In the last days of May, municipalities of Semenivka, Brusyliv and Ushomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast, hosted heads and deputy heads of municipalities of the Kyiv and Chernihiv Oblasts and shared with them the experiences of organising the provision of social and educational services in wartime.
“While preparing the itinerary, we sought to showcase the most versatile approaches to services. And we succeeded: each municipality tackles the social and educational sectors differently. At the same time, they are united by the commitment to creating a high-quality system of providing services to the public. The visited municipalities have the experience of engaging volunteers in the provision of social services and the creation of a veteran HUB,” said Vasyl Nevmerzhytskyi, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Zhytomyr Oblast.
In the Semenivka rural municipality, the visitors observed the operation of social institutions. It involves engaging volunteers in social projects, the functioning of a safe space for female survivors of violence, the integration of IDPs into the municipality and youth participation.
The visitors took a closer look at the activities of the Social Service Centre that offers services for vulnerable groups of people such as families who find themselves in difficult life circumstances, internally displaced families with children, the elderly, etc.
“The Semenivka municipality is a dynamic and progressive environment where educational institutions are actively implementing various projects aimed at the development of creativity, youth participation and the municipality in general,” municipal officials emphasised during the presentation.
They talked about the project activities of the schools, as well as the practice of creating various routes and training courses, such as the career guidance route “Wheeling into the Job”, the patriotic route “Wheeling into History”, the course “Basics of Drone Operation” where students learn the basics aerodynamics and navigation, aerial photography and drone operation, as well as other initiatives.
“It was very illuminating to learn about the experience of this municipality’s grant activities. I liked their non-standard approach to the work of library institutions where their youth events are organised,” said Viktoriia Vershniak, Deputy Mayor of the Nosivka municipality, Chernihiv Oblast.
The visitors noted a comprehensive approach to the organisation of social and educational services in the municipality, as well as coordinated teamwork.
In the Brusyliv municipality, they visited the children’s space created in the library and learned more about the Social Service Centre and its activities, including its efforts to attract external resources and international technical assistance projects.
In the Ushomyr municipality, the participants visited social and medical institutions, the Veteran HUB and the Inclusive Resource Centre.
The head of the municipality, Liudmila Mala, spoke about running the municipality in wartime:
“We don’t spend money on things we can do ourselves. Starostas organise people for tolokas — one-time events where residents gather to work for the good of the municipality — and for cleaning cemeteries, as well as beautification activities. Our municipality was badly hit by shelling in the first days of the full-scale invasion. We immediately adopted a local targeted programme to help those affected. The entire community showed up to cover broken windows with film; people helped each other, and no one stood aside.”
The head of the Ushomyr municipality shared with her colleagues her experience of bringing the residents of the municipality together, as well as engaging them in events and activities:
“I wanted it, and everyone wanted it.”
Many ideas and projects are indeed initiated by the head of the municipality. Still, no resident, worker or starosta is left without credit and recognition of their efforts.
The participants noted the synergy and interaction between all institutions and facilities, starostas and residents. Viktoriia Vershniak of the Nosivka municipality commented:
“I’m truly impressed by the way people live here as a community. Problems are solved together, and no one is left behind. There are a lot of public participation practices, including various contests such as The Best Estate, etc. I went to see the Veteran HUB to work out the best way to organise this space in our municipality.”
The coordinator Oleksandra Vasylenko spoke about the work of the Veteran HUB, its main directions and what kinds of support it offers to veterans, military personnel and their families:
“Our task is to be a link that connects veterans with all services or institutions. Veterans come here if they have problems with the pension fund, social services, benefits, rehabilitation or assistance. If we are aware that a soldier has arrived, we make a visit to them to arrange assistance and find out their needs. We also work with the families of our defenders.”
Victory Gardens is another practice of the Ushomyr municipality that got the participants curious. The smoothly running system of supplying schools and kindergartens with local produce ensures that children in years 1 to 4 and children that fall under benefit-entitled categories receive free meals, and parents only have to pay UAH 20 for lunches.
The municipality is committed to supporting its soldiers who serve in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Each starosta office has a package schedule that it strictly follows; most of it is local produce, treats and preserves prepared by caring housewives. The municipality also helps the Armed Forces with the necessary equipment. The head of the municipality noted that more than UAH 60 million had been allocated from the local budget for the support of defenders.
Tetiana Svyrydenko, head of the Ivankiv municipality, Kyiv Oblast, shared her impressions after the visit:
“In the Zhytomyr Oblast, I was struck by the existence of people who work not for money, fame or formal recognition. They do it because this is their land, territory, their community. I was struck by the efficiency, cleanliness and beauty of the Ushomyr municipality. Each town and village has its own highlight, its own identity. We saw teamwork here. Everything depends on the leader: team will be only as successful as they manage to build their team. You learn some practical lesson from each visit. And the main thing is that you can come home and say, ‘They’ve succeeded and so can we’.”
Another participant, Oksana Kravchenko, Deputy Mayor of Uzyn, noted:
“The visit taught me that our municipalities are the driving force that will help us endure, win and further develop our country. We visited three municipalities, each unique and special in its own way. The Semenivka municipality is about teamwork, youth engagement and interesting practices of optimising the educational network. The experience of the Brusyliv municipality is useful in the context of preserving the historical and cultural heritage, local history, and they have a noteworthy system of organising social services. For me personally, the Ushomyr municipality is an example of how to bring different people together so that they work as one. How to achieve results without waiting for outside help.”