Words of support from a free land: A letter to a peer in occupation from a ninth-grader in the Chernihiv region
From June 11 to Sept. 1, 2024, the Almenda Center for Civic Education, supported by the Ministry of Education and Science, held an all-Ukrainian competition called “I Hear You: A Letter to a Peer in Occupation.” A total of 241 children from different parts of Ukraine participated.
ZMINA publishes a letter from a competition participant, Yaroslav Horovyi, a student in the 9th grade at Nizhyn Gymnasium No. 9 in the Chernihiv region.
Good day, my friend!
I am a student of the 8th grade, Yaroslav Horovyi. I am writing you a letter to chat and make friends. I am an ordinary guy, I think, not special. People say, on the contrary, I am diffident. I like Math, Physics, and Chemistry, as well as boxing. I am an excellent student and a “nerd” (that is what they call me). And here I am writing this letter because my teacher made me do it. Just kidding, I wanted to do
it. I do not have many friends. It is cool when you have a friend, especially from the occupation. It sounds stupid. I am sorry. It is cool to have a friend.
So, about boxing.
My idol is Usyk. I watched all his fights. He is a patriot, and so are you. We are Ukrainians. Strong in spirit and body. I am with you. I think about you. Hang in there. Occupation is not a sentence. It will not last long. The main thing is to hold out. Believe in your strength and my support. I want to send you a piece of my soul to make it easier for you; that is why I am sending you a hand. I enchanted it, and it has amazing power. Press your hand against mine, make a wish – it will definitely come true. Know how to wait and believe. This will make you patient and strong.
I do not know if I should say that the enemy killed my father. I am already kind of over it. I became fearless and brave. I am now my family’s pillar. That is what my mother says.
You should know that I honestly think about you, and my mother prays for you. Let us write letters to each other. Exactly. In this way, we will become true friends. Soon there will be peace, and we will be happy.
Goodbye.
