Start date
August 15, 2025

End date
February 20, 2026

Duration
27 weeks

ELIGIBILITY: Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a U.S. citizen.

Activity/project background

A city council in western Ukraine works to identify resources to stimulate local economic development. They do so by creating lasting and mutually beneficial partnerships with municipalities, international organizations, businesses, and nonprofits.

Between October 7, 2024 and June 30, 2025, the city council collaborated with a Virtual Service Pilot Participant (VSPP) to prepare and submit community project applications to revitalize a park, restore an Armenian church, develop a youth exchange program, procure medical equipment for the local hospital, and renovate a local museum. Currently, the city council is working to create a community youth space and establish a local social enterprise.

With several projects and proposals at various stages, the city council and collaborative departments seek to strengthen their project design and management skills by engaging with a new VSPP. The council requests the support of a VSPP to collaborate with two staff members with intermediate English language skills to conduct project design and management (PDM) trainings. In addition, the council would like to continue the previous VSPP’s bi-weekly conversational English club meetings for community members and internally displaced persons.

The organization has previously collaborated with the Peace Corps and with a VSPP. They understand that the role of a VSPP is very different than a two-year Volunteer.

Engagement and tasks

The VSPP will engage in the following tasks, in collaboration with their Host Country Partners:

• Co-conduct an assessment of existing project design and management (PDM) practices
• Co-analyze the city council’s PDM history
• Co-plan and co-facilitate a series of PDM training sessions for organization members
• Assist organization members with the development of a project proposal and application process
• Facilitate a bi-weekly conversational English club as time permits
  
  

VSPPs are expected to engage on the tasks listed above for an estimated 5-15 hours per week. This engagement is estimated to be 5-8 hours per week including preparation.

Online collaboration will generally occur twice a week between 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Ukraine time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, each session lasting for about an hour. Specific times will be determined during orientation.

The Host Country Counterpart will have access to email, Zoom, and WhatsApp for regular communication and collaboration.

Per the Child Protection Code of Conduct, when engaging online with minors (0-18), two adults must be present.

Optional Additional Activities

The Peace Corps mission is to promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals:

• To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
• To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
• To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
  
  

Goal 1 will be achieved through the VSPP's engagement and completion of the above tasks. The counterpart and VSPP may also choose to identify an activity that aligns with Goal 2. Additionally, the VSPP may identify a Goal 3 activity to implement during their engagement. See recommendations and tools for Goal 3 activities.

Essential Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in any field

Language: Basic Ukrainian

Experience: 1 year of project design or management, capacity building, or community mobilization with an NGO

Intercultural skills and motivation: Flexible, strong cross-cultural agility, high tolerance for ambiguity, able to work independently, resourceful, creative, and genuinely motivated and capable to serve virtually