Rights to go is supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe

RIGHTS TO GO

Youth Social Rights Network and The Voices of Young Refugees in

Europe supported by European Youth Foundation of the Council of
Europe

PRACTICE FORM

Please complete this form and send it back duly completed by 19.03.2018, to
ysrnetwork@gmail.com. When sending back the form, please send us also 2-3 photos from your
project to be displayed in the report and the product that should be produced during the Rights
to go training with a purpose to serve as an inspiration for practitioners working on
improvement of access to social rights and social through labour market inclusion of young
migrants and refugees.

Name of organisation/institution: Poruch

Type of organisation/institution: Non-governmental organisation
Website link of organisation/institution: http://poruch.com.ua/en/
Facebook link of organisation/institution:
https://www.facebook.com/volonteryporuch/
Name of contact person from the organisation/institution: Vladyslav
Dementiev
Email of contact person: demv5567@gmail.com

______________________________________________________

Name of the activity/project: Volunteers` School

What inspired you to implement this activity? The idea of the project was raised
as a respond to the conflict in Ukraine, which resulted in displacing of more than 1.7
million people to new communities. We believe that through building social dialogue
and civic engagement IDPs and locals will reveal their potential and contribute to
community development.

Where did it took/takes place? Different regions of Ukraine, including post-

conflict areas of the Donbas
Rights to go is supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe

Start date and End date: May 2016 - present

Main target groups: community activists, young leaders, students, CSO activists,
internally displaced persons.

Description of the activity (please explain the needs it addresses(d), the

aim and objectives, the main activities and methodology of work)

During four years of crisis in Ukraine more than 1.7 million IDPs have officially moved
from Donbas and Crimea to other regions of country. The influx of IDPs into
communities across Ukraine has been a source of tension and strain on local budgets,
public and social infrastructure. While the response of host communities has been
overwhelmingly laudable, there are a lot of problems and challenges that host
communities and IDPs are facing now and trying to overcome together. Therefore, the
issues of integration and unity of locals and IDPs, building trust, mutual respect and
partnership to enhance the social cohesion of the population are gaining importance
and urgency.

The final aim of the project is to create a new social network of active citizens capable
to develop a constructive dialogue between the community and the authorities in the
implementation of social projects.

The objectives of the project have comprised:

 encouraging internally displaced persons (IDPs) to active participation in social
life of their hosting communities,
 fostering cohesion of IDPs and hosting communities and their cooperation in
order to achieve mutual aims and solve common problems,
 helping people from different parts of Ukraine overcome social barriers
artificially created by enemy propaganda and promoting positive image of
Ukraine,
 raising the awareness of historical background to volunteering, focal areas of
current volunteer movements, legislative instruments regulating functioning of
volunteer organisations, rights and duties of volunteers.

The activities within the project included:

 mini-lectures on the history of volunteer movement, legal basis of volunteer
work, verbal and non-verbal communication techniques, project management;
 stimulation games such as “Public Hearing” and “Unfair Elections” during which
the trainees had to deal with the corruption of authorities and seek for
compromise within the “triangle”: business – politics – local community;
 workshops such as “World Café” where the trainees had to suggest their own
Rights to go is supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe

solutions to important social issues;

 learning basic first aid skills;
 quest “Following Volunteer Routes”

● Synopsis (short description- max 100 words): Social project “Volunteer`s

School” is an ongoing initiative of the Ukrainian NGO Poruch which aimed to
create a new social network of active citizens capable to develop a constructive
dialogue between the community and the authorities in the implementation of
social projects, as well as increase positive impact of IDPs on community
development and extend their access to social rights.
Through non-formal education methods, participants of 2-3 day training course
learn the issues of volunteering activity, social participation and community
engagement, developing their own local project ideas.
More than 600 participants of different age and from different regions of
Ukraine had been trained by the NGO Poruch experts. They are implementing a
number of community initiatives putting in practices gained knowledge and
skills.
● Project Name: Volunteers` School
● Program duration: May 2016 - present
● Geographical coverage: Different regions of Ukraine, including post-conflict
areas of the Donbas
● Partner: local non-governmental organisations, higher educational institutions
and authorities
● Funded by: own organisation`s resources; 5 Schools were funded by German
Federal Company Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ) GmbH

Who were the partners involved in the activity and what was their role?
Local non-governmental organisations, higher educational institutions and authorities.
They help to share information about the project in their communities, find
participants, support dissemination of the project and follow-up activities of
participants. In addition, the partners co-fund the project through either in-kind or
resource contribution.

What were the challenges you faced in implementing this activity? What
were the lessons learned?
Lack of citizens` trust to local authorities, civil society organisations, and even to each
other leads to fail of good ideas and initiatives. Thus, it is important to share an idea of
teamwork and compromise among active citizens and to convince them that together
they can achieve more.
Rights to go is supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe

What were the achievements and outcomes of this activity/practice?

More than 20 Schools were held and 600 participants of different age and from
different regions of Ukraine had been trained by the NGO Poruch experts. They have
designed and realized festivals, trainings, workshops, and other inclusive community
initiatives, and continue to put in practice gained ideas, knowledge and skills. Also,
IDPs joined the pull of activists in their host communities.

Thank you very much for your contribution!