Strengthening crisis leadership training for first responders in Ukraine
Media release
Humanitarians and aid workers on the frontlines of the crisis in Ukraine have increased access to leadership development thanks to a new grant to expand the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership (CHL)'s flagship Crisis Leadership Program (CLP).
France's leading philanthropic network, Fondation de France, has awarded the Centre €150,000 (~AUD $240,000) to deliver further CLP short courses in the Ukrainian language to increase the knowledge and skills of local leaders and support their leadership journey through peer-to-peer mentoring.
CHL Director Associate Professor Mary Ana McGlasson said the grant allows CHL to build on the momentum that the CLP has generated in training local leaders inside Ukraine since the program’s implementation in 2022.
'Our experience delivering the CLP in Ukraine and Poland has shown us that there is a real need for targeted short courses catering to local leaders who are responding to this protracted war,' Associate Professor McGlasson said.
'We are thrilled to expand the CLP inside Ukraine and offer emerging and mid-range humanitarian responders this crucial investment in their humanitarian knowledge and leadership skills.'
The Crisis Leadership Program: Expanding Knowledge & Confidence Horizons of Humanitarians in Ukraine project covers the following activities:
- The delivery of two cohorts of CLP Seed, a short course designed for participants with between 0 to 2 years of experience working in conflict, disaster, and crisis settings.
- The translation and delivery of one cohort of CLP Grow in Ukrainian (for participants with between 2–8 years' experience), previously only available in English.
- The development and implementation of a peer-to-peer mentoring program, where course participants are paired with experienced humanitarians in Ukraine who have already completed a CLP short course.
- A research project analysing and documenting the impact of crisis leadership development on local crisis leaders in Ukraine who have completed the CLP, with reports to be published in English and Ukrainian.
The CLP was designed in 2022 with support from the Humanitarian Leadership Academy and Save the Children, and then funded in 2023 by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. The Centre for Humanitarian Leadership is formed through a partnership between Deakin University and Save the Children Australia.
To learn more about the CLP, visit: https://cfhl.info/CLP
To learn more about Fondation de France, visit: https://www.fondationdefrance.org/en/homepage
