Community School Development Program

About this grant

The Ukrainian Step by Step Foundation’s Community School Development Program was created to expand and improve the community school model in Ukraine. In early 2003, seven pilot sites were selected from four oblasts, or regions, to serve as community schools. Multiyear funding will support efforts to disseminate the community school model to other oblasts; promote democratic values among community school students; develop community-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to work in partnership with community schools; encourage civic participation among youth through volunteerism; and facilitate the development of an informal network of community schools.Recent results included developing and implementing 14 community improvement projects by community schools; creating three NGOs to strengthen partnerships between schools and their communities; training 28 trainers to replicate the community school model; establishing partnerships with four community centers in Hungary; and publishing a training manual on community school development.