On June 7-9, 58 CSO activists and leaders from different parts of Ukraine – representatives of the Mentorship Community – gathered in Lviv Region. The camp participants included mentees from previous programs, as well as mentees and mentors who are working on advocacy campaigns as part of the ongoing Mentorship Program 4.0.
“The camp has become a tradition; it’s the third one for the Mentorship Program. And I am very pleased to have alumni here, participants of the first, second and third programs. I sincerely wish that everyone will find an opportunity to communicate and share experiences,” Olena Matviichuk, Mentorship Program Coordinator and Organizational Coach, started the event.
During the official opening, Volodymyr Sheihus, Executive Director of ISAR Ednannia and Project Manager of the Ukraine Civil Society Sectoral Support Activity, first of all thanked the program participants and noted its uniqueness: “The Mentorship Program is still unique in Ukraine, and this means a lot. “The Mentorship Program is still unique in Ukraine, and this means a lot, for what you do for yourselves and for the future of Ukraine”.
Tetiana Sira, a representative of the U.S. Agency for International Development, noted the topics that mentees are working on this year with the support of mentors. According to Ms. Tetiana, it is very important that the Mentorship Program gives newly established organizations the opportunity to pursue their dreams and work with mentors on projects that address the problems of both individual communities and the whole of Ukraine: “This is very important for the process of rebuilding Ukraine that will accompany our lives in the future. And civil society must become an important element in this system. That is why USAID will continue to support such initiatives to strengthen civil society development.”
Olesia Kholopik, Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law, emphasized the role of the team, participants and partners in the implementation of the Mentorship Programs: “The Mentorship Program is all of us. So thank you that we are all together implementing the fourth Mentorship Program, and the team is adapting the Program under difficult conditions to meet the challenges of our time.”
According to Anna Isichko, Project Coordinator of the Ukraine Civil Society Sectoral Support Activity (CEDEM), the Mentorship Community forms a trusting environment where participants learn from each other, take on invaluable experience and pass it on: “The Mentorship Program occupies a special place among educational activities for institutional strengthening. It is unprecedented in its idea, in its dream.”
Anna Isichko also reminded about the Creative Methodical Guide, which describes the experience of participants of the first two mentorship programs to strengthen the advocacy capacities of civil society organizations (CSOs) from different parts of Ukraine, as well as the mentoring process as such.
After the introductory part, the camp participants continued to get to know each other. Moderated by Olena Matviichuk, they presented their own successes and achievements in advocacy.
The second day of the camp was dedicated to improving personal and organizational competencies of both mentees and mentors.
In particular, a number of workshops and lectures were held:
- “Security in organizations: essence and methods” (coach Oleksandra Melnyk);
- “Blogs are written by Gods (and Goddesses)” (coach Kseniia Ditchuk);
- “Organizational development in the times of war: is it elevant now?” (coach Viktoriia Mryshuk);
- “Personal planning” (coach Anna Orlovska, mentor);
- “Peculiarities of physical safety of public activists” (coach Oleksandra Melnyk);
- “Involvement of people in the support and activities of the organization/initiative” (coach Nataliia Seliukova, mentor);
- “Leadership development programs for the recovery of Ukraine: experience and prospects” (Hanna Ilashchuk, alumna of the Mentorship Program, Association of Public Advisors of Ukraine NGO);
- “Creating monitoring and evaluation systems for NGO activities and projects” (Danylo Vavriv, alumnus of the Mentorship Program, YODA NGO);
Olesia Rozhnatova, alumna of the Mentorship Program (Association of Public Advisors of Ukraine NGO) held a master class on making wax candles.
At the end of the camp, Olena Matviichuk discussed with the participants the trends and brands in the civil society of Ukraine, what they are and how the participating organizations of the Mentorship Programs can influence them.
Follow the results of the activities of the Mentorship Programs 4.0 participants here.
Mentorship Program 4.0 to strengthen the advocacy and other capacities of civil society organizations is 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.
