The Capacity-Building Program for the Civil Society Sector in Eastern Ukraine, aka the Civic Leadership Academy, was implemented from December 2020 to January 2022 in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson Oblasts by the East Europe Foundation and Internews Ukraine, with support from USAID’s Democratic Governance East Activity.

This program was intended to help community activists become leaders in their regions, develop their organizational and communication capacities, unite communities for the purpose of resolving social problems, establish dialog within communities, and become models of democratic values.

The Civic Leadership Academy includes:

Learning

Selected participants, some 170 students at the Civic Leadership Academy, attend lectures and seminars on leadership, fundraising, strategic planning, project management, and communication skills.

Based on a competitive selection process, about 10 participating organizations will be offered vouchers to develop the communication potential of their own community organizations.

A free online course called “How to be an effective community organization at a time of constant change,” based on the training programs, is now available through the Zrozumilo! education platform.

Personal development and strengthening leadership qualities

Every participant will have an opportunity to attend up to five free sessions with coaches and receive mentoring for the implementation of coalition projects formulated during a hackathon among students at the Academy.

Networking and exchanging experiences

Students at the Academy will also be able to learn from the unique experience of other non-government organizations, and leading Ukrainian and international experts.

This program includes a hackathon with the aim of intensifying cooperation in civil society across the southeastern oblasts and spurring local government agencies to more actively work on problems facing their communities.

Grant support for coalitions

The coalitions formed during the hackathon will be eligible for grants to carry out joint initiatives and receive mentoring.