Building Dialogue Skills in Times of Tension: Two-Day Training at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

On February 7 and 14, we held a two-day offline training for students of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. For us, such meetings are first and foremost about meaningful engagement and developing practical dialogue skills that can be applied in academic settings, professional environments, and everyday life.

We worked through experiential exercises, real-life case analysis, and facilitated group discussions. Participants explored their own cases and practiced tools for dialogue facilitation and nonviolent conflict transformation. The focus was on ensuring that these approaches remain effective in real-life conditions — particularly in situations marked by tension, fatigue, and emotional strain.

The training “Facilitated Dialogue and Skills for Mutual Understanding in Conflict” was delivered in cooperation with the NaUKMA Mediation Service and with the support of the Student Affairs Office. The trainer was Yelyzaveta Koval, expert of the Ukrainian Community of Dialogue Practitioners, dialogue facilitator, mediator, and trainer in peaceful conflict resolution.

The program addressed core themes essential for dialogue practice: conflict engagement skills, working with biases, developing empathy and assertiveness, understanding identity in times of war, conflict analysis tools, and foundational principles of the dialogue process. The group was highly engaged, and we received thoughtful feedback along with a strong interest in continuing the work.

The training was implemented with the support of Robert Bosch Stiftung, with the participation of the Ukrainian Community of Dialogue Practitioners, in cooperation with the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Mediation Service and the Student Affairs Office.