Partners for Peace

Making Music Today . . .

Lives Tomorrow!

A proposal to bring healing and hope from the trauma of war to the children and youth of Ukraine and its surrounding countries.

Prepared by Constance Fortunato Founder and President of Music Camp International An International 501(c)(3) Children’s Charity Scotts Valley, California, USA • Kyiv, Ukraine • Cluj-Napoca, Romania

A Population in Peril “The legacy of this war will be a traumatised generation.”

Serhii Lukashov, Director of SOS Children’s

Children and youth have watched the destruction of their homes, schools, villages, orphanages, and children’s hospitals. They have been separated from family, friends, and all that is familiar. They have lived in bunkers, basements, hallways, shelters - fled to unknown regions and countries - and in many cases, returned home to an uncertain future.

One of the most significant needs for refugee and IDP children is to find a new peer group - a place for relational, social and emotional safety.

They need to be able to access their feelings and create experiences that will help them process them in a healthy environment.

Youth from host countries need to share experiences that will create a bridge of community and compassion with their “new residents.”

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Two girls from Liko School, Kyiv

• Our purpose is to bring hope and healing to thousands of young people who have been traumatized by the war.

• Because music penetrates all chambers of the brain, it is powerful in healing the traumas of war, creating strong positive relationships, and building community among participants.

• We will conduct large Day Music Camps in the surrounding countries creating an international community of youth to build a better and more peaceful tomorrow.

Elvira teaches guitar, Kyiv

• By working together across all national, religious, ethnic, and cultural barriers, we will create a global community of youth who are connected, compassionate, and will demonstrate to themselves and to the world that we can achieve more by working together than we can alone.

Music Camp’s Concert at the Opera House in Kharkiv

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Prepared for Action Now. . .

Music Camp International was founded in 2002 by Connie Fortunato, author, curriculum developer and music specialist who had a passion to bring healing and hope to children and youth through the transformational power of music. In the last 20 years, she has worked with more than 30,000 young people – giving them dignity, hope and self-confidence and inspiring them to reach for the stars!

In 2011, Connie took a group of 45 Music Camp Concert for over 900 orphans at Moloda Gvardia. The concert Ukrainian children to Strasbourg to sing for the Council of Europe. filled the Opera Theater in Odesa, Ukraine.

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In 2014 Connie became the only non-Ukrainian In 2021 Connie was named a Champion in history to receive the Honorary Ambassador for End Violence Against Children, an of Peace Award from Petro Poroshchenko. affiliate of the United Nations.

. . . Through Global Partnerships The U.S. State Department appreciates the humanitarian work of Music Camp International in Ukraine and Romania and encourages leaders from all sectors of society, including international, regional, and local organizations, to examine Music Camp International’s projects and consider collaborations and partnerships, as they seek to provide for the humanitarian welfare, mental health, and educational advancement for Ukrainian refugees and host countries that have reached out to embrace their neighbors.

– The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Office of Press and Public Diplomacy

Possible Partners International Governments and Agencies • U.S. Department of State - USAID • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) • Embassies and Departments of Public Affairs • Ambassadors to and from surrounding countries • Local municipal governments - Office of the Mayor • Ministries of Education • Officials for Humanitarian Affairs • Humanitarian and Refugee Agencies

Needed Areas for Participating Partners • Local/regional philharmonic orchestras to provide concert accompaniment.

• Local schools and concert facilities will be furnished by the local Ministry of Education and the Office of the Mayor • Choir and instrument teachers, class assistants, and curriculum will be provided by Music Camp International; • Chaperones, security and medical team will be provided by the local government; • Instruments will be provided by national manufacturers and local retail instrument outlets; • Bus transportation for youth will be provided by local and national transportation companies • Train transportation (when needed) will be provided by the government • Daily snacks provided by local markets • T-shirts provided by local businesses

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A Concerto of Hope Through Humanitarian Concerts Music Camp International will conduct week-long, area-wide Day Music Camps in various locations in each of the surrounding countries.

(Camps need to be conducted during scheduled school holidays.)

Each Camp will culminate in a concert at a major concert facility accompanied by the local philharmonic orchestra.

Enrollment for each Camp would be approximately 400 - 500 children ages 12 - 19 - including both refugees and youth from the host country.

The goal is to help young people heal from the trauma of war, inspire confidence to face their future with hope, build strong relationships with other young people and in the process build community, communication and compassion.

Proposed Music Camps and Concerts: Cluj-Napoca, Iași, București, Romania Krakow, Katowice, Poznan, Poland Chișinau, Moldova Bratislava, Slovakia Budapest, Hungary Locations and dates are subject to change based on sponsoring partners and availability.

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Music Camp International Concert, Iași, Romania

References & Resources

After just six days, students play guitars, recorders. violins, bells and Orff percussion instruments in an instrumentarium with a symphony orchestra in Chervonograd, Ukraine

Website www.musiccampinternational.org Facebook Music Camp International USA Music Camp International Ukraine Music Camp International Romania Instagram Music Camp International YouTube Music Camp International YouTube channel available with documentaries, concerts, and current virtual projects.

The story of Bucha, Ukraine and the trip to sing at The Council of Europe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apd902UIf7g Pinterest Music Camp International Twitter @musiccampint Contact connie@musiccampinternational.org 831.332.1400 (mobile) 831.425.3600 (office)

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"Giving music to children and youth today means transforming them for tomorrow! It is our best path to dignity, hope, self-confidence and a world that values them.

"Music produces an irreversible transformation in a child. This doesn't mean he'll end up as a musician. He may become a doctor or study law or teach literature. What music gives him remains indelibly part of who he is forever."

Jose Antonio Abreu Founder of El Sistema, Venezuela