board to see if there were ways that our charities could collaborate. Among their initiatives, one in particular caught our attention: Recovery Camps.
“Recovery Camps” offer young people a chance to make new friends and learn new skills.
These camps take a similar format to Summer Camps. Young people from across the country come to Lviv, where they get to enjoy days full of games, outdoor pursuits and more. It’s a safe space where families can escape from the constant scream of air raid sirens and the deafening thunder of aerial bombardment. The camps are completely free to those who attend.
Many of the benefits to these camps are obvious. It’s a place where kids can be kids. They make lots of new friends and get to participate in countless activities. But what really captured our imagination was hidden below the surface.
The Sincere Heart team educated us about a forgotten battle that is being fought in Ukraine. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often associated with soldiers, but what may be less obvious (it certainly was to us!) is that many young children (and adults, too) have been exposed to unimaginable sights and experiences, which, given time, may develop into very serious psychological conditions. Sadly, many families aren’t able to, or don’t know how to, get the support they so desperately need.
The ShareMagic Recovery Camp was a day packed full of shows and workshops.
That’s where Recovery Camps come in. Scattered amongst the specially trained camp counsellors are clinical psychologists. In this fun-filled, unintimidating environment, these medical professionals get to observe and interact with the children. They can then identify those who may need professional help. They also provide advice to families on what symptoms to look out for and where to seek help in the future, should they need it.
The more we learned about these camps, the more inspired we became and the more enthusiastic we were about collaborating with Sincere Heart. So, we agreed to work together to host a magic camp in Lviv.
From the outset, we wanted to make sure that we were supporting local talent. Many magicians in Ukraine were forced to find new ways to make ends meet after the war began. The question was: How do we find a team of magicians to help us run a magic camp in Ukraine?
We found our answer - as we so often do - in the magic community. Mysterious Maks - Ukrainian magician who recently relocated to New York - helped us track down a group of magicians who were still performing. More astonishingly, they were already volunteering their time and skills - travelling to some of the worst affected regions of the country - to perform shows for local communities. Clearly, they were the ideal candidates.
Fast forward to October 2024, and we were ready. Yuriy, Oleksandr and Mykola (our team of magicians) planned a full day of magic shows and hands-on workshops. Each child was gifted a magic set and taught how to perform each trick. They even had the chance to do a show in front of their fellow campers! As you can tell from the cheek-to-cheek smiles in the photos, the camp was a huge success. So much so that in January 2025, we were able to host a second camp, with even more attendees. Sincere Heart has expressed to us that the camps were amongst their best ever.
We partnered with local Ukrainian magicians to produce a fun-filled day of magic.
Our hope is that these astonishing young people will not only remember the fantastic time they had, but that some of them will also carry this hobby forward with them. Above all, we’re delighted that so many families were able to receive professional guidance and treatment from expert psychologists.
These camps were made possible by the generosity of our donors. The success of these camps has inspired us to host more in other countries around the world. If you wish to support this, or other ShareMagic initiatives, we would encourage you to make a donation.
