The Hub for Party Innovations provides a unique platform for spreading knowledge about the use of modern technologies and innovations for the development of party democracy in Ukraine. The Hub for Party Innovations was initiated by International IDEA and the Ukrainian School of Political Studies, a project of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives.

The Hub included training sessions on communication with voters, party transparency, and accountability, intraparty democracy and effective management, as well as on the Democracy Labs tool developed by International IDEA to introduce innovation and digital technology into the daily practice of political parties.

Oleksandr Yakymenko, Program Coordinator for the Great Europe Program of the International Institute for Democracy and Elections, noted that the Hub emerged as a response to the challenges of global processes, specifically the crisis of representation (representation of interests), the gap between what voters want and what their elected representatives do.

Svitlana Matviienko, Chairwoman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, emphasized the relevance of political education and establishment of inter-party dialogue. Ms. Matviienko also drew attention to the importance of transfer from the leader-based model of party construction towards the development of intra-party democracy.

Kyrylo Tretiak, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, observed that the Institute provides educational and advisory assistance to political parties, contributing to their democratic development and inter-party dialogue.

Yevhen Barshchevskyi, the Research and Innovation Program at the representative office of the National Democratic Institute in Ukraine, informed the participants of the training about the “Your Opinion” polling system, which gives political parties, NGOs and NGO networks the opportunity to organize online consultations through voting via text messages or a website; as well as CiviCRM – a system for tracking relations and interactions.

Oleksandra Kuziv, Project Manager of Political Memory project, Civic Movement CHESNO, and Vita Dumanska, Coordinator of the ‘Follow the Money’ Campaign, Civic Movement CHESNO, presented the resources of E-Reporting, Political Memory and Party Gold to the participants of the training. These are innovative tools for assessing politicians and parties designed to help citizens make a rational and informed choice. The resources include data from the CEC, VRU, local councils, party websites, NAPC, propaganda archives of Istorychna Pravda and media archives.

Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Executive Director of Transparency International Ukraine, discussed both external and intraparty openness of political parties with Hub participants. Openness generates voters’ confidence in political parties and is the most important resource. To what extent are representatives of the main stakeholders in the political process prepared to openness?

Sam van der Staak, Head of the Wider Europe program of International IDEA, told the training participants about the role of technologies in restoring communication between political parties and the public; the attitude of young people to technologies in the context of the political process; how digitalization can help parties overcome the crisis of representation; why the onset of the technological era means that political campaigns never end; which online resources should be preferred; what political parties should remember using technologies.

Gefion Thuermer, University of Southampton and the German Green Party, elaborated on the opportunities that digitalization opens to political parties; how to use online resources for management of knowledge, suggestions, discussions and communication; the positive effects of digitalization; the risks political parties can face when using online resources; things political parties should take into account in order to achieve the best result using digital instruments.

Digital technologies provide a large-scale coverage that gives people a sense of engagement and involvement in political processes. Decentralization helps political parties build personal relationships with voters, even without interacting with them in person.

Michael Babiak, Co-founder and CEO of ArrowIQ, a former Director of Marketing Technologies during the Trump campaign, told participants how technologies could help build a successful campaign starting with just one Twitter account.

Digital technologies help parties build effective work in different areas: during elections and voting; finance sourcing and fundraising; general party management; networking and communication; policy development – training participants discussed these topics with Gary Klaukka, Programme Officer in the Political Parties, Participation and Representation Programme, International IDEA.

Sergey Gaidai, Director of Strategic Planning of the Social-Engineering Agency Gaidai.Kom, elaborated on such topics as the worlds included in Ukraine; the main political technology of the Ukrainian political class; the real PR and approaches to carrying it out; the essence of the technology of real action; the events Ukraine needs; and ways to form the discipline of thinking.

The conference of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies is quite an event for the USPS community. It is the 12th time that School alumni of different years, guests, partners, and friends have gathered together to congratulate this year’s alumni, involve in professional discussions with renowned experts from around the world, share their ideas concerning topical current issues, and, of course, chat with old friends.

At the opening session, welcoming remarks were made by Svitlana MATVIIENKO, Chairwoman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives; Arturas ZUOKAS, City Mayor of Vilnius (2000-2007, 2011-2015), Member of the Supervisory Board of the USPS; Hugues MINGARELLI, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, and Morten ENBERG, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine. The event was moderated by Oleksandr BOHUTSKYI, CEO of ICTV TV Channel, member of the Board of the EastOne Investment and Consulting Group, USPS alumnus.

Svitlana MATVIIENKO, welcoming the USPS community, stressed that only responsible citizens with critical thinking could make changes valid.

Yevhen BYSTRYTSKYI, Ph.D., Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation, addressed words of welcome to the alumni and guests of the School. Mr. Bystrytskyi emphasized that a rational approach was not enough to enable changes, you need a will and a mood. That is why he wished graduates to have a strong will to change, a will for a new Ukraine.

At the conference, it was announced that Mr. Bystrytskyi had become a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies.

Another speaker addressing the USPS community was Andrius KUBILIUS, Member of the Lithuanian Seimas, Chairman of a temporary pro-Ukrainian group, co-initiator of the Marshall Plan for Ukraine, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania (1999-2000; 2008-2012). Mr. Kubilius drew attention to the decisive role of personal energy in the process of achieving desired changes. It is energy – the ability to generate energy for others, as well as personal energy and passion – that can ensure success. Mr. Kubilius emphasized that Ukrainians need to have confidence in their own future, need to be longing for success.

Judging by some important indicators, our generation is the most fortunate in the history of mankind. However, we also have to deal with some of the most difficult issues humanity has ever faced: how to cope with our growing interdependence? Can civics, as understood by many different cultures, help us in our attempts to breed a centripetal civic culture, pushing us all together and mixing our lives? – the USPS community discussed these issues with Hakan ALTINAI, President of the Global Civics Academy, Director of the European School of Politics (Turkey).

The second day of the conference started with a presentation by Yuliya MOSTOVA, Editor-in-Chief of the Mirror Weekly (Dzerkalo Tyzhnya), member of the Supervisory Board of the USPS. Ms. Mostova came up with a critical analysis of Ukrainian society, the ruling elite and socio-political processes and trends currently taking place in Ukraine, with a focus on the threats facing our state.

The primary question of any public policy is whether this policy is needed at all? In post-Soviet countries, government intervention tends to be harmful. During the latest three years, Ukraine has made numerous attempts to reform various fields, but only some of them manifest signs of future success. The government’s inability to develop and implement quality policies is often put down to a lack of political will. However, even if there were political will, there is no capacity to implement the necessary reforms. The state machinery mainly engages in “manual control”, that is operational issues. In this situation, weak institutions are obstacles rather than incentives for advancement. What institutions have to be destroyed or built for successful reforms? How to introduce true politics into our political games?

The discussion was attended by:

• Bohdan KRAVCHENKO, Ph.D., Director General of the University of Central Asia;
• Ivanna KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE, Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine;
• Oleksandr DANYLIUK, Minister of Finance of Ukraine.

Moderated by Olena MAKEIEVA, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, Audit Company Aksonova & Associates, Geneva Group International, USPS alumnus.

We can easily identify the main obstacles on the path to the “New Ukraine”. But most of us find it hard to imagine what this “New Ukraine” should be like. Undoubtedly, advanced independent institutions, including anti-corruption bodies, free legal aid, CEC, courts, and media that set the frame for the political discourse in the country, prevent the spread of corruption and degradation. How to make these institutions truly independent in Ukraine? How to shift public attention from populism to important aspects of the framework of the New Ukraine?

The discussion was attended by:

• Serhiy LESHCHENKO, MP of Ukraine;
• Olga AYVAZOVSKA, Chairwoman of the Board, Coordinator of Electoral and Political Programs of the Civil Network OPORA, a representative of Ukraine in the political subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas, USPS alumnus;
• Andriy STELMASHCHUK, President of the Ukrainian Bar Association, Managing Partner of Vasil Kisil & Partners, USPS alumnus;
• Andriy VYSHNEVSKY, Program Leader of the Tomorrow’s Lawyer, Director of the Coordination Center for Legal Aid Provision (2012-2017), USPS alumnus.

Moderated by Oleksandr KHORUZHENKO, Director of the Sumy Department of the Center for Local Self-Government Development, USPS alumnus.

Liberal democracy requires a “pure” public sphere for democratic debate. But what are the conditions for a pure public sphere? John Stuart Mill believed that in a pure public sphere any views, however contradictory, should receive full public attention. Thus, Mill would be happy with the Russian TV channel Russia Today, whose motto is “Question more”. Based on the lessons of modern information wars, we can argue that there are grounds for revising Mill’s arguments and their conclusions. How does propaganda work? How can we win the information warfare? – School alumni and guests discussed these and other issues with Jason STANLEY, Ph.D., Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University.

Moderated by Olga MALCHEVSKA, BBC Ukraine Desk Editor, USPS alumnus.

Social ambivalence is a hallmark of any transitional period – a period of collision between different political cultures. This ambivalence is similar in many post-Soviet countries – our hybrid identities corrupt every aspect of our lives. We strive to gain a foothold in the new world, but it is extremely difficult to find a basis for our agency. Nation, language, myths seem to be transitional pillars of our new identity in the context of escape from our imperial and nationalist personae. How to demythologize contemporary Ukrainian discourse? Has Ukraine’s identity changed after the Revolution of Dignity compared to other post-Soviet states? Is Ukraine taking the lead in escaping from its post-Soviet identity?

The discussion was attended by:

• Myroslav MARYNOVYCH, Vice Rector for the Mission of the Ukrainian Catholic University;
• Andrei SANNIKOV, Belarussian activist and politician;
• Mykola RYABCHUK, Ph.D., President of the Ukrainian Center of International PEN-Club.

Moderated by Andriy BAUMEYSTER, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of Theoretical and Practical Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Modern economic growth was mainly based on the combustion of fossil fuels. Countries couldn’t avoid poverty if they had no access to oil, coal and natural gas. The atmospheric CO2 is increasing every year, and 2016 was the hottest year ever recorded. In addition, the population of the Earth is growing faster than ever, and due to the development of technologies, the humanity faces new challenges of unemployment. However, the humanity responds to these events with a mixture of denial, avoidance, and accusation. There is considerable uncertainty about what will happen to the world as we know it. How will humanity respond? Are we ready for what we have created? – USPS community spoke about the fate of the world with Timothy DYSON, Ph.D., Professor of Population Studies at the London School of Economics.

Moderator: Olena MASLYUKIVSKA-SAMBERG, Ph.D., Program Analyst in Environment at UNDP Ukraine, USPS alumnus.

– NewFashionZone Community (Maria TEREKHOVA);
– International Music Festival FAINE MISTO; Educational and Analytical Center for Community Development (Maksym CHERKASHYN);
– #SOSFuture (Kateryna SMAGLIY);
– Batteries, Give up! (Lyudmila KOLOSOVSKA);
– It’sInterestingHere! (TutTsikavo!) (Oleksandr SHATKOVSKYI);
– Ukrainian Institute for the Future (Anatoliy AMELIN);
– Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital (FVMH) (Gennadiy DRUZENKO);
– Public holding GROUP OF INFLUENCE (HRUPA VPLYVU) (Tetyana DURNEVA);
– Competition ‘The Best Public Initiative of Ukraine’ (Pavlo PUSHCHENKO);
– Initiative E+: I See Hope, Children’s Camps (Dmytro STRYHUN).

The conference ended with the presentation of diplomas to the alumni of the XII Ukrainian School of Political Studies. Igor KOHUT and Svitlana MATVIIENKO wished the alumni inspiration and motivation for new achievements.

Photo credit: Oleksandr Kovalenko, Arsen Fedosenko, and Oksana Sushko

This year the Conference was made possible thanks to:

Do the objective laws of nature and human development have an impact on the state as a complex social system? What are socioeconomic and political conditions necessary to build a functioning democracy in the country? What are the role of the army in democracy? What is the role of civil society and the level of the political culture of a voter in democracy as a feedback system to achieve the goal of public administration: to ensure freedoms, rights and high standards of living for ordinary citizens in the country? – these are the issues discussed with the School participants by Ihor SMESHKO, Head of the NGO Strength and Honor, former Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (2003-2005).

Discussion of the participants of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies on local development as a driver of transformations in the country with Andriy SADOVYI, Lviv Mayor.

People tend to believe that politics and morality are incompatible each other. This tradition dates back to Machiavelli. The polar opposite position is that of Kant: people in their behavior must be guided by moral motives rather than practical needs (moral imperative). Not every successful policy is highly moral, but any immoral policy is devastating. Ukrainian realities provide a lot of illustrations of the devastating effects of immoral power. Is moral politics possible in Ukraine? Can politics be moral? Should we talk about a moral movement? – these are the topics raised by Myroslav MARYNOVYCH, Vice-Rector for University Mission, Ukrainian Catholic University, in his conversation with the School participants.

The Maidan of 2013-2014 was aimed at an anti-oligarchic revolution – a leap from an oligarchic state with limited access to a democratic state with wide access. What was the purpose of the Maidan of Dignity of 2013-2014? What is happening in Ukraine – a social revolution, civil war as a war of the middle class against Ukrainian oligarchs, or Putin’s aggression? – Taras VOZNIAK, Editor-in-Chief of the Ї journal discussed these issues with the participants of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies.

What was and what was not the Ukrainian liberation movement of the twentieth century? Who were its heroes? Why was it mythologized? Why is its legacy attracting so much attention today? – the School participants talked over these topics with Ruslan ZABILY, Director of the National Memorial Museum of Victims of the Occupation Regimes ‘Prison at Łąckiego Street’ (Tyurma na Lontskoho) in Lviv.

We live in the 21st century when women and men in Ukraine’s democratic society enjoy equal rights and opportunities, equal access to political life, equal pay and professions of their choice. Is this myth or reality in modern Ukraine? Empirical tendencies manifest deepening differences between women and men who enjoy the same rights de jure and de facto. What progress has been made and what are the ongoing challenges in the context of achieving gender equality in Ukraine? – the School participants had a chance to discuss these issues with Kateryna RYABIKO, Project Coordinator, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR).

Money in politics is a necessary component of any democratic process that helps express political support, political participation, and actively compete in elections. At the same time, political funding also bears specific risks for any democratic and economic system. What are the issues at the crossroads of funding rules for political parties, public procurement procedures, role of politically aware persons and declaration of assets and revenues of political and civil servants? What measures do relevant authorities undertake to combat corruption in these areas and what mechanisms can be used to facilitate these efforts? – Dr. Marcin Walecki, Head of the Democratization Department, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), discussed these topics with the members of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies.

How should modern parties function? What is a modern election campaign like in the era of social media? What can we learn from the latest elections in the East and West? Is there a chance to create large-scale parties or are niche parties the thing of the future? What awaits Ukraine with politics again dominated by oligarchs? How can one organize an ideal campaign? – the School participants reflected on these questions with Jacques MONACSH, a former MP of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, an associate partner of the consulting company GKSV.

Uliana Suprun, Acting Minister of Healthcare, is the 21st head of this sector (since September 2016), who, for the first time since independence, has made attempts at radical change (ULIANACARE). Why do significant changes seem to be possible for the first time now? What is the current healthcare system in Ukraine like in terms of who and when pays for it and what he receives in return? What are the risks associated with the positions held by the parties to the conflict? Is there a “white book” on the development of the healthcare system in Ukraine? What is better: 5 years of change and mistakes or 50 years of “stability” and sabotage? Is there a separate “Ukrainian” way as regards the healthcare system in Ukraine? How can we make up our mind concerning which side to take? As a matter of fact, are there only two irreconcilable opposing sides? What do we lack to make an informed choice? – the participants of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies discussed these subjects with Oleh PETRENKO, Deputy Director General for Strategic Development of the ISIDA Clinic, USPS alumnus.

What is the current state of Ukrainian economy? What is the position of Ukraine on the global economic map? Do we have a potential for development? What are the conditions for reaching an economy of $ 1 trillion and what are the consequences for the public? – the School participants discussed these questions with Anatoliy AMELIN, Director of Economic Programs of the Ukrainian Institute of the Future, USPS alumnus.

At the opening of the USPS School of Community Leaders, the participants were welcomed by Ihor KOHUT, Founder and Honorary Director of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies, Svitlana MATVIIENKO, Chairwoman of the Board of the NGO Agency for Legislative Initiatives, Stanislav LIYACHYNSKYI, Director of the International Renaissance Foundation’s Program Initiative “Civic Initiatives of New Ukraine”.

In her welcome speech Svitlana MATVIIENKO, Chairwoman of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, stressed the critical importance of values in the process of shaping the leader. Svitlana emphasized that we should be ready for the future with new knowledge and new values, which can be achieved only through critical thinking, reading and constant self-development.

Human rights are an integral part of the philosophy of law, and human rights protection is an instrument that everyone can and must be able to use, regardless of whether they have legal education or not. How can ordinary people protect their rights? How can we defend the rights of vulnerable groups? How can we change laws and influence legislation? These are the questions raised by Larysa DENYSENKO, human rights activist, lawyer, media personality, and author, in discussions with the participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders.

Ukraine medical reform is an important component of decentralization of power. The old model of operation of medical institutions, especially in villages and regions, is extremely ineffective. Therefore, it needs to be reorganized through the adoption of appropriate decisions by local communities. How can we make the healthcare reform effective at the local level? How shall we provide communities with access to a high-quality healthcare system? The participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders discussed these questions with Uliana SUPRUN, acting Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine.

Yurii DZHYHYR, advisor to the Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine, a USPS alumnus, told the participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders how much money the government would spends on Ukrainians’ healthcare and how the money would be distributed.

What is responsible citizenship? What is the significance of satisfying legal needs for the implementation of responsible citizenship? What are the individual and social consequences of a failure to satisfy legal needs? What is the consolidation of the legal capacity of territorial communities and why is it important? Why is the position of local self-government bodies unique in strengthening the legal capacity of communities? What are the technologies for strengthening the legal capacity of communities? The participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders debated on these issues with Andriy VYSHNEVSKYI, Director of the Coordination Center for Legal Aid Provision in 2012-2017, a USPS participant.

What is the basis of any responsibility? When and why do we start asking? Why cannot we use ad hominem arguments and why do we have to address the subject matter? Who thinks abstractly? What is the role of common sense in constructing responsible judgments? What are the essential components of critical thinking? These questions were answered in the conversation of the members of the USPS School of Community Leaders with Yevhen BYSTRYTSKY, PhD, Head of the Department of Philosophy of Culture, Ethics and Aesthetics of the Institute of Philosophy of NAS of Ukraine, Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation.

A Town Hall Meeting is a competent and effective discussion of any specific issues of public interest and an instrument for ensuring citizens’ participation in governance. The key benefits of this format are its clear structure and efficiency.

Victoria BAKLAZHENKO, Program Coordinator, Agency for Legislative Initiatives, told the participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders about the benefits of Town Hall Meetings, as well as the successful experience of their organization by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives.

Participants of the USPS School for Community Leaders tested the effectiveness of town hall meetings.

Why do all bureaucratic decisions regarding urban design come under criticism for poor quality? The methodology of Human Centered Design yields sustainable results and is accessible to all decision makers. The methodology is absolutely universal, based on Design Thinking and suitable for finding solutions to any problems related to human interaction: from the design of a “No Smoking” sign to projects of entire city districts. How can one make a city comfortable? How can you make changes in your city? The participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders discussed this topic with Ihor SKLYAREVSKYI, Art Director of the initiative “Agents of Change”.

The Creative City is a concept of urban development pioneered by the British author Charles Landry at the end of the 1980s and later developed by sociologists and economists from around the world. The concept has been implemented in more than one hundred cities around the world; for example, Dublin, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, Hanoi, Tel Aviv, Katowice, etc. This approach is gaining popularity in Ukraine. What should a creative city be like? How can we devise a strategy for a creative city? These issues were discussed by the participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders with Pavlo SHEREMETA, Managing Partner at the PRORYV Strategies Workshop, Supervisory Board Member of the City Institute (Lviv), Minister of Economic Development and Trade (2014).

What makes a country successful? What should you do to make an economic miracle happen? How can we attract investment? Which sectors of economy are most promising? The participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders discussed these topics with Anatoliy AMELIN, Director of Economic Programs, Ukrainian Institute for the Future, a USPS alumnus.

How can you make your city successful? What are the effective city development strategies? Why is it necessary to develop a general plan of the city? What unites communities? How can you effectively attract investment? Hanna HERASHCHENKO, Head of Vvedenka Village Council, an alumnus of the USPS School of Community Leaders, Yuriy BOVA, Mayor, Trostyanets Town Council, a USPS alumnus, and Oleksandr KORINNYI, Mayor, Novoukrainka Town Council, Head of the Associations of Local Communities, a USPS alumnus, discussed these issues with the participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders.

At the beginning of the training, the participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders received their home task, i.e. they had to collectively develop a strategy for the development of a city: to reason out ways to use its strengths, to attract investment, and to unite the community of the city. At the end of the training, they presented their designed projects.

Modern urban communities find themselves in an ambiguous situation: between cultural amnesia and hypermnesia. On the one hand, we are losing ground under our feet feeling that the past and memory are almost tangibly slipping away from us; on the other hand, we have an unprecedented memory boom. How can we preserve the “past” in the city and do we have to do it at all? Doesn’t it hinder renewal? How is it possible to develop a “conservation concept” and apply the practice of “using history as a discourse to find identity”? The participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders conversed about these topic with Svitlana SHLIPCHENKO, PhD, theoretician of urbanism, Docent of the Department of Cultural Studies, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Lecturer in History and Theory of Architecture.

To create and implement a policy, the most interesting resource is an image of the future that it offers. The methods of political forecasting are applicable at the local level in the process of creation of scenarios for city and village development. What is the difference between a development scenario and a strategy? What are the methods of political forecasting? Mykhailo KOLTSOV, PhD, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, discussed these issues with the participants of the USPS School of Community Leaders.

The event was organized by the Agency of Legislative Initiatives with the support of USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly, implemented by East Europe Foundation.

Oleksandr ZASLAVSKYI, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, addressed the participants with words of welcome, noting that the RADA Program was fostering a number of initiatives, including promotion of civic education for a wider citizen engagement in the legislative process. The initiative is aimed at introducing elements of civic education into compulsory social studies for high school students, as envisaged by the Concept of the New Ukrainian School, the National Strategy for Promoting the Development of Civil Society in Ukraine for 2016-2020 and in pursuance of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Education”, which establish the priority of civic education. These are topics such as “Election process”, “Political System in Ukraine: Citizen Engagement”, “Legislature for Youth” and “Youth in Government Programs”. According to Mr. Zaslavskyi, in 2016 the USAID RADA Program signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Institute of Educational Content Modernization and were jointly holding the event. In addition, the Institute reviewed the Methodological Recommendations, which helped improve them considerably. Mr. Zaslavskyi informed that since October 2016 the Agency for Legislative Initiatives had conducted 5 colloquiums for teachers in four Ukrainian cities: Sumy, Poltava, Brovary, and Chernihiv. The speaker emphasized that in general more than 200 educators were acquainted with the Methodological Recommendations and the role-playing game AGORA that simulates the democratic legislative process in parliament.

Mr. Zaslavskyi noted that the Agency for Legislative Initiatives was already implementing several projects aimed at educating adults, such as the Ukrainian School of Political Studies and the School of Community Leaders, and had already completed the project of the School of Professional Journalism ‘New Ukraine’. Working with adults is needed and important, but it is more important to start working with young people. Hence the Agency came up with the idea to draw up Methodological Recommendations for high school teachers of social studies in order to raise awareness of political processes and the ways of the parliament’s work so that citizens could consciously and knowingly engage in its work.

Oleksandr YAREMA, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, noted that the answers to many young people’s questions about the political and electoral processes could have been found at school. Therefore, the Methodological Recommendations prepared by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives will help raise students’ awareness of political processes and how they could become responsible citizens. The combination of theoretical and practical elements contributes to increasing the platform of civil society, helping the country to develop as a democratic one since no country can exist without strong civil society institutions. According to Mr. Yarema, it is very important that young people, students should be aware of the opportunities of civic education, opportunities to engage in decision-making through various instruments, from student self-government or participation in youth civic organizations. This may be the first step towards responsible citizenship.

Serhiy HORBACHOV, Director of I. Bahrianyi Specialized School No. 148 where the role-playing game AGORA was tested. Mr. Horbachov, who joined the discussion via Skype, emphasized the importance of forming civic education competencies. Thanks to AGORA students can feel how the government works, how the work of the Verkhovna Rada is arranged; understand what interest and conflict of interest are; see the conduct of actors in the political arena. Also, Mr. Horbachov drew attention to the fact that children find AGORA very interesting because it makes it possible to feel the atmosphere of making socially important decisions.

Volodymyr KOVTUNETS, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, pointed out to the high calibre of the Methodological Recommendations and drew attention to the fact that the methodology was not instruction-based, when the teacher has a monopoly on truth and the student has to reproduce that gospel truth, instead it was about practical training. Mr. Kovtunets emphasized the importance of encouraging students to actively contribute to shaping responsibility for all processes taking place in our country.

Lesia KORETSKA, Head of the Department of Scientific, Educational and Methodological Support for Out-of-School Training and Mentoring of the State Academic Institution ‘Institute of Educational Content Modernization’, emphasized the importance of the work of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, which prepared the Methodological Recommendations and role-playing game AGORA and contributed to the development of the Concept of the New Ukrainian School. Ms. Koretska pointed out the importance of involving the students through classes as well as through the entire educational process, both formal and informal.

According to Natalia AMELCHENKO, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, currently Ukrainian schools have no established course in civic education, therefore, modules have been developed with a view to including them in certain subject areas of the already existing courses in jurisprudence, “Human Being and the World”, and History. Ms. Amelchenko noted that prior to drawing up the Methodological recommendations, she had analyzed the syllabuses of the above disciplines, textbooks, and state documents regulating the educational process. Based on the analysis, she identified the components of civic education, which is not limited to patriotic education. Civic education, including its informal component, molds democratic citizenship. Civic education fosters moral responsibility for the living space of other people and sensitivity to violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens, that is, it forms civic consciousness.

Civics is not just about passive affiliation to a certain state, and not only about knowledge of the rights and freedoms of the individual, the principles of construction of democratic political institutions, etc. First of all, it is about the ability to act in accordance with democratic laws, to defend the rights and freedoms of citizens, to build social relations on the basis of democratic rights and freedoms in the context of the development of a civil society, that is, about being an active citizen.

Civic education should form students’ awareness of their belonging to a certain nation, national history, and state but, above all, it should develop an active democratic civic identity, that is, involvement in the development of civil society and democratic institutions.

Only interactive methods of teaching civics can help not only acquire knowledge but also provide students with an understanding of their competencies in a particular social role, and their functions in a particular democratic process. At this stage, children can resolve conflicts and learn to be tolerant.

In addition, the discussion involved the students of I. Bahrianyi Specialized School No. 148 who took part the interactive role-playing game AGORA and adopted the draft law “On the Election of the President of the School”. The students joined in the discussion via Skype to share their impressions of the game and placed special emphasis on how informative and engaging it was.

The second part of the presentation was devoted to the testing of the interactive role-playing game AGORA, which gave teachers the opportunity to try their hand at approving the Law “On Education”.

By drawing lots, “MPs” were divided into three groups: liberals, conservatives, and MPs elected in first-past-the-post constituencies. The positions of each of the parties were clearly spelled out in the script. Apart from the three parliamentary groups, the game also included the roles of the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, counting commission, and the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada. The law passed three readings, voting and approval procedures. After the game, its results were summed up and the participants expressed their ideas and impressions.

The Second USPS Seminar is aimed at developing skills for critical thinking and analysis of basic ideas and principles that underlie modern social, political, economic and cultural processes. The Seminar took place in Odesa on June 7 – 11, 2017.

Svitlana Matviienko, Chairwoman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, greeted the participants and wished them inspiration and a fruitful seminar.

Values underlie any social, political and economic process. But what do we mean when we talk about values? What is the etymology of the word “value”? What is the nature of human as a value bearer? What are values depending on the perspective – neuropsychological, philosophical and sociological? All these and other aspects of axiology were raised during the talk with Denys Poltavets, Programme Director, Aspen Institute Kyiv.

Council of Europe is a key organization for human rights protection of the continent. It includes 47 state members, 28 of which are EU members. All Council of Europe members, including Ukraine, signed under the European Convention for Human Rights – an agreement targeted to protect human rights, democracy and rule of law. But are these principles and standards adhered to in Ukraine at the times of war? How can the Council of Europe guarantee enforcement of these principles? What can the Council of Europe do for Ukraine in the time of conflict in the East and annexation of Crimea? These questions were answered by Mårten Ehnberg, Head of Office, Council of Europe in Ukraine.

During policy planning and implementation one of the most interesting resources is an image of the future which it proposes. However, often political forecasts in Ukraine can be manipulative and overly subjective which negates their importance in good policy making. Mykhaylo Koltsov, PhD, Senior Lecturer of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, talked about methods of political forecasting, spheres of its use, forms of forecasts, principles of short-term and long-term forecasting and ways to implement forecasts.

Andrii Baumeister, PhD, Associate Professor at Theoretical and Practical Philosophy Department at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, answered the questions of what the state is, why we need it, how tightly we are connected with it, what we think of justice and what it really is.

Every day every one of us is an actor of the improvisation genre. Politics, business, love, childcare etc are all acting where we only have one choice to make: either we are being “played”, or we “play”. Improvisation is creation of an act during its performance. How to use improvisation in politics? How to talk to the audience? These questions were answered by Anatoliy Neyolov, Head of the “Black Square” Theatre.

What is freedom of speech in modern Ukraine, at the time of war? We often draw upon the examples of freedom of speech and expression in Western countries, but what are peculiarities of freedom of expression in the context of cultural and constitutional differences in the US, EU and Ukraine? How do human imagination, laws of physical world, functions of intellectual freedom, modern art, science and education relate? Vsevolod Rechytskyi, PhD, Associate Professor of Constitutional Law at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University of Ukraine, talked about this.

Volodymyr Rafeenko, Ukrainian Writer and Poet, talked about who modern writers and artists are, what is the actuality of a literary means of recognizing reality for a citizen, human, individual. It is the phenomenon of an individual that underlies most key modern developmental processes.

Svitlana Khutka, Founding CEO: U.World Foundation; Program “Democracy. Development. Education” (Ukrainian Civic IT Hub in SF) Country Director (Ukraine), Board of Directors Member: coderGirls (Stanford, USA); ProjectCSGIRLS (Harvard, USA). Board Member, “Global Ukraine”, talked about the method of design thinking popular in the States. Design thinking as innovate social problem solution allows for a more effective projection of possible solutions from a point of view of end consumer.

How do human body and politics relate? Does the body influence politics? Where is the line between “seeming to be” and “being”? What is the body of a politician like? Are flirt, erotica and sex levers of political influence and power? Does this help or vice versa? All this was discussed during the seminar with Svitlana Matviienko, Chairwoman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives.

What is the main activity of the politician based upon? According to Sergiy Gaiday, Director of Strategical Planning of Social Engineering Agency “Gaiday.com”, on ability to build a political organization and its effective communication with the society. Changes and new technology in the last 30 years, first of all, influenced spheres of information and social communication. However, Ukrainian politicians, as always before, still build copies of the Communist Party. What should modern parties be like? Do we need new ideas and ideologies? How to build a dialogue with the society?

Violent conflicts have their own dynamics and logic. They unfold in time and space accumulating vast human and material resources. They ruin social institutions and destroy social capital. At the same time, conflicts create new opportunities, give a push for transformations, make people change. In the last 20 years just a small number of violent conflicts were resolved. Majority of these conflicts are still in active phase or under the threat of escalation. Can humanity find ways to transform violent conflicts? Are we destined to repeat our history over and over again? Igor Semyvolos, Executive Director, Centre of Middle East Studies, talked about these issues.

Media gallery of the Second USPS Seminar here

Photographer Oksana Sushko

On June 20, 2017 an informative webinar on “Youth in Governmental Programs” was held at 17.00.

The webinar was organized by the Internews Ukraine with the support of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives within the USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly, implemented by East Europe Foundation.

The webinar was hosted by Oleksandr Yarema, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport of Ukraine.

During the webinar, the participants:

• got acquainted with the state youth policy in Ukraine;
• got knowledge about the role of citizens in shaping the state youth policy at the national and regional (local) levels;
• got acquainted with youth programs: Youth Worker Training Program, Ukrainian Youth Covenant-2020, Ukrainian-Polish and Ukrainian-Lithuanian Youth Exchange Programs.

As a result of the webinar, the participants:

• have mastered the techniques of shaping of youth policy at the national and regional levels;
• have gained practical skills for active participation in governmental youth programs on the basis of practical cases: Youth Worker Training Program, Ukrainian Youth Covenant-2020, Ukrainian-Polish and Ukrainian-Lithuanian Youth Exchange Programs.

As every year before, the First Seminar aims at providing deep understanding of European values, historical, social, political and economic processes in Ukraine and in the world as well as becoming a source of inspiration and new opportunities for personal and professional development.

During the opening of the seminar Igor Kogut, Co-Founder and Honorary Director of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies, congratulated the participants with the start of the programme suggesting that the School is a real workshop of inspiration for leaders.

Svitlana Matviienko, Chairwoman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, underlined that over 12 years of successful work USPS has become a community of people for whom democracy, rule of law and human rights are not just words but values.

Mårten Ehnberg, Head of Office, Council of Europe in Ukraine, greeted the group and noted that in his 15 years in Ukraine he witnessed a great progress in reforms and, what is more important, a great potential for their future realization.

Moderator Olga Zhmurko, Director of the Roma program initiative, International Renaissance Foundation, and Ella Libanova, PhD, Director of the M.V. Ptukha Institute of Demographics and Social Research of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, discussed transformations in the Ukrainian society in the last 25 years and how to effectively implement demographic policy.

Discussion with the participation of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush- Tsintsadze under moderation of Igor Kogut drew attention to issues of European integration, whether it is a goal or just a path to a better future.

Sevgil Musayeva-Borovik, Chief Editor of “Ukrainska Pravda”, tried to answer this question. She also presented her recent book about Mustafa Dzhemilyev.

“What is the nature of responsible judgements, what philosophical grounds do they have?”, – these questions were answered by  Yevgen Bystrytsky, PhD, Executive Director, International Renaissance Foundation.

Victor Pynzenyk, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on economic policy, doctor of economics, professor, discussed the role of parliament in public policy making and how to make government’s initiatives more available to the parliament.

“Revolution is not only about turning the country upside down; the real revolutionary effect is related to the inversion of values”, said Artemy Magun, Dean, Department of Political Science and Sociology, Professor of Democratic Theory.

“How to bring up a society that is able to think and create rather than merely consume and use?” – this was the leitmotif of the lecture by Lilia Hrynevych, PhD, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, moderated by Ivanna Kobernyk, Advisor to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, USPS Alumna.

Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine (2007-2013), PhD, professor, Member of the USPS Supervisory Board, Volodymyr Shapoval talked about constitutional values as well as constitutional guarantees of democracy.

De-communization as a prerequisite for establishing peace in Ukraine was the topic of the discussion with Volodymyr Vyatrovych, Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance who talked about the Institute’s activity and main myths related to de-communization. The discussion was moderated by Andriy Kogut, Head of the Archive of Security Service of Ukraine, who also presented new  opportunities to access the Archive of Security Service.

Moderator Yulia Tyshchenko, Director of Civil Society Programs, Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research, USPS alumna, Refat Chubarov, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Head of Crimean-Tatar Mejlis, and Valentyna Samar, Director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism, talked about Crimea’s reintegration strategy, effective communication with the occupied territories, the blockade of Crimea etc.

Yulia Mostova, Chief Editor of the «Dzerkalo Tyzhnia» Newspaper, talked about professionalism trust, comprehensiveness and vision of reforms.

Andriy Kulykov, Head of the Board, “Hromadske Radio”, suggested his own vision of how communication with the occupied territories should be held.

What are value orientations of Ukrainian society in the past and the future? What parallels can we see between our past and our modernity? What lessons can Ukraine draw from its history? These questions were answered by Natalia Yakovenko, PhD, Head of the Department of History, National University “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”.

“You do not have to be a doctor in order to be healthy. Similarly, in order to consider human rights a value and act accordingly you do not have to be a human rights activist”, said Larysa Denysenko, Human rights activist, lawyer, journalist, writer.

Media gallery here.

Colloquium in organized by the NGO Agency of Legislative Initiatives with the support of USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly, implemented by East Europe Foundation.

Educators of Brovary and Baryshivka regions were made aware of the modules of civic education and new training methods, such as brainstorming, open discussions and role playing presented in the methodological guidelines, watched the video “How Parliament Works” (made by Internews Ukraine within the framework of the USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly).

The participants also tested the online game “AGORA: Democratic Procedure of Law Adoption in the Parliament of Ukraine”, where you can feel like an MP and learn in practice all stages of the legislative process in Ukraine.

The initiative to integrate the component of civic education in school curricula aims at developing students’ knowledge, values and skills that they could use to defend their rights and freedoms, to control the government, and to participate in democratic processes.

Colloquium is organized by the NGO Agency of Legislative Initiatives with the support of USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly, implemented by East Europe Foundation.

The event involved presentation of methodological guidelines for teachers in upper secondary schools to introduce of civic education in school curricula. The participants tested the role-playing game “AGORA: Democratic Procedure of Law Adoption in the Parliament of Ukraine” and watched the video “How Parliament Works” (made by Internews Ukraine within the framework of the USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly).