Epicenter has launched a social project to combat bullying
29 April 20:20
As part of the “School Secret Boxes” project, installations featuring real stories of bullying—which children usually keep hidden—have appeared in the capital’s “Epicenter” shopping centers, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
The project’s goal is to break the culture of silence and give children a tool for help: by scanning a QR code at the location, they can not only anonymously share their situation but also receive support.
“Every day, thousands of schoolchildren return home and answer their parents’ questions with the usual ‘everything’s fine.’ However, behind this short phrase often lie fear, humiliation, and systematic bullying. By opening these symbolic school locker doors, we not only tell stories but also give everyone the opportunity to anonymously share their own experiences and receive professional advice from a specialist. “This is a step from isolation to a safe environment where every voice matters, because bullying fears exposure,” notes Yulia Chudnovets, PR Director of Epicenter.
The project is timed to coincide with International Anti-Bullying Day and is being implemented in partnership with the Alterra network of private schools and the creative agency Taktika.
“School Secret Boxes” have already been installed in Kyiv shopping centers of the “Epicenter” chain at 20-D Poliarna Street and 65/1 Honoré de Balzac Street.
The focal point is a large paper airplane, which in school days was a way to pass a note discreetly.
In this project, it becomes a symbol of openness and the right to be heard, as it features a QR code that allows anyone to anonymously share their story and receive advice on how to combat bullying.
