This week, in Sviatogorsk, 30 specialists from summer camps of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts took part in the workshop on training regional teachers-trainers according to the PROskills of the Future method developed by UNFPA Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. As a reminder, the program aims to develop so-called "soft" skills that are considered essential for self-realization in the modern world: communication, cooperation, critical and design thinking, ability to learn and adapt to change.

Before the start of the recreational season in 2019, a pilot training of specialists took place, who then implemented the PROskills of the Future program for 350 teenagers in summer camps in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. This year's challenge for us, as well as for the participants, was one of the goals of the event: to adapt the program to the online format in the context of COVID-19.

"Now we work in teams made up of representatives of different professional spheres and even different generations, and I think this is a particular advantage," says training participant Olena. "Yes, we are different, but we share the desire to work with teenagers, the desire to make their childhood more eventful and exciting. Moreover, many participants already have a desire to continue working together, for example, to create a joint project to share experience in the field of youth work.

"PROskills of the Future training program is an opportunity to combine experience and prospects. The work is structured so harmoniously that it allows you to perceive your own self, the environment and the world as a whole. I am sure that today’s Generation Z and Generation Alpha that follows it, will unfold their potential in the best way possible with the help of acquired skills. After all, the success and development of each child is a significant contribution to the future of the entire planet!” says the representative of the trainers’ team Oksana Kaduk.

The PROskills of the Future workshop was held as part of the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Program.

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Program is implemented by four UN agencies: the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

The Program is supported by twelve international partners: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the governments of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden and Japan.