DRI held a Democracy School for Youth on July 30 – August 3 near Kyiv,adding to the community of activists who want to change Ukraine through local initiatives. The School brought together 33 young people from 19 regions of Ukraine and 14 well-known experts with lectures on the key principles of democracy,European integration,key reforms,the political system,practical management skills,etc. It resulted in the experience exchange between young professionals and ideas for new projects.
For five days,we leaed how to effectively involve the community,work with the media,and receive grants for important projects. We also discussed how to monitor the implemented reforms,conduct advocacy campaigns and what will happen to the elections after our victory. The school helped to better understand how different spheres of public administration work,and how we,young people,can influence the local and national development of our state. The most valuable thing is getting to know activists from all over Ukraine and sharing experiences, – Yuriy Sushynsky,a 30-year-old school director in the village of Tysovets,Cheivtsi region, shared his impressions.
The school is part of the project Democratic Accession,Resilience and Engagement in Ukraine (Ukraine-DARE),which DRI implements with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany. The project aims,in particular,to promote the civic activism of young people. Networking and exchange of experiences was one of the key goals of the event,and the organizers paid special attention to the involvement of inteally displaced persons,young people from the frontline regions or small communities – there were two thirds of such participants.
For Valentina Riznyk,who works in the department of youth and national-patriotic education of the Cherkasy City Council,the School helped to establish new acquaintances and create her environment. People who work in different fields have gathered here,but each of them tells about their history and development path. It happens that young people come with ideas and a willingness to change something,to create something unique. But we the local self-govement bodies tell you,Are you sure that this can be implemented? Do what is written in your job description. And young people often bu out,because it tus out that your vision is not accepted at all. Therefore,it is very important to find like-minded people who will hear you and find support and strength to do it together.
The lectures and the School itself focused on the challenges for democracy in the conditions of war. Many young people in mode Ukraine received their passports already in the conditions of the martial law introduced by Ukraine due to the russia’s full-scale invasion,and they never had the opportunity to use,for example,their right to vote in elections.
Many things that we take for granted,such as public awareness about the democratic procedures,are not so obvious. For example,during martial law,many people are not ised to voting procedures. – says one of the School’s lecturers Yevhen Hlibovytskyi,director of the Institute of the Front.
On the one hand,Russia’s armed aggression is a colossal violation of human rights. On the other hand,the legal regime of martial law,which Ukraine was forced to implement from February 2022,provides for certain restrictions on human rights to protect state sovereignty and territorial integrity,for example,limiting access to some types of public information.
Valeriya Morozova,advocacy manager of the NGO Zaporizhia Center of Investigations,founder of the public initiative VUS says,We are engaged in participation and anti-corruption,in particular,we have developed a chatbot for citizens’ appeals to the state authorities. We are often faced with the fact that due to martial law,some types of information are closed. I constantly organize a public hearing,we bring certain initiatives to the authorities,and they have never been accepted immediately. We have to involve the Kyiv ombudsman,for example,for human rights or for education,to raise awareness,and only after 3-4 months of advocacy we receive our hearing. The School helped me better navigate what I do and provide a better level of advocacy to the citizens. Education for activists is highly needed and always useful,and we have broadcast this knowledge to others.
Most of the participants believe that the School has become a useful opportunity for them to improve practical skills,and they plan to use the skills received in their future activities.
The lecturers of the School gave answers to the questions,which I did not know before. For example,project management skills. The team of my NGO UMSA,which is engaged in the development of medicine,conducts events for medical students,citizens and youth. In the future,we plan to create a grant raising group,which will work on writing the projects,and I want to join this group, Vitaliy Potochniak,an activist and student of the Bukovyna Medical University, tells about the results of the School.
Many things were interestingly explained to me at the School on the basis of historical events. Recently,a youth department was opened in our council,and we want to fill its work with activities. Therefore,this School is also interesting from the point of view of experience of working with young people and possible formats of involving young people, says Adriy Yushko,head of the military accounting bureau of the Ustiniv settlement council of the Kirovohrad region.
Natalya Kovp, Head of the Culture and Leisure Center group and director of a public organization in the city of Lubny,Poltava region, says that her city has many IDP’s – young people,students and teachers,since the relocated Luhansk National University named after T. Shevchenko,which she herself graduated this year,is located in Lubny. I see that there is a great need for youth organization in our city. So I am studying youth policy and I want to understand for myself how to unite the youth,what are their needs,and how can the youth policy be implemented in my city. I want my city to have the opportunity to implement those democratic principles that I heard about at School.
The School’s program also included an interactive part – the Forum Theater workshop,which explores human needs as a method of involvement in decision-making processes. The forum-theatre format is a tool for dialogue,local analysis and non-violent changes.
Democracy School for Youth was a continuation of the youth schools that DRI conducts in Ukraine to strengthen the political participation of youth and improve their awareness of the key principles of democracy. DRI will continue to implement this format in Ukraine,and will soon start its small grants program,which will allow graduates of the School to receive additional funds to implement practical steps in their communities.