25 youth workers and educators from different regions of Ukraine (Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Poltava, Luhansk and Ternopil oblasts) took part in the national training course on human rights: the use of “Compass” in formal and informal education, which was held between 21 and 25 July 2024 in Lviv, the Youth Capital of Europe 2025.
The aim of the training course was to train youth workers and teachers who will be able to carry out education for democratic citizenship and human rights education in formal, non-formal and informal educational environments and will spread the educational approaches outlined in the “Compass” manual.
Olena Chernykh, Senior Project Officer of the Council of Europe project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" took part in the opening and presented the resources and opportunities of the Council of Europe in the field of youth policy, youth work and human rights education. Nataliia Radchuk, the Head of the International Co-operation and European Integration Department of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, a member of the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ), also joined the training. Anna Aranzhii, Programme Manager of the Council of Europe Youth Department, and Iryna Sabor, the Head of the preschool and secondary education department of the European Wergeland Centre, congratulated the participants on the completion of the training.
For five days, the participants studied the methodology and practical exercises from the manual for human rights education with young people “Compass”. Youth workers and educators gained experience that will help them work in the field of human rights education and democratic citizenship education with young people in their communities. Based on the results of the training, the participants implement mini-initiatives according to the methodology of the “Compass” manual.
The development of civic competences, human rights education and education for democratic citizenship is a priority of education and youth policy in Ukraine. The priority is realised with the help of formal and non-formal education thanks to the activities of educators, youth workers and other professionals working with young people. Establishing co-operation and mutual training of specialists working in the field of formal and non-formal education will allow to achieve better educational results and provide better support to young people.
As one of the training participants said, the training helped her understand that “it is needed to negotiate and talk. We, young people and people who work with young people, have common interests and interdependent needs. Here we realised that it is worth looking for partners, and not trying to do everything on our own. At the same time, it is important not to pull the blanket”. “Now I have no fears, only the desire to continue working”, supported her colleague.
The national training course was conducted by the Center for Educational Initiatives (Lviv, Ukraine) in co-operation with the Youth Department of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, France) and the European Wergeland Centre (Oslo, Norway), together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. The Council of Europe project ”Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” provided expert support for this course.
The Compass Training Courses are strategic national activities for the development of competences of key multipliers for human rights education with young people and the implementation of the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education.
These activities are the integrated part of the Human Rights Education Youth Programme that included in the Council of Europe Youth for Democracy programme and play a central role in the 2030 Strategy of the youth sector.
*
The updated edition of the manual on human rights education with the participation of young people "Compass" was edited and published in Ukrainian within the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III”.
Project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” is implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2023-2026 and is based on the results and experience of the Youth for Democracy in Ukraine projects in 2020-2022. The project expands the systematic impact by strengthening youth participation policies and strengthening youth work during the war and in the post-war context, taking into account the specific needs of young people.
