In 2024, the Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” provides comprehensive expert and methodological support for implementing the mechanism of Citizens' Assemblies in two Ukrainian communities – Zvyahel and Slavutych.
The Council of Europe Project announces a call for the selection of facilitators of the Citizens' Assemblies, with contracts to be awarded to 8 selected facilitators per community.
Task:
Assist the members of the Citizens' Assembly (working in groups) to work together effectively, understand common goals, consolidate opinions, reach a consensus on the topic of the Assembly, and prepare joint decisions.
Required Qualifications:
- Experience in facilitating events, discussions, and group work.
- Strong communication skills, the ability to communicate effectively with various stakeholder groups, and the ability to remain neutral and not take a specific position in the discussion.
Would be an asset:
- Familiarity with the topics chosen for the Assemblies.
Topics of the Assemblies:
- Zvyahel: Creating urban spaces as public locations for social interaction and recovery.
- Slavutych: How can we improve the household waste management system in our community?
Tentative dates for the Assemblies:
- Zvyahel: October 5-6, October 19-20, November 2-3, 2024.
- Slavutych: October 12-13, October 26-27, November 9-10, 2024.
Please, apply by filling out the online form.
Deadline is August 5, 2024.
Citizens' Assembly (CA) is one of the most widespread mechanisms of deliberative democracy already implemented in many countries in Europe and around the world: Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Belgium, Canada, Australia, the USA, Colombia, South Korea, and more. In Ukraine, the implementation of Citizens' Assemblies by the Council of Europe will take place for the first time.
During the Citizens' Assembly, participants (40-150 people, selected randomly) become acquainted with a predetermined topic that is important to the community. They consult with experts and learn about important facts, viewpoints from different interest groups, and other stakeholders. Next, the assembly members discuss the topic together with the help of prepared facilitators. During the discussion phase, they become familiar with each other's opinions, collectively weigh the facts, and consider possible solutions to the issues raised. At the end of the assembly, participants formulate their joint proposals, which are then presented to the local decision-making authorities.
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On March 15, 2024, the Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” held a conference "Visionary ways of engaging citizens: the future of deliberative democracy in Ukraine". During the event, perspectives and challenges of deliberative democracy during war and post-war period were discussed, as well as citizens' assemblies as a tool of deliberative democracy. Memorandums of understanding for the implementation of Citizens' Assemblies were signed between the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine and the two pilot communities of the Council of Europe project on civic participation – Zvyahel and Slavutych.
The Council of Europe Project on сivic participation has already conducted training sessions for coordinators and representatives of city councils, as well as Stakeholder Forums, where topics for Citizens' Assemblies in the Zvyagel and Slavutych communities were selected. The active phase (the Citizens' Assemblies in Zvyagel and Slavutych) will take place in October-November 2024.
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