Speaker: Serhiy Holovatyi, founder and President of the Ukrainian Legal Foundation, Minister of Justice of Ukraine (1995-1997, 2005-2006), Honorary Partner of the PACE. His scholarly interests include international public law, theory of law, constitutional law, and human rights. He has published over 200 scholarly works, the main of them being the monograph (in three books) The Rule of Law (2006).

The event was attended by over 30 people: students and postgraduate students from Kyiv universities (the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv), instructors of the National Academy of Internal Affairs, graduates of the Internship Program in the Verkhovna Rada, MPs’ aids, and representatives of NGOs.

The rule of law serves as a litmus paper that demonstrates whether a society has the standard without which genuine democracy and human rights are unattainable. Assessing the actions of the state (its bodies and officials) in relation to a person based on such formulas as “in a society which has undertaken an obligation to adhere to the rule of law”, “in a state that recognizes the rule of law”, “in a state governed by the rule of law”, etc., courts clearly indicate that this or that action of the state is incompatible with the rule of law principle.

Due to the fact that the principles of true democracy, human rights and the rule of law as “fundamental European ideals” belong to the values that make up the common heritage of European peoples, the actualization of the issues of the rule of law is important in the light of Ukraine’s Eurointegration aspirations.

What is the “rule of law” and what are the values behind this principle? Why the translation of the “rule of law” principle as “верховенство права” is wrong? Why should we prefer the term “правовладдя” and what senses and connotations does it involve? What are the milestones of the idea of the rule of law? What is a measure of the rule of law? What is the difference between soft law and hard law? What is justice? What are the natural rights and how are they secured? Why does everyone need to study philosophy? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Constitution of Ukraine? These and other questions were discussed during the lecture.

The event was organized by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives together with the Internews Ukraine and the Interns’ League, supported by the USAID Rada Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly, implemented by the East Europe Foundation.

Lecturer: Oksana Syroid, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

More than 40 participants took part in the event: students of Kyiv universities (National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, National Pedagogical Dragomanov University), graduates of the Verkhovna Rada Internship Program, MPs’ aids, and representatives of NGOs.

Tetiana BIBIK, Deputy Director of the USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly, outlined the opportunities provided by the RADA Youth Program, focusing on the tools and mechanisms of the Program that promote parliamentary reform, such as the service of electronic petitions, the portal for public discussion of draft laws, the internship program in the Verkhovna Rada as well as educational components for youth.

Why do people unite in states?

The state emerges as a social contract between people in order to protect three fundamental rights: life, liberty, and property. In natural circumstances that precede the state, a person cannot individually enforce these rights.

Why do people need government authorities?

People can protect their fundamental rights only by imposing penalties for their encroachment. For example, the protection of the right to life is ensured through the delegation of representatives to the relevant bodies that, on behalf of the people and in the interests of the entire society, establish what a crime is and how it should be punished. Courts must ensure that the fundamental rights and rights derived from them be protected in accordance with laws adopted on behalf of the people.

When we create a state and delegate our rights to it, we must maintain it. To ensure protection of our rights, we allocate resources and create a government.

The function of the government is to collect and redistribute people’s money. Governments have no function other than that. They have to redistribute the funds in such a way as to perform the functions of the state and ensure fulfillment of what people agreed upon. The government is closed by its nature; under such conditions, it is very convenient to spend money.

Therefore, an extremely important function of the parliament is to control how the government collects and distributes money.

When does the parliamentary control over the government emerge?

The prime minister reads a report in parliament: Can we view it as a kind of control over the government? Perhaps we cannot. Both the current and the previous Prime Minister actually believe that just by coming to the Parliament and telling something from the rostrum, they report on their work.

The Ukrainian Parliament does not fulfill its control function and cannot fulfill it because it does not know what the government spends money on.

A vivid example of the government’s non-transparency is the vote on the state budget. The lack of a detailed budget, various inherent preferences, and non-transparency give rise to the phenomenon of the budget night when MPs vote for the state budget at night because they do not trust each other. Since everything is non-transparent and described in “broad-brush terms”, MPs sit at the table and agree on the allocation of funds. If they go to sleep, overnight, all arrangements may be reshuffled and in the morning everyone can come up with new wishes. That is why they vote for the budget “hot on the trail”.

This will continue until there is a detailed and very specific budget.

How do people in power make money?

The people who were in power in the first years of independence created a number of preferences for themselves:
– privatization and management of state-owned enterprises;
– non-transparent extraction of natural resources;
– non-transparent government contracts (budget).

These are the origins of the oligarchic economy of the 1990s.

Corrupt schemes will continue to function until people start to control their money themselves. The first step to this objective is local self-government that teaches people to manage their money and resources.

The next step should be personal tax payment. People seem to believe that the state gives them money without realizing that in reality it is they who maintain the state.

Taxes are a tool that guarantees the state unity and the quality of state institutions. The only mechanism for ensuring the payment of taxes is the inevitability of punishment for a failure to pay them.

The state will cease to exist if people stop paying taxes and controlling how their money is spent.

The quality of the Constitution and the quality of laws

The statement that we have one of the best constitutions in the world is a myth.

From laws people expect information on how they should regulate their behavior and predict consequences for themselves and others in case of non-compliance. If a law meets these requirements, it is of high-quality.

People suffer because of the state. Laws are written to protect people from violations by the authorities and to curb the state’s tyranny.

Laws have to protect human rights and must contain information about the responsible authority that should protect these rights and specify the ways to do this. A law is bad if it does not contain these elements.

Laws are voted in violation of the procedure; laws are not discussed beforehand. The process of voting laws as a whole has many defects; laws adopted based on this principle always contain a lot of mistakes. The main research and expert administration might be politically biased and dependent.

Key tips for young people: 

• always look for the nature of things;
• always ask “Why?”
• never take anything at face value;
• study philosophy, think.

The event was organized by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives together with the Internews Ukraine and the Interns’ League, supported by the USAID Rada Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly, implemented by the East Europe Foundation.

On September 7, 2017, the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center hosted a presentation of the analytical report “Code of Ethics for Parliamentarians: Structure, Content, Topics. Realities and Suggestions Concerning Codification”, which was attended by:

• Svitlana Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives;
• Ihor Kohut, Director of the USAID RADA Program;
• Olena Sotnyk, MP of Ukraine;
• Ostap Yednak, MP of Ukraine;
• Serhiy Leshchenko, MP of Ukraine.

This report was drawn up within the framework of the project of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives “Support to Democratic Political Culture in the Verkhovna Rada Political Dialogue and Ethical Standards”. The report aims to summarize the discussions of MPs of Ukraine, international experts, OSCE ODIHR experts and other stakeholders on the basis of the dialogue platform that ensures an inclusive process of the elaboration of a Code of Parliamentary Ethics coming from parliamentarians themselves. In addition, the document proposes a codification of the existing legislation in the areas covered by the Code.

Discussions based on the dialogue platform will make up the basis for the future Code of Ethics for Parliamentarians and are subject to broad discussion.

The activities are carried out within the framework of the project of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives “Support for Democratic Political Culture in Parliament via Political Dialogue and Ethical Standards” implemented with the support of MATRA Program (Netherlands Embassy) and in partnership with the OSCE ODIHR Project “Strengthening Dialogue Among Civil Society and With Key Government Stakeholders in Ukraine on Human Dimension Issues”, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, and USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly implemented by East Europe Foundation.

Photos: Ukraine crisis media center

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.

On June 30, 2017, at 12:00 am, the Volyn Orthodox Theological Academy (Lutsk, 5, Hradnyi Uzviz) hosted a Town Hall Meeting on the topic “Strategy for the Development of Youth Centers in Volyn Region”.

The event was organized by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives in cooperation with the Interns League and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine. It was initiated by MP Ihor Huz as part of the Model District project with the support of USAID RADA Program: Responsible, Accountable, Democratic Assembly, implemented by the East Europe Foundation.

The discussion was held in the Town Hall Meeting format, which implies competent and efficient discussion of any specific issues of public interest and serves as a tool for citizen participation in governing.

The agenda included such topics as the creation and development of youth centers, communication between youth centers of Ukraine, and work with youth with disabilities.

The event was attended by about 110 participants including representatives of youth organizations from Lutsk, Kovel, Novovolynsk; local officials; representatives of Youth and Sports Administration; representatives of Volyn academia; youth from Lutsk, Kovel, and Novovolynsk; and activists.

Metropolitan of Lutsk and Volyn Mikhail, Bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate), Metropolitan of Lutsk and Volyn, welcoming the town hall meeting participants on the premises of Volyn Orthodox Theological Academy, observed how many young people attended the discussion of socially important issues. Recalling the words of the Gospel, Bishop stressed that it was better to be either cold or hot but it was very bad to be lukewarm, indifferent, uninterested. Metropolitan of Lutsk and Volyn Mikhail wished young people to be self-sufficient, ambitious, visionary and indomitable; he also expressed confidence that the attendees would surely find answers to their questions precisely because they persisted in looking for them. In addition, Bishop stressed that it was important not just to make a decision but to live according to the decisions that were taken that day.

Ihor Huz, MP of Ukraine, Deputy Chairman of the VRU Committee on Foreign Affairs, stressed that the future of our country depended on each of those present in the audience rather than on the president or other officials. It was on the younger generation, their aspirations and beliefs, and their understanding of the role of men in the life of the country that the future of Ukraine depended. Ihor Huz advised young people to avoid complaining and grumbling, and to rely only on themselves. Everyone should contribute to building the future. Mr. Huz also expressed hope that despite the previous failure of voting in the Verkhovna Rada on the draft law on youth centers, it would still be approved and youth centers would be established both at the national and at oblast levels.

Stressing the importance of town hall meetings devoted to youth policy, Oleksandr Yarema, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, raised the question of where young people could fulfill their potential outside educational institutions. Mr. Yarema pointed out that he had in mind a platform where young people could gather, receive information, consult, and create projects that would change the lives of others. This discussion is aimed at ensuring that Ukraine has a future. The Ministry of Youth and Sports has been creating an optimal model of youth work in united territorial communities, which prescribes who, where and based on what resources have to work with the youth. In the near future, the Ministry will hold public events to popularize the experience and practices of youth work in united territorial communities. Mr. Yarema also expressed his conviction that the results of that day’s work would be actively discussed and examined and would be integrated into legislative initiatives supported by his colleagues MPs who were present at the event.

Ihor Lapin, MP of Ukraine, First Deputy Chairman of the Special Control Commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Privatization, stressed the need to talk about Ukraine as the land of our children rather than the land of our ancestors. For these are young people who form the future of the country by actively advocating their beliefs and values. Mr. Lapin pointed out that success can only be achieved by being open and supporting each other. Therefore, thanks to the support of all stakeholders, the law on youth will be adopted and this will open up new opportunities for the effective implementation of youth policy.

Zakhar Tkachuk, Chairman of the Board of the NGO Youth Platform, director of the Volyn Youth Center, thanked all those involved in the work of the Volyn Youth Center. Explaining the importance of holding town hall meetings, Zakhar Tkachuk emphasized that it was necessary to work convincingly, i.e. by studying the problems the young are facing. This event, which involved a wide range of stakeholders, was conducted precisely in order to find out opinions of young men and women about the youth center and its future development.

During the town hall meeting on the topic “Strategy for Development of the Youth Centers of Volyn oblast”, the participants discussed three issues that concerned communication between youth centers and work among youth with disabilities.

During the discussion on the institutionalization of youth centers, the participants reviewed four scenarios: the first one involved the creation of a municipal youth center; the second included the establishment of a youth center affiliated with an NGO and financed from the local budget; the third scenario implied the creation of a youth center as a structural subdivision of an existing municipal educational or cultural institution; the fourth scenario was about setting a youth center by developing and implementing a project based on a public initiative.

The votes were distributed as follows: the first scenario scored 20.3% of the votes, the second one scored 36.5%, the third one scored 4.1%, and the fourth one scored 39.2%. Thus, by a slim margin the participants chose the option of creating a youth center by developing and implementing a project based on a public initiative.

Discussing the problem of communication between youth centers of Ukraine, the participants reviewed 4 scenarios, the first of which implied establishment of a coordination council under the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine; the second one suggested the creation of an all-Ukrainian public organization of employees and activists; the third one was about establishing a professional communication network based on an Internet platform (a volunteer initiative); the fourth one involved the creation of the National Youth Center functioning as an organizational and methodological center of the network.

During the discussion, the participants voted as follows: the first scenario scored 8.3%, the second one scored 27.8%, the third one scored 19.4%, and the fourth one scored 44.4%. Consequently, the participants of the discussion preferred the fourth option, which implied the creation of the National Youth Center functioning as an organizational and methodological center of the network.

Considering the problem of youth with disabilities, the participants discussed 2 scenarios. The first one suggested creating a network of youth centers for work with youth with disabilities in the spheres of social protection, education and health; the second scenario involved the implementation of youth centers programs for youth with special needs.

The participants favored the second scenario. It scored 89.2%, while the first one scored only 10.8% of the votes. It was agreed that the best option was the launch of youth centers programs for work with young people with special needs.

The results of the town hall meeting are not legally valid. Ihor Huz will implement the decisions taken in the framework of this discussion within his powers and capabilities as an MP.

Photo-gallery of the event

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.

On June 15, 2017 in Zakarpattya regional state administration (Uzhgorod city) Town Hall Meeting “Strategies for the development of youth policy in Zakarpattya region” took place.

Town Hall Meetings is organised by the Agency of Legislative Initiatives together with the Interns’ League and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine on the initiative of MP of Ukraine Ivan Krulko in the framework of the Model District Project with the support of USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly, implemented by East Europe Foundation.

Town Hall Meetings provide a competent and effective discussion of any specific issues of public interest and are an instrument for ensuring citizens’ participation in governance.

1. Discussion is taking place around prepared scenarios. That is, the event itself following painstaking expert work aims at providing certain options to solve the problem for discussion.
2. The discussion takes place in small groups of 10-12 people, involving a facilitator and a note taker. Facilitators help participants in a friendly and casual atmosphere to discuss potential solutions, and note-takers put down the key points of discussion and meaningful conclusions.
3. The event is primarily attended by ordinary citizens who are direct stakeholders in the issue being discussed. The results of this event carry no legal weight.

The discussion focused on the issues of the youth age range as an important component of the Law on Youth, creation and development of youth centres, as well as organisation of work with youth with disabilities.

The event was attended by 95 participants, including representatives of youth NGOs, representatives of the Zakarpattya regional authorities, representatives of the education administration, representatives of the youth and sports administration, students of the Zakarpattya State University, youth from the towns of Khust and Mukachevo, and activists.

During the discussion on the issue of creating a youth centre, the participants discussed 4 scenarios, the first of which concerned the creation of a municipal youth centre; the second was focused on the creation of a youth centre under an NGO with financing from the local budget; the third scenario involved the creation of a youth centre as a structural subdivision of the existing municipal institutions in the field of education, culture, etc.; the fourth scenario offered the creation of a youth centre through the development and implementation of a project (on the basis of a public initiative).

The results of the voting were distributed as follows: the first scenario gained 7.5% of votes, the second – 39.6%, the third – 5.7%, and the fourth – 47.2%. Thus, the participants of the discussion chose the option of creating a youth centre through the development and implementation of a project (on the basis of a public initiative).

Discussing the problem of determining the youth age range, the participants reviewed 3 scenarios, the first of which implied preserving the effective definition of the youth age range as 14-35 years old; the second proposed a dramatic lessening of the youth age range – from 0 to 29 years old; and the third presented a balanced approach that included the definition of the youth age range from 12 to 29 years.

During the discussion, the participants voted in the following way: the first scenario – 48.9%, the second – 23.4%, the third – 27.7%. Thus, concerning the issue of determining the youth age range, the discussion participants preferred the first option, which does not provide for any changes in the current age limits.

Considering the problem of organising youth policy among young people with disabilities, the participants discussed 2 scenarios. The first one proposed the creation of a network of centres for work with youth with disabilities in the areas of social protection, education, and health; and the second scenario implied introduction of programs for centres for work with youth with special needs.

As a result of voting, the participants preferred the second scenario – 68.1%, while the first one gained 31.9% of the votes of the participants. Consequently, it is the introduction of programs for centres for work with youth with special needs that the discussion participants consider the best option for solving the problem of youth policy organisation for youth with disabilities.

On June 15, 2017 in Zakarpattya regional state administration (Uzhgorod city) Town Hall Meeting “Improving the efficiency of utilisation of solid household waste: distribution of the financial burden” took place.

Town Hall Meetings is organised by the Agency of Legislative Initiatives together with the Interns’ League on the initiative of MP of Ukraine Ivan Krulko in the framework of the Model District Project with the support of USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly, implemented by East Europe Foundation.

Town Hall Meetings provide a competent and effective discussion of any specific issues of public interest and are an instrument for ensuring citizens’ participation in governance.

1. Discussion is taking place around prepared scenarios. That is, the event itself following painstaking expert work aims at providing certain options to solve the problem for discussion.

2. The discussion takes place in small groups of 10-12 people, involving a facilitator and a note taker. Facilitators help participants in a friendly and casual atmosphere to discuss potential solutions, and note-takers put down the key points of discussion and meaningful conclusions.

3. The event is primarily attended by ordinary citizens who are direct stakeholders in the issue being discussed. The results of this event carry no legal weight.

The event was attended by more than 95 participants, including representatives of environmental organisations, representatives of the authorities of the Zakarpattya region, business representatives, youth and activists.

During the discussion of the problem of increasing the efficiency of solid household waste utilisation, the participants considered 3 scenarios, the first of which does not provide for any changes or interference with the current situation of waste disposal; the second and third offer a transition from landfill disposal to an integrated solid waste management system, i.e. its recycling. The second scenario involves the introduction of a special utility tariff for the public to cover waste disposal costs; while the third scenario imposes the financial burden on the producers of solid household waste rather than on consumers.

As a result of the discussion, the participants voted for implementation the third scenario – 72.9%; 27.1% of participants chose the option of introducing a separate payment in the household bill for the utilisation of solid household waste; and no participant supported the first option, which does not provide for any changes.

The decision approved during this discussion will be implemented by Mr Ivan Krulko within his powers and competences as an Ukrainian MP.