New realities and uncertainty can lead to conflict and misunderstandings, but unity and social cohesion “open the door” to new opportunities, democracy, and change. 

The United Voices in Action program conducted the first series of its three-day “Unified Community” trainings in seven Ukrainian communities: Cherkasy, Uman, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernivtsi, Uzhhorod, and Mukachevo. 

The trainings are aimed at uniting local residents and IDPs, unifying them, and solving problems at the local level. 

“We used to be alone, we were individuals, but now we are all together. Now I have a vision of how to move towards action, to take concrete steps towards participating in community life,”.

Anastasia, a participant in the Uzhhorod training

During the three day-trainings, attendees participated in situational exercises and learned to work as a team, express their opinions, listen each other, use their knowledge, and develop practical action plans for the further development of their community. 

Special attention was paid to media literacy at the training. Participants analyzed types of manipulation, facts, and judgments, and identified possible informational influences and disinformation based on real examples. Using practical exercises, they learned to “understand the media space”, analyze information, and master critical thinking skills, which are now more important than ever for Ukrainian society. 

“Before, I paid little attention to the importance of media literacy knowledge. Here, I realized how important it is,”.

Christina, a participant in the Ternopil training

Participants also learned about different emotions and the reasons for their emergence. In addition, there was a lot of discussion about perceiving each other and the resources and opportunities that help to establish effective communication. 

After acquiring new skills, the participants began to search for ways to develop a shared vision for the future in their communities. Working in teams, they analyzed the needs of their communities, and searched for solutions and ideas on how their collective work could change or improve their communities. 

The “United Community” trainings led to participants creating their own initiative groups, finding new acquaintances, and improving their skills in non-conflict communication, planning, and media literacy. Trainings in 12 more communities are planned in the near future. 

Based on the results of the trainings, participants can take part in an additional workshop on developing initiatives for the development of their communities.