A total of 22 journalists attended the EC meeting and the workshop in Pervomaysk, Mykolaiv Oblast, on May 17, 2007
The USAID LED project discharged an avalanche of information upon a group of Mykolaiv Oblast journalists on May 17, 2007, as they watched the first meeting of the Pervomaysk Expert Committee (EC) for strategic planning of economic development, and then attended a workshop.
The EC meeting included two presentations: a Community Profile and a Business Attitude Survey. These were followed by discussion of the findings and identification of issues that are critical for the community’s economic development.
Both presentations were abundant in facts, figures and charts, giving the journalists an overview of the current economic environment in Pervomaysk and – some of them – the first notion of how the project operates.
Further information came after lunch, when the representatives from the “fourth branch” attended the workshop on Local Economic Development: What Is It and Is It Worth Writing About? The event had been designed and organized by the USAID Local Economic Development (LED) project in conjunction with the Center for Ukrainian Reform Education (CURE).
The workshop also included two presentations, the first outlining general principles of local economic development and its strategic planning, and the second addressing journalism-specific questions: What is really important for members of your communities to know, and why? Where information on local economic development can be found? What a news writer should avoid in writing a story, and what he or she should adhere to?
The workshop received a rather positive feedback. Eleven journalists responded to the call of the event organizers to fill out and return questionnaires. The participants were asked to evaluate the contents, the PowerPoint presentations, the presenters, and the event organization. The questions in the questionnaires had been formulated in a way to ensure that (a) the answers will be sincere, and (b) the highest rating (five) will be given only for exceptionally good quality or performance. Taking this into account, the overall average score of 3.95 looks very encouraging. Individual components of the workshop were rated as follows: contents, 3.41; PowerPoint presentations, 4.00; presenters, 4.45; and event organization, 3.95.
A total of 22 journalists from both the printed and electronic media attended the EC meeting and the workshop. They were representatives from Pervomaysk, the oblast capital of Mykolaiv, and the cities of Bashtanka, Nova Odesa, and Novy Buh.
LED and CURE are planning to hold media workshops in other regions, too, and as part of national level events. The next one will be in Kyiv on May 23, 2007, within the seminar on Efficient Use of City Resources for Economic Development.
Pervomaysk, Mykolaiv Oblast, is one of USAID LED project’s 32 so-called target cities, where the project provides direct assistance in hammering out economic development strategic plans. The Pervomaysk City Rada and the project signed a Letters of Intent on March 23, 2007, and on that day the Expert Committee held its introductory meeting.
Community Profile and Business Attitude Survey are part of strategic planning approach taken by the LED project. The documents are intended to provide EC with data necessary to make decisions on critical issues the future Strategic Plan will focus on, as well as on goals to be attained to solve these issues, and specific projects whereof implementation will be a vehicle for attainment of the goals. The documents are also a useful source of information for investors.
CURE is an international charitable organization, which operates in Ukraine, former Soviet republics, and the United States, according to the center’s web site.
