60 representatives of local self-government and civil society from 14 regions of Ukraine enhanced their knowledge of civic participation during a three-day training and a two-day forum in Cherkasy.
The civil society organisation "Horizon of changes" implemented the project "Civic participation in Ukraine: developing local expertise" with grant support from the Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine”. The project aimed to enhance the capacity and motivation of representatives of local self-government and civil society organisations (CSOs) to use civic participation tools, particularly in the management and rebuilding of Ukrainian communities.
The CSO “Horizon of changes” conducted a three-day online training “Introduction to participation” on the basics of civic participation and methods for implementing participatory approaches in communities. The event brought together 29 representatives of local governments and CSOs from 14 regions of Ukraine: Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Poltava, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Odesa, Volyn, and Dnipropetrovsk. Additionally, 18 participants planning to develop civic participation initiatives in their communities received 20 hours of individual consultations.
As part of the project, the civic participation guide “Together towards changes” was developed, featuring practical examples of participatory practices, civic engagement opportunities during wartime, and ready-to-use consultation scenarios. It was shared with training participants and published on CSO social media and the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine's website.
The CSO “Horizon of changes” also conducted a two-day “Participation forum” attended by 31 representatives of local governments and CSOs. Participants strengthened their capacity in civic participation and exchanged experiences on engaging citizens in decision-making processes in their communities. 100% participants confirmed their intention to continue their work in the field of civic participation.
"The training was incredibly useful! It organised all existing participatory tools into clear categories. Based on the knowledge gained, I identified the tools missing in our community. A heartfelt thank you to the organisers and trainers!", shared Natalia Koval, Director of the CSO "From the heart of Ukraine", participant of the forum.
In 2024, CSO “Horizon of changes” received a grant from the Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine”. This grant aimed to support civil society organisations in Ukraine in strengthening citizen engagement in decision-making processes. Five Ukrainian CSOs were awarded this support.
The Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” is designed to support the implementation of the objectives set out in the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026) to strengthen the democratic processes and address the challenges public authorities are facing in the time of war and in post-war context through active and effective civic participation at the local, regional and national level.
