The selected participants shall participate in all online and offline capacity building activities within the course. 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.

What is a “blended” course?

A blended learning course combines traditional face-to-face (offline) trainings with online learning. Our course will include online self-assessment tests, 3 face-to-face trainings in one of the pilot countries (Belarus, Georgia or Ukraine), individual homework, a series of webinars and online assessment tests.

How many people will be enrolled in the course?

Because of its blended nature, only 75 representatives of civil society from the six EaP countries will be selected for participation in the course.

What will be the language of the course?

For the online part, participants will be able to choose between English or Russian. The offline trainings will be held in English (in Belarus and Ukraine simultaneous interpretation into the Russian language will be provided). Offline trainings in Georgia will be held in English.

Will I get a certificate?

Yes, all participants having attended all online and offline trainings for all modules and having submitted and passed all assignments, will be awarded a certificate of completion at the end of the course.

Who should I contact if I have technical problems?

If you encounter any technical problems, please contact us as soon as possible, describing your problem and, if possible, including a print screen, at [email protected].

I am not a leader or a formal decision maker in my organization, but I work with the issues to be discussed in the course. Can I apply nevertheless?

Yes, you can, if you are part and parcel of the daily decision-making process in your organisation. Please explain in your motivation letter how your participation in the course will help your organisation and give us more information about your current role and tasks.

What is the deadline for applications?

The deadline for applications is 23:00 CET (Brussels time) on10^th March 2019. We kindly advise you to check how this time corresponds to your time zone.

Can I apply to participate in the course if I am part of an informal civic group?

Yes, you can, but in your application form, please include details on how the group works and your involvement in its activities and functioning.

I might not be able to attend some of the offline trainings. Can I still participate?

No, all selected participants must commit to attend all modules of the course – online as well as the three offline trainings. Participants who fail to attend any part of the course will be expelled, as well as the organization he/she represents. Please consult the indicative schedule of the training modules on the website.

Will the organisers cover travel and accommodation costs, related to the three offline trainings for participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova?

Yes. For international participants, the organisers will cover three round trips from a participant’s home country (Armenia, Azerbaijan or Moldova) to one of the hosting cities (Minsk, Tbilisi or Kyiv), as well as  hotel accommodation for the period of the offline trainings and a small daily allowance to cover other expenses. 

Will the organisers cover travel and accommodation costs of the participants from Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine related to their participation in the offline trainings?

The organisers don’t cover local travel costs, i.e. travel within one of the hosting countries – Belarus, Georgia or Ukraine. Only accommodation costs for those participants from the hosting countries who live outside of the capitals (Minks, Tbilisi and Kyiv) will be provided for all three offline trainings.

Who should I contact for other questions?

Questions may be sent by e-mail no later than one working day before the deadline for the submission of applications to [email protected].