The UNED classroom in Torrevieja publishes the first emergency Spanish manual for Ukrainians.

The first Spanish-learning book for the Ukrainian population living in Spain has been promoted by the UNED Classroom in Torrevieja. It will be presented on Wednesday, May 21, at the Palacio de la Música, at 7:30 p.m. The event will consist of a musical gala, with songs in Ukrainian and Spanish, several interventions by
institutions and associations interested in the project and the concise explanation of the method and the collection: dialogues, contrasting cultural notes, practical grammatical explanations and finally a double lexicon: a Ukrainian-Spanish vocabulary and a Spanish-Ukrainian dictionary with more than 500 full-color illustrations.

The presentation will be attended by the Deputy Mayor of Torrevieja, Rosario Martínez; the Councilor for Education and Universities, Ricardo Recuero; the Councilor for International Residents, Gitte Lund; and the Director of the UNED (National University of Elche) in Elche, Francisco Escudero. "Manual de urgente: Español para Ukrainians" (Urgent Manual: Spanish for Ukrainians) was the initiative of Professor Juan Antonio Cebrián Flores. Developed by Professor and Doctor of Philology, Jesús Riquelme, current coordinator of the UNED (National University of Elche) in Torrevieja, it has become a useful teaching-learning material for a language aimed at foreigners who live in the linguistic area where that language is spoken: Ukrainians who wish to communicate in Spanish because they live in Spain, specifically in the area of influence of Torrevieja, which is home to the largest population in the entire country.

Once the natural language learning approach was designed, through real communication situations (introduction upon meeting, the need to travel, shopping requirements, details regarding going to the doctor, habits at school, curiosities when buying food, etc.), with the help of numerous Ukrainian speakers (Valeria Dovbysh, Andrii Kulyk, Sofia Kuznetsova, Anastasia Kozakova and Nataliya Khomyak) and the support of the clarifications of three Ukrainian language philologists who work in Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa and Murcia (Oksana Grygoriv, Inna Lymar and Oksana Bilostotsk), it was possible to finalize a valuable learning tool for our greatest cultural asset: the Spanish language.

The official, or co-official, language is an essential means of communication for full integration into our society as citizens and workers. The work has been written in an almost completely bilingual format so that, with the guidance of a teacher, students can develop their Spanish language skills in a creative, gradual, progressive, and participatory manner.

The project has the support of Ukrainian associations in Torrevieja and the province of Alicante, in Mutxamel, whose presidents will speak at the presentation: Natalia Zhezhnyavska, director of the Official Ukrainian School, and Antonina Rohalska, respectively. A presentation event has been scheduled, accompanied by various musical performances, with lyrics in Ukrainian and Spanish: Elysaveta Khomyak, the brothers Simon and Yefim Kurochkin, the Tando children's choir, directed by Taras Khomyak, and soprano Viktoriya Svyshch, accompanied by pianist Nataliya Khomyak, will perform. The event will close with a double musical performance by Anastasia Kozakova.

We welcome with humanitarian satisfaction this symbolic gesture from the UNED of Torrevieja for the Ukrainian refugees who have come to the south of the Valencian Community with the aim of feeling protected in our community, especially since the Russian invasion of their country in February 2022, and, therefore, of successfully settling in Spain.

The authors, doctoral candidate Juan Antonio Cebrián and Dr. Jesucristo Riquelme, report that a reduced first edition has been prepared, with the intention of publishing a second, revised and expanded edition during the next academic year, which will meet the maximum needs of professors and students. To be shown
the interest of authorities from all areas of the Spanish State, the length of the book (now 128 pages, folio size, full color), with many more bilingual dialogues, and the print run would be expanded: the objective would be to cover the pedagogical needs of a wider area in the Valencian Community and in Spain; tentatively,
would propose a co-edition with the Valencian publishing house Micomicona, which would be responsible for its distribution.

Admission to the presentation is free with an invitation. Invitations can be picked up at the concierge desk of the Palacio de la Música until the day of the event.