Despite the complex logistics, limited resources, and shortage of specialists, the Bohdan community in the Zakarpattia region has formed a team ready to transform its community. Over the past year, the community has achieved significant progress in its development thanks to its cooperation with the U-LEAD with Europe.

The Bohdan rural community is one of the most mountainous communities in the Zakarpattia region. Spanning several localities in the Rakhiv district, it is situated in the highlands of the Carpathians. Despite the complex logistics, limited resources, and shortage of specialists, a team has been formed here that is ready to transform the community with consistent support from partners.

‘We are the most remote community, located at the top of the mountains. However, our people deserve development just as much as anyone else. When you have a logo, a strategy, and partnerships, it makes you feel like a well-established player, not a newcomer. The main thing is that we started doing all this during the full-scale invasion,’ says Stepan Milchevych, the community head.

How it started

The first step towards change was training under the programme ‘Building a Network of Authorised Local Government Representatives to Support Rural Community Development’. Mykola Haviuk (deputy village mayor for executive bodies) and Nataliia Martysh (the then project management specialist) joined the training on behalf of the community. Later, she took another course: ‘Steps for Professionals: Project Cycle Management’.

‘This training course was a real starting point for us. We were just getting to grips with the subject of projects and had no idea where to begin. But everything was explained to us and we were given support. We moved forward step by step,’ Nataliia recalls.

According to Stepan Milchevych, it was the ‘soft support’ that was important because the U-LEAD with Europe experts do not impose ready-made solutions. Instead, they provide support and advice, helping the community team to avoid common mistakes while giving them the freedom to implement solutions themselves.

What has been changed

In less than a year, with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe, the Bohdan community has:

• established a fully-fledged project, activity and investment department;
• developed a visual style for the community – the brand book is in the final stage of development and is awaiting approval, and the logo is used in public communications;
• almost completed the work on the investment passport (despite the challenge of a limited number of available land plots);
• started working on a community development strategy and has already held several meetings;
• received a series of consultations from the U-LEAD with Europe Regional Office on tourism development, international cooperation, and project writing;
• launched a youth programme called ‘My Community – My Future’, where schoolchildren explore the villages in which they live.

‘Our systematic work with the Bohdan community clearly demonstrates a trend towards developing and strengthening institutional capacity. We can see the community becoming stronger and more self-confident through the implementation of modern management approaches, the involvement of residents in decision-making, and effective cooperation with partners.

Mountainous communities have limited opportunities for economic development due to their geographical location, landscape, and natural resources. At the same time, competition between communities for recognition, human resources, investment, and the effective use of their own potential is growing. The Bohdan community’s experience is an example of good practice that can be scaled up and applied to support other mountainous areas. We prioritise such communities in our activities at the U-LEAD with Europe,’ said Pavlo Lohvinov, head of the U-LEAD with Europe Regional Office in the Zakarpattia region.

People can see their future locally

With the programme’s support, the community team created a visual style and began working purposefully to strengthen local identity. This included cultural activities, tourism, and encouraging community members to engage in dialogue about the future.

‘As part of the Community Development Strategy, we conducted a survey and were pleased to see that 70 per cent of residents want to stay in the community and see their future there. This is a powerful signal for us,’ said the community head.

The community started working with Oleksandr Koval, a tourism expert in Zakarpattia, to promote local locations and strengthen the area’s internal image. Several consultations were held and a tourism development plan was prepared. According to Nataliia Martysh, even the initial step, such as community branding, provided a tangible impetus for action.

We can already see that there are changes due to new promotional approaches. For instance, we recently filmed a video about Mykola Baraniuk, a foundry worker in our community. He works at the Livestock Support and Development Centre and in his spare time he casts bells. He is unique here. This video of ours about him has received 40,000 views in two days. Thanks to actions like this, more people are learning about our community, which is very valuable,’ she says.

Youth and education: ‘My Community – My Future’

Another initiative, developed in cooperation with the U-LEAD with Europe, is an educational programme for high school students called ‘My Community – My Future’. The concept is straightforward: to encourage children to familiarise themselves with their village and take responsibility for its development.

The team selected the most motivated 10th and 11th grade students from different schools to form research groups. Thanks to a programme developed with Oleksandr Koval’s participation, the students are exploring the architecture, nature, history, gastronomy, and other features of their villages. This knowledge will form the basis of updated promotional materials for the community in the future, with the programme participants themselves becoming its ambassadors.

‘We realised that there is still something to discover in our own community. This is especially true for children. This project teaches and forms a connection with the place where you live,’ says Nataliia Martysh.

The programme will continue after the summer holidays.

Participation in study visits and building new partnerships

Another result of our cooperation is the opportunity to get to know other communities through study trips. Thanks to the U-LEAD with Europe, the community head was able to take part in a visit to the Ternopil region to exchange experience. It was there that cooperation with one of the communities began, and in August, children from different parts of Ukraine will visit Bohdan as part of a social project focusing on health and sports.

‘We will be hosting four children’s races. We have enlisted the help of our coaches, a youth centre and children’s and youth sports school, as well as securing sponsorship. We have partnered ourselves, of course, but if it were not for the U-LEAD with Europe trip, we would not even know that such an opportunity exists,’ says Stepan Milchevych.

For a community that only five years ago embarked on the path of independent development, such connections mean more than just the exchange of experience. It means being included in a wider community where every community, even the most remote, is valued. It is also a feeling of being seen, heard, and supported.