NGO “SaveDnipro” announces a recruitment for the Certification Course for Public Environmental Inspectors, developed in partnership with NUBiP and the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine, for people who want to learn more about environmental protection and get practical tools for action in their community and the opportunity to become part of state environmental control.
This course is designed for active citizens, representatives of local initiatives, representatives of public organizations, students, veterans, volunteers, internally displaced persons, and anyone who is ready to systematically engage in solving environmental problems at the local level.
A public environmental inspector is a form of citizen participation in the implementation of public control in the field of environmental protection, provided for by the legislation of Ukraine. In accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Environmental Protection” and the Regulations on Public Environmental Inspectors, such inspectors assist the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine in identifying and recording violations of environmental legislation, conducting public control, environmental education, and informing competent authorities about detected violations.
That is why we are looking for people who want to gain the necessary knowledge and practical skills for such activities. During the course, you will learn how to correctly record possible violations of environmental legislation, interact with the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine and other government bodies, use legal tools of public control, work with environmental information, and participate in protecting the right of every person to an environment that is safe for life and health.
The course is aimed at training future public environmental inspectors. Its task is to provide participants with knowledge, practical experience, and a clear path to further participation in public environmental control.
Why is it worth participating?
Participation in the course provides an opportunity to go through the full training process: from training and practice to obtaining the status of a public environmental inspector in case of high-quality acquisition of knowledge and successful testing at the SEI.
As part of the certification course, participants:
· will undergo intensive online training on environmental control, environmental rights, public participation, and interaction with government authorities;
· will receive a state certificate from NUBiP;
· will undergo practical training in the territorial bodies of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine;
· prepare for an interview and testing to obtain the status and certificate of a public environmental inspector;
· will be able to propose their own local environmental initiative;
· join a community of people working to protect the environment at the local level;
· will have the opportunity to receive further mentoring support to develop their initiative if it is selected among the top 10.
It is important to us that the course does not end with just a certificate. We want participants to have practical knowledge, understanding of procedures, motivation and support to take action in their communities.
Training format
The training will be intensive.
The theoretical part of the course will be held online at the end of August. The approximate format is 4 hours per day for 10 training days. The training will take place from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
The start of training is scheduled for August 25. In case of changes in the organizational schedule, participants will be notified additionally. After listening to the course, a test will be conducted to obtain a course certificate from the SaveDnipro NGO and NUBiP.
After the theoretical part, all participants will undergo a practical component in the territorial bodies of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine in the regions of their residence. It is the practice that should help participants better understand how the environmental control system works, what tasks inspectors perform, how interaction with public inspectors occurs, and what opportunities a public environmental inspector has.
After completing the training, all participants must pass an interview and testing at the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine to be eligible to obtain the status of a public environmental inspector.
Number of places and selection
Up to 100 students from all over Ukraine will be selected to participate in the course.
The number of places is limited. The selection of participants will be carried out comprehensively – based on the answers in the application form, a preliminary description of the local environmental initiative, and a telephone conversation with the candidate.
Preference will be given to people who have clear motivation, see a specific environmental problem in their community or region, and are willing to go through all stages of the course.
Candidates from all over Ukraine, where territorial bodies of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine operate, are invited to participate. We also separately invite internally displaced persons, veterans, students, volunteers, and representatives of local initiatives.
It is important to emphasize that the acquired knowledge and practice also create conditions for further work in state environmental control bodies.
Local environmental initiatives
An important part of participating in the course is preparing your own local environmental initiative.
We do not expect candidates to submit a professionally designed project. At the application stage, it is enough to briefly describe the idea: what environmental problem you see, where it exists, why it is important, and what you think can be done to solve it.
A description of the initiative will help us understand your motivation, practical vision of the problem, and willingness to apply the knowledge gained after training.
Based on the evaluation results, the 10 best local environmental initiatives will be selected. Their authors will be invited to Kyiv for a one-day event with the participation of key stakeholders in the field of environmental protection – the heads of the relevant ministry, the State Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ombudsman’s Office. During the event, they will be able to present their ideas, meet with representatives of relevant bodies that shape policy in the environmental sphere, the sphere of control and protection of citizens’ rights, discuss them with specialists, and receive feedback and mentoring support from the SaveDnipro NGO for further refinement of the initiatives.
Important: support for the 10 best initiatives will be mentoring, consulting, and organizational. Direct funding for the implementation of the initiatives is not provided.
The expenses associated with the participation of the authors of the 10 best initiatives in the event in Kyiv will be covered by the organizers.
Key dates
· Applications open: July 15
· Closing date for applications: August 15
· Announcement of selection results: August 20
· Start of studies: August 25
In case of changes in the schedule, the organizers will notify participants additionally.
Who are we inviting?
Adults are invited to participate:
· active citizens;
· students;
· veterans and veterans;
· volunteers;
· internally displaced persons;
· representatives of local initiatives;
· representatives of public organizations;
· people who are already facing environmental problems in their communities;
· those who want to join public environmental control;
· those who are ready to invest their time in training, practice, and further activities in the field of environmental protection.
If you want to become part of a community of people who are truly working to protect the environment, we invite you to apply.
2. Course participation requirements
Applying for the Environmental Public Inspectors Course means that the candidate understands the format of the program and is ready to complete all of its key stages.
We are not looking for passive listeners, but people who want to apply the knowledge they have gained in practice and join public environmental control.
The participant must be ready to:
1. Submit an application and describe your own environmental initiative
The candidate must fill out an application form and briefly describe their own local environmental initiative.
The description of the initiative is an important part of the selection process. It will help assess the candidate’s motivation, understanding of the environmental problem, and willingness to work on it after training.
2. Pass the selection
The selection of participants will be carried out comprehensively – based on the answers in the application, a description of the local environmental initiative, and a telephone conversation.
Up to 100 students will be selected to participate.
3. Complete theoretical training
The training will be intensive: approximately 4 hours per day for 10 training days.
We expect participants to be able to regularly attend classes, engage in the learning process, complete assigned tasks, and pass the final assessment. Students who have attended at least 80% of classes will be eligible for assessment.
4. Complete the practical component
All course participants must undergo practical training at the territorial bodies of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine.
The practical component is a mandatory part of the course, as it provides an opportunity to see how environmental control works in practice and prepare for further activities in the field of public control.
5. Participate in an interview and testing to obtain the status of a public inspector
After completing the training, all participants must pass an interview and test at the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine to obtain the status of a public environmental inspector.
Obtaining the status will depend on the results of the relevant procedure and compliance with the established requirements.
6. Be ready for further practical activities
We expect that after completing the course, participants will be ready to apply the knowledge they have gained in their communities: to work with environmental problems, record facts, prepare appeals, interact with institutions, and join environmental initiatives.
7. Join the alumni community
During the training and after completing the course, participants will be able to join a community of people working in the field of public environmental control, exchange experiences, ask questions, share cases, and maintain contact with the project team.
8. For the authors of the 10 best initiatives – to participate in further work
The authors of the 10 best local environmental initiatives will be invited to Kyiv for a one-day event with the participation of key stakeholders in the field of environmental protection.
We expect that these participants will be ready to present their ideas, receive professional feedback, and join the mentoring support from the SaveDnipro NGO.
Direct funding for the implementation of initiatives is not provided.
Requirements for a local environmental initiative
One of the elements of the application for participation in the Public Environmental Inspectors Course is a brief description of your own local environmental initiative.
We do not expect candidates to have a ready-made large project or a professional implementation plan. At this stage, it is important for us to see your motivation, your attention to a specific environmental problem, and your understanding of what you would like to change in your community or region.
The initiative can be simple, but it must be real, understandable, and related to a specific problem.
What is a local environmental initiative?
A local environmental initiative is a briefly described idea for an action, mini-project, or practical solution that can help respond to a specific environmental problem at the local level.
This could be an initiative related to (not exclusively):
· protection of water resources;
· waste management;
· protection of green areas, forests or coastal strips;
· air, water or soil pollution;
· public monitoring of the state of the environment;
· recording environmental violations;
· access to environmental information;
· community participation in environmental decisions;
· restoration or improvement of the condition of a specific territory or natural object;
· environmental education, if it has a practical purpose and is tied to a specific problem.
What should the initiative be?
We expect the initiative to:
· concerns a specific environmental problem in a community, city, village, district or region;
· has a local binding;
· described simply and clearly;
· has a practical focus;
· is realistic for launch or development;
· shows why this problem is important;
· explains what exactly you propose to do;
· demonstrates your personal motivation.
What is desirable to note:
1. Name of the initiative.
2. What environmental problem does it concern?
3. Where exactly does this problem exist?
4. Why is it important for the community?
5. What do you propose to do?
6. What result would you like to achieve?
7. Who can be involved: residents, local government, school, public organization, youth, other partners.
8. Why is this initiative realistic to launch or develop?
How will we evaluate initiatives?
The description of the initiative is an important part of the application.
It is on the basis of this description that we will assess how ready the candidate is to apply the knowledge gained in practice, whether they see a specific problem, and whether they have a realistic vision of further actions.
We will pay particular attention to initiatives that:
· have a clear connection to the real situation in a specific community;
· are not limited to general appeals, but offer practical actions;
· may have a noticeable local effect;
· involve the involvement of the community, local institutions or partners;
· can be the beginning of further systematic work.
Based on the evaluation results, the 10 best initiatives will be selected. Their authors will receive an invitation to Kyiv, the opportunity to present their ideas to key stakeholders, and mentoring support from the SaveDnipro NGO.
What to avoid
We do not recommend submitting initiatives that:
· formulated too generally;
· do not have a specific problem;
· do not have a local binding;
· are reduced only to abstract appeals;
· do not explain what exactly is proposed to be done;
· are completely unrealistic for the local level;
· are not related to the practical participation of the candidate himself or herself.