Microproject III. Implementation of the "Basic Course on Effective Citizenship and Communication" Program in the Hertsa Community

November – December 2019: Microproject "Civic Education as a Key to Local Development"

III. Implementation of the "Basic Course on Effective Citizenship and Communication" Program in the Hertsa Community

On December 13, 2019, a press conference was held at the Chernivtsi Regional Universal Scientific Library named after Mykhailo Ivasyuk to summarize the implementation of the "Basic Course on Effective Citizenship and Communication" program in the Hertsa community. This program was part of the microproject "Civic Education as a Key to Local Development," initiated by the Public Resources and Initiatives Charitable Foundation (CF).

Throughout November – December 2019, as part of this microproject, women of various nationalities from the Hertsa community participated in training sessions on human rights, media literacy, dialogue strategies, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. The main goal of the program was to develop basic competencies in effective citizenship and communication, empowering women to drive positive personal and community transformations.

The culmination of this collective effort was the presentation of the photo exhibition "Simple Faces of a Complex History" at the House of Culture in Hertsa. The exhibition featured photographs of both well-known and lesser-known figures from the region, whose lives reflected the complex political transformations of the past and early 21st century.

The microproject "Civic Education as a Key to Local Development" was implemented as part of the "Regional Voices – Civic Education for Adults to Empower Local Communities in Ukraine and Belarus" initiative. It was specifically designed for women from the Hertsa community in Chernivtsi Oblast during November – December 2019.

At its initial stages, the microproject was implemented in the Mahala and Ostritsa United Territorial Communities (UTCs) in Chernivtsi Oblast. These communities are unique in that they unite villages with predominantly Ukrainian and Romanian populations, where ethnic minorities form the majority, while members of the titular nation (Ukrainians) are a minority within the UTC structure.

Project Objectives

The project aimed to:

• Enhance the civic competencies of residents in United Territorial Communities (UTCs) in Chernivtsi Oblast to address local socio-economic and cultural-educational challenges.
• Encourage broad public participation in decision-making, policy implementation, and governance oversight.

Key Tasks Successfully Implemented

1. Implementing the "Basic Course on Effective Citizenship and Communication" program, developed based on a needs analysis of target groups in the Mahala and Ostritsa UTCs, for residents of the Hertsa community.
2. Launching the civic initiative "Simple Faces of a Complex History" in the Hertsa community of Chernivtsi Oblast.

The microproject "Civic Education as a Key to Local Development" was implemented by the Public Resources and Initiatives Charitable Foundation (CF) with the support of DVV International Ukraine as part of the "Regional Voices – Civic Education for Adults to Empower Local Communities in Ukraine and Belarus" project. It was carried out in partnership with the Ukrainian Association for Adult Education and with the support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany (Auswärtiges Amt).

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