The Council of Europe project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery” is launching an open call inviting communities to apply for support in organising practical training for residents, civic activists and representatives of civil society organisations on the use of civic participation tools through the interactive, game-based UChange methodology.
UChange is a practical, game-based methodology developed by the Council of Europe that helps participants acquire and strengthen skills in civic participation and constructive engagement with public authorities. The methodology can be adapted to different local contexts, community needs and groups of participants.
During the game, participants not only learn about civic participation tools but also test them in practice: they analyse real challenges facing their community, explore possible solutions, select the most appropriate participation tools and simulate further engagement with public authorities.
The practical training will help participants to:
- learn which civic participation tools can be used in their community;
- understand which tool is best suited to addressing a specific problem or advancing a particular initiative;
- follow the progress of an initiative from its formulation through consideration and possible implementation;
- strengthen their skills in constructive dialogue and advocacy;
- gain a better understanding of the powers of local self-government bodies and the opportunities available to residents to influence local decision-making.
Local authorities are invited to apply if they:
- have updated the statute of their territorial community in line with the requirements of the legislation in force;
- are interested in strengthening the practical use of civic participation tools and constructive engagement with residents;
- are ready to involve residents, civic activists and representatives of civil society organisations in the training.
To apply, a local authority should complete the online application form available at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-K23KrgjfQjJu4gD_gyJhLyJPSCtfOb7tPipuEMDBXAzcYA/viewform.
The deadline for applications is 31 August 2026 at 23:59 Kyiv time.
The selection will take into account the community’s motivation, the availability of a local regulatory framework for civic participation, practical experience in applying relevant tools, the identified needs of residents, readiness to involve different social groups, and the community’s capacity to use the results of the training in its future work.
Following the competitive selection process, up to 10 territorial communities will be selected for the delivery of practical training using the UChange methodology, with the support of the Council of Europe project, in September–October 2026.
The project’s support will include expert, methodological and organisational assistance, as well as the facilitation of the interactive UChange game.
The selection process and training are organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023–2026, under the project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery”, implemented by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
