“We Played and Had Fun”: Kids Reflect on Last Year’s Camps The “Childhood Without a Pause” Campaign Continues

Children from Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia shared their favorite memories from last summer’s camps. The CITA media team asked them what stood out the most, what their mentors were like, and whether camps like these are worth doing at all.

The most common answer to the first question, among ten kids ages 6 to 14, wasn’t even a sentence—it was more like an excited shout: “We played and had fun!”

Besides playing and having fun, the kids remembered jumping on trampolines, eating popcorn and cotton candy, doing crafts, and learning Bible lessons.

When asked about their mentors, every single child described them the same way: kind, fun, and always coming up with cool games and competitions.

As for why camps like these matter, 9-year-old Dima from Mykolaiv put it simply: “I think camps are for helping kids be creative and learn about God.”

Even in wartime, a quick survey like this shows that kids are still kids—they want to laugh, play, and enjoy being children.

To make that possible again this summer in Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv regions, the CITA ministry, together with generous supporters, is continuing the fundraising campaign for summer camps in active war zones—”Childhood Without a Pause.”
In the first week, 1,710 UAH was raised.

Join the campaign through the link!

CITA Ministry Press Center.