Wild Walks

For Young Immigrants in Israel

Helping teens fleeing Ukraine and Russia rebuild their life in Israel

The project of the Wild Kids animation studio,
supported by the National Library of Israel

Wild Walks in a nutshell! Download this short PDF presentation and share it with like-minded people and organizations.

Why we’ve launched our project and what its participants say

WHY

The Wild Walks project was created to help the teens forced out of Ukraine and Russia by the war find their place in Israel.

Thousands of families have headed to Israel after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. This was not a planned emigration. People were forced to leave their established life behind.

Immigrant teens belong to one of the most vulnerable groups. They arrive broken by the abrupt changes. They feel lonely, anxious, and depressed.

These teens require immediate help.

They need compassion, understanding, a trustworthy community, and captivating activities.

In March 2022 the Wild Walks project was launched to turn the turmoil of emigration into community building.

PERSONAL STORIES

“I spent days in my bed because walking out on my own felt terrifying…”

“My mom was caught by police in Russia because my sister and I have been protesting the war…”

“I woke up in the morning and found out that in 4 days we are leaving our home for good…”

Watch this video to discover what the kids from our project had been through before they landed in Israel.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Wild Walks project is rapidly growing. It takes a village to raise 120 teens who participate in the project today.

Here are some of the ways you can make an impact:

  • Donate! Your donations are essential to us.

  • Lead a workshop! We constantly introduce the teens to Israeli artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders. Many of them in the past were also young immigrants. Share your experience!

  • Tell the world about us! We are looking for like-minded people and organizations. Know some? Send their way this one-pager.

  • Volunteer with us! We strongly need Russian- or Ukrainian-speaking volunteer psychologists.

  • A meeting space, art materials, museum tickets, and transportation are among other things we would highly appreciate!


    We would love to hear from you! wildwalks22@gmail.com

The future Israeli society is being woven right now.
With your help we can make it better!

“I don’t know where I would be right now if it wasn’t for the “Wild Walks”.
The “Wild Walks” is something that rescues me in Israel.
When I arrived here I had no idea what to do, how, why, for what, or where.
Now I have people, places, and stories that anchor me in Jerusalem.”
— Marta, the project's participant

FEEDBACK

“After COVID and then after the war broke out our kids had lost their social skills, we all became anxious. Now we are finally calming down, the kids start thriving again.
It’s amazing that this [Wild Walks project] exists.
We are a little over a month here, and Arina suddenly joined this project and liked it a lot.
When she got involved in this [Art laboratory] event in the National Library, she just flourished.
She comes home hot-eyed, and we, the parents, get hot-eyed, too.
Since she got involved in the project, she keeps sharing bits and pieces of her creative activities, chatters, tells stories about the people here. It’s just wonderful to watch her!”
— Constantine, Arina's father

WHO WE ARE

170 teenagers — 8 groups — 3 cities —

170 teenagers — 8 groups — 3 cities —

WHAT WE DO

The Wild Walks project introduces the teens to Israeli people, places, traditions, and opportunities. We connect immigrant youth with local peers and educators.

We make art together, considering this a major tool for social integration.

The first “wild walk” took place on March 10, 2022. Since then every single week we go out with the groups of teens. Here is what we do during these walks:

  • Making friends

    We have really deep conversations. The young people feel they are heard. This helps them overcome loneliness

  • Country exploration

    We introduce our participants to inspiring locations in their cities. This allows them feel at home in the new country and identify themselves with it.

  • Integration

    “Wild walks” attract local teenagers, educators, cultural organizations to close the gaps between the community of newcomers and local society.

  • Making art

    We visit local people of arts and create art pieces together. This is our way to work through the tough experience of emigration. On this page you can find the projects we have accomplished so far.

  • Social work

    When needed, we connect the teenagers with psychologists for private consultations and help them find appropriate schools.

  • Supporting new immigrant leaders

    Supporting new immigrant leaders

    The majority of our team members are New Olim themselves. Leading the “Wild walks” groups is an opportunity for them to bring additional meaning to their Aliyah

THE TEAM

  • Nastia Ryabtseva

    FOUNDER

    NGO worker with 7 years of experience, social journalist and writer, fundraiser, creator, groups leader. I am a mother of 2, author, love daring deeds, avocado and laughing so much that tears roll down my cheeks.

  • Nastia Ivanova

    CO-FOUNDER

    Artist, architect, educator. From St. Petersburg lived in China, Thailand, Australia and the UK. Now moved to Jerusalem. I explore the world and fields of doing. I love ceramic, street photography, nature and the challenges of overcoming conflicts in groups.

  • Arik Shraga

    PUBLIC RELATIONS

    Documentary photographer, videographer, and copywriter, over a decade working with humanitarian organizations.
    The Wild Walks project for me is about a meaningful, fulfilled life. I have a feeling of belonging to the project team and the teens’ community.

  • Vanya Rozhansky

    PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

    For the past 7 years I had been working as an NGO director in Russia helping people with mental disabilities. In March 2022 I moved to Israel. I wanted to find myself in a meaningful project helping other people and found it in the Wild Walks.
    I believe that this initiative can help a lot of people who faced the crisis of forced emigration.

  • Bela Talovsky

    EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE DESIGN

    Educational methods researcher, teacher, educational experience designer. Bela had worked at an NGO helping kids with behavioral deviations and at an art residence for kids, was involved in Jewish informal education.
    ”I like to stop myself and get amazed by the surrounding beauty. I love to invent and create structures, lead classes and make discoveries”.

  • Max Epstein

    ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

    Co-founder of Wild Kids animation studio, art director of Wild Kids Studio. Interdisciplinary artist and educator, MFA

  • David Kriksunov

    EDUCATOR, CONSULTANT

    I have been teaching, writing and translating for some time now. I have taught in many different schools in Russia and Israel, have 2 amazing kids and currently work for the National Library of Israel. I believe this project is truly helping teens make it through these extremely unusual, challenging, dark times.

  • Andrei Pshenitskiy

    EDUCATOR

    I love to listen to audiobooks and enjoy reading and discussing all sorts of texts: poetry, philosophy, religion etc. Since being myself a teenager I work in informal education. For several years I work for the Education department in the National Library of Israel.

  • Grisha Markov

    GROUP LEADER

    Professional musician, balalayka player, ukulele teacher. I work with teenagers and children. I have a rich background in informal education. Moved to Tel Aviv, raising a child.

  • Masha Dinor

    GROUP LEADER

    I’m an interior designer and kids educator. I create spaces for life and lead family architecture workshops. I like to explore different cities, collect stories and share them with others. I lived in Moscow and New York, and now I’m in Tel Aviv.

  • Liza Rier

    GROUP LEADER

    I love History and the wildlife and flora of Israel. I enjoy sharing these feelings with others. I tell the story of different people through archeology, traditions and history, telling stories about the past and the present. I live with my 2 dogs and a home-made jungle.

  • Nina Burmistrova

    GROUP LEADER

    I am the fourth of eleven children, so I have been surrounded by people of all ages my whole life. I declare that I am a dreamer and I watch Mother Nature’s gifts and treasures. I plan to become a psychologist. I am happy to create a space where everyone can meet, get to know each other and communicate.

  • Daniel Koronkevich

    EDUCATOR

    Theatre sound designer, composer, musician. Worked in social theater and circus projects back in Saint-Petersburg.

  • Asya Shkolnikova

    GROUP LEADER

    I am an education student at Haifa University. I immigrated to Israel from St. Petersburg, Russia, and after that I served in the Israeli Army as a dental assistant. The local atmosphere taught me to be more sociable and open with people. I volunteer with children and lone soldiers. I have experience in personal accompaniment and help with adaptation to new environment. In our project it is important for me to create a safe and supportive space for everyone.

  • Sasha Mishugina

    GROUP LEADER

    For the last 6 years I work as an editor at edtech start-up, NGO helping refugees, DYI zines about radical ecology. I enjoy reading and editing, but at some point in my life I joined zoopsychology courses and opened a dog grooming practice. For me, the core of each of my activities is an attempt to understand: different ways of writing, communicating, being. Now I live in Haifa and learn how to be a graphic designer.

  • Vsevolod Golenkov

    ONLINE GROUP CURATOR

    Founder of the “Wild walks-online” project. Physicist, teacher, and volunteer. Big fan of volleyball and chess, guitarist

  • Vera Kuznetsova

    GROUP LEADER

    Recently I worked as an actress in Electrotheatre in Moscow. Now I can’t say exactly who I am. I try to formulate it again. I’m interested in everything related to action, movement and, most importantly, interaction. I am interested in meetings, communication, conversations, stories, poems and dance.I am interested in people regardless of their age. I want to travel with them through different spaces (spaces of place, music, text, conversation, thought, game) and I want to create new worlds together.

  • Maria Shinder

    My name is Maria. I’ve moved to Israel four years ago from Kyiv. For me the best thing about Israel is its weather and nature. I work in a kindergarten, but my true passion is summer camps for teenagers. I love riding bikes, dancing, and hiking. And I am really excited to start our wild walks!