Discussion Laboratory "sWORD"

01.05.2025

Building Ukraine’s Advocacy Infrastructure for International Dialogue

Ukraine’s voice is increasingly present in international discussions on war, recovery, democracy, culture, and European integration. Yet many Ukrainians who engage with international audiences face a common challenge: they often navigate complex, high-stakes conversations without access to shared communication tools, tested language, or peer support.

Diplomats, local leaders, civil servants, journalists, researchers, cultural actors, and civic advocates regularly encounter manipulative questions, rhetorical deflection, emotional pressure, and narratives shaped by years of Russian influence operations. These interactions require far more than language proficiency. They require strategic communication skills, audience awareness, and the ability to respond effectively in real time.

The Discussion Laboratory “sWORD” was created to address this gap.

Led by Kateryna Pokotylo, an intercultural communication expert and language mentor with more than twenty years of experience, the initiative brings together Ukrainian professionals who engage with international audiences and transforms their individual experience into a collective communication infrastructure.

The laboratory serves as a collaborative space where participants analyze real communication challenges, examine recurring patterns in international dialogue, test responses, and jointly develop practical advocacy tools that can be adapted and reused across sectors.

The outputs include:

Message boxes for complex advocacy topics;
Response frameworks for manipulative narratives and disinformation tactics;
Shared terminology and vocabulary for international communication;
Communication guidance tailored to specific audiences and contexts;
Peer-reviewed argumentation tools refined through collective practice.

Rather than functioning as a traditional training program, the laboratory operates as a production space for strategic communication resources. Participants contribute lessons learned from their own engagement with international institutions, media, policymakers, academics, and civil society networks. Together, they transform this experience into structured tools that strengthen Ukraine’s collective advocacy capacity.

Particular attention is given to the cognitive dimension of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Participants examine how Russian narratives continue to influence international audiences through culturewashing, whataboutism, false equivalence, and other forms of information manipulation. The laboratory helps Ukrainian advocates recognize these mechanisms and respond effectively while maintaining credibility and constructive dialogue.

Olha Chervakova

Director of the Government Relations Department at Suspilne Ukraine

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The enemy is pouring billions of dollars into latent propaganda and agents of influence abroad, manipulating their puppets in Europe disguised as refugees. They have a numerical advantage, so we must be more disciplined and composed than they are. The cost of a mistake or inaction is incredibly high.

For effective international advocacy, simply speaking English is not enough; we need to have clearly refined messages that resonate with foreign audiences. This event provided an understanding of how we can convey our internal context abroad and what messages we should use to protect our foreign partners from potential military threats as well.

The initiative emerged from a recurring need identified by Kateryna Pokotylo’s mentees and professional networks. Many participants had represented Ukraine internationally and encountered similar challenges despite working in different sectors. They lacked a space where practical experience could be collectively analyzed, systematized, and converted into reusable advocacy resources.

Discussion Laboratory “sWORD” fills that gap by creating a living community of practice where communication knowledge is continuously developed, tested, and shared.

The initiative is particularly relevant at a time when Ukraine’s recovery, security, and European integration depend not only on policy decisions but also on sustained international understanding and support. Every Ukrainian who speaks at a conference, engages with journalists, participates in cultural exchange, advocates before policymakers, or communicates with international partners becomes part of a broader ecosystem of international dialogue.

Where Ukraine lacks coordinated language and shared advocacy tools, disinformation can fill the gap.

Discussion Laboratory “sWORD” helps build the missing infrastructure.

The name reflects the project’s philosophy. It combines the power of language and advocacy: a word can inform, persuade, mobilize, and protect. The concept also resonates with Holka’s visual identity, which combines a needle, thread, and sword as symbols of connection, resilience, and advocacy. For Ukraine, effective communication is not merely a professional skill, it is an element of democratic resilience and national security.

The initiative is implemented in partnership with Bridges of Ukraine and Holka (“The Needle”), a Ukrainian civic organization working at the intersection of advocacy, democratic participation, and public-interest communication.

The laboratory currently convenes monthly in a small-group format, bringing together Ukrainian professionals with direct experience engaging international audiences. Future development includes expanding the model online to connect advocates, experts, and diaspora communities across different countries, creating a broader network of Ukrainians equipped with shared communication tools and advocacy resources.

Iryna Domnenko

Trainer and facilitator

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The meeting was useful, but also emotionally heavy, because it feels like picking at a concentrated wound. It is good that we can do this in a safe space. Overall, this is the kind of 'speaking club' you have always been looking for to practice English, but focusing on essential professional topics rather than just movies and the weather.

Leadership

Kateryna Pokotylo is an intercultural communication expert and language mentor with more than twenty years of teaching experience and a decade of preparing Ukrainian public figures, civil society leaders, journalists, and professionals for international engagement. Her work focuses on helping Ukrainians communicate effectively across linguistic, cultural, and political contexts.