From Communication to Personal Projects: Leadership School Participants Continue Their Training in Dnipro

Дніпрі відбувся наступний дводенний етап навчання учасниць проєкту «Школа лідерства для молодих жінок у сфері євроінтеграції». Протягом 10–11 серпня учасниці працювали над темами професійної комунікації, медіації та переговорів, протидії дезінформації, а також опановували основи проєктного менеджменту та практичної реалізації громадських ініціатив.

The next two-day training stage for participants of the “Leadership School for Young Women in the Field of European Integration” took place in Dnipro. On 10–11 August, participants worked on professional communication, mediation and negotiation, countering disinformation, as well as the basics of project management and the practical implementation of civic initiatives.

The first day of training focused on professional communication in the public sphere. Participants explored the nature of conflicts, the interests and needs of different parties, and became familiar with the principles of mediation, active listening techniques, and nonviolent communication. A significant part of the training was practice-oriented: participants worked through different models of responding in difficult and conflict situations, learned how to conduct constructive dialogue, and searched for possible solutions.

A separate module focused on working with information and countering disinformation and fake news. Participants discussed the mechanisms behind the creation and spread of false information, cognitive traps, the specifics of social media and messaging platforms, as well as basic fact-checking tools and methods for verifying sources, images, and context. They also reflected on the personal responsibility of women leaders in consuming and sharing information and on developing their own principles of information hygiene.

The second day focused on project management — from developing an idea and preparing a grant application to the further implementation of a project. Participants learned how to identify a problem, formulate goals and objectives, work with target groups and stakeholders, and plan activities, results, risks, and budgets. As a practical outcome, they worked on a short project concept for their own initiative.

Participants also explored what happens after a project receives support: how to build a team, distribute roles and responsibilities, prepare a work plan, organize monitoring, control the budget, and properly report on project results.

“It is important for us that participants not only gain new knowledge, but also immediately try to apply it in practice. Leadership is not only about being able to speak and be heard. It is also about the ability to negotiate, take responsibility, work critically with information, and turn one’s own ideas into tangible change. That is why this stage of the training is highly practical and directly connected with the next step of the School — the development of participants’ own civic initiatives,” said Olena Tanasiichuk, President of the Public Resources and Initiatives Charity Foundation.

Equally important during these two days was the lively interaction among participants: questions, discussions, exchange of personal experience, mutual support, and joint exploration of new solutions. This kind of interaction helps transform a training group into a community of women ready to take action in their own communities.

We thank the participants of the Dnipro group for their active engagement and ProZHYTY Space for its hospitality and comfortable learning environment.

The next stage for participants will be further work on their own project ideas and their development with the support of mentors.

The “Leadership School for Young Women in the Field of European Integration” project is implemented by the Public Resources and Initiatives Charity Foundation in partnership with KWB Koordinierungsstelle Weiterbildung und Beschäftigung e.V., with the support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany (Auswärtiges Amt) within the Civil Society Cooperation programme.