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Moms and dads as one team: EU supports development of Tatohubs

11/02/2022

“Tam, de my ye” (Where We Are) is a hit song by Antitila featured in the national musical flashmob, which was held in May 2021 by the Ukrainian tatohubs. “What is a ‘tatohub’?” many of you will ask. And rightly so, as tatohubs are a relatively new movement in the Ukrainian cities and communities.

Tatohubs are clubs for dads, where they can communicate, exchange experience, get advice from various specialists, and spend some quality time with their kids. As of the end of 2021, there were 12 tatohubs in Ukraine, including in Kramatorsk, Kyiv, Odesa, Vinnytsya, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, Berdyansk, Kherson, Nova Kakhovka, Troyitske, Rubizhne, and Myrnohrad. And their number keeps growing.

The movement aims to find a solution to a rather obvious problem in Ukraine – childcare here is still perceived solely as the duty of a woman. Specifically, the majority of men support this opinion, according to the results of a survey conducted in 2020 by the United National Population Fund. A father looks after children under 3 in only 2% of families. However, 45% dads would like to or are planning to spend more time with their children.

Tatohubs are designed to help them.

“Everybody in the city knows about the tatohub. People know that it is a place where you can have a great time with your kid. That’s exciting,” says Yaroslav Boyko, the head of the club in Kramatorsk. “Once a man feels comfortable at the club, we begin to work on improving the level of his responsibility as a father and a partner.”

Tatohub in Kramatorsk is one of the pioneers of the movement. At the moment, it has over 70 participants and operates on the basis of the UA Fishing Club NGO. Seasonal group rafting trips on the river are the highlight among the various activities of the tatohub. Quality leisure for dads and kids is the general priority of the club’s operation in Kramatorsk.

“Whether it’s fishing or rafting, they are excellent opportunities to become closer. When a woman cheers for her man, it is about emotions that foster communication. They are a team,” believes Yaroslav Boyko.

Tatohubs also provide psychological and legal support to men. In cooperation with the Employment Centre and Advanced Training Centre, they help acquire new skills. The club works with non-family youth, i.e. future partners and parents, and has a volunteer network of people aged 14-23. For them, there are sex ed classes, and classes for building healthy partner relations and conscious parenting.

All tatohubs have one goal, but the means to achieve it and the activities may differ by region, city or community.

For example, the tatohub in the mining town of Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast operates at a school workshop, where master classes in pottery, carpentry, metalwork, making of stained glass, gingerbread baking, and painting are held for parents and children. During the warm period of the year, the team organizes three-day family kayaking trips and one-day events at the local body of water titled Tato-Regattas.

Overcoming gender stereotypes is the priority of the tatohub in Odesa, which was established in December 2020.

To achieve their goal, the club organizes various events that push men out of their comfort zone. For example, for St. Nicolas Day, dads together with their kids participated in a master class in cooking Christmas gingerbread. This format was unexpected both for men and for the children. During the contest on the International Women’s Day, the members of the club competed in cooking the best breakfast for their partners. Also, Odesa dads tried couples’ yoga with their kids.

Working in online mode is the feature of Kyiv’s tatohub. The club was established in April 2021 at the time of strict quarantine. In summer, it was decided to continue with this format. The team has psychologists, the members of the club meet and share their experience. Webinars and educational trainings are organized for them.

Despite the diversity of means and forms of activity, all tatohubs have a common goal. They are also all supported by the European Union and, individually, by a number of its member states. The EU is the movement’s major donor.

Some tatohubs receive EU support through the “EU4Gender Equality: Together Against Gender Stereotypes and Gender-Based Violence” Programme, which is implemented jointly by the UN Women and the UN Population Fund. Others, the majority of the clubs, are financed by the EU through the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, which is also implemented by a number of agencies. In addition to the EU, other contributors include the European Investment Bank and the governments of Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland and Sweden.

“The idea is to teach the men a new normal, to teach them to accept that a mom and a dad are a team; that they are equal partners,” says psychologist Valeria Taran-Haiduk, coordinator of the “EU4Gender Equality: Together Against Gender Stereotypes and Gender-Based Violence” programme.

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