Elena Palivoda, Author at Fellows eapcivilsociety.eu

Zero Waste Communities

The project aimed to develop a culture of waste management in Armenia through training and environmental campaigns. To achieve the latter objectives, Vahan organized a number of educational, community outreach and dialogue-building activities. First, he held intensive one-day training in four Armenian regions of Shirak, Tavush, Gegharkunik, and Kotayk. Then, to promote zero waste principles, Vahan engaged partner organizations from Gyumri (Youth Initiative Center), Dilijan (Youth Cooperation Center), Gegharkunik (Ajdahak Environmental Center), and Yerevan (Armenian Progressive Youth) and installed zero-waste stations in their offices under the guaranteed control. Following this, the project team organized a massive cleanup and recycling campaign in Yerevan and other municipalities. Last but not least, to highlight the project deliverables, Vahan held the final conference in Yerevan involving local and international experts, local youth, civil society and municipality representatives to discuss the ecological challenges and their mitigation measures.

The project enhanced the mindset of 150 young people from the Armenian regions and up to 100 youngsters in Yerevan on waste management and engaged the local NGOs. Also, through installing four waste sorting bins, the action encouraged the local communities to separate waste and recycle it on a regular basis. As a result of the cleanup campaigns, 5 tons of sorted waste were accumulated from landfills and sent to recycling within 3 months. Besides, the project served as a bridge for the civil society organizations, local municipalities and small recycling enterprises and urged them to collaborate in terms of waste management.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1253256278211038

Country	Armenia
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Team

Strong Women – Strong Family

The project Strong Women – Strong Family aimed to empower women in IDP (internally displaced people) communities of Azerbaijan residing at the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict line through awareness-raising activities. The first training on entrepreneurship was launched in the region of Terter and engaged 17 middle-aged women; the leading business mentors shared their expertise in managing microfinance loans and accounting in general. Following this, the second capacity-building training was held in Barda and involved 32 women from the local villages; the invited consultants delivered training on the state grants for the rural women and encouraged them to start or extend their businesses. Finally, the third workshop was conducted in Aghdam and engaged 21 women from the local settlements; the training included the presentation of success stories and information on micro-financing opportunities available in Azerbaijan.

The action empowered approximately 70 women from IDP communities of Azerbaijan through entrepreneurial and capacity-building training in Agdam, Barda, and Tartar (300 km westward from the capital Baku and close to the “line of contact”). The workshops enhanced the financial literacy of the IPD women and boosted their confidence in implementing their own initiatives. Also, the training contributed to tackling stereotypes about the social roles of women living in the IDP communities. Following this, the special training in microfinance, loan management and credit culture served played a crucial role in developing a business mindset in the target-audience and teaching them the best ways to access and manage finances.

Country	Azerbaijan
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Research project on Effects of Labour Migration on Children in Rural Georgia

The action aimed to identify feasible, effective, and acceptable strategies to address the needs of children affected by parental migration in rural Georgia and mitigate the negative impacts of migratory separation on children. The project was implemented in two phases. First, Khatia conducted the field research of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Guria regions and investigated the effects of parental labor migration on children from the teachers’ perspectives; she did Focus-group discussions and In-depth interviews with School Principals and teachers of 6 schools (3 per-region). The survey assessed the indicators, such as children’s behavior, school performance, emotional stability, self-esteem, characteristics, caregiver’s involvement in school activities, etc. In the second phase of the project, Khatia communicated the results and presented the research findings to the school administration and local authorities. Therefore, she hosted public lectures at the Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU), University of Georgia (UG), and Health House in Guria. Taking all above into account, Khatia promoted the research deliverables at the International Conference ‘12th European Public Health Conference, Building bridges for solidarity and public health’ in Marseille, France as a part of her fellowship award.

The project produced academic expertise on challenges faced by the children of migrant parents and raised awareness of the issue on the local and international levels. As the survey reports, more than 90 % of study participants in both target regions (Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Guria) reported the only negative outcomes of parent(s) migration on “Left-behind” Children’s health, wellbeing, and education. Material benefits may be accounted as the only positive aspect; however, it cannot compensate for the negative aspects, such as early marriage, decreased motivation, poor health conditions, unhealthy eating habits, gambling, etc. Unfortunately, migration is often the only solution for the relatively poor families of Georgian rural areas. However, working abroad as a caretaker cannot bring significant financial benefits for the families since the remittances sent back to the country are directed to pay the financial liabilities.

Country	Georgia
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Ability Beyond Disability

The action was an awareness-raising project involving various Ukrainian non-governmental organizations. Through two-days long seminars and several short sessions, Viktoria shared her knowledge and experience in strategic development with the young people at Lviv Educational Foundation. Therefore, she organized an inclusive space within the frame of the Lviv Urban Workshop, where the hosts presented different activities on the topics of disability, inclusion, and accessibility. The event lasted for 4 days and included the exhibition of interactive materials, such as writing in Braille, playing inclusive chess, cycling on tandem bikes with eyes closed, etc. The highlight of the latter event was an Inclusive excursion around Lviv City. Besides, Viktoria initiated a Cycling Marathon with the participation of blind people that required fundraising and planning for three months. Apart from helping other people, the fellowship gave Viktoriya the opportunity to build-capacity for herself; the award enabled her to participate in the international three-day workshops on Art of Participatory Leadership in Denmark and The Art of Hosting Societal Innovation in the Netherlands.

The project reached more than 100+ young beneficiaries of the Lviv Educational Foundation and trained them in strategic development. Hence, the action raised public awareness of the major challenges faced by people with disabilities (PwDs) through discussions, interactive sessions, and exhibitions. Victoria’s 3-month long wholehearted attempt to organize the Tandem Cycling Marathon with the participation of blind people has paid off, as she managed to receive additional financial support from the US Embassy in Ukraine and made this idea possible. Thus, Victoria herself enhanced her personal and professional skills through learning facilitation tools about the Art of Hosting from the professionals in Denmark and the Netherlands.

Country	Ukraine
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Increasing the Leadership Potential of Adolescents Studying at Vocational Schools

The action aimed to increase the leadership potential of adolescents/students of vocational schools within a non-formal education program Development Studies. The project brought together 50 students (aged from 14 to 25) in Kyiv who endeavored to improve the personal and social competencies. Hence, Katerina organized five one-day training sessions covering the trending topics, including social change, public activism, youth participation, creative thinking, and social project visibility. The young leaders applied newly-developed skills in practice and brainstormed/implemented ten socially-beneficial initiatives in their communities. Finally, the project deliverables and action results were assessed at the final event engaging all project beneficiaries.

The project produced a training program Development Studies, tailored to enhance the personal, social, and leadership skills of the young people. The action delivered five thematic training and raised awareness of the 50 young students in the Kyiv region, Ukraine. The training sessions served as a platform to discuss the social challenges faced by the local community, develop creative thinking, brainstorm special methods (SMART, Mind Map, Skill Swap) of the project management. As a result, the participants of the Development Studies program developed a proactive attitude and implemented ten initiatives after the completion of the training.

Country	Ukraine
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Photo Report: New Trainings and Evaluation Work

On September 15, Armine Hovhannisyan conducted a workshop on the development of co-operation between mentors and mentees in “WELead” program. During the training the participants summed up the effectiveness of their work and planned the upcoming steps.We also had been hosted at Article 3, where we attended “Without obstacles. the first step towards the labor market “interactive training. Our young women members are continuing to develop and learn something new from each other.

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Այսօր Սեպտեմբերի 15-ին տեղի ունեցավ ԵԿԱԱ ծրագրի մենթորների և մենթիների համագործակցության զարգացմանն ուղղված դասընթաց, որը վարեց Արմինե Հովհաննիսյանը: Դասընթացի ընթացքում ծրագրի մասնակիցները ամփոփեցին իրենց կատարած աշխատանքի արդյունավետությունը և պլանավորեցին առաջիկա քայլերը: Բայց այդ մենք` դեռևս առավոտից հյուրընկալվել էինք «Հոդված 3» ակումբում, որտեղ մասնակցեցինք
«Առանց խոչընդոտների. առաջին քայլ դեպի աշխատաշուկա» ինտերակտիվ դասընթացին:
Մեր ակումբի երիտասարդ կանայք շարունակում ենք սահուն քայլերով զարգանալ և զարգացնել իրենց գիտելիքները:

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Photo Report: Study Visit to Yerevan

On July 29 we really had a wonderful study visit to Yerevan city. In the beginning we had interesting workshops with 14 different organization who work with youth and support them to develop their potentials as true leaders, to study abroad or do volunteering works there. We were hosted by Human Rights House and we stayed there till the evening. For the second part of our study visit we were hosted by newly established Fem Library where we had a very interactive event with Ulrike Roberts who shared with us her inspiring story.
We are going back to Armavir with great motivation and new skills which we just learned.

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Photo Report: Team Building Training for the Women Leadership Club’s Members

Today on July 14 we had team building training which aimed to develop general team values and the idea of great team. After the training we can confidently say that the members of Women Leadership Club are mastering team building abilities.
Special thanks to our trainer Tatev Karapetyan

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Այսօր` հուլիսի 14-ին « Երիտասարդ Կանանց Առաջնորդության Ակումբում» տեղի ունեցավ թիմի կառուցման դասընթաց , որի նպատակն էր ստեղծել ընդհանուր արժեքներ և ամրապնդել ընդհանուր թիմի գաղափարը: Դասընթացից հետո վստահորեն կարող ենք ասել, որ մեր ակումբի աղջիկները տիրապետում են առողջ թիմ կառուցելու բոլոր հմտություններին: Հատուկ շնորհակալություն Տաթև Կարապետյանին ով անցկացրեց դասընթացը:

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Advocacy of Better Implementation of Public Consultations in Ukraine

The project aimed to draw public attention to the importance of the Draft Law on Public Consultations in Ukraine. To achieve the above objective, Olena conducted research, community outreach, and capacity-building activities. First, she analyzed the Draft Law on Public Consultation across the country covering 27 Local Authorities, 14 Public Agencies, 18 Ministries, and 21 public Services of Ukraine. Then, based on the accumulated data, Olena developed an analytical study, policy brief, and guidelines. Following this, she submitted a list of recommendations to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and organized workshops in two regional Ukrainian cities – Cherkasy and Kryvyi Rih. To share the project deliverables on a larger scale, Olena and two EaP fellows from Ukraine Anna Yemelyanova and Karina Litvinova organized E-Democracy Forum, engaging up to 70 public servants from Ukraine.

The action produced an analytical paper and guidelines (online + 500 copies) researching the legal process of public consultations in Ukraine, both at the central and local levels. The policy brief: E-consultations as a Part of Public Consultations in Ukraine and relevant guidelines evolved public discussion among the officials and other stakeholders at the E-Democracy Forum. Through sharing the list of recommendations with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the project facilitated public dialogue with the government of Ukraine. Thus, two regional seminars served as a collaborative platform for the non-governmental organizations, public authorities, and local deputies to discuss the draft law recommendations. On top of that, the advocacy video about the benefits of public consultations raised awareness of the local authorities and the general public.

Guidelines on public consultations (in Ukrainian):

‘e-Consultations’ Policy Guide (in Ukrainian):

Country	Ukraine
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Bicycle-Friendly Business Certification Programme

The project aimed to design and launch a Bike-Friendly Certification Programme in Kyiv, Ukraine. Also, Marianna intended to check whether tourist services such as gastronomy, accommodation, campsites, tourist attractions, or shops in Kyiv had stores, basic repair tools, or information about cycling in the region. To achieve the latter objective, she implemented the action through 3 stages. First, Marianna collected and analyzed information from Germany (ADFC German Bicycle Club) and France (FUB – French Federation of Bicycle Users). Then, she created a website with promo video, and exclusive Bike-Friendly Certificates. The program was designed with two-level certificates – Green (basic) and Gold (advanced). At the final stage of the project, Marianna held a final conference engaging business companies and local authorities, including the Tourism Department of the Kyiv City Administration, media representatives, cyclists, and other interested parties. As a result, first bicycle-friendly companies (cafés, restaurants, business centers, and even a law firm) were awarded the programme certificates at the press-briefing. Afterwards, the Program developed an exclusive Orange Certificate for non-profit organizations, such as theatres, libraries etc.

The action launched the first bicycle-friendly business certification system in Ukraine. Through the program website and other visibility materials, the program promoted the most socially responsible partner companies. The Program sustainability tool is a website, where users can access all relevant information such as conditions of the Program, rules for participation, types of certificates, map with company location etc. Also, the action produced 2 videos about the program. The Project developed three certificates: Green award was given to the companies with the basic parking services and stores for the bicycles when the Gold certificate was granted to the enterprises with advanced facilities, such as toolkit box for repair work, maps with bicycle infrastructure, etc.; the Orange was designed for the non-profit organizations. The final conference served as a platform to facilitate collaboration among governmental agencies, businesses, and other NGOs. The action improved Marianna’s professional skills; during her internship at the ADFC German Bicycle Club Berlin, she learned how to design and launch the certification program while the traineeship at the French Federation of Bicycle Users (Strasbourg) was an opportunity to extend her international contacts. Thus, having launched the final press-conference, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Regional Development of Ukraine – Lev Partschladze actively supported the Project.

Country	Ukraine
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