New director general appointed at Artek children's camp

Head of the Institute of Creativity and head of the All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation Schaslyvi Doloni (Happy Palms) Olena Piddubna has been appointed the director general of the Artek international children's center, Artek's press service reported on Wednesday.

Previously, Piddubna worked as a teacher at a high school and a boarding school in the town of Dzerzhynsk.

"We have to prove to everyone that Artek has been and will remain a symbol of childhood dreams and the unification of people from different cultures, beliefs and traditions. Our solidarity will be a shining example," the new director general said during her first meeting with the staff of Artek.

As reported, the former general director of Artek, Borys Novozhylov, resigned from his post due to health problems in late May, following a number of political and land-related scandals. Novozhylov had headed Artek since September 2006.

Artek is an international children's center located on the southern coast of Crimea not far from the town of Gurzuf. It was opened in 1925 and was considered one of the most prestigious children's recreation centers in the Soviet Union.