News Archive

В Кыргызстане зарождается деколониальный дискурс

Перизат Сайтбурхан, журналистка из Кыргызстана и стипендиатка Пражского гражданского центра, об особенностях деколонизации в своей стране: “Мы – не они! Мы – свободные”

Project Funding for Armenian Grassroots Groups

Are you a new civil society group from Armenia looking to expand your network, communications, or sustainability with a new project? If so, let us hear from you!

Top 5 Ways to Motivate Volunteers: Tips from Ukraine

Volunteer coordinator with the volunteer-powered media project Ukraїner shares her advice for inspiring people to donate their time and energy.

BumpUp! Brings Content Creators Together

Instagrammers, YouTubers and TikTokers from Eastern Europe and Central Asia with a passion for social change meet up in Vilnius.

«Львівський медіафорум» допомагає українським журналістам перезавантажитись у Карпатах

«Львівський медіафорум» пропонує українським медійникам, які мають досвід роботи на передовій або пережили травмуючі події взяти участь у літній резиденції в Карпатах. Її мета — допомогти журналістам

Strengthening Ukraine’s Voice in the EU: Grants for Civil Society

We're offering grants to Ukrainian civic organisations and initiatives to support them in building partnerships with other European counterparts.

Война в Украине глазами Центральной Азии

Гражданское общество в Казахстане и Кыргызстане солидаризовалось с Украиной и украинскими беженцами, несмотря на то власти этих стран заняли опасный нейтралитет.

In Addition to Warm Food, Clothes & Shelter, Volunteers Offer Hope

How Ukrainian civil society has responded to the humanitarian crisis wrought by Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine Truth Defenders Fund

The Prague Civil Society Centre has started a special fund with a goal to raise 5 million euros in support of independent media and civil society.

How We’re Supporting Ukraine, and Why More is Needed

In the first 30 days of the Kremlin’s abhorrent war in Ukraine, we have mobilised more than half a million euros in support.

Prague Single Mothers in Solidarity with Ukrainian Women

Czech charity supporting single-parent families with clothes and household items reach out to Ukrainian women, with the spirit of giving bursting at the seams.

The Legacy of Czechoslovakia's 'Russian Aid Action' 100 Years On

As Kremlin pressure forces activists abroad, Czechs and Russian diaspora remember solidarity with Russian Civil War refugees.

Борьба с коррупцией: громкие схемы, раскрытые в 2021

Коррупция – глобальная проблема, которая влияет на весь мир. Однако благодаря неустанной работе журналистов-расследователей и антикоррупционных активистов тайное становится явным. Мы собрали пять круп

One Year After A Stolen Election, What’s Next For Belarus?

Belarus opposition say energy, hope and small successes are their most precious resources.

Finding A Way Home

Georgian campaign sparks national discussion on gender-based property inheritance discrimination and links to domestic violence.

Finally Offline! A Meetup of Ukrainian Civil Society

Three days of networking, brainstorming and fun in the vibrant Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk.

Long Story Short: Video Storytelling Open Webinar Series

Open webinar series on visual storytelling for video makers who want to take their skills to the next level.

Videofication 1.0: как делать видеоконтент в Facebook, Instagram, YouTube и TikTok без бюджета

Создание видео для социальных сетей: 5 вебинаров о главном.

Leader of Belarusian Opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Meets with Czech Civil Society

As part of her official visit to the Czech Republic, leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with representatives of Czech civil society in Prague.

Хотите как? Украинско-кыргызские дебаты о социальных изменениях (ВИДЕО)

Активисты из Украины и Кыргызстана обсуждают культуру и социальные изменения в обществе.

The Boy Band That Rocked Kazakhstan

Film documents backlash against Central Asian musical act and potential for reconciliation.

Prague Civil Society Centre Named 'Undesirable' By Russian Government

The Prague Civil Society Centre is the latest addition to the Russian Ministry of Justice list of so-called 'undesirable' organisations.

Новое гражданское общество в Кыргызстане и Беларуси: grassroots, феминизм и солидарность (ВИДЕО)

Пражский Гражданский Центр проводит брифинги, интервью и дискуссии с активными участникамиг ражданских изменений в Восточной Европе и Центральной Азии.

Podcaster Tackles Misconceptions about Eastern Ukraine

Prague Civil Society Centre podcasting school graduate brings listeners a fresh take on life in eastern Ukraine.

From Silence to Voice: Behind the 2020 Women’s Protest Movement in Belarus

The Prague Civil Society Centre and the Czech Women’s Lobby co-hosted a talk on the Belarus women’s marches.

The Show Must Go On: Video Quest Workshop Moves Online During Pandemic

Participants in the first online version of our Video Quest caption video workshop examined life through the lens of Covid-19 lockdowns.

Pandemic Civic Response

In the midst of the economic and social upheaval wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, civil society, grassroots initiatives and networks that formed seemingly overnight are responding to the crisis.

Prague Talks: From Russia with Cash

Natalie Sedletska, Ukrainian investigative reporter, joined the Prague Civil Society Centre for a discussion of her investigations in to Russian money laundering.

A Factory of Dreams: Zhanna Nemtsova on Russian Propaganda

Zhanna Nemtsova explains the techniques, aims and impact of Russian propaganda, at our “Weaponising the Media” event.

Однажды Меня Украли

Татьяна Зеленская (Кыргызстан) в партнёрстве с Kloop.kg (Кыргызстан)

Мечты за решёткой

Мурат Дильманов (Казахстан) в партнёрстве с правозащитником и бывшим политическим заключённым Расулом Джафаровым (Азербайджан).

Media Lab Puts Migrants Rights in the Spotlight

Activists & web designers from seven countries across Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia attended our media hackathon in the Czech Republic to explore how to design engaging muti-media stories.

Aerial Footage Reveals Extent of Bishkek Waste Site

New aerial footage reveals the extent of the notorious Bishkek municipal dump.

Story-telling Workshop: Sudeten Exploration

Social Entrepreneur Guzel Sanzhapova visted Osinalice, a tiny village 50km north of Prague in the heart of Czech Bohemia, as part of our story-telling workshop in 2016.

Campaign against Bride Kidnapping Launches in Kyrgyzstan

A series of animated videos from one of our visual story-telling residents garners local media attention with its powerful images and stories on the problem of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan.

How to Protect Almaty from Smog?

Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, suffers from pollution and smog. A new video by one of our art residents explores creative ways to rid the city of dangerous fumes.

Story-telling Workshop: Beauty to the Touch

Главное, не платить купюрами. Всегда плати монетами, с монетами всё просто. Чешские кроны сделаны так, что можно разобраться даже в слепую. Простите за оксюморон.

The Beginning and the End of Rusky Mir

Peter Ruzavin, a journalist and Prague Civil Society Centre fellow, explains his project – looking at what schoolbooks teach us about Eastern Europe, Russia a Central Asia.

Messages from a Prisoner of Conscience

Azerbaijani lawyer, human rights defender and former political prisoner Rasul Jafarov explains his new book, “Messages from a prisoner of conscience."

Exiled Newsrooms: How Technology Can Help

Bektour Iskender, co-founder of the Kloop Media Foundation, explains his Prague Civil Society Centre Fellowship project, exploring how independent media operate outside of their countries.

Lessons for Armenia from Czech Civil Society

Avetik Mejlumyan, a lecturer at Yerevan State University (YSU) investigates whether the experience of Czech civil society since the 1990s has lessons for modern-day Armenia.

The Ambiguity of Nationalism in East Central Europe

Dr. Valeria Korablyova, a Prague Civil Society Centre Fellow, looks at the division between aggressive and defensive nationalism in Ukraine, and the history of nationalism in the Visegrad countries.

Shrinking Space For Civil Society in Kazakhstan

Aina Shormanbayeva, human rights defender and lawyer, highlights the rising phenomenon of shrinking space in Kazakhstan – a theme she will explore during her fellowship with us.

Civil Society and Foreign Aid in Moldova

Vlada Ciobanu discusses how she will use her Prague Civil Society Centre fellowship to explore ways to boost public participation in the political process.

Dreams From Behind Bars

Murat Dilmanov, an artist from Kazakhstan, has created a series on human rights in partnership with activist and former political prisoner, Rasul Jafarov from Azerbaijan.

Kyiv Summer School: How is Ukraine Different?

We organised a two-week summer school programme with the Kyiv School of Economics and leading activists, reformers and politicians to assess the state of post-Maidan reforms in Ukraine.

Victims Speak out on Chechnya's anti-LGBT purge

A new report from the Russian LGBT Network tells the stories of gay men who were arrested, tortured and then fled Chechnya amid the republic’s anti-LGBT purge.

Empowering Women By Raising Awareness of Sexual Harassment

Union Sapari’s campaign to raise awareness of sexual harassment in Georgia has been viewed nearly 100,000 times on Facebook.

Kazakh Activists Lampoon Secretive State Spending on Propaganda

In Kazakhstan, $140m of taxpayer’s money is spent every year on propaganda. With the help of our visual story-telling scheme, activists were able to shine a light on the problem.

Fair Access to Justice

Public Union Bishkek Feminist Initiatives launched a campaign to raise awareness and challenge the apathy of the authorities towards violence against women.

Performing for Change

“I realised that a woman is free to make her own decisions.” How a travelling theatre is empowering women in rural Armenia.

Black Snow Is Falling

With the support of our art residency programme, a Russian NGO created an eye catching animation to highlight the problem of black snow caused by coal dust.

Data Plus Design Equals Impact

Prague hosted a four day data visualisation workshop that paired researchers and designers together to repackage research on some of the region’s social challenges in an engaging way.

Visualising Change

Our art residencies team up activists and artists to visually transform campaigns in a way that makes them accessible to everyone and anyone.

Supporting independent media in Kyrgyzstan

With our support, one of Kyrgyzstan's leading independent news outlets launched commercial services that will help sustain their independent journalism.

Switch: How tech can solve social issues

Switch was a call to the region for tech based solutions to social problems in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Unlock 2018: two days of innovation and inspiration

Unlock is our annual innovation platform. This year over 200 of the most creative minds in technology, civic activism, business and the arts from Eastern Europe and Central Asia converged on Prague.

Creative Campaigning

Effective campaigning is a real challenge. Our Vsyo Yasno workshops give a boost to activists trying to get their message across by pairing them with illustrators to come up with striking campaigns.

Lights, Camera, Caption

Our Almaty video school brought activists, journalists, bloggers and entrepreneurs from all over Central Asia to Kazakhstan to learn how to make effective caption videos with smartphones.

CampCamp 2018

In 2018 we hosted CampCamp in Yerevan with over 150 participants from all over Eastern Europe and Central Asia who came for four intensive days of workshops and sharing to help boost their campaigns.

Unlock 2019: A Celebration of the Possible

Unlock 2019 was our biggest and best Unlock to date bringing 250 of the most exciting activists, technologists, journalists, artists, designers and entrepreneurs to Prague.

Pandemic Civic Response Bulletin: Czech Republic

We’re sharing some of the most creative and innovative examples of civic response to the corona virus crisis, this time from the Czech Republic.

Pandemic Civic Response Bulletin: Republic of Georgia

While many resources are scarce in these difficult times, Georgia has no shortage of warm-hearted, energetic people willing to help.

Pandemic Civic Response: Armenia

Armenians, particularly young people, are responding to the coronavirus crisis with characteristic compassion and ingenuity.

Pandemic Civic Response Bulletin: Ukraine

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Ukrainians are proving once again their courage and tenacity in a time of crisis.

Pandemic Civic Response Bulletin: Kyrgyzstan

In Kyrgyzstan, volunteers are playing to their strengths to fight the coronavirus and alleviate suffering.

Unlock(ed) Moves Online

With big events on hold for the foreseeable future, Unlock, the Centre’s civic tech summit, is online with a revamped program focused on the new needs of civic activists created by the pandemic.

Podcast School Nets Budding Talent

The Prague Civil Society Centre brought hosts and creators of hit Russian and Eastern European podcasts to Tbilisi in February to share the art of podcasting.

Spring 2020 Fellows Arrive in Prague

Hailing this time from Ukraine and Armenia, the Spring 2020 Fellows are researching public broadcasting reform, voter data protection, digital security and public diplomacy best practices.

New Course for Online Educational Start-ups Now Enrolling (Where Else?) Online

A leading provider of online education in Ukraine and Prague Civil Society Centre partner has launched a course teaching others how to harness the power of e-learning.

Women’s Blogging School Sparks Inspiration In Kyrgyzstan

Women in Central Asia are determined to make their voices heard online, and the Prague Civil Society Centre stands behind them, hosting the first women’s blogging school in October.

Profiting For Purpose With Social Enterprise

In November, The Centre and Impact Hub Yerevan hosted two events in Armenia focused on social business, bringing together civil society groups interested in developing a social business.

CampCamp2019

This year we brought CampCamp to Moldova with over 250 activists, artists, designers, PR experts, influencers, podcasters, and journalists from across the region.

Corruption Knows No Borders, And Neither Do The Journalists Exposing It

With the help of a PCSC supported internship, Ukrainian journalist Alina Stryzhak is collaborating with a team of Czech investigative journalists to reveal the undisclosed and hidden assets of public

Film School For Social Good

At Osh Video Quest, students and young NGO volunteers from regional towns in Central Asia learned to make videos for social media that will draw attention to their causes.

‘Where Is Eve?’ Confronting Social Problems With Imagination

Artists and activists paired at PCSC’s Vsyo Yasno workshop create eye-catching campaign against sex-selective abortion in Armenia.

Bistro.edu Accelerator Revs Up Online Learning

Developers of the best new online learning tools from across Eastern Europe and Central Asia converged in Kyiv in June to kick-start their projects at Bistro.edu.

Switching It Op: Boosting Civic Tech in Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Switch is designed for anybody with an idea that uses technology – in the broadest sense – to transform their society, spread their message, push for change or improve their community.

‘They Had No Choice’: The New Reality for Ukraine’s Journalists

Lviv Media Forum Executive Director Olga Myrovych explains the challenges facing Ukrainian journalists and why their work is more important than ever.

An Ideathon For Ukraine's Post-war Reconstruction

Now accepting applications for Unlock Ukraine, an ideathon for civil society engaged in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Unlock Reboot: Version 2023

Decolonisation, what the AI revolution means for civil society leaders, how to connect with audiences in repressive countries, and more on the agenda at Unlock 2023, our Prague civic summit.

How can David stand up to Goliath? Follow the first International Conference on SLAPPs in Poland

From April 25th to 26th, Warsaw will host an international conference addressing SLAPPs.

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