A lot of what we do at The Joy Club is focused on finding joy and inspiration through learning new things, improving our wellbeing or meeting new people. However, it’s also important that we acknowledge issues taking place in the wider world, and we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the situation in Ukraine.
Like many of you, we are watching the news every day – witnessing new atrocities and feeling a strong desire to support the Ukrainian people in whatever way we can.
Today, we’re sharing helpful and trusted resources and providing a list of reliable outlets for staying up to date with the crisis. For anyone who has been personally affected by the conflict, we hope that you and your family are safe and well.
How can you support Ukraine?
Donating essential supplies
Amazing groups around the country have been providing physical items, including clothing, shoes and medical supplies. However, the Government advice now suggests donating to pre-existing crisis-relief charities is the best way to support victims of the conflict with humanitarian aid because their supply chains are efficient and they are experts in these situations. Some examples of charities running relief campaigns are:
- The UN Refugee Agency – find out more here.
- The British Red Cross – find out more here.
- Unicef – find out more here.
Making a financial donation
When the conflict began, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched a humanitarian appeal to raise funds for Ukraine, bringing together 15 leading charities in the UK. The UK Government matched £25 million of public donations.
Though that matched donation scheme has ended, you can still contribute financially to the DEC provision of essential trauma relief. Find out more here.
Reliable news sources
If you have been keeping up to date with the conflict so far, you will have read about the encroaching limitations on Russian people’s access to accurate, objective information about what’s happening in Ukraine. Thankfully, we have access to more reliable information, but it is still important to be careful with what you read online.
Radio, TV and podcasts
The BBC, Sky News, Channel 4 News, 5News, and ITV are all covering the conflict in detail on TV and radio. If you are looking for some more in-depth updates on the ground, some brilliant podcasts have emerged to cover the events of the war, often bringing us closer to the Ukrainian people on the frontline.
We recommend: Ukrainecast by the BBC.
These podcasts present key details of the evolving situation. An episode is released each day or every other day and is about 30-40 minutes long. You can listen to the Ukrainecast episodes wherever you get your podcasts, or here on the BBC website.
Social media
According to the Government website, “the UK Government, Ukrainian Government and others have been sharing messages of support on social media using the hashtag #StandForUkraine”. You can search for this hashtag to find the latest information about the war, but please spread information with caution. Before sharing something on social media:
- ‘Ask yourself – does this look right? Does this sound right? Does this information come from a source I recognise?’
- ‘The SHARE checklist can help you decide if information can be trusted, before you interact with or share it on your social media channels’.
Trusted accounts to follow if you want to stay up to date on Twitter are:
- BBC World News – @BBCWorld
- UK Ministry of Defence – @DefenceHQ
As a team, we are keeping up to date with the developments in Ukraine and new opportunities to support the humanitarian efforts. If you know of any resources we have missed or want to share how you have supported, please get in touch by either leaving a comment below or sending them to us via email at submissions@thejoyclub.com. We hope that by sharing local and national support initiatives, those who want to help can find a way to get involved.
If you would like to have an opportunity to talk through the difficult news at the moment, then we invite you to our open support session, ‘Listening Ear’. Led by a pastoral specialist, this is a safe space to share how you are feeling and feel supported by fellow attendees. Find out more here.