A pioneering programme

Over the summer, Warwick teamed up with the Ukrainian Leadership Academy to create a pioneering seven-day co-creation programme - Leadership for Educational Transformation - for 40 Ukrainian leaders.

We spoke with Ukrainian national Bo Kelestyn, Associate Professor at WBS and founder of the programme, to find out more about its impact.

Tell us about the programme and its goals...

"Working closely with Professor Gwen van der Velden and colleagues at the School of Education, Learning and Communication Sciences (SELCS), we created a pioneering programme for educational leaders in Ukraine, with a focus on post-war rebuilding and transformation.

We drew on internal expertise from educational leaders across Warwick and invited two external experts on post-war development, as well as several local school leaders.

The programme was co-created with the Deputy CEO of the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, Ivanna Kurtyk, and with input from Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Digital Transformation. The recently-published Education Reform Vision (or Viziya) additionally guided us in shaping the programme and the aims of this knowledge exchange."

How was the idea for the programme formed?

"The idea came to me in May 2022, after reaching out to the co-founder of the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, Roman Tychkivsky (we both come from Rohatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk region) to see what support was needed by the education community in Ukraine.

Having learnt so much from Gwen and other WIHEA colleagues, I have seen and experienced first-hand the transformational power of educational leadership development.

As well as working on scholarships for the Ukrainian Leadership Academy students, who joined the Warwick Summer School in summer 2022, I wanted to find a way to impact Ukraine's education in a deeper, more sustainable way. As a Ukrainian member of staff and alumna, I felt I was well placed to engage the Warwick community and co-create something that is impactful, as well as culture- and context-sensitive."

Bo (centre) with Gwen van der Velden (Professor of Education) and Ivanna Kurtyk (Deputy CEO of the Ukrainian Leadership Academy)

How did the sessions work in practice?

"The programme was accredited as a Postgraduate Award (PGA) - participants engaged in daily workshop activities, discussions and readings, while working in action learning sets.

Each learning set had a volunteer mentor (a senior Warwick leader), matched on the needs and priorities of the Ukrainian educational leaders allocated into that set. By the end of the week, all sets delivered group presentations and are now working on individual assignments to gain the PGA.

As part of the programme, we also held panels with external experts on post-war sector development and local school leaders and secondary education experts, arranged sessions with colleagues from Warwick Innovation Group and Flexible Online Learning, and arranged a visit to Warwick School. The engagement did not stop there - there are several online sessions with the group running between September and December 2023."

What did attendees have to say about their learnings?

"The feedback we have seen so far was very encouraging. Gwen and I have been amazed to hear about several joint projects, funding bid submissions and meet-ups that the participants have already been working on since returning to Ukraine."

R: The attendees of the programme hold up the Ukrainian flag

For you, what has been a particular highlight of the programme?

"It has been a very emotional journey of 15+ months to get to this point. I am not entirely sure I have fully processed the significance of what I have achieved here.

The highlight for me would have to be receiving a gift of a Ukrainian flag signed by everyone in the group on the last day of the programme. I am getting emotional just recalling the moment and writing this answer. It has been an honour to serve the country and this amazing community of educators in this way."

I am still overwhelmed by the amount of support, generosity, and kindness from all involved. A powerful reminder that Warwick firmly stands with Ukraine."

- Bo Kelestyn, WBS Associate Professor and founder of the Leadership for Educational Transformation programme

Warwick has pledged to support Ukraine in a number of ways. On a more individual level, how do you believe staff can best offer help?

"I am so grateful to all the Warwick colleagues and students who have done so much and continue to stand with Ukraine. There is still a lot of work to be done:

• Donate, where you can.
• Share fact-checked social media posts about the war, sign petitions, or listen to Ukrainian music on streaming channels such as Spotify.
• Learn about Ukraine. One of my WBS colleagues recently recommended Timothy Snyder's lecture series on the history of Ukraine. It's eye-opening!
• As the festive season approaches, consider buying from Ukrainian brands. Made with Bravery is a great place to start, but I would be delighted to point anyone in the right direction - just reach out."