Punctuality, responsibility, self-reliance and acceptance of others were among several life lessons young Jordanians learned at the International Children’s Festival in Ukraine.

The festival, founded in 2001 as an Ukrainian initiative, was held this year under the theme “Let’s change the world for the better”, and aimed to gather teenagers from around the world to discuss issues of mutual concern and encourage cross-cultural exchange, according to Ukrainian Ambassador to Jordan Serhiy Pasko.

This year, the festival was held July 17-August 1 with the participation of more than 700 young people from 55 countries, including 11 Jordanians.

“We aspire to raise participants’ awareness of various aspects they all share on this planet, and we try to teach them tolerance, equality of rights, pluralism in a multicultural environment, as well as giving them the opportunity to develop themselves via meeting counterparts from different cultures,” Pasko said at an event organised by the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) on Tuesday.

According to Jordanian participants, the festival was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share views with peers from other cultures.

“It was a great experience to be in a multicultural environment,” said Danya Kheitan, 14, adding that she exchanged views with participants about customs and traditions during her stay in Ukraine.

“I learned how to be patient and listen to other people with respect and understanding. The experience was extraordinary as I had the chance to talk about my country to other people who had never heard about it before,” said 15-year-old Hani Kamal.

The Jordanian participants held several folk dance performances and took part in celebrating other participants’ national days, according to Kamal. He added that Jordanian participants explained to their peers the symbolic meaning behind the Jordanian flag’s colours.

For Samar, 14, the event was a chance to make new friends from different parts of the world.

“I have e-mails from them and I e-mail them back. We are communicating on social networks such as Facebook and others,” the teenager told The Jordan Times, adding that she discussed with other children issues such as the legal age for marriage in Jordan and women’s and children’s rights.

Last year, participants established the International Children’s League of Nations, which is dedicated to promoting and protecting children’s rights and interests worldwide. This year, the Jordanian participants issued a statement calling on the league to be more active in supporting orphaned children, children from disadvantaged families and children with special needs.

The Ukrainian envoy said his government is keen to sustain this initiative, expressing hope to see more young Jordanian men and women making a difference in next year’s event.

"Jordan Times", Hani Hazaimeh