Participants launched two issues of youth newspaper with articles about youth community activities, June 2015
As an educator and NGO leader, Oleksandra Barankevych has always been active in her community. In March 2014, Ms. Barankevych, Deputy Director of the Zhydachiv Gymnasium and Head of the women’s charity organization Nashi Visiyi (Our Vision), visited Ames, Iowa in the U.S. for a three-week USAID Participant Training Program, “Tolerance and Diversity to Strengthen a Democratic Society.” After her program, Ms. Barankevych maintained contact with the U.S. host organization, Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS), and was awarded grants for two projects through IRIS’s Alumni Grant Competition.
Oleksandra Barankevych, Deputy Director of the Zhydachiv Gymnasium and Head of the Women’s Charity Organization Nashi Visiyi
The first project, carried out in collaboration with another program participant, Solomiya Onufriv, Associate Professor at Lviv National University, was called “Media Education for Young Democracies: Tools and Vision in 2014.” The goal was to improve journalism skills among youth and introduce young leaders to democratic principles and civic engagement practices. Fifty students and young leaders from small Ukrainian cities participated. Ms. Onufriv, along with well-known journalists from the Lviv oblast, trained young people in interviewing and article creation. After the training, youth activists organized flash-mob public actions to spread the word about civic engagement in their cities. Additionally, they launched two issues of a youth newspaper featuring articles about youth community activities.
Inspired by the success of the first joint project, Ms. Barankevych again partnered with other participants from her USAID training program for a second project funded by IRIS. Nataliya Kostyshyn, Solomiya Onufriv, Ihor Derevianyi and Oksana Moskva served as project partners and trainers for a year-long initiative entitled “My Personal Democracy: Values that Unite Us.” Started in July 2015, this project has focused on principles of democracy and leadership training among Ukrainian youth. The group launched a traveling photo exhibition with children’s pictures under the slogan “My Personal Democracy,” and organized meetings with prominent civic journalists, volunteers, and cultural leaders. “Young people are learning how to work as a team, demonstrate their leadership, and make joint decisions. In the future, this experience will help them become active and responsible citizens.” said Ms. Barankevych.