Programme of Environmental Mentorship

With the experience of training local government representatives since 2015, we understand that giving communities tools and knowledge to solve pressing problems, especially with regard to environmental protection, safety, access to good education and medical services, is not enough. Communities need a comprehensive approach and long-term support from professionals.

This is how the idea came up to create a project of mentoring support for communities, which could be scaled to different regions and areas that concern Ukrainians. Therefore, in 2021, we tested a new format of cooperation with communities by launching the first Programme of environmental mentorship in Ukraine.

This project aimed to draw attention of communities to existing environmental problems in different regions of Ukraine and motivate them to implement real steps to protect ecology at the local level right now, without waiting for instructions from the “centre” or adoption of new laws. To do this, we have developed several consecutive stages of the programme in 2021.

1. At the first stage, we conducted training for community leaders on effective management skills, decentralisation of power reform and tools for public participation. During the seminars, special attention was paid to discussing environmental and other problems of communities in different regions of Ukraine.
2. The second stage is a three-day seminar for mentors on environmental issues. The purpose of this session was to teach mentors the basics of Community Environmental Impact Assessment, waste management strategies, sustainable natural resource management and to prepare mentors for work in communities.
3. The third stage of the programme is the work of mentors directly with communities. After the training, environment mentors consulted communities on ecology issues and approaches to solving them during September-December 2021. Every participant of the programme of environmental mentorship collaborated with a particular community in Ukraine.

The project attracted motivated representatives of communities from different regions on one hand and environmentalists, volunteers and activists who deal with environmental issues on the other. Together, mentors and leaders researched and analysed major environmental issues in more than 20 communities.

• lack of a system for collecting, removing and disposing of solid industrial waste (MSW);
• air pollution;
• surface water pollution;
• spontaneous landfills;
• low level of environmental awareness of community residents.

Thanks to the School of community leaders in 2021, many communities have launched processes to improve energy efficiency of the public sector, sorting waste, purification of drinking water, and increasing the overall level of environmental awareness of community residents. And we are convinced that this is only a beginning of changes that are to take place in communities.

The programme of mentor support for communities will be gradually expanding to other areas – in particular, we plan to provide mentoring in the field of healthcare, education and safety. A separate selection of community mentors will be announced for each of these areas.