You Are Important

‘You Are Important’ is a visionary educational programme for women with military service experience who strive to actively contribute to socio-political life and are willing to pursue careers in public administration or other relevant fields.

It is the duty of Ukrainian society to provide comprehensive support to military personnel and veterans, particularly in their recovery and reintegration into dignified civilian life. Naturally, this implies promoting their readjustment and involvement in all societal processes.

In designing the programme, the Ukrainian School of Political Studies weighed the following relevant facts:

Drawing on the longstanding experience and accumulated knowledge, the Ukrainian School of Political Studies defines its mission in this regard and believes that women who have fought to defend Ukraine possess remarkable leadership qualities that should be encouraged and nurtured.

To serve this purpose, the USPS launched a pilot educational project, ‘You Are Important’, for Ukrainian servicewomen and female veterans, designed to assist women in embracing their leadership roles.

The first cycle of the ‘You Are Important’ project was implemented in 2024. The training for selected participants lasted three days and took the traditional USPS format of in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics facilitated by distinguished speakers.

Among the topics covered were:

• Ukraine’s reconstruction and the economy;
• women’s empowerment and gender equality;
• the value of human life;
• the deoccupation of Ukrainian territories; and
• the complexities of world politics.

The pilot programme incorporated an additional pivotal component that differentiates it from conventional training formats. This was mentoring. The School sought to offer a platform not only for updating knowledge but also for continuing training, dialogue and cohesion among the newly formed group of the USPS Community. After training, participants receive mentoring support from experts based on their individual needs.

The ‘You Are Important’ programme inspired the USPS partnership with Guzema Fine Jewelery. Drawing inspiration from the work of the celebrated Ukrainian artist Heorhiy Narbut, the jewelery brand has created a charitable brooch named ‘KVITKA’. Revenue from sales of the jewelery supports the USPS training programme for female service personnel and veterans.

The educational programme has been implemented by the Ukrainian School of Political Studies and enabled by the support of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland within the framework of the project Women, Peace, and Security: Response to the Challenges of War, which is being implemented by the Ukrainian Women’s Fund.