Having gone through multiple court trials with their ups and downs, the editorial office eventually became independent. However, her experience in the “corridors of power” left a dent in the confidence of the editor-in-chief.
“I had to deal with senior officials in the regional council that do not accept women in management positions at all. I was often ‘called onto the carpet’ to be talked down to. I felt that they were not communicating with me as equals. That they saw me as a second-rate person.”
This situation prompted Nataliia to think about acquiring a certain skillset, primarily leadership skills as a woman.
“In general, there are significantly fewer women in leadership positions than men in, say, local self-government. And even if a woman takes such a position, she is often not seen as an equal, as a leader. That is why training through female spaces such as the Women’s Leadership School helps to develop leadership qualities and build self-confidence”, said Kateryna Korenkova, expert of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme.
“The Women’s Leadership School” is a project of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme designed to foster a safe and favourable environment for women leaders who want to play a more significant role in politics and public life.
“Supporting women has been a touchstone of U-LEAD’s activities for many years, and we involve various qualified actors to work on this direction. This time, we turned to the Women’s Information and Consultative Centre, which has been active in the field of advocacy and support for gender equality in Ukraine for many years.”
Experts planned to develop and implement a war-related training course that would cover overcoming the effects of the war and help develop initiatives relevant to women in municipalities. Through collaborative efforts, a course of 12 lectures, 6 motivational public events and two online meetings was designed.
““We invited experts who, through various components, explained the value of female leadership, support and networking and showcased how this path of women’s participation was built historically,” said Inna Nalyvaiko, Assistant at the Women’s Leadership School Project.”
A total of 60 women representing the Zakarpattia, Vinnytsia, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv Oblasts joined the School’s activities long-term.
“In addition to teaching women, our training course attempts to provide them with support, to show that they are believed in, that their ideas are believed in, to present them with the tools to turn their ideas into concrete projects.”
Today Nataliia Zvoryhina splits her life between two cities. Through the Women’s Leadership School, she became a member of the Public Council under the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Freedom of Speech.
“In Kyiv, in the public council, I am the only one who represents regional media. I’m intimately aware of the utmost importance of developing media in the regions. After all, if the Donbas region had some Ukrainian-language media, the situation in 2014 could have been very different.”
The editorial office of Zaporizka Pravda works online, actively keeping the local public informed. Despite all the trials and tribulations, the newspaper will celebrate its 107th anniversary this year.
“For me, this School taught me how to unite and bring people together, as it is vital for us to survive and fight our way to Victory, and we can only do so together”, said Nataliia.
