Galway City Council announces initiatives for health and wellbeing of Ukrainian refugees

By Seán Lyons

Galway City Council has announced a number of initiatives to support the health and wellbeing of Ukrainian refugees in Galway.

The initiatives are government-funded and are supported by the Ukrainian Health and Wellbeing Support Fund with the aim of helping Ukrainian refugees to integrate into their communities and build healthy lives in Ireland.

“We would love to see a really strong integration of Ukrainian people”

Aisling Colreavy, the coordinator of Healthy Galway City, said that the initiatives are aimed at promoting the mental and physical health of Ukrainian refugees as well as helping them to become more comfortable within their new communities.

“First and foremost, we want to offer support that will promote the physical and mental health of refugees and also we would love to see a really strong integration of Ukrainian people into the fantastic communities that we have here in Galway city,” she said.

Activities and workshops

The projects on offer, which include recreational, physical, creative, social and cultural activities, are available to all Ukrainian people in Galway while some are also accessible to local residents.

Among the activities are physical exercise sessions for older adults, nature walks, circus skills workshops, excursions and family fun days.

There are also a number of therapy-based projects to provide support to those who are coping with the trauma of war and displacement. These include trauma-informed workshops, music courses and art therapy courses.

“We’re trying to offer something for everyone”

Colreavy said that the projects on offer are targeted at Ukrainian refugees of all ages to cater to as many people as possible.

“We have an allocation that allows us to run activities from now until the end of May and we’re targeting children, adults, older adults, teenagers. We’re trying to offer something for everyone,” she said.

The initiatives have been developed by the Community Response Forum of Galway City Council in collaboration with Galway Sports Partnership, Healthy Galway City, the Galway City Council Arts Office, Galway City Partnership and Volunteer Galway.

Ukrainian people who are interested in attending any of the events can apply at: www.galwaycity.ie/ukrainianwellbeing.