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Ambassador from EDYN Ukraine Chapter, Oksana Drozdovska, attended EDYN’s Training of Trainers (ToT) in Belgrade this July. Through this article, she shares her experience and her views of this program.
Yes, after nearly two years of arduous online work to hone our skills and learn fresh information on how to be a great trainer, we finally met in person! With assistance from the NDI Serbia team, the First ToT offline meeting of the European Democracy Youth Network brought together young civic and political leaders from Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, and Ukraine in Belgrade on July 11–14, 2022. This incredible team includes EDYN members, ambassadors, and the president of EDYN!
We invite you to witness our journey over these few days!
Training is an exciting adventure where you’ll pick up new skills, exchange ideas and experiences with your peers, practice, and have a supportive environment that inspires you to put all of these things into action. This is how we are trained and how we learn new things. We are grateful to our knowledgeable instructors Djordje Belamaric and Danko Nikolic for opening the doors to political and civic life and imparting their knowledge on how to succeed there and help others in doing the same.
July 11th, 2022
It was the first time we had met offline!
The moment our trainers’ team switched from an online format to a live gathering was an unforgettable experience!
ToT required each of us to prepare, conduct training in pairs, and get feedback on our work as a result of the two preceding stages.
July 12th, 2022
Leadership training with Aleksandar Mijalovic and Oksana Drozdovska.
We came to the conclusion that the most effective leaders are democratic ones who are self-aware, have clear goals, and are receptive to input from their own team.
Campaign Planning and Implementation with Ismayil Abdullayev and Viktoria Bystraya
What we learned is that having a plan B and working with both primary and secondary stakeholders can help your campaign succeed.
Policy Development with Tamar Mkurnalidze
We realized through the interactive game that combating radicalism and preserving media freedom are not simple tasks.
July 13th, 2022
Organizational Strategic Communication with Valeriu Dragalin and Dorilda Kaculi
What you say is as important as HOW you say it!
Public Speaking with Cristina Voroneanu and Milan Vujic
Follow the simple rules on how to build your effective speech and be as cool as Churchill 🙂
Message Development and Adaptation with Maria Bandulova and Agata Czyzewska
What we discovered is that if you can portray your audience (especially voters!)- either granny Maria or Peter – your message will catch their hearts!
July 14th, 2022
Digital Campaign with Saska Radjukov and Marie Kikvadze
Because of the digital nature of our modern society, every political and civic endeavor MUST have a digital campaign.
This is a really thorough breakdown of motivating activities, conversations, exercises, and a positive environment!
Keep an eye out because we have something fun planned for you to experience.
