Ukrainian Youth Develop Eating Disorder Prevention Program

After confronting and successfully overcoming her own medical issues associated with an eating disorder, Halyna Kurylo, an alumna of the Global Undergraduate Program (UGRAD), was determined to share her experiences and personal triumphs with others. In fall 2007, she successfully won a 10-month Alumni Small Grant  to develop and implement a public awareness campaign that would educate youth in Ukraine about eating disorders through a series of trainings, workshops, and information distribution.

Kurylo and several of her colleagues conducted in-depth research and consulted extensively with the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa in the US to develop an informational booklet on the topic in Ukrainian entitled Anorexia is (not) about Me. The booklet includes scientific facts and research aimed at dispelling common myths and stereotypes often associated with eating disorders.

Kurylo and her colleagues also developed workshops and trainings as vehicles for disseminating their message and educating teenage girls in local schools about eating disorder-related illnesses. Although they initially faced considerable obstacles in getting into schools to talk to the teens, Kurylo and her colleagues were eventually able to convince some school administrators that their program was based on educating women about an actual medical condition. The team held seven workshops in Lviv and in two surrounding towns and had the opportunity to speak with over 150 teenage girls.

Through their extensive outreach efforts, Kurylo and her colleagues have begun to see the results of their project spread throughout Ukraine. Recently, a story about anorexia aired on the national Ukrainian television station NTN. NTN journalists interviewed Kurylo and her volunteers and filmed part of their presentation at school # 62 in Lviv. After this story was aired, Kurylo received phone calls from concerned mothers asking for advice on their daughters’ condition as well as extensive questions from school officials and teenagers who wanted to learn more facts about the illnesses. Several other schools invited Kurylo and her colleagues to visit and conduct the same tested program. Currently, the team is working on the development of a resource and coordination center for young women. Kurylo hopes that this center, along with their continuing trainings, presentations, and youth group activities will serve as a model for other outreach efforts throughout the country.

The Global Undergraduate Program (UGRAD) and the Alumni Small Grants program are programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State and administered by IREX.