The program transfers the experiences of the educational programs “Rural Initiatives Workshop” and “Hai Club” (“Harap Alb”) into comparable rural contexts to Belarus. The conceptualization phase and first pilot events took place in Belarus in the spring and summer of 2018. The program aims to help rural communities take responsibility for positive change.
By using approaches and methods of non-formal education, the workshops create favorable conditions for a life of self-determination for rural inhabitants and support their innovations in the form of social initiatives in their villages in order to develop civic activity. Participants (18-35) live in the regions of Minsk and Gomel Oblast. Civic engagement, political education, effective communication, efficient project and time management, and context-specific and needs-based problem-solving are addressed during the educational events of VioskaLab.
The program is implemented in cooperation with Insha Osvita in the scope of the project “Dialogue for change” with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office and the Robert Bosch Foundation.