06-12 April 2025
Helsinki, Republic of Finland

From 06 to 12 April 2025 academic mobility of the faculty of Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University took place within the framework of the international project “Bridge to Inclusion: Accelerating the Value of Special Needs Education” funded by the Ministry of Education of Finland (TFK, Ukraine programme 2024). The project implementing team included the Dean of the Faculty Nataliia Klishevych, PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor; Deputy Dean for Research, Methodological and Academic Affairs Roman Pavliuk, PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor; Head of the Department of Special and Inclusive Education Olena Martynchuk, Doctor of Science in Pedagogy, Associate Professor; Professor of the Department of Special and Inclusive Education Tetiana Skrypnyk, Doctor of Science in Psychology, Senior Researcher; Associate Professor of the Department of Special and Inclusive Education; Associate Professor of the Department of Special and Inclusive Education Nataliia Babych, PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor; Associate Professor of the Department of Special and Inclusive Education Halyna Vasylieva, PhD in Pedagogy; Sophie Marie Hanevych, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Special and Inclusive Education.

Grinchenko University team presented the structure of the in-service training course for teachers working with children with special educational needs in Ukrainian educational institutions and visited educational and social institutions for people with disabilities and special educational needs in Helsinki.

Among the educational institutions, it was useful to visit the social institution HEROn toiminnan esittely, whose activities are aimed at meeting the educational needs of people in difficult life circumstances and who have experienced social exclusion, including from educational institutions. In addition, it was useful to visit the Ipi Kulmakuppila social cafe, which employs people with Down syndrome and provides internships for students of the LIVE special vocational college.

Grinchenko University representatives had the opportunity to visit the Perti's choice store, owned and operated by former members of the punk rock band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät, which was specially created to support people with mental disabilities. This band represented Finland at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest and received a lot of support from the public as its members include people with mental disabilities, Down syndrome and other special needs.

The last stage of the project is to complete the development of the e-course and implement it in the practice of in-service training for Ukrainian teachers and training of future specialists in special education and other pedagogical specialties.

Materials provided by SRL of Internationalization of Higher Education