Центр Вивчення Демократії оголошує набір на освітню програму 2019-2020 р.

Democracy Study Centre 2019-2020
Call for Applications

Deadline: 1 September 2019

Open to: PhD students, MA graduates, junior experts, journalists and civil society multipliers from the Eastern Partnership countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan) and Russia.

Fellowship: monthly scholarship

Format: on-line communication, 2-day monthly sessions in Kyiv, Ukraine, from October 2019 to June 2020

The Democracy Study Centre invites you to apply for its third academic year which will last from October 2019 to June 2020. Besides online education, the scholars will come to the Centre each month for a 2-day session to meet their peers, communicate with senior experts, attend lectures and workshops as well as present their findings and works. At the end of the academic year, the Pulse of Ukraine Forum will be held to provide opportunities for thematic and cross-border cooperation in the Eastern Partnership countries and Russia, where the scholars will present their work.

The Democracy Study Centre (DSC) 2019-2020 is a third volume of DSC, started in 2016 by the German-Polish-Ukrainian Society and successfully implemented in cooperation with the European-Ukrainian Youth Policy Centre in Kyiv, Ukraine. Scholarships and in-depth engagement with current political, economic, and social policy topics at the interface between training, workshops, open lectures, group work, and analytical research create a space in which young people and junior experts are encouraged to learn, think, exchange ideas, conduct research and create projects. The Centre provides opportunities for theme-based and trans-border cooperation with the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries and Russia, creating an international public sphere of interconnected participants. The Centre focuses on individual development and empowerment of young multipliers, enabling them to bring their positions and interests to bear effectively on society.
Civil society is a driving force of democracy. Therefore, the effectiveness of change and progress in the country directly depends on strengthening the democratic culture of Ukrainian citizens, young people in particular. Youth political activity should be accompanied by education on democratic values, development of critical thinking and ability to analyze socio-political processes. Therefore, the DSC project directly affects the situation of scarcity of Ukraine’s (as well as other EaP countries’ and Russia’s) civil society knowledge on democratic values in order to enable the civil society to shape the societal change. Two thematic areas were identified for the upcoming academic year: (1) Strengthening the Mittelstand and social entrepreneurship, and (2) Women in focus. Working individually and in groups, scholars are to develop and implement their unique projects contributing to Ukraine’s (other EaP countries’ and Russia’s) democratization and civil society development within the two thematic areas.

Eligibility
• MA graduates, PhD students, activists from civil society, grassroots-democracy movements, initiatives focusing on urban development and journalists aged 23 to 35 with strong interest in academic research cooperation from the EaP countries and Russia;
• Applicants having experience and/or interest in CSOs;
• Students active in grassroots initiatives for democratization;
• Proficiency in English.

How to Apply?
If you would like to apply for the Democracy Study Centre 2019-2020, please send the following documents in English to: [email protected]

1. A motivation letter (max. one page), explaining why you want to participate in the project.
2. CV that includes your date of birth and names and contacts of at least two referees (names of university professors, supervisors or employers), as well as your mobile phone number and email address. Important, please include the following passage in your CV: “I hereby agree for my personal data, included in my application, to be processed in line with the needs of recruitment.”
3. An essay which should address the following issue: “My capacity as a community leader.”
4. Copies of your diplomas and certificates will be asked at the later stage of the recruitment.