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Providing opportunities for youth in Ukraine to deepen their knowledge on democracy remains crucial to forge a strong democratic and inclusive culture in the country. The impact of such efforts are especially important for people with disabilities, who continue to face social stigma about the engagement in public life. 

In pursuit of providing such opportunities, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in partnership with the Central Election Commission, established the university-level civic education course “Democracy: From Theory to Practice.” The course is offered at over 60 universities and vocational colleges across Ukraine, designed to deepen students’ knowledge through an interactive classroom environment where students learn and experience democracy. The initiative also comprised an internship program for the course alumni, providing first-hand experience within the democracy field.  

For the students, this initiative was immensely empowering. Anastasiia – a 22-year old student who had been discouraged from public speaking her whole life due to a speaking disability – was able to apply her passion for creating inclusive educational spaces when interning with the Central Election Commission (CEC) department for the Provision of Training and Improvement of the Legal Election Culture. The initiatives built knowledge and confidence, and Anastasiia went on to master public speaking, sharing her working experiences on the inclusion of youth with disabilities, as she returned to the course. She noted that creating awareness and fostering debates and discussion about how to make Ukraine’s democracy and elections more inclusive is extremely important now amid the war against Russia, as more people will become disabled. 

Initiatives such as IFES’s educational program provide a vehicle for young students and professionals to garner their knowledge, gain the necessary tools to impact their futures, and contribute to building a more democratic and free Ukraine. 

Link to the course: Civic education Архіви – IFES Ukraine

Quote: “Now, it is important for me to accumulate more knowledge about inclusion in our country, since I realize that more people will become disabled as adults due to the war,” she said. “I want to help develop programs aimed at integrating people with disabilities in our society to create an inclusive Ukraine.”