Supporting Frontline Schools and Hromadas: East SOS Trains Mentors as Part of the School Up Project
On May 28-29, the East SOS education team organized a two-day in-person training for 10 mentors. Starting in June, they will work in person with school teams from frontline regions of Ukraine and support them in developing projects going forward.
The training brought together 10 professionals from different parts of the country, including experts with experience in mentoring, facilitation, and implementing social, educational, and community initiatives. During the training, they worked together to develop the tools and approaches needed to effectively support schools preparing to implement projects locally.
“We explored the principles of modern mentoring and the specifics of working with teams of educators and pupils and learned how to assess risks using real-life cases. It was a great opportunity to develop mentoring strategies while sharing tools with one another,” said training coach Olena Matviichuk.
The training focused not only on the technical aspects of mentoring support but also on developing personal skills: recognizing one’s strengths and working on motivation, communication, and responsibility for driving change. The participants are motivated by a desire to contribute to social change in Ukraine, and most of them also have teaching experience and experience working on similar projects.
“I really like the format that brings pupils, teachers, and school administrators together as one team. I gained similar mentoring experience at a school in Khmelnytskyi. Beyond successfully implementing an idea for the benefit of the school or hromada, I saw how the teams grew closer. It is in schools that a new generation of activists who drive change in the country begins to emerge,” said project mentor Iryna Ivaniuk.
Project mentor Kateryna Pashkova-Sypilieva adds that mentoring during wartime is a tool for providing help and support, as difficult times can also give rise to useful ideas that deserve a chance to become reality.
“I am a teacher by training, so I understand all the challenges educators face. I want to be there for them and contribute my own experience to positive change,” said project mentor Iryna Ivaniuk.
Soon, the mentors will support school teams throughout the joint training process and at every stage of their work – from developing an idea to writing a project proposal and preparing for the pitch.
“Project-based work is new to many educators, but at the same time, it is an opportunity to have a real impact on the world around them. Our mentors will help teams believe in their own abilities and bring ideas that matter to their hromadas to life,” said Anna Loza, Education Coordinator at East SOS.
The program is implemented by East SOS within the project “Strengthening the Capacities of Frontline and Relocated Schools in Ukraine/SCHOOL UP” together with the Danish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and supported by CISU.
