Returning veterans to civilian life is a complex process that requires support from both the state and society. Successful rehabilitation is possible only if there is close cooperation between government agencies, NGOs, and veterans themselves, which will help solve many problems.
The High School develops and implements professional development programs, education, and training for professionals to teach them how to communicate, create a safe space for veterans, understand their needs and characteristics, and provide the necessary support. This was emphasized by the director of the institution, Yuliia Lykhach, during the opening of a two-day training for HR employees on July 30 under the program “Adaptation of Veterans to Work in the Public Service.”
The program was developed by the High School in cooperation with the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service and the Regional Fund for Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries, GIZ.
For two days, Olena Nikolska, a military psychologist, crisis interventionist, and expert in leadership and team development, will work with the students. During the training, participants will gain practical knowledge and skills necessary for effective interaction with veterans and their families. They will be able to deal with the main psychological barriers that arise when veterans return to work and learn how to build trusting relationships with them. In addition, they will get an idea of the entire path of a veteran from demobilization to returning to the workplace.
We would like to add that the High School pays great attention to the issues of psychological rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and professional adaptation. This year, in order to address the urgent issues of psychosocial support and reintegration into civilian life of veterans, the School together with the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, the International Association of Psychologists and Expert Trainers and the Trade Union of Employees of State Institutions of Ukraine held the International Conference on the Interaction of Public Servants with the Military, Veterans and Members of Their Families “There is a Challenge!”.
Together with the Regional Fund for Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries, GIZ, the program “Support for Mental Health in War Time” was developed. The program was attended by 110 representatives of human resources management services of public authorities.
In June 2024, during a training seminar for civil servants of category “A” “Human-centered values in the formation of organizational culture in the public service”, a separate block considered the place and role of organizational culture in the processes of modernization of the civil service, including the culture of interaction and communication with veterans.