Pidhorodne community in Dnipropetrovsk region hosts first module of “Action in Hope” program

The Pidhorodne community, near Dnipro, frequently endures Russian aerial attacks targeting both infrastructure and civilian areas, leading to regular air raid sirens. Despite this, Pidhorodne, like other regional settlements, actively hosts internally displaced people from more dangerous zones. The community, facing the war’s economic and social fallout, highly values opportunities for its members to learn, grow, and enhance their skills.

On April 7, 2025, the Mudra Sprava team visited the Pidhorodne City Council in the Dnipropetrovsk region. There, they introduced the “Action in Hope” mini-MBA program to local activists and residents, ultimately selecting 30 participants. From May 13–15, these participants engaged in their first training module. With program coordinator Father Lyubomyr Yavorskyy, they explored the ethics of business, and with business trainer Svitlana Buhai, they delved into personal growth strategies and the fundamentals of business modelling.

When discussing personal effectiveness, lecturer Svitlana Buhai first presented to the audience MacLean’s triune brain model and the wheel of balance. She then explained the meaning of the SMART model and the opportunities it provides for goal planning. However, to achieve these goals, one needs to know how to manage their time correctly. For this, course participants learned about Benjamin Franklin’s time management system, the Eisenhower Matrix, and the Gantt chart.

At the end, Svitlana Buhai presented four important methods with amusing and truly practical tips for completing tasks of varying complexity and interest. These included: the Pomodoro Technique, the Eat the Frog method, the Elephant method, and the Swiss Cheese method.

For example, the “Pomodoro Technique” is a time management method that involves breaking down work into intervals (usually 25 minutes) separated by short breaks (usually 5 minutes).

The next day, Svitlana Buhai presented the topic of business modelling. She introduced the participants to the concept of how a company creates, delivers, and captures value, using various tools for its visualization and analysis. The lecturer helped participants understand the key components of a business and taught them how to design effective models for sustainable development.

The first training module in the Pidhorodne community concluded in a wonderful and joyful atmosphere.