Civic Education in Ukraine

Filtered by tag: Complex course

Online courses

The first experience of the Open University of Maidan (OUM) activities helped us to make several important conclusions. First of all, our team should apply different approaches and observe the issues from different perspectives to implement changes as it is hard to realize what will be needed in the process, what programs should be outlined and how to establish a systematic approach in one’s studying. Gained experience supported us in our decision to create “Concerned Activist’s School” educational program. This school is the result of facilitators', psychologists', activists', and leaders’ work. Implementing the experience of 26 events we had held all over Ukraine, we transformed the School into a branch of massive open online courses that provide a balanced and comprehensive base of knowledge about public activism, have straight structure and deliver simple and precise messages.
It is extremely crucial that “Concerned Activist’s School” as many other complex programs by the OUM is always changing and adopting concerning demands of the society and patterns of its development. But how does it actually works? If you are interested in one of our massive open online courses and sign up for it, our platform automatically signs you up for all the online courses of this program. Complex programs require not only the successful ending of the particular online courses but final assignment completing. When you end the course you may get your Certificate. This part contains complex solutions of the issues in the civil society sphere. The main objective of the complex programs is to help us with an efficient understanding of the courses and experts effectiveness in answering complicated questions that are on your list. Topics of our courses may correlate with your particular problems and may be instrumental in the troubleshooting process. The platform creates new opportunities for those responsible and active members of the communities who are ready to change themselves and their communities. Choose your program now and enjoy the education process on the OUM!



We have developed this complex program to help each citizen quickly gain the knowledge how to build a real dialogue with the authorities: "What is being done? Why? Whose benefit? How does it improve the quality of our lives? " The program includes the following courses:
  • Public Control
  • Community & Authorities: Productive Channels of Influence
  • Activism in the Digital Sphere: Toolkit of E-Democracy
  • Combating Corruption in the Government Procurement Sphere
  • Public Contracts and Civil Society Monitoring
  • Digital Public Registers
All the courses that are part of the program are freely available and open to everyone.
Cognition is an incredible human skill. People develop, evolve and solve various problems, deal with challenges.   Does brain work differently?  Imagine a situation where a supercomputer is given to different people. They will use it within their own skills and understanding. Some will browse the net or Skype with their friends. Some will play games, some will use office programs, and some will code, trade or mine cryptocurrency. The same device can be used differently. We use the brain pretty the same way. It is proved that thinking skills (effective use of the brain) can be developed.   When we talk about developing thinking skills, it is important to remember that there is no “right” or “wrong” thinking. The thinking process can be logical, analytical, critical, abstract and creative. It can be comprehensive and flexible. That are you thinking and that makes it unique.    Our complex program “School of Effective Thinking” provides you with opportunities for various thinking skills training. The program consists of the courses: 
  •  “Creative thinking” 
  • “Introduction to critical thinking”
  •  “Strategic thinking”
  •  “Integral dynamics. Evolution of thinking, leadership, economics, and politics” 
  •  “Sustainable development: a new philosophy of thinking”
 Courses are in Ukrainian or Russian. They are freely available and open to everyone. 
While developing this complex program, we aimed to overcome the stereotypes that are quite popular in our society. Many people may think like “Government will take care of my retirement”. But this is the wrong approach. Everyone should take responsibility for individual financial situation and its future development. At the moment we offer the following courses in the program:
  • Basics of Personal and Family Budget
  • Credits for non-professional
  • Financial Support of Management
These courses cover the basic aspects of financial management at the personal and institutional levels. All courses included in this program are freely available.
Due to an outdated system of thinking, Ukrainians need to be explained the difference between the owner of a private house and the owner of the apartment blocks. It is not obvious to everyone that there may be many co-owners in the apartment building and problems may seem alien until the moment when the water leaks through the holey roof. To make decisions, people need to be ready to communicate, negotiate, persuade, and defend their own position. Apartment buildings co-owners should become a community and take responsibility for their property. The basis of the common resources management of the community is the advocacy of the legitimate rights and each owner responsibilities. This complex program aims to provide a full range of knowledge of common property management and includes the following courses:
  • Energy Efficiency of the apartment blocks in practice
  • Effective Management of Common Property through Condominiums
  • How to deal with household waste
  • Fundamentals of Energy Co-operation
  • Project Management
Communication unit
  • Introduction to Mediation
  • Who is Who? Psychological Age of People and Communities
All the courses are freely accessible and open to everyone.
The Conscious Citizen School is a complex program of civic education launched by the founders of the Open University of Maidan and the Dialogue on Maidan initiative in January-February 2014. The purpose of this program is the formation of proactive civil society in the Ukrainian regions: assistance to local activists in search ideas and formation of teams that will realize different projects in their communities to change the situation for the better. The program comprises 10 courses and covers various aspects of the development at the personal and institutional levels. All the courses are freely accessible and open to everyone.