Igor Kohut: “Our main mission is to give ideological impulse”

WeLoveUA talk with the director of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies – Igor Kohut.

Ukrainian School of Political Studies is one of the most powerful educational projects in our country. During its existence it was able to associate more than 350 of the most successful Ukrainians under 35 years. Our portal interviewed the director of the institution – Igor Kohut. We talked about the school, its’ graduate, projects and the future of Ukraine.

WeLoveUA: USPS has been established over 11 years. This information is public. But I am interested in details: please, give some example about the influence of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies to the political process’ in our country?

Igor Kohut: It is very important to note that the school was initiated by the program “Laboratory of legislative initiatives” and the Council of Europe in November 2005. The USPS launched on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Ukraine’s accession into the Council of Europe. At that time it was not only one such program, there were many of them. In 1993, such school was established in Moscow, also there were institutions in Armenia, Azerbaijan and other countries. Nowadays they are even in Morocco and North Africa.

Director of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies – Igor Kohut

So nowadays schools apply to non-European country?

Undoubtedly. Although they dominated on post-Soviet area, Balkan countries and states of the Vishegrad Group. We are the only one project where motivated people can show character of  spheres of their career. Among our students there are politicians and social activists, journalists. Owing to USPS, they can exceed the bounds of their profession. This is positive aspect. I believe that this is the secret of the USPS success. Especially, for teaching we invite to school quite non-trivial people like Julia Mostova …

… Svyatoslav Vakarchuk …

These people have huge experience and are ready to share with others. On the other hand, few years ago we were subsidized project by the Council of Europe, and now we’ve introduced a special contribution. But it does not stop people: there are businessmen, politicians and journalists.

Well this information is on the USPS’ website. However, as I said, I am interesting in details: which of the graduators are working in the spheres of Ukrainian politics or affecting to the public life?

Details? Let’s take to the account the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. There are a group of deputies, which graduated our school. For example, Anna Hopko. She is well-known activist and now she is politician. Deputy Alexey Ryabchenko also graduated our school. Among the graduates there is previous Head of Sarny Sergei Yevtushok. Also Victoria  Ptashnyk, Alexandra Staruha and Elena Sotnyk were students of our school. Public activist Marina Cherenkova, who is the hostage in DNR, is also our graduator.

There are many famous names. Do you keep up of the future of graduates? Perhaps there are some programs on employment.

Let’s just put all the dots on the “i”: this is not a school that guarantee engagement. We are people, who have already achieved something. The average age of those is 30 years. These people have achieved great success. For example, once CEO of «ICTV» Alexander Bogucki and outstanding Ukrainian doctor Oleg Petrenko came to our school. Our graduates work in government, for example, Alexander Pavlenko and Sergei Petukhov. So it is unnecessary to employ anyone, we just debating and meeting with the best representatives’ of Ukrainian areas of public life. Here they can create social and political projects.

So, you do not employ anyone. On the other hand, you can be a significant employer for government. Are they using this opportunity?

We get such a “order” from regional administrations. Moreover, we have some agreement with them on this.

At the same time, we have no obligations to anyone. Our main mission is to give students the ideological impulse.

The next part of the interview will be published in the shortest time