Restoration and Development of Education: East SOS Launches the Second Project Management Bootcamp for Educators from Frontline Schools

Schools in frontline areas operate daily amid uncertainty, limited resources, and constant security challenges. Despite these conditions, educational teams continue to work, seeking solutions to support students, preserve their schools, and contribute to the development of their communities.

In the summer, the East SOS Charity Foundation held its first project management bootcamp for educators from frontline and border communities. The training demonstrated that schools have strong ideas, motivation, and readiness to act – what they need are practical tools and professional support to implement these initiatives effectively. That is why East SOS is opening applications for the second winter bootcamp within the project “School Up: Strengthening the Capacity of Frontline and Relocated Schools in Ukraine.”

This training is designed for school teams who are ready not only to discuss change, but to implement it in their schools and communities. Together with experienced mentors, participants will develop their own projects – from needs assessment and goal setting to budget planning and practical implementation.

The bootcamp program includes:

• a 5-day offline project management intensive;
• development of projects addressing real challenges faced by communities;
• mentorship from experts with hands-on experience;
• presentation of developed initiatives to peer teams;
• exchange of experience between schools from different regions;
• financial support for the implementation of selected projects.

Participants will gain practical skills in strategic planning, project proposal development, and budgeting, enabling them to turn ideas into concrete actions.

Who can participate?

School teams from the Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kyiv regions (from communities de-occupied in 2022) are invited to apply.

Five school teams will be selected to take part in the bootcamp. The initiatives developed during the training will receive financial support for implementation.

Detailed participation requirements, team composition guidelines, and training stages are provided in the step-by-step instructions.

Apply via the link. Application deadline: January 4, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

We welcome cooperation with proactive teams who are ready to take initiative and seek opportunities to strengthen their schools and communities. The combination of your ideas and our support can become a catalyst for meaningful and sustainable change.

The program is implemented by the East SOS Charity Foundation within the project “School Up: Strengthening the Capacity of Frontline and Relocated Schools in Ukraine,” in cooperation with the Danish Helsinki Committee and with the support of CISU.

Earlier, East SOS shared the experiences of participants in the School Up project.