Pilot implementation of the Council of Europe training program for young women leaders from Poltava region on participation in development and decision-making processes at local level is underway.

Among key activities planned for the next training sessions on 19-20 November are get-to-know and networking with representatives of the Poltava Oblast Council and civil society sector, as well as learning project management basics.

The focus of the first training day is on establishing communication with women representatives of public authorities and local government, as well as local opinion leaders. Among the invited speakers with whom the participants of the program will be able to communicate, are:

• Lilia Ruroeva, Deputy Head of Poltava Oblast Council;
• Yulia Tsybulska, founder of “Insha Osvita” educational hub, startup maker, ambassador of innovative education and entrepreneurship programs, local councillor of Poltava Oblast Council;
• Vita Klymenko, Director of the Regional Development Agency of Poltava Oblast “Office of European Integration“, former Director of the Department of Economy and Investment of Poltava City Council;
• Yulia Horodchanina, Head of the NGO “Nova Poltava”, local councillor of Poltava City Council, ambassador of Bohdan Havrylyshyn Family Foundation;
• Karina Tyutyunnyk, representative of “Diia. Business Poltava”.

During the day, young leaders will get acquainted with the mechanisms of civil participation, community development plan, community gender passport and gender mainstreaming approaches in the activity of local authorities. In addition, participants will be able to discuss with invited guests the individual projects that they are being developing throughout the training programme.

The program of the second day includes training on the project management basics: young leaders will study the peculiarities of budget advocacy projects, as well as the components of efficient communication within the project management.

It is expected that during the trainings, possible ways of cooperation with local authorities will be outlined, in particular, with regard to the implementation of promising projects in the future.

It is worth reminding that the purpose of the training programme of the Council of Europe is to help young women leaders from Poltava region to train the skills and qualities necessary for further active engagement in local public and political life, including skills needed for the development and implementation of their own projects, effective communication, interpersonal communication, teamwork, leadership qualities, awareness about public, political, and electoral processes.

The training program is implemented by the Council of Europe* in partnership with Poltava Oblast Council, developed based on the Council of Europe toolkit** for local authorities and non-governmental organisations aimed at enhancing young women’s and girls’ participation in political and public decision-making processes at local level.

* Piloting of the Toolkit is implemented in cooperation and with the support of the Council of Europe projects “Supporting the transparency, inclusiveness and integrity of electoral practice in Ukraine” and “Strengthening civil participation in democratic decision making in Ukraine”

** The toolkit was developed with the support of the Council of Europe project “Supporting the transparency, inclusiveness and integrity of electoral practice in Ukraine”, implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2018-2022