DIGITAL COMPETENCES FOR CSOs

Capacity Building Course for CSO Leaders & Activists

Latest news

The Call for Applications for participation in the course ‘Digital Competences for CSOs’ is closed now! We received over 130 applications and would like to thank everyone for your interest to the course! We will inform all applicants before 18th of March 2019.

About

Objective of the course and target trainee audience

This Digital Competences for CSOs course aims to support CSOs in harnessing the potential of digital technologies to innovate and improve their interaction with their beneficiaries, constituencies and partners, as well as to improve the efficiency of their work and the quality and format of services offered to citizens.

Format, content and timing of the course

This Digital Competences for CSOs course is a blended course: it uses both online and offline capacity building exercises, including an online self-assessment test, three face-to-face workshops, each followed by individual homework and webinars, and online assessment tests.

The Call for Applications for participation in the course ‘Digital Competences for CSOs’ is closed now

Structure of the course

1. Online self-assessment tool to define the current digital capacities of applying CSOs and the gaps

2. One week of introductory e-learning course ‘IT for CSOs’, to equip the participants with basic knowledge on the topics to be further explored within the three offline modules (18-23 March)

3. Module #1: IT for CSO Workflow (27 March – 13 April)

  • Face-to-face Workshop #1 (1.5 days)
  • Online training sessions
  • Facilitated by trainers’ homework on the Project’s e-learning hub
  • The follow-up webinars
  • Online test /practical assignment

4. Module #2: IT for Efficient Communications (15 April – 4 May)

  • Online training session
  • Face-to-face Workshop #2 (1.5 days)
  • Facilitated by trainers’ homework on the Project’s e-learning hub
  • The follow-up webinar
  • Online test /practical assignment

5. Module #3: IT for Working with Beneficiaries and Stakeholders (6-28 May)

  • Face-to-face Workshop #3 (1.5 days)
  • Online training sessions
  • Facilitated by trainers’ homework on the Project’s e-learning hub
  • The follow-up webinars
  • Online test /practical assignment

6. Final assignment, results’ assessment and awarding certificate (29 May – 20 June)

2. One week of introductory e-learning course ‘IT for CSOs’, to equip the participants with basic knowledge on the topics to be further explored within the three offline modules (18-23 March)

4. Module #2: IT for Efficient Communications (15 April – 4 May)

  • Online training session
  • Face-to-face Workshop #2 (1.5 days)
  • Facilitated by trainers’ homework on the Project’s e-learning hub
  • The follow-up webinar
  • Online test /practical assignment

6. Final assignment, results’ assessment and awarding certificate (29 May – 20 June)

Take the online self-assessments - know the level of your digital competences

Trainers & mentors

Kristina Mand

Project Management and Communication Trainer at BCS Training

Merje Vaide

End-User and Web Development Trainer at BCS Training

Rules & FAQ

The selected participants shall participate in all online and offline capacity building activities taking place in their country. Participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova will be requested to travel and attend all three Modules in one of the pilot countries where face-to-face trainings are organised (Belarus, Georgia or Ukraine). Those participants who fail to participate in any of the trainings, will be expelled, as the CSOs represented by them.

As this course is designed for CSO executives, only one person per organisation shall participate in all training modules. However, if the applying organisation has a chief communication officer in its staff, this person may participate in Module #2 as a substitute for the organisation’s formal leader and the main applicant.

The total duration of the course is 12 weeks (from March until June 2019). The working languages of the course are English (with simultaneous translation to Russian in Belarus and Ukraine) and Russian.

Cost of participation

Participation in the Digital Competences for CSOs blended course is free. The Project also covers the accommodation of successful applicants for the three offline workshops in Minsk (Belarus), Kyiv (Ukraine) or Tbilisi (Georgia), depending on the applicant’s residence and base of operations, and catering during the workshops (lunches and coffee-breaks).

Local participants (i.e. residing in the country of the training) shall cover all their travel expenses related to the participation in the workshop.

Eligibility criteria

Participation in the course is open to any leader of a civil society organisation from an Eastern Partnership country, shall (s)he and the organisation meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. For a civil society organisation:

  • Be located and actively work in one of the EaP countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova or Ukraine;
  • Be a formally registered civil society organisation, a not-for-profit media or an informal group of activists;
  • Be committed to values associated with respect for fundamental rights;
  • Not be involved in actions supporting political parties or actions including proselytism.

2. For a leader of a CSO:

  • Be a national and/or a resident in one of the EaP countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova or Ukraine;
  • Be a formal leader of the CSO or the informal group of activists;
  • Have decision-making authority and powers within the organisation / group in question;
  • Have a good command of English and/or Russian.