On February 16-17, Mentorship Program 4.0 to strengthen the advocacy and other capacities of civil society organizations was officially launched. This year, 20 experienced mentors and 20 mentee organizations from different parts of Ukraine are participating in the Program.

During the official opening, Volodymyr Sheihus, Executive Director of ISAR Ednannia, first of all thanked the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the opportunity to work for the benefit of the country: “Each of us in wartime has an obligation to do the maximum we can to win for the people. We call our civil society and public sector an internal front, because the quality of life of people also depends on us. We are all working to win and to support those who need it in these difficult times.” 

According to him, the kind of attention and support that the Mentorship Program model provides is virtually non-existent: “It’s not the only one, but it’s a unique opportunity to get advice from practitioners and enrich each other. Mentors and mentees will learn from each other, and this synergy will increase the range of organizations that can be good players in advocating for certain important changes, especially at the local level.”

Olesia Kholopik, Director of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM), reminded the participants how the Mentorship Program began. 

In particular, Olesia Kholopik noted that previously there had been no mentorship program in the civil sector that captured the essence of mentoring: accompaniment, support and sharing of experience: “Four years ago we did it – and this program became permanent. This is where both the mentees as the leaders of the organizations and the organizations themselves are acttually strengthened. It was important for us to strengthen the organization in the model of this Program: so that the experienced organizations can help the newly registered organizations to become stronger.”

Anna Isichko, Coordinator of the Project Ukraine Civil Society Sectoral Support Activity (CEDEM), thanked the participants of the Mentorship Program for their energy, desire to learn and receive mentoring help that helps them avoid mistakes: “I would like to thank everyone who dreams, transforms their dreams and turns them into reality. As the great Ukrainian Bohdan Havrylyshyn said: “Dream globally, but act locally”. I think that part of this idea resonates in everything we do in civil society, and also lives in this Mentorship Program.“

Olena Matviichuk, Coordinator of the Mentorship Program, introduced mentee organizations that have already completed pre-start training and will receive support from mentors for 7 months, attend lectures and workshops to strengthen organizational capacity, undergo internships and implement their own advocacy plans.

So, here are the 20 mentee-mentor pairs that have joined the Mentorship Program 4.0:

1. Rokada CF – Dmytro Tyhach, 100% Life. Lviv;
2. Liderka NGO – Kateryna Ryzhkova-Siebielieva, Light of Hope CF;
3. Union of ATO and JFO Participants and Volunteers of Oleksandrivsky District of Kirovohrad Region “Invincible” – Anna Orlovska, The Tenth of April NGO;
4. Ukrainian Antiquity NGO – Alona Lunova, ZMINA Human Rights Center;
5. VOSTOK-SOS CF – Bohdan Lepiavko, U-cycle;
6. Community Development Center, Idea. Action. Result – Anastasiia Prokopenko, Access Point NGO;
7. Kateryna Osadcha Public Association NGO – Liudmyla Yankina, ZMINA Human Rights Center;
8. Suziria Malyn NGO – Iryna Sarancha, NGO Vinnytsia City Organization for Social Development and Growth of Certain Vulnerable Categories of Youth Parostok (Sprout);
9. DE NGO – Olena Kravchenko, Environment People Law (EPL);
10. Novoodesa Council of Elders – Mariia Zviahintseva, NGO The Legal Hundred;
11. Public Control. Openness. Transparency. Accountability – Denys Davydenko, RPR Coalition;
12. Active Rehabilitation Group NGO – Oksana Musiienko, Patients of Ukraine CF;
13. Youth Institute NGO – Inha Dudnik, Territory of Success;
14. ГО «ІНСТИТУТ СПРИЯННЯ INSTITUTE FOR PROMOTING THE PUBLIC INITIATIVES DEVELOPMENT NGO – Illia Yeremenko, EcoClub NGO / Ekoltava NGO;
15. PRAVOSVIDOMI NGO – Olena Dmytrenko, Institute of Analytics and Advocacy;
16. Ukraine Incognita NGO – Zoriana Stotsko, Western Ukrainian Resource Center;
17. Bessarabia Heritage NGO – Liubov Maksymovych, Women’s Perspectives Center;
18. Ahronomichne Without Corruption. Civic Control – Denys Baranets, Public Control NGO;
19. Sustainable Development and Innovation Agency NGO – Natalia Seliukova, Ukrprostir NGO;
20. Lavra Art Workshops NGO – Dmytro Sakaliuk, EcoClub NGO.

With the help of trainer Dmytro Kupyra, representatives of mentee organizations learned basic information about advocacy and the cycle of changes during the event, as well as learned to set advocacy goals and objectives 

Follow the news and stories from the Mentoring Program under the hashtag #МенторськаПрограма4_0

Mentorship Program 4.0 is implemented as part of the Project “Ukraine Civil Society Sectoral Support Activity” implemented by the Initiative Center to Support Social Action “Ednannia” in partnership with the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) and Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM) with the sincere support of the American people through United States Agency for International Development.