Children’s Day with Dad at Rýnovice Prison

On Saturday, 21 June 2025, another edition of the Children’s Day with Dad took place at Rýnovice Prison as part of the VOLONTÉ Children’s Days. The event brought a day full of emotions, connection, joy, and touching moments. Fathers had the opportunity to spend meaningful time with their children outside the usual visiting setting, in an environment designed to support closeness and relationships.

What happened?

• Children and their fathers took part together in a variety of game stations – ball throwing, obstacle courses, sack races, plant and animal identification, and much more.

• The emotional highlight of the day was a shared song accompanied by gestures and personal messages, which created deeply moving moments of connection between parent and child.

• The afternoon continued with outdoor activities, dancing, soap bubbles, and roasting sausages. Children received small prizes and medals handcrafted inside the prison by their fathers.

VOLONTÉ CZECH involvement

Our organization, VOLONTÉ CZECH, has been supporting these family-focused activities at Rýnovice Prison for a long time. This event builds on our ongoing community group that regularly meets within the prison, as well as our systematic work with families of incarcerated individuals. Financial support for this event was provided through the VOL Rodinu project, which enables us to strengthen parent-child bonds even under limited-contact conditions.

Why does it matter?

• We believe that contact with loved ones and the opportunity to spend shared time has a significant impact on the mental well-being of both children and parents.

• Events like this help reinforce family ties, which can serve as a motivation for change and a form of prevention against further social exclusion.

• Meaningful cooperation between the prison service and the non-profit sector shows that even in challenging environments, it is possible to create a safe space for relationships.

We thank the leadership of Rýnovice Prison, the staff, and all participating incarcerated fathers, who engaged in the event with respect and genuine interest. We are proud that, as VOLONTÉ, we could be part of this day that held such deep meaning for both children and their parents.

This event was held in cooperation with the prison administration and VOLONTÉ CZECH as part of the VOL Rodinu project (Reg. No. CZ.03.02.02/00/22_017/0000254), funded by the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Employment Plus.