Start date
June 1, 2026

End date
December 7, 2026

Duration
27 weeks

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

Activity/project background

The city council staff of an industrial city in Ukraine is working with various international partners to implement several community projects including renovations of gyms in schools and colleges; introduction of energy efficient solutions to municipal critical infrastructure; strengthening youth participation in local decision-making; and activating international collaboration to achieve energy independence.

The city council prioritizes creating conditions for the development of a vibrant and competitive economic environment in their community. The goal is to incentivize local businesses to be more engaged in community economic development, create new jobs, and attract foreign investments. To achieve this goal, the city council staff want to strengthen their institutional capacity, reimagine their approach to strategic planning, and improve their project management skills by participating in various national and international grant programs. As requirements for various international grants become more demanding, competitive and sophisticated, the city council staff see their collaboration with a VSPP as a chance to hone their project design and management skills and make their grant proposals more professional and attractive to ensure they can continue to meet community needs during this challenging time.

The council requests the support of a VSPP to collaborate with 2–3 staff members with intermediate English language skills to conduct project design and management (PDM) trainings and assist with the design of project proposals. At the beginning of the engagement, the VSPP will co-assess the organization’s current project design and management (PDM) practices and take a comprehensive look at past practices. To support capacity strengthening efforts, the VSPP will support city council members with their project proposals and applications throughout the 27 week engagement.

The organization has previously collaborated with the Peace Corps. They understand that the role of a VSPP is very different than a Peace Corps Volunteer or Peace Corps Response 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 up to 10 PDM training sessions for organization members
• Assist organization members with project proposal development and the application process
  
  

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 hours per week including preparation.

Online collaboration will generally occur twice a week between 3:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m., Ukraine time on weekdays, 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

Experience: 1 year working with a nonprofit, or NGO in project design or management, capacity building, or community mobilization

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