Studio of Democracy

25/10/2021

22/04/2021

KNOWLEDGE MINUTE 🧑‍🏫

Who are the main actors in politics & policies? 🏛

If you want to analyze the national political environment of your or any country in the best way, you always have to pay attention to major actors who usually impact politics & policies.

These actors are all the same in every country. However, all of them have a different level of influence in the political system based on the factors of political culture, resource owning, and international environment. Knowledge of who they are would help you to draw a detailed map & its threads of national politics & policy-making.

21/04/2021

Quote of the Week 🗯

When the storm is gathering in Europe, we recall the speeches and their powerful messages from Pope John Paul II 🇵🇱🇻🇦

The ideals of peace & common mind should prevail ☮️

19/04/2021

CZECH REPUBLIC 🇨🇿 vs RUSSIA 🇷🇺 – IS STORM GATHERING?

The two countries have announced diplomats expelling, the official negotiation of purchasing of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is canceled, and more political clashes are coming 🌫

The diplomatic crisis between the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation went on fire last week. The Czech authorities accused Russian intelligence of the involvement in the deadly warehouse blast in the southeastern town of Vrbětice in October 2014.

As a result, the Czech Republic is expelling 18 Russian diplomats which also are claimed to be agents of Russian intelligence, and Russia expels 20 Czech diplomats from its territory in return. Many Czech officials and public figures compare this event with the times of the Prague Spring and Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and call for minimum political and economical contacts between the countries after the investigation facts revealing.

“This was the largest attack on our territory since 1968,” said Ondřej Veselý, chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee.

Furthermore, the protests in front of the Russian Embassy in Prague are getting more extensive. The protesters demand proper accountability measures for the Russian illegal and spy actions in the Czech Republic.

Now the crisis situation is going to be discussed in Brussels. The Czech ambassador to NATO said the Czech government will ask to consider Russia’s role in the Czech warehouse blast at the North Atlantic Council. Also, the Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš will bring all details of the incident to EU members during the next summit on the 8th of May 2021.

12/04/2021

Sustainability & Global Goals 🌎🌍🌏

The United Nations passed the resolution called the 2030 Agenda in 2015. It declared 17 interconnected development global goals with a prominent mission statement of "a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030" 🇺🇳

The 17 SDGs (sustainable development goals) are (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (5) Gender Equality, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation, (7) Affordable and Clean Energy, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, (10) Reducing Inequality, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, (12) Responsible Consumption and Production, (13) Climate Action, (14) Life Below Water, (15) Life On Land, (16) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, (17) Partnerships for the Goals.

Sustainability is the cornerstone concept of nowadays policy analysis. Knowing the primary meaning while operating with it would help us address the development issues better.

Studio of Democracy is a project which is strongly dedicated to the Goals of Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions & Partnerships for the Goals. We stand for the promotion of democracy and civil society activism to achieve stable social sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe. Citizen education is the solid tool for those goals.

If you want to know more about the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, follow the link below and join the movement of professionals, volunteers, and activists who stand for the sustainable tomorrow 🍃

Link: https://sdgs.un.org/

30/03/2021

How to recognize an authoritarian political regime on the map?

We analyzed the contemporary political concepts of authoritarianism and prepared a short description of the authoritarian political regime by its core characteristics 👩‍🏫

When we know what we deal with, we know how exactly to address issues and make changes 🗽

In Democracy We Trust ✌️

29/03/2021

Quote of the Week 🗯

The last words of Milada Horáková before she was executed by the communist totalitarian regime in Czechoslovakia in 1950.

She was a prominent democracy and women's rights activist and nationwide politician. Dedicated to the truth and endless fight for justice in Czechoslovakia, she paid the highest price – her life.

Her life and engagement in public service inspire us to tell about her last thoughts and motivate us to fight hard ourselves.

We remember 🙏

23/03/2021

Studio of Democracy RECOMMENDS 📣

The live discussion on the channel Frontline PBS ‘‘Truth Matters: The State of Democracy and Press Freedom’’ 🏦

The discussion goes through themes of political disinformation, spreading distrust in democracy, corruption and suppression, social media regulations, and various social aspects of anti-democratic propaganda. The case is mostly based on the Philipinnes and its political environment. However, the discussion among the experts goes beyond that and provides insights that are common for the modern crisis state of democracy as an institution.

Here is the link to the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcBfBoOeYWg

Enjoy the true discussion on the real political and social matters & don't forget to share your opinion with us 🙌

Join the PBS series FRONTLINE on March 13 for the premiere streaming of the acclaimed documentary, "A Thousand Cuts" in the Philippines. FRONTLINE will host ...

18/03/2021

Nowadays political violence is something unfortunate but extensively present in the reality of Eastern Europe 😞

Our task is to recognize it in time & address the issue 📲

11/03/2021

Quote of the Week 🗯

Don't forget that Your MOTIVATION Matters 🙌

09/03/2021

Studio of Democracy celebrated International Women's Day 🌹

Every year on the 8th of March, the world honors women and their demand for equal access to human rights, opportunities, and development. In every country it has its own specific.

Usually during this day all over the globe activists and active citizens lodge protests, performances, and solidarity marches. But the pandemic of COVID-19 and followed lockdown restrictions made it impossible in many countries this time.

Nevertheless, Ukraine softened the lockdown restrictions in some regions which gave an opportunity to stick to the traditions of International Women’s Day protests and marches.

One of the biggest and brightest protest marches took place in Kharkiv (Марш Жіночої Солідарності 2021). Activists walked on the main street of the city with plenty of political slogans and art performances. The occasion gathered more than 1500 people. The protesters had slogans such as ‘‘Freedom, Equality, Sisterhood!’’, ‘‘A Free Woman is A Free Country’’, ‘‘Women’s Rights are Human Rights’’, ‘‘Equal Labour is Equal Payment’’, ‘‘Sisters and Brothers are Equal in Their Fight’’, ‘‘My Body is My Business’’, ‘‘Yes to S*x! No to S*xism!’’, ‘‘The Place of Woman is Everywhere’’, etc.

According to the United Nation (Gender Equality by 2030 Goal), ‘‘International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage, determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.’’

Studio of Democracy joins the movement and stands for values of equality in all its kinds. We hope the tradition of International Women’s Day will thrive even more in the future 🌈

05/03/2021

📛 HUMAN RIGHTS FOR TODAY 📛

Studio of Democracy is going for human rights inspection 🕵

For the Interview in Blitz, we had a short but valuable talk with Elena Lytvyn. She is a Ph.D. student at Кафедра політології ХНУ Каразіна - Political Science / Karazin University. Her primary specialization is research on civil society, peace-building, and development of political and civil institutions in Ukraine. Additionally, Elena had been a human rights intern at UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (Kharkiv Office).

The expertise of Elena gives us an opportunity to look broader on what is human rights in the modern world, how it develops in Ukraine, and what role we all can play in human rights concept advocation. Don’t forget if you have any questions regarding the topic or the interview, leave them in the comments below.

Q.: What is basically human rights? What do experts include in this term?

Essentially human rights are rights that we have because we are humans. They are independent of ethnicity, nationality, color of skin, religion, or gender identity. They are inalienable and therefore cannot be taken away for any reason. Human rights are based on the values of dignity, freedom, and equality. They are universal for all states and are complementary in their kind. Also, human rights are complex which means one cannot be used without implementing others.

Q.: Which public institutions are primarily responsible for human rights policy framing and human rights protection?

From the point of view of the protection of human rights, these are mainly the judicial system, human rights organizations, and the Ombudsman apparatus. In Ukraine, they operate based on international instruments, the common law, and the Constitution of Ukraine. The responsibility for the implementation of human rights and policy-making rests, in my opinion, with all of us. How many people are involved will determine how quickly we achieve absolute and perfect respect for human rights. Everyone has to make an input.

Q.: How would you evaluate the current state of human rights in Ukraine? Can we say that Ukraine is a regional or world leader in human rights policy accomplishing?

Nowadays, we can hardly speak of Ukraine’s global or regional leadership role in human rights policies. First, our country has not ratified the Istanbul Convention yet. Second, the COVID-19 pandemic identified all the weaknesses of the system: homelessness, lack of school preparation and educational progress, architectural and information inaccessibility for people with disabilities, etc. For me, the greatest achievement is that the government and civic actors talk about human rights louder and louder (but it is still not enough).

Q.: What are necessary social and political conditions for developing a proper attitude toward problem spots in human rights policy in Central and Eastern Europe?

Ideal conditions in any sense are utopian. They cannot be achieved, but there is always the possibility for future progress. The values of zero discrimination and equality as well as respect for human dignity must be at the heart of any policy. Institutional and governmental transparency, freedom of expression, and economic stability are the most favorable conditions for the support of human rights. In addition, democracy is always good, even if it is not perfect. We have to remember that it is not enough to take one action. Instead, it has to have daily small work on the legislative, social, and information levels. It is hard but incredibly important.

03/03/2021

It's important not only to know what you stand for, but also to present your vision in the best way 👩‍⚖️👨‍⚖️

Be confident and do debating!

02/03/2021

Studio of Democracy RECOMMENDS 📣

The podcast ''Viktor Orbán’s “velvet repression” in Hungary'' was released by The Democracy Works far in 2019. Nonetheless, many things told there are still relevant to what is happening with the political environment in Hungary 🇭🇺 particularly and the region of Central-Eastern Europe generally.

Who is Viktor Orbán as a political leader? How policies of his government impact Hungarian society and its political culture? What future is expecting the political system of Hungary and which political actors might benefit from those transformations?

Stay tuned and follow the link below in order to investigate the process of democratic erosion in Hungary and the Visegrad region.

Link: https://democracyworks.simplecast.com/episodes/viktor-orbans-velvet-repression-in-hungary

This episode begins a four-part series examining the state of democracy around the world. First up is Hungary, a country that’s often referred to in a group of countries in central and Eastern Europe that are seeing authoritarian leaders rise to power. You might have heard of Viktor Orbán or know...

01/03/2021

Quote of the Week 🗯

The first day of spring is a good occasion for Democracy Talks 👩‍🏫👨‍💻

25/02/2021

24/02/2021

📛 IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP AND ITS DEVELOPMENT 📛

This week Studio of Democracy mindfully examines subjects of leadership and activism. For that purpose, we spoke with Nika Bunziak who is a youth worker and youth trainer within the fields of non-formal education and volunteering. She is a certified NLP practitioner and Master of Innovations in Management. Her working focus is self-motivation, emotional intelligence, and experiential learning. Also, Nika is an active member of NGO "Stella".

Be ready for thoughtful pieces of advice and tour to leadership training. We hope you will find value in that conversation.

Q.: What is true leadership? How can you recognize a person with the potential to be a leader?

Leadership is a process of social influence in which a person gains support from others to achieve some goals. EACH person can be a leader in a specific context. Based on fast observations, it is impossible to hang a label and to say that this person is a leader, but that one is not. The two key components of leadership are initiative and responsibility. Look at a person from the point of view of these components: how proactive he/she is, how determined, whether a person seeks to change the situation and whether takes responsibility for himself/herself, for other people and the situation. If a person lives in a leadership strategy, leadership becomes his/her second essence, way of thinking, and behavior.

Q.: To what extent is motivation important for people who want to become leaders?

Motivation is one of the driving forces behind true leadership. It's like fuel for a car: the better and more fuel is, the further the car can go. There are many classifications of motivation, but speaking in a very general way, there is motivation FROM something and motivation TO something. Let's imagine a student who prepares for an important exam on the last night, not because he/she wants to learn more, but in order not to be expelled from the university. Here we can see the motivation FROM. If we speak about the motivation TO something, in a company, for example, it will be a director who does not have a supervisor and who understands why he/she works: providing high-quality goods and services, creating jobs for so many employees, influencing the local society and more - this is what he/she strives for. I’m not saying that motivation FROM is bad and motivation TO is good. Both types of motivation are just tools that should be used depending on the situation.

Q.: Why is leadership important for youth and volunteering organizations?

There are three groups of leadership motives. The first is pragmatic motives. For example, improve the quality of life, make money, gain more freedom, etc. The second group of motives is neurotic. A person reaches any level of success, but it seems to him/her insufficient. This person continues to set ever higher goals, but not to enjoy success. A person is trying to prove something to everyone or to himself/herself to overcome some internal conflict. And the third group of motives is metaphysical. A person, for example, has the idea that he/she was born for success, intended for something, endowed with a mission, and must change the world for the better. Quite often, such people end up spending most of their time on socially significant initiatives. They create volunteer organizations, charity foundations, and support social initiatives. In my opinion, it is very important for a young person, first of all, to discover himself/herself and to understand, in which particular area you want to be a leader and develop yourself. In this case, participation in various kinds of youth mobilities and volunteering projects is the best way.

Q.: What forms of leadership will we need in the post-pandemic realities?

Difficult times often bring strong internal changes. Whether they strengthen us or weaken - it depends only on us. And it's up to us to decide in which direction we will change. The pandemic has become a big challenge for all of us, but at the same time, it has shown many new directions for work and self-development. In my opinion, the most necessary form is Conscious Leadership. When a person clearly understands why and for what he/she does it. When a person achieves goals following their values, and not because it is socially approved by society. I believe that each person is a whole Universe, with a unique set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and with their ability to be a leader in some particular context.

Q.: Which exercises or even training programs can you recommend young people for their leadership skills development?

As my trainers’ experience shows, it is worth developing yourself in two directions at the same time:
1. Practicing mindfulness is an honest dialogue with yourself. You should ask yourself more often: “Whether I want this or it’s not my goal, but imposed by society and my environment”. Do I want to buy an apartment on credit, or do I want to hitchhike on a trip around the world now? This is very hard work, and it can take years to perfect this skill.
2. Expand your comfort zone. Exactly to expand, not to leave it. Open the world, meet new people, learn from experience, travel, explore new cultures. Let yourself see how else it can be - differently than you used to live, think and act. Various programs of non-formal education for young people can be an excellent helper in this: Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, Visegrad Fund, and much more.

10/02/2021

🇪🇺 YOUTH SECTOR IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC 🇨🇿

If you ever wondered how youth organizations work in Europe, here is what you need to read now.

Studio of Democracy had held the Interview in Blitz with Michal Hlavica who is a founder & president at the youth organization Asociace Cesta rozvoje. We asked Michal about what kind of help his organization gets from the government and EU, how to work with young people in the Czech Republic, and how to encourage them for real actions in local communities. Let's find it out together!

Q.: How would you evaluate the youth sector in the Czech Republic? Is it developed enough to give young people opportunities and tools for their growth?

During the last 20 years, the youth sector in CZ made a significant leap forward, and also thanks to European programmes young people have many opportunities now. These are coming from public and non-governmental institutions, but also from student associations which we are very happy to see arising around. Unfortunately, many young people are either not aware of them or not finding them attractive enough to participate.

Q.: What kind of activities attracts youngsters more to participate in at your organization and community?

We see that young people are attracted to international activities - they like to work in international teams, study and learn from practices abroad, and are curious about other cultures.

Q.: How much help youth organizations get from the Czech Republic Government and the EU?

There are plenty of opportunities from different bodies of CZ (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport; Regional Authority, Visegrad Fund) and the EU (Erasmus+, Europe for Citizens, Council of Europe, European Solidarity Corps), in the form of expertise, funding and also consultations for youth organizations. These organizations and young people involved in them are encouraged and supported to create activities if there is a clear impact on the local community and the good structure of their activity. The bureaucracy still might feel quite overwhelming sometimes, but it is understandable as it is necessary to maintain certain quality standards.

Q.: What should be done to encourage young people to participate more actively in public life on local, national, and European levels?

We believe that connecting formal and non-formal education from the very beginning of the education process is the way to attract young people more into public life. In practice, it means for schools and public institutions to cooperate with non-governmental organizations and gamify the learning process of those topics which are not usually learned at schools (media literacy, democratic life, digital resilience).

29/01/2021

Studio of Democracy promotes media literacy 📲

We would like to recommend you to watch a group professional discussion ''The Future of News: Journalism in a Post-Truth Era''. The event took place at Harvard University in 2017, but the subject and arguments are still quite relevant.

The discussion was mainly dedicated to the American reality. However, between the lines, we still can find valuable information that can be useful for understanding the fundamentals of media policies globally. Topics covered at the event are a development of traditional media and expansion of social media networks, a democratic representation and politics in a democracy, sociological and philosophical dimensions of journalism in the modern world, et cetera.

Weekend is a good time for taking a rest as well as learning and boosting our critical analysis and media literacy skills.

Click the link below and learn with us how to be media-critical.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IIoC1k80QY

Have a nice weekend ☯

Tuesday, January 31, 4–6 pm., Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.Co-sponsored by the Office of the President, the Nieman Foundation for Jou...

27/01/2021

WHAT IS YOUTH ACTIVISM?

The Studio of Democracy launches a new section of the platform – INTERVIEW IN BLITZ. Here we briefly ask leaders, experts, and other people who know the things about their fields of interest, what needs to be done for specific issues and how all of us can be in and contribute to problem-solving in our community, country, or even worldwide.

This time we want to have a closer look at youth activism and how it benefits local communities. For that purpose, we had a meaningful conversation with Yurii Voloshyn who is the head of the civic organization FindWay to Ukraine • Мандри • Подорожі • Туризм and a seasoned youth activist in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Thus, if you are interested in an instrumental definition of youth activism, what attitude and skills are essential for youth activists in Ukraine, and how it profits local communities, you are highly welcomed to read the interview below.

Q.: What is youth activism by its nature? How can we identify it?

I’d say activism is a desire to change something around you, in your society and the world. Especially it feels more urgent when you’re young. Often this comes from the fact that you see a problem and realize how it can be eliminated or improved. You talk about it all around, and, in this way, you gather like-minded people. Also, you might see that someone is talking about an issue, and it catches you. Thus, you join the existing team of activists.

Q.: What attitude and skills are necessary to be a youth activist in your organization and for your community?

The most important thing for any youth activist is still a desire to change something, you should be a hundred percent sure in what you believe. If you don’t like what you do, you won’t be able to force yourself to actively fix the problem. All people are truly different, each person possesses a set of skills and has a unique vision of how things work. Diversity of skills and visions that we need in a youth team of activists. However, one skill extremely matters – the ability to work in a team and share your responsibility with teammates. We appreciate it at .

Q.: Which similarities and differences can you see between youth activists in European Union and Ukraine?

There are a few differences between youth activism in Europe and Ukraine. In Europe we can observe many interactions between activists and governmental institutions. There are such initiatives often might be encouraged by the state itself and EU policies, but in Ukraine we have some problems with such interactions. Ukrainian activists and their initiatives can rely only on public support and the international community. Often we don’t have any support from local authorities or government.

Q.: How do you encourage young people to join the youth activism movement and contribute to the change-making process?

Any young person could join the movement becoming a volunteer. At we are permanently making calls via social media platforms and reporting on our achievements in the fields of sustainability, ecotourism, and local cultural heritage discoveries. For encouraging youth it is necessary to use targeted slogans that show how all of us wanna fix problems through simple precise actions. Just a simple message, and there will be more chances for you to find the right people for the right actions.

25/01/2021

TICKTOCK ON THE CLOCK OF RUSSIAN PROTESTS

On January 23, all over the Russian Federation, up to 250 000 protesters went to the snowy streets demanding freedom for the imprisoned opposition leader and founding member of the Anti-Corruption Foundation Alexei Navalny.

It's one of the biggest protest outcries in Russia after 2013 when thousands of people were standing against a countrywide falsification of the parliamentary election results.

If that time Facebook and Twitter were the number-one social media platforms for encouraging and coordinating protests, this time the first place belongs to the Chinese video-sharing network TickTock.

The creative videos of the supporters and haters of Alexei Navalny are making a huge amount of the whole content of the Russian-speaking segment of TickTock since the release of the documentary film ''A Palace for Putin: The Story of the Biggest Bribe''. Also during the day of protests activists and observers were uploading and sharing many videos from the events highlighting detaining of protesters, the brutality of police officers, and activities of the protesters themselves.

The social network had more than 22,7 million active followers from Russia in October 2020. Near 54% of the whole number made females and 46% were on males respectively. From the age perspective, 17,1% of the followers were under 18 and 15,5% were people of the 18-24 age group. The rest 67,4% went to the 25+ age group.

TickTock is gaining more popularity among Russian-speaking audience and attracting different political groups such as liberals, nationalists, and left-wing activists. It is not difficult to anticipate that this social media platform will engage more people in the foreseeable future and will have a significant impact on the political communication process in Russia.

20/01/2021

HOW CAN WE FIX DEMOCRACY?

Writer and researcher Max Rashbrooke tries to find an answer to the question on the TED Talks.

Winston Churchill once famously said, ''Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the other.''

It was a pretty good quote for the 20th-century. Nonetheless, in the 21st-century the old same democracy faced an unprecedented crisis. Mistrust in political institutions and disbelief in people's ability to impact policies raised and cemented in many countries all over the world.

That's why Max Rashbrooke is confident that we need to upgrade democracy, the system where people are capable of dealing with public issues and do have decision-making power. He calls for ''everyday democracy'' where ''we are the part of the government every day of the year''.

He provides precise examples and guides into elements that are necessary for upgrading democracy.

We greatly recommend to click the link below and enjoy Max Rashbrooke's ideas on democratic development in the world.

Democracy needs an update -- one that respects and engages citizens by involving them in everyday political decisions, says writer and researcher Max Rashbrooke. He outlines three global success stories that could help move democratic systems forward and protect society against the new challenges th...

19/01/2021

The Studio of Democracy presents its core values 📣

If you think there is another thing we need to add or seriously consider, don't hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us via messages. We look forward to every feedback in order to make the content better and our message to the world stronger.

16/01/2021

THE TARIFF MAIDAN 2021

Is there any chance for the new uprising in Ukraine?

For the last two weeks, many media platforms have been reporting about the continued protests against the rise in prices of housing and communal services all across Ukraine. Some of them even have indicated those protests as a logical prerequisite for ‘‘the coming national revolt’’. Let’s have a closer look at the topic and its context.

Indeed, since the beginning of 2021, there has been a solid quantity of civic protests due to the significant rise in tariffs for electricity and natural gas supply for private households. The reason for the rising lies in the structural transition from the strict state regulatory to an open and competitive market of natural resources in Ukraine.

The protests are massive but not intense. People block local and regional roads, gather in front of city halls, and coordinate their communication efforts to be heard by the national authorities. For example, on the 4th of January, the protesters blocked the M-03 state highway in Poltava. They demanded low prices for communal and housing services and expressed anger to the local officials who ignored their petitions about the problem. Many protesters expect a further rise in the tariff rates after March 2021.

However, there are additional factors that have to be taken into consideration when you look for the news about those events. To whom belongs this media platform on which you are? Don’t forget that the large portion of the media market in Ukraine is in possession of oligarchs and related to them business groups. Usually, the same people also own on a monopoly basis the companies with natural resource operations, energy production, and distribution, etc.

So what’s next? Despite all the speculations, the Ukrainian government has decided to slow down the process of prices rising for natural gas supply and established fixed tariffs for private households. These protests really hurt the approval rankings of the national authorities and President Zelensky himself. Also, the polls show that mistrust among people and the political class is bigger than ever. Nonetheless, the news reporting of the upcoming revolt aims to increase the influence of different business groups on the energy and state regulatory policies.

Obviously, there will be proposed changes to the reforms of the natural gas market and corrections to the cooperation program with the IMF. No mass protests will lead to events similar to Euromaidan (2013-2014) in the nearest future though if the conditions will stay the same.

By Taras Syvukha