From the front to the profession: how the resource center "Lisova Polyana" opens new opportunities for veterans

At the NGO Resource Center "Lisova Polyana" For several years, they have been working with frontline soldiers and have noticed one fundamental thing: formal assistance does not bring a person back to life, but rather restores their ability to function and their dignity. This is how the project was born. Dignity in Action, which combines psychosocial practices, horizontal connections within the community, and physical activities, including the medieval contact combat "Buhurt Sich".

Project Operations Director Dana Murzova tells LIGA.net how veterans turn combat experience into a resource for civilian life and professional fulfillment, regaining control over themselves and the strength to act through a combination of bodily practices, group interaction, and psychosocial support.

Origins and Motivation of the Project

– How did the idea for the "Dignity in Action: From Combat Path to Professional Development" program come about?

– When you see a veteran returning from the front and feeling a loss of dignity, you realize that changes are necessary. This is how the "Dignity in Action: From the Battlefield to Professional Development" program came about. The team at the NGO RC "Lisova Polyana" has long noticed that traditional programs ignore the main thing – leadership, stress resistance, and teamwork skills acquired in the war.

"Instead of seeing this experience as a bridge to a new career, it is often viewed only through the prism of trauma and the need for adaptation," explains Dana Murzova.

The program operates on a biopsychosocial approach, combining medical and psychological support, psychotherapy, community engagement, and the reintegration of veterans into their usual roles.

One of the directions is: "Buhurt Sich", combat recovery through medieval contact combat. Veterans regain control over their bodies and emotions, develop teamwork, and leadership skills become the foundation for new professions.

In 2024, together with the Center for Mental Health and Rehabilitation of Veterans of the Ministry of Health, the following was launched:"Free Steppe" platform, which unites over 60 organizations, provides comprehensive assistance and helps train professionals for the ethical support of veterans.

– How did the previous experience of the NGO Resource Center "Lisova Polyana" influence the "Dignity in Action" project?

"Over the years, we have learned which tools and formats work most effectively for the reintegration of veterans. The Peer-to-Peer program has shown that transformation happens through mutual support and learning," says Dana Murzova.

Main objectives and impact

– What is the purpose of the project, and how does it affect veterans?

– The main goal of the project is to transform military experience into social and professional capital.

• Professional requalification and employment: "We provide 20 veterans with specific skills – instructional activities, project management, security – combining the experience of 'Buhurt Sich' and training modules."
• Psychosocial recovery through action."Medieval combat helps restore a sense of control, team belonging, and self-worth."
• Building a Community and Mentorship"Experienced veterans become mentors for newcomers, reinforcing their leadership and organizational skills."

– What makes the program unique in integrating military experience?

– The program combines the experience of "Buhurt Sich" with the "peer-to-peer" principle, transforming military identity into a professional one.

"We don't just teach skills; we use the veteran community as a living platform for transferring competencies," she says.

Among them:

• Controlled Stress and Leadership: Combat exercises practice decision-making under pressure and teamwork.
• Restoring Roles: The structure of instructors and fighters restores a sense of significance.
• Veterans as Mentors: Experienced participants provide authority and trust.
• Competency Transfer: military skills are transferred to civilian activities.
• Emotional safety: The veteran context builds trust for psychosocial integration.

Methods, Participants, and Results

– What competencies and tools do mental health professionals acquire through the project's training programs?

– Within the "Dignity in Action" project, mental health professionals – in the context of this program, these are buhurt sports coaches who work on a "peer-to-peer" basis – receive a specialized set of competencies and tools within the Psychological Block of training, which consists of 10 sessions.

Competencies and tools of the "Peer-to-Peer" approach

Dana Murzova emphasizes that the trainers are mastering the ethical and communication foundations of working with their brothers-in-arms:

• Ethics and the Limits of Responsibility: understanding the role of a coach, knowing when to refer a participant to a specialist.
• Communication skills: active listening, clarification, paraphrasing, sensitive communication.
• Conflict Management: de-escalation and supportive feedback.
• Personal qualities: Empathy, reflection, and self-regulation for the coach's stability.

Trauma-informed approach

Coaches learn to recognize signs of psychological distress and respond to crisis situations:

• Injury Recognition: combat, cumulative, social; distinguishing normal reactions from PTSD symptoms.
• Responding to the crisis: "container" techniques, breathing and body practices for calming.
• Burnout Prevention: early recognition and establishment of personal boundaries.

Motivational Counseling and Leadership

The program helps veterans adapt and develop professionally:

• Motivational Interview: listening, summarizing, supporting; working with ambivalence.
• Support for changes: setting realistic goals and reinforcing motivation through small victories.
• Working with a group and leadership: fostering trust and a supportive atmosphere of mutual assistance.

– How many participants have completed the training or joined the program?

– The "Dignity in Action" project is an intensive and in-depth program focused not on quick training sessions, but on long-term systemic recovery through the integration of a biopsychosocial approach.

"Currently, a group of 20 veterans is undergoing the main stage. We have moved away from short-term training, as the program combines the methodology of sports and community building, like in 'Buhurt Sich', with psychological training based on the 'peer-to-peer' principle," explains the operational director of the 'Lisova Polyana' Rehabilitation Center.

According to her, the results are already noticeable: the participants have become a cohesive community, support each other, actively plan for the future, and transfer their skills to their professional activities.

For example, one veteran has already found employment in a new hall in Podil, and psychological work helps with openness and more effective emotion management.

Finance and the Future

– What budget was allocated for the project?

– The total budget of the project is 924,000 hryvnias., the entire amount is provided as grant support from the Foundation. It is logically distributed among three key areas: Training methodology, Training delivery, and Support and communication.

• Development and preparation of programs (Stage 1): UAH 112,000 (12.1%)
  • Development of training modules: UAH 63,000
  • Materials and printing: UAH 49,000
• Conducting training sessions (Stages 2 and 3): UAH 674,000 (72.9%)
  • Buhurt sport: UAH 432,000 (32 classes)
  • Psychological training: UAH 170,000 (10 sessions)
  • Organizational matters: UAH 96,000 (14 classes)
• Communication and support: UAH 114,000 (12.4%)
  • Social media management: UAH 96,000
  • Photo recording: UAH 18,000

Dana Murzova emphasizes that the main part of the budget is allocated to conducting key training sessions, which fully corresponds to the project's objectives.

– What is the cost of training one participant or specialist within the program?

The estimated cost of training one participant is 34,900 hryvnias.

"This amount is calculated based on the direct costs of the training and divided among 20 participants," she says.

– What is the further development of the "Dignity in Action" project?

– According to Dana Murzova, there are plans to create a national platform for veteran reintegration, which uses physical activity and communities like "Buhurt Sich" as a basis for professional and psychological recovery.

Key areas:

• Scaling: there is a growing demand for new school kits.
• Regional Expansion: training of mentor-methodologists for new centers throughout Ukraine.
• Sustainable financial model.: the community transforms into a self-sufficient organization or social enterprise.

"Our project demonstrates in practice that this experience can be transformed into professional competencies: project management, teamwork, and resilience. And it is growing not only quantitatively – through new groups – but also qualitatively, because it helps to form a new understanding of the veteran's role in society," Murzova concludes.

The material was created LIGA.net with the support of the Askold and Dir Foundation, administered by ISAR Ednannia within the framework of the project "Strong Civil Society of Ukraine – Driver of Reforms and Democracy" with funding from Norway and Sweden. The content of the publication is the responsibility of LIGA.net and does not reflect the views of the governments of Norway, Sweden, or ISAR Ednannia.