GURT Сommunique, July 2015

1. GURT
Communique
July 2015
GURT Resource Centre
is the leading national centre for societal information
and expertise. Since 1995 we have been committed to better Ukraine through
strengthening civil society. GURT exists for conscious and successful Ukraine where civil society ensures dignity,
confidence, and trust among citizens at local and national levels. GURT plays a role of the communication, knowledge
and resource platform for active citizens – agents of societal change from all regions of Ukraine.
Facts
•The number of GURT web-portal registered users has grown by 17%.
•GURT web-portal unites the largest civil society constituency that is 14 800 registered users.
•The number of GURT’s Facebook subscribers has reached 9200 people.
•The number of GURT’s Twitter followers has increased to 4050 people.
GURT Resource Centre, 2015 1
Successes and Highlights 2015
Support of small and medium
entrepreneurship
In order to support those who have responsibility and
inspiration to change their lives, GURT develops small
and medium entrepreneurship in Ukraine and imple-
ments projects “Development of Small Entrepreneur-
ship in Small Rural Communities in Ukraine” and “De-
velopment of Women Entrepreneurship in Ukraine”. In
2015 GURT has provided consultancy and small grants
for setting up a business for 36 entrepreneurs from
rural communities in Cherkasy, Kirovograd, Kyiv, and
Zhytomyr oblasts.
Improvement of vocational education
in Ukraine
At the end of 2014 GURT stated the implementation of the
project “Public-private partnership to improve sanitary
education in Ukraine” funded by Swiss Cooperation Of-
fice Ukraine and Geberit International Sales AG. The proj-
ect goal is to contribute to improvement of the VET in-
stitutions capacity to offer market-oriented, practical
and up to date education in the field of sanitary educa-
tion in Ukraine. New educational standards and plumb-
er training curricula were drafted in partnership with the
Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in 2015.
GURT Radio – alternative civil society
audio channel
GURT Radio – an alternative online audio resource for civil
society development in Ukraine – is designed to broad-
cast high quality societal content and promote active citi-
zenship. In 2015 we had launched 8 new radio programs
that have presented funding and capacity building op-
portunities for CSOs, provided legal advice to CSOs, and
shared success stories of social entrepreneurs.
GURT web-portal:
an influential civil society media
In 2015 GURT continued to transform GURT Portal into
civil society media and communication platform for
CSOs and community leaders. During the first half-an-
nual period, GURT Portal has moved from 25th to
19th position in Bigmir.net rate of internet-portals in
Ukraine.

2. Key Activities
Start and Improve Your Business Training Program
In order to strergthen the Ukrainian communities and decrease the unemployment in all regions of Ukraine through
development of entrepreneurial skills and self-employment GURT implemented projects “Development of the Small
Entrepreneurship in Ukrainian Rural Communities” and “Development of Women Entrepreneurship in Ukraine”.
In 2015, GURT conducted trainings “Start Your Business” and “Improve Your Business” for more than 80 entrepre-
neurs. “Participation in the project inspired me to start my own business. I learned how to manage my time effectively
and not to be afraid of trying new things. Another interesting fact is that the business game pushed me to find myself
in another business sphere – in photoart”, – Olesia Makovei, participant of the project “Development of Women
Entrepreneurship in Ukraine”.
NGO Connection Day 2015
NGO Connection Day 7, organized by Microsoft Ukraine and GURT Resource Centre, took place on April 10, 2015 in
Kyiv. The key topics of the event, besides information technologies, were successful practices of CSOs in the area
of national defense, reforms and European integration of Ukraine.
NGO Connection Day 7 brought together more than 100 executives and managers of national and regional non-for-profits.
YouthSpark Live 2015
On April 25, 2015 GURT organized YouthSpark Live.
Over 100 young people have planned their future in the
sphere of IT with the assistance of Microsoft Corporation
and GURT Resource Centre. In addition to that, the par-
ticipants shared their experience and received mentors’
support for the positive changes in both Ukraine and the
whole world.
Nadia Vasylieva, General Manager of Microsoft Ukraine, Yaroslav Kashuba, Head of State Employment Service of
Ukraine, Sergiy Savchuk, National Coordinator of International Labour Organization in Ukraine and Bohdan Maslych,
GURT Executive Director shared their perspectives of youth employment in order to assist participants in setting their
targets in employment, career in IT and entrepreneurship.
Global Day of Citizen Action
On May 16, 2015, Ukraine for the first time joined Global
Day of Citizen Action. This event was initiated by CIVICUS
World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and took place
simultaneously in more than 55 countries of the world.
People around the world were sharing their views on
`civic space’ - the freedoms of expression, association
and assembly. GURT organized the Global Day of Citi-
zen Action. providing platform to connect people from
across the Ukraine, through the sharing of stories, skills and lessons learned. GURT engaged around 1500 ordinary
GURT Resource Centre, 20152

3. citizens by asking them whether they feel free to speak out, organise and take action. We interacted with citizens
in an easy way that allowed them to give their opinion on `civic space’ and allowed to create awareness about their
citizen’s rights.
Global Day of Citizen Action in Ukraine was heldin 10 oblasts such as Vinnytsya, Dnipropetrovs’k, Zaporizhzhya,
Kirovograd, Kyiv, Odessa, Poltava, Cherkassy and Sumy. To organize Global Day of Citizen Action GURT involved 14
regional partners and 130 volunteers.
GURT Radio Camp
GURT Radio Camp was held on June 18–19, 2015. 20 civic
journalists from different regions of Ukraine got an ap-
partunity to improve their skills in producing multimedia
success stories and learned more about community de-
velopment in Ukraine. As a result, 10 multimedia success
stories of entrepreneurs supported by GURT Resource
Centre have been created.
GURT Business Camp
GURT Business Camp that took place on June 19–20, 2015 in Kiev, gathered together 100 entrepreneurs, community
and CSO leaders, representatives of governmental authorities, and donor organizations. They shared perspectives
of social and economic community development, presented successful cases of setting up social start-ups in Ukrainian
communities, and developed joint projects in order to make their communities more prosperous. “If someone asks me
about criteria for a successful societal project, I usually say that it is crucial that the project has the potential to exist
after we stop providind financial support. Exactly, this potential has been demonstrated at GURT Business Camp”, –
commented Vitaliy Fedchuk, Corporate Engagement Lead at Monsanto Ukraine
Open Space “People and Money: Receipts for Community Development”
A one day conference in open space format “People and Money: Receipts for Community Development” took place
on July 20, 2015 in Kyiv. 60 representatives of small businesses, local communities, governmental authorities and
civil society organizations during one day of intense work drafted 8 projects aimed at economic and social devel-
opment of Ukrainian communities.
Community Development Study Visits to Kyiv oblast
Within the project “Social infrastructure empowerment” funded by Ukrainian Social Investment Fund, GURT has orga-
nized 3 study visits “Community Development Models” to Kyiv oblast for over 60 representatives of rural commu-
nities from Lviv, Kirovograd and Vinnytsya oblasts.
During the study visits successful community development cases of Borodyanka community and Novyy Korogod com-
munity of Kyiv oblast have been presented. Events included meetings with community leaders and local authorities,
presentation of community development plans and successful local project as well as a training session “Community
development models in Kyiv oblast”.
GURT Resource Centre, 2015 3

4. Partners and donors
The Black Sea Trust
for Regional Cooperation
GURT Resource Centre, 2015
Contacts
52 Popudrenka St., office 609, Kyiv, 02660, Ukraine
Phone / Fax: +38 044 296 1052
E-mail: info@gurt.org.ua
GURT in Ukrainian: www.gurt.org.ua
GURT in English: global.gurt.org.ua