Municipal starostas are responsible for establishing sustainable communication and lobbying district interests at a community level, which is an essential component of working with community residents. How can this be done effectively? What are the existing successful practices and what steps need to be taken for the starostas to grow professionally?
The answers to these and other questions were sought by eight starostas representing the communities of Sribne, Snovsk, Komarivka, Kulykivka, Borzna, Liubech, Mena, and Nova Basan while undergoing the Steps for Starostas 2021 training courses delivered under the U-LEAD with Europe Programme.
"The training courses were aimed at helping the starostas acquire the most requested knowledge and skills to enable them to provide high-quality services. The training sessions, workshops and an online visit made the acquisition of these new competencies possible,"
said Iryna Kudryk, head of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme Chernihiv Oblast Regional Office.
During several weeks, the starostas participated in five training sessions and three workshops, and paid an online visit to the Pokrovske Community Starosta District, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. At every activity, real-world issues were discussed and solutions to the problems faced by the starostas were looked for.
"There are 12 starostas in our community, and all of them have gained considerable experience of work, so there is someone for me to look up to. The delivered training was great, especially the third workshop during which we talked about communication. I wish more such training sessions were conducted as they enable our district starostas to identify the opportunities for development,"
said Alina Kunytsia, starosta of the Saltykova Divytsia District, Kulykivka Community.
Effective communication between the public and the authorities was discussed at the third workshop. The starostas were to find a solution to the problem of project financing in the starosta district through a role playing game. Based on his or her experience, every participant was to suggest solutions to the problem and gain other participants’ support.
"The workshop is a great opportunity to see the experience of colleagues and take over good practices. On the other hand, failures are of interest as well, since they enable us to see what steps should be avoided and how problems could be prevented,"
Olena Levchenko, starosta of the Smolyhiv Starosta District, Liubech Community, believes.
An online summary activity involving the training programme participants who represent the Chernihiv Oblast communities and the team of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme Chernihiv Oblast Regional Office took place this week. Liudmyla Chabak and Oleksandr Melnyk, advisors to the regional office, told about their experience of participating in the activity and the starostas shared their achievements and conclusions coming out of the training.
Specifically, Serhii Shutyi, starosta of the Voronkiv District of the Nova Basan Community, firmly believes that the training should be delivered on an ongoing basis because doing so will enable its participants to be competitive and perform their duties effectively. The training also helped Larysa Bezruchko, starosta of the Khotunychi District of the Snovsk Community, identify her weaknesses and acquire the necessary knowledge to get rid of them.
It should be reminded that in October and November, community starostas underwent training under the Steps for Starostas 2021 Programme.