Launched in 2018, the Transcarpathian Public Leadership Training, is aimed at those exceptionally talented Transcarpathian youth between the ages of 18 and 36 who feel a responsibility for the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia and would like to positively shape the future of the Hungarian community in Ukraine.
The Transcarpathian Public Leadership Program is organized in partnership with the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association (THCA), the THCA Youth Organization, and MEP Andrea Bocskor. Participants attend training sessions in Budapest, Debrecen, and Brussels, and travel through various study trips. During the program's training weekends, students gain insight into the functioning of public administration institutions, the different processes of community building and political management, and develop their leadership skills. Between the training weekends, students utilize e-learning materials and test themselves with small group projects addressing public, political, economic or social challenges.
Regarding public affairs management, students learn about public communication, opinion polling methodology, and general management skills, as well as getting acquainted with public relations and community management. Skill-building training sessions cover presentation and public speaking techniques, rhetoric, debating and speechwriting, and negotiation techniques. Participants also have the opportunity to attend a number of interesting discussions with practicing politicians and public figures from Hungary and abroad. Students can also access recordings of lectures, newsletters, and e-learning materials related to project management, strategic thinking, and business planning.
A new componant of the program is an online seminar, which covers topics ranging from current events in public life, to subjects tailored to the needs and interests of the program cohort. Project assignments are another key training element, where trainees work, under professional mentoring, in groups on for-profit or non-profit business ideas addressing public, economic, social issues affecting Transcarpathia. Each group is expected to develop a business plan related to their project, which will subsequently be presented in a 15-minute presentation competition to a jury of experts at the end of the year. This assignment both encourages teamwork and motivates future leaders in the region to address the issues affecting their communities. MCC also organizes programs for community building and preservation.
When designing the professional program of the training sessions, one of the program’s main objectives was that, during the trainings, lectures, and background discussions, students get acquainted with the work of MCC’s schools, centers, and institutes, while keeping in mind the specificities of the Transcarpathian Public Leadership Program.
