As part of the corporate social responsibility program, the PR bureau organized a press briefing for representatives of extracurricular education at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center.
TASK
The task was to draw attention to the controversial and divisive draft law “On Education,” which was passed by the Verkhovna Rada in the first reading on November 11, 2015. Immediately after the document was made public, it was perceived by the public as an attempt to destroy the cultural future of the Ukrainian nation.
ISSUE
Among the proposals outlined in the document is the transfer of funding for extracurricular education to local budgets. This effectively removes the state’s obligation for material support of children’s aesthetic education, making its financial provision optional. In the current economic situation, this is likely to lead to the liquidation of state-funded extracurricular aesthetic education.
According to this draft law, children’s aesthetic education institutions must be reorganized, restructured, or liquidated. The state intends to make them self-sustaining, meaning the cost of extracurricular arts education for a child could reach 3-4 thousand UAH per month. For families who cannot afford such fees, access to arts education will be closed off.
PROJECT
The PR bureau developed the key messages for the crisis PR campaign, reflecting the significant implications of the controversial draft law and its potential consequences for Ukrainian society. The communication tools for the campaign, based on the specifics of its content, included: a press briefing, a petition on the official website of the Verkhovna Rada, and a post-release with the results of the press briefing.
With the help of the press briefing, we:
- Drew public attention to a socially significant issue;
- Announced the positions of community activists and industry experts;
- Initiated a social discussion;
- Engaged government representatives in the conversation.
Representatives of government agencies, including the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, also attended the press event organized by the agency. Although they were not among the invited guests, they could not ignore such a significant event as the public discussion.
The video from the press briefing can be viewed here:
