During the second phase of the project “Sense of Security
and Dialogue Practices: Searching for Optimal Tools at the Community Level” tools aimed at enhancing the sense of security were applied in the Kolomyia Community of Ivano-Frankivsk Region
and Shevchenkove Community of Mykolaiv Region
This article outlines the tools used and their effectiveness
Kolomyia Community of Ivano-Frankivsk Region 
Justification for Selecting Intervention Tools
A sociological survey of Kolomyia Community residents revealed significant concerns regarding job loss and
Over 60% of respondents stated they could not sustain themselves for more than one month without employment or social benefits
80% of respondents reported having savings sufficient for only one month
The survey also highlighted other major concerns
including threats to life and health due to military actions
and insufficient funds for medical treatment
project experts identified three key areas contributing to the residents’ sense of insecurity and selected targeted tools to improve their sense of safety
The local team initiated a partnership with the Kolomyia District Employment Center to explore current employment programs
“We decided to promote these programs
which are underused or completely unknown to many people
Our goal was to broaden the audience of employers by presenting
in an easily accessible format such as a video
information about compensation opportunities for hiring people with disabilities
as well as for hiring young people under 25 for their first job or under 35 for their second job
job seekers will find employment opportunities
and employers will be less concerned about their businesses or about being unable to hire different categories of individuals
such as internally displaced persons”
Head of the NGO Trykutnyk and Coordinator of the Local Team
the Employment Center offers various compensation conditions for the public-benefit community and other temporary work
which is often done by retirees and those who have not yet found other employment”
The project team outlined the detailed compensation conditions in a thematic informational brochure
Another brochure addresses retraining opportunities
and grant programs for starting a business for veterans and their families
“We prepared this brochure so people were aware of the fact that if they cannot find a job in their field in our region
they can gain a new profession at various technical schools and colleges across Ukraine
Accommodation in dormitories is provided during training
and the list of professions for retraining is quite extensive“
In order to improve the sense of security in terms of health and life care
the project team conducted an informational campaign on the Medical Guarantee Program by the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU)
“The program essentially provides a wide range of medical services free of charge
the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHISU) pays the institutions for these services
often the residents of our community are not informed
which leads to a widespread fear of falling ill and not being able to afford treatment”
a series of posts were distributed about the Medical Guarantee Program
free services at local healthcare institutions for all citizens
as well as for internally displaced persons and military personnel
the local team secured support from local law enforcement agencies
despite respondents expressing concerns about the spread of crime during the survey
the actual crime rate in recent years has not increased but rather decreased
a type of crime known as online fraud — cybercrime — has proliferated
conducted for this group of citizens the training on How To Prevent Online And Phone Fraud
Another educational event focused on crime in the Kolomyia Community in general and included an important practical component — first aid training
Turbiv Community of Vinnytsia Region 
The concerns of the residents of the Turbiv Community are similar to those observed in Kolomyia
According to the results of the sociological survey
among the factors that cause the greatest sense of insecurity in the community are as follows: lack of funds for seeking medical care amid the cost of medical services
the prevalence of financial fraud with bank cards
and the threat to life and health posed by enemy drones
the local project team decided to apply intervention tools to improve the sense of security in the following three areas:
In light of the concerns expressed by the respondents
the local project team conducted informational meetings in the community on the accessibility of medical services under the State Guarantees Program
The target groups included local government employees
“We provided a laptop to equip the registry workplace at the Turbiv Village Hospital and conducted training on how to search for relevant specialists at the regional center and book an appointment through the electronic queue system”
and Head of the Podilskyi Center for Human Rights NGO
The search for a specialist and booking an appointment via the electronic queue is a new service at the Turbiv Hospital
which was introduced as part of the project
“We also distributed informational brochures about medical services at healthcare facilities in the Turbiv Community
including contact information for remote communication
we provided the hospital with promotional video materials
People waiting in the doctor’s office queue simultaneously receive information about the availability of medical services under the State Guarantees Program”
To address the growing anxiety caused by a lack of accurate information and the threat of losing savings
the local team developed informational materials and held meetings on the topic “Information Security: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Card Fraud.” According to Oksana Yatsyuk
the topic turned out to be highly relevant
as some attendees had recently fallen victim to fraudsters
“When we held an informational event for senior students of Lyceum No
approached Oksana Yatsyuk and asked her to conduct the same informational event for the teachers of the Lyceum
The level of interest in the topic is still very high”
after a collision with a “Shahed” drone
a plane crashed and damaged one of the households
This incident significantly alarmed the residents of the Turbiv Community
In their responses to the sociological survey
they indicated a high level of anxiety due to the risks to life
and property posed by the arrival of cruise missiles and drones
local teenagers and young people enjoy riding mopeds and motorcycles on the streets of the community
and the sounds they make resemble the noise of “Shahed” drones
the vehicle drivers do not have the proper licenses
often violating traffic rules and exceeding the speed limit
“We assumed that the teenagers express themselves by riding motorcycles and mopeds because they lack quality leisure activities
We decided to engage the young people with board games that would allow them to develop and acquire additional communication skills
This is how the idea of a youth space with board games came about”
two youth spaces were established: one in the village of Vakhnivka at the local cultural center and the other in Turbiv at a pizzeria
Each space has already hosted three to four events
“It seems to me that the functioning of such youth centers is promising from a security perspective
especially because they allow parents to worry less about their children: whether they are safe
and whether they have opportunities for intellectual development
they became interested and started coming on their own”
the local project team handed over a set of four board games to the Head of the Vakhnivka Cultural Center for use in the Village Youth Space
Shevchenkove Community of Mykolaiv Region 
which we refer to as rear areas during the war
the Shevchenkove Community is located in a front-line region
with some of villages occupied during the first nine months of 2022 and suffering significant damage to both administrative and residential buildings
The residents’ sense of safety and insecurity is influenced not only by the traumatic experiences of the past few years but also by the current tension and uncertainty
community members identified several factors that have the greatest impact on their sense of security
including the lack of timely access to information
the inability of children to access quality and safe
and ensuring the safety of life and health from military threats
the local project team chose the following intervention tools:
the local team in the Shevchenkove Community conducted a series of training sessions for social protection and cultural sector workers
After gaining firsthand experience with various art therapy techniques and psychological relaxation practices
the specialists now independently spread psychological awareness among the residents of their settlements
According to Project Expert Iryna Shaptala
as caring for mental health is a basic need in our time
and addressing such areas helps to reduce anxiety levels and improve overall life safety
“The most positive feedback from the community members came from the media literacy training
cultural workers continue to collaborate with community police officers
conveying information to people on how to avoid falling victim to online fraudsters’ manipulations
we can say that we have increased residents’ awareness and
somewhat reduced their anxiety levels caused by online safety threats”
The community also continues training on mine safety and first aid
as the risk of emergencies in the community remains high
only a portion of local government employees and interested community residents have been able to undergo certified first aid training
people in the settlements know who these individuals are and that they can turn to them if necessary
This provides a sense of reassurance”
the pilot phase of the tools proved the residents’ demand for “clean”
as well as for informal communication with local government representatives to feel prepared for challenges
Project Expert Sociologist Marina Shpyker believes that the interventions conducted during the project in the communities were targeted
as they did not immediately allow for reaching a broad audience
the positive aspect is that the local teams achieved their set goals by doing not what might have been ideal
and which is already bringing about certain changes”
“We managed to trial various solutions to improve the sense of security in the communities
Feedback from the participants shows that these solutions turned out to be correct
The result of applying each specific intervention tool was positive
We took several important steps toward strengthening the capacity of key local players to develop effective security policies based on current data
with realistic implementation plans”
Strategic Development Director at the Legal Development Network
The selected intervention tools have proven effective
making life in these areas different from before
Planned steps for 2025 will focus on implementing the acquired experience into specific decisions and scaling up the intervention tools
turning them into systemic actions of local government
and other institutional players in the security sector
The material has been prepared with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the joint initiative “European Renaissance of Ukraine”
The material represents the position of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or the International Renaissance Foundation
If you have notices an error on the web-site
Print and place the Network's poster on a notice board in your entrance hall
Become a volunteer and assist others in finding problem solutions
https://ldn.org.ua/en/event/the-sense-of-security-and-tools-for-improvement-results-oftrialing-in-three-communities/
i один з експертiв Мережi надасть вiдповiдь
 Графік роботи чату: з 10:00 до 16:00 щодня(обідня перерва з 13:00 до 14:00)
Поставте питання через LawLink Bot в будь-який зручний спосіб
LawLink Bot — це розумний та цифровий юридичний помічник
Web-site development — <a href="mailto:yevdem@gmail.com">demch.co</a>