Our team spent three days of live communication, partnerships, and professional exchange at the networking event for Impulse grantees in Kyiv.

More than 100 representatives from 65 organizations across the country gathered to strengthen community ties, acquire new tools for their work, and build psychological resilience.

The event was opened by Vira Nedzvedska, Vice President for Strategic Partnerships of East Europe Foundation:

This is the first time we’ve brought almost all the Impulse grantees together, and it’s an important moment for our project. Such meetings add energy, new meanings, and a sense of support. Networking in the public sector is not just about meeting people. It’s a way to scale solutions, find support, and act systematically, even when everything around is constantly changing.

After Vira, Oleksandr Sushko, Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation, delivered a welcoming speech. He emphasized the role of civil society in the country’s resilience during the war and stressed the importance of partnerships that allow organizations not only to survive but also to strengthen their influence in communities.

Selvi Vikan, Senior Advisor at Norad, a donor organization, also addressed the participants online. She welcomed the community, thanked Ukrainian organizations for their work in the face of war, and emphasized that the strength of civil society lies in mutual support and professional growth.

After the opening ceremony, the participants started working together with Olga Shelest, the facilitator. The teams created a map of their organizations, identified common interests and areas where they could strengthen each other.

Throughout the day, they engaged in formats that not only helped them become acquainted but also gave them insight into one another’s experiences and sparked ideas for future collaboration. This became the starting point for establishing a shared environment of trust and mutual support.

The second day was devoted to how to make projects successful and how organizations can build constructive relationships with their stakeholders.

Tetiana Mazur, Project Management Office (PMO) Manager and PMP® of East Europe Foundation, shared her experience in developing project management capabilities within our organization. She explained to participants how to build a management culture and how to increase maturity in project and program work.

Then the participants continued to work with Natalia Starynska, project manager, trainer, and project management consultant at IN-STAR and PMP®, and Dmytro Pishyi, project, program, and portfolio management consultant.

Participants analyzed the role of teams in project work, how to work with different stakeholder groups, and how to explain complex things in clear language. A practical exercise — creating an empathy map — enabled the teams to analyze complex stakeholders and identify new ways to foster cooperation.

On the same day, the event was attended by Victor Liakh, President of East Europe Foundation and William B. Taylor, the 6th US Ambassador to Ukraine (2006–2009), US Chargé d’Affaires ad interim to Ukraine (2019–2020)

Mr. Taylor was eager to personally communicate with Ukrainian CSOs about their real needs, experiences and challenges related to the war. Participants from the frontline and temporarily occupied territories, the military and teams working in high-risk areas shared their experiences with William B. Taylor. It was a sincere and difficult conversation, but also extremely valuable and important.

On the third day, the participants spent time with Halyna Potopalska, an experienced trainer and organizational development expert, and Nataliya Umerenkova, PhD, a psychologist and specialist in working with military personnel and their families.

The work focused on psychological resilience, emotional support, and team interaction culture. They discussed the balance between efficiency and care, strategies for maintaining resources under stressful conditions, and how to create a work environment where people want to stay and develop. Through practice, experience sharing, and candid conversations, participants sought tools to support themselves and their teams during difficult times.

This three-day networking event became a space where organizations not only learned and shared best practices, but also found new meanings, partnerships, and common ground.

Our Impulse continues to unite organizations across the country and together strengthen civil society’s capacity!

The Impulse project is implemented by East Europe Foundation and the International Renaissance Foundation, with the support of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and in partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).