The second module of the School of Community Leaders-2020

Time is relentless. Local elections in Ukraine will take place very soon – in less than two months. But we manage to prepare worthy candidates for the School of Community Leaders.

At the end of the first module, we held a live event for the participants with the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Dzerkalo Tyzhnia” Yulia Mostova. As always, a deep, honest, and therefore challenging conversation is needed to ensure that community leaders from all over the country are aware of the real state of affairs and understand the need to change it.

Live event with Yulia Mostova

The second module was devoted to the nuances of this year’s elections and the tools of a successful election campaign.

Andriy Mahera, an expert in electoral law and deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission in 2007-2018, discussed in detail with the participants the new election legislation, all its positives, and shortcomings.

Backstage of Andriy Mahera’s lecture

Together with political scientist and co-founder of the Civic Movement “SVIDOMI” Mykhailo Nakhod, the students had the opportunity to develop a victorious strategy for the election campaign.

Mykhailo Nakhod during the lecture

Oleksandr Bondarenko, the RMA communication agency’s project manager, gave the participants valuable advice on how to communicate with voters. Today’s world is becoming digital, and therefore a successful election campaign is impossible without communicating with voters using modern technology. Where to establish contact with the people, what to tell them, and in which way? Our students learned at lectures and practiced themselves.

Backstage with Oleksandr Bondarenko

Olga Aivazovska, Chairwoman of the Board and Coordinator of Political Programs of the Civil Network OPORA, told the audience all about the crimes during the elections and the punishment for them after the voting. The result is clear – breaking the law is very dangerous.

Olga Aivazovska during the lecture

At the participants’ request, we held a feedback-session with Pavlo Sheremeta, the founder of the proryv.in.ua analytical center, so that our students could discuss all local development issues in more detail with an expert.

The third and last module is currently underway. With the help of practical tools, participants learn to identify problems and solve them through government and citizens’ joint efforts.

The School of Community Leaders will end on September 6, just after the election campaign’s official start.