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For Nataliia Antonivna Sivak, social work is not a professional term or a set of functions. It is a way of seeing a person. Of recognizing their dignity, potential, and right to support\u2014regardless of age, status, or life circumstances.<\/strong><\/p>\n Nataliia is an Associate Professor at the Department of Pedagogy at the Khmelnytskyi Humanitarian-Pedagogical Academy, the guarantor of the educational programme in Social Work, a researcher, lecturer, and coordinator of social initiatives. But above all, she is a person for whom family, identity, and humanity are the foundation of everything she does.<\/strong><\/p>\n Her path into the social sphere began long before formal programmes or job titles. As a child in the town of Yarmolyntsi, she was friends with a girl with Down syndrome. When other children mocked her, Nataliia stood up to protect her. Back then, she did not yet know the word \u201cinclusion,\u201d but she already understood deeply that justice is an action.<\/strong><\/p>\n Education as the foundation for change<\/strong><\/p>\n Professionally, Nataliia has been connected with the Khmelnytskyi Humanitarian-Pedagogical Academy since 2003. In 2013, she defended her PhD thesis and later became an Associate Professor. In 2017, she was one of the initiators of the Social Work degree programme at the Academy and of\u00a0the licensing documentation for submission to the Ministry of Education and Science.<\/p>\n Today, she serves as the guarantor of this educational programme. It was at this stage that her professional path naturally intersected with the Platform for Social Change.<\/p>\n A Meeting That Opened a New Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n Nataliia learned about the Platform for Social Change<\/span><\/strong> through personal connections. A colleague suggested she take a closer look at the organization\u2019s work\u2014and that recommendation became the starting point of a long-term, systematic collaboration.<\/p>\n For Nataliia, as a lecturer and programme guarantor, it was essential that students did not remain confined to lecture halls. She was constantly searching for live practice, real-life cases, and partnerships with the civic sector.<\/p>\n The Platform for Social Change<\/span><\/strong> became exactly that kind of space\u2014one where learning was inseparable from practice, and theory immediately found its way into real life.<\/p>\n Even when the first round tables were held in Kamianets-Podilskyi and required travelling from Khmelnytskyi, there was no hesitation: \u201cWe\u2019re going.\u201d<\/em> This was how a partnership began\u2014built not on formalities, but on trust.<\/p>\n New Knowledge, New Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n Taking part in the activities of the Platform for Social Change opened up an entire field for Nataliia that she had previously had little direct experience with\u2014working with older people.<\/p>\n Round tables, webinars, and the CAPABLE project did not offer abstract concepts, but concrete examples: how communities work with older adults, how they involve them in active social life, and how social services are designed and delivered in practice.<\/p>\n International speakers\u2014particularly those from Poland\u2014made an especially strong impression. They spoke about the use of IT technologies in the social sector: health-monitoring bracelets, emergency response systems, and tools to support people who live alone. For Nataliia, this was not an abstract vision of the \u201cfuture,\u201d but a very real response to Ukraine\u2019s current challenges\u2014population ageing, loneliness, and war.<\/p>\n It was at that moment that she clearly realised: without this kind of knowledge and these real-life examples, it is impossible to build a modern social system.<\/p>\n Impact Beyond the Classroom<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the most powerful effects of working with the Platform for Social Change, Nataliia saw in her students.<\/p>\n After the first round table in Kamianets-Podilskyi, only one student traveled with her \u2014 a decision shaped by responsibility and fear of taking risks. Yet that very trip became a turning point.<\/p>\n After returning, the student prepared a presentation for Caritas in Khmelnytskyi, drawing directly on what she had heard during the Platform\u2019s events. Her presentation was met with a standing ovation from representatives of the social protection department.<\/p>\n \u201cAt that moment, we felt like we had grown wings,\u201d Nataliia recalls. \u201cI realized: this is what real impact looks like.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Later, almost the entire program took part in the second round table in Khmelnytskyi. It was there that the academy signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Platform for Social Change.<\/p>\n And soon after, a student who had helped organize the event chose the topic of her thesis: organizing leisure activities for older adults. Participation in a single event thus evolved into academic research \u2014 and a conscious professional choice.<\/p>\n The Role of an Educator Goes Beyond the Classroom<\/strong><\/p>\n For Nataliia, the Platform for Social Change became a catalyst for rethinking the role of an educator. In her view, education is the foundation for life. But just as important is the kind of people students become when they leave university.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what professions they will choose,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I want them to be people who care \u2014 people who can think critically and empathize with others.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That is why the Platform\u2019s formats \u2014 live discussions, roundtables, and real stories from communities \u2014 proved more impactful for students than any textbook.<\/p>\n Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n Today, Nataliia sees the Platform for Social Change as a key partner in driving long-term, systemic change. This is not only about individual events, but about:<\/p>\n \u201cSocial workers are the first line of support,\u201d Nataliia says. \u201cAnd they need modern knowledge that is adapted to Ukrainian realities.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cSeeing the Person in Front of You\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n When speaking about values, Nataliia articulates a simple yet deeply meaningful principle: to see the person in front of you. Not a role, not a status, not a label \u2014 but a human being.<\/p>\n This is the philosophy she passes on to her students. And, as she says, it is a philosophy strengthened by the Platform for Social Change \u2014 through partnership, trust, and working together.<\/p>\n This story is about how a platform can transform not only individual practices, but ways of thinking. And how, through one lecturer, one student, one roundtable, long-term change begins to take shape \u2014 in education, communities, and the social sector of Ukraine.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For Nataliia Antonivna Sivak, social work is not a professional term or a set of functions. 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