Our Big Announcement
Below is the press release that went out to the world on February 12, 2023 letting everyone know that the first group of Ukrainian kids were going to do something extraordinary - sing songs, share stores, and work together to show that EQ and IQ go hand in hand and that learning can and SHOULD be joyful! Stay tuned for updates and an invitation to our live music concert celebrating the kids!
Raising Emotionally Intelligent Kids
New global initiative supports displaced Ukrainian children by connecting them
with other children around the world using stories, songs, and creative collaboration
TORONTO, February 13, 2023 - As the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, the pilot of a new, global initiative designed to support the more than 1.8 million Ukrainian children displaced by the war is set to launch. Known as Song Flight, the program has four main goals:
Help displaced Ukrainian children feel seen and heard
Bring children from around the world together to learn from and with each other
Use stories, songs, and creative collaboration to develop emotional intelligence (EQ) and literacy skills (IQ)
Help all kids in the Song Flight program become kind, capable adults
The initial, four-week pilot will focus on introducing the stories, songs, and creative activities developed by Song Flight creator, Jena Ball, to a class of 30 Ukrainian children between the ages of 8 and 12. Ball, who has spent the past 14 years working on CritterKin - a children's media property that helps kids develop EQ - says Song Flight was born out of her concern for the Ukrainian children being displaced by the war. “I’ve spent a lot of time studying the neuroscience behind how the brain responds to emotion,” says Ball, “and negative emotions have a huge impact on a child’s ability to learn. When I imagined what Ukrainian children must be experiencing - losing their homes, families, friends, and pets and being forced to relocate to another country - I knew I had to help. Song Flight is the result.”
According to Okasana Levytska (Chair, International Education Coordinating Council, Ukrainian World Congress) who arranged to bring Song Flight to the Josyf Cardinal Slipyj Catholic School in Toronto, the program is the first step in creating a global network of support for Ukrainian children. “We now have 1.8 million Ukrainian children displaced by the Russian invasion. They are living in countries all over the world and we need ways to connect them with one another while learning from and with other children.”
Iryna Perehinets, the Vice-principal of the Josyf Cardinal Slipyj Catholic School, agrees saying, “Our school is grounded in Ukrainian heritage, language and culture so this is an ideal place to test and share the Song Flight pilot. Plus, we have quite a few children who have just arrived from Ukraine whom we hope will benefit from Song Flight.”
In addition to the materials for children, Ball has been consciously working to build materials for adults into Song Flight as well. “I believe adults can learn from and with the kids, so I’m adding ways for them to take part. For example, we just released a collection of original songs by musicians from around the world called Singing for the Kids of Ukraine and have regular live music concerts planned. As Song Flight grows, adults can volunteer, act as mentors, and contribute to the Song Flight blog.
About Song Flight
Song Flight Press Kit: https://www.song-flight.com/press
Website: https://Song-Flight.com