Echoes of Hope: The Kalush English school helping veterans find their voice

No one flees shelling with a business plan. You pack the kids, the papers, and a life that fits in one trunk.

After days on the road, Daria Skachko arrived in Kalush in the Ivano-Frankivsk region on March 13, 2022. She brought two children and a heavy uncertainty; behind her, the life she knew in Kharkiv had vanished. Like hundreds of thousands of her fellow Ukrainians, she was standing at a beginning she never asked for.

Before the full-scale invasion, Daria – an entrepreneur, volunteer, and mother of three-– had been building a network of English language schools in Kharkiv. After relocating, it took time to find herself again, to find her inner strength, and decide that rebuilding her life was possible. She even sold her car to be able to restart her work.  

But what came out of it was not just a return to business.

Where fear met the desire to carry on

The idea grew from real conversations with veterans, while Daria was participating in hackathons organised by the ‘Smart Media’ and ‘Action Times’ non-governmental organisations (NGOs), within the ‘EU4Youth Phase III – Support for Young Veterans and Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine’ programme.

During these meetings, veterans returning from the front spoke about their experience returning to normal life, about studying, changing professions, and trying to find their place in the world. At the same time, they spoke about exhaustion, fear, and the invisible barriers that make the first small steps toward a sense of normality feel overwhelming.

Then came a simple, powerful realisation: education could be a quiet bridge to healing. It wasn’t therapy. It wasn’t pressure. It was just a room where, word by word, confidence began to return.

Following the results of these hackathons, Daria’s initiative received support from the EU4Youth programme. This allowed her to open the ‘Simple Max’ English language courses in Kalush for military personnel and veterans.

Through hackathons organised by ‘Smart Media’ and ‘Action Times’ within the EU4Youth programme, a total of 60 business plans were developed, 10 initiatives received support to launch their businesses, and dozens of entrepreneurial ideas were strengthened. Daria’s initiative is one of them.

A classroom without pressure

At ‘Simple Max’, English is taught in beginner-level groups, but the real difference lies in the atmosphere.

No fear of mistakes.

No pressure for fast results.

No expectation to ‘catch up’.

The classes focus on live communication and real-life situations – travel, work and everyday conversations. Interactive and game-based methods help reduce stress. Gradually, participants begin to relax into the process.

‘Last time I studied English was at school, but I still remember some of it, and now I want to refresh my knowledge, because knowing foreign languages is a real necessity these days. I haven’t missed a single class since the course began, and I’m very happy that we have this opportunity for veterans in Kalush’, says course participant and veteran Mykola Bilous.

For many of the participants, these lessons are the first regular classes they have attended in years. Along with vocabulary and grammar, they gain something more important as well: the ability to plan, to show up, and to belong to a community again.

English becomes less of a school subject, and more of a bridge to employment, to communication and to confidence.

The team at ‘Simple Max’ notes that even just after the first lessons, participants started speaking more freely, getting to know each other, forming new social connections, and regaining trust in learning as a valuable resource.

In the long run, the school aims to support veterans’ reintegration into civilian life and foster a sustainable interest in self-education. A separate future direction will focus on creating English-language textbooks, specifically designed for veterans.

‘For me, this project is not just about teaching English – not about grammar or language rules. It is about support, self-belief, and the opportunity to begin a new stage of life with confidence’ emphasizes ‘Simple Max’ founder, Daria.

Oleksandra Shchukina, the leader of ‘Smart Media’, sees this story as something larger than just a school:

‘Daria’s story is an example of how well-directed support transforms into real change. We see entrepreneurship becoming a tool for recovery – both for people returning from war and for the communities in which they live’.

Once, Daria rebuilt her life from scratch. Today, through ‘Simple Max’, she helps others do the same – one lesson at a time.