Dialogue for Understanding e.V.

16/06/2026

The Hidden Wounds of War: Why Ukraine’s Youth Need Our Urgent Support 💔

A heartbreaking reality is unfolding in Ukrainian classrooms. Recent data highlights a worrying spike in teenage bullying and cyberbullying. Experts confirm that this aggression isn't just misbehavior - it is a direct manifestation of severe war trauma, chronic stress, and displacement. When children are constantly exposed to air raids and instability, their psychological distress often transforms into outward aggression, leaving schools and families overwhelmed.

To tackle this crisis, our initiative "Trauma pedagogy for Ukrainian schools" has actively trained teachers and school psychologists from 75 educational institutions in trauma-informed care. We have seen firsthand how structural support helps children regain hope, but the need is still growing. We are fully committed to carrying this vital project forward to reach even more schools. Specialized mental health and trauma-informed educational programs are more critical than ever.

Teachers and local psychological teams are doing incredible work on the ground, but they cannot do it alone. Ongoing international solidarity and structured donor funding are vital to ensure every child gets the psychosocial support they deserve. We must keep the spotlight on the mental health crisis facing Ukraine’s youth.

What are your thoughts on how the international community can better support trauma-informed education in conflict zones? Let us know in the comments below, and please share this post to raise awareness.

The link to our project is in the comments section.

The project was realized thanks to the contribution of Auswärtiges Amt and Eberhard-Schöck-Stiftung and the collaboration of Обʼєднання «Агенція розвитку освітньої політики and Sozialpädagogisches Fortbildungsinstitut Berlin-Brandenburg.

#АРОП

The number of teenage victims of bullying is rising in Ukrainian schools. Experts attribute this to war trauma and chronic stress among teenagers.

15/06/2026

Memory Wars: Lithuania Rejects Moscow's Claims Over Soviet Graves 🇱🇹

Vilnius has firmly rejected Moscow’s accusations of desecrating Soviet soldiers’ remains, calling the claims "false and absurd." The dispute sparked after the Elektrėnai municipality decided to respectfully rebury over 100 World War II soldiers from city centers to local cemeteries, following proper archaeological investigations. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow is deliberately distorting the situation to build a negative image of Lithuania and justify its own geopolitical actions. 🏛️

Lithuanian experts point out that these secondary burials in town centers were originally used by the Soviet Union to promote its wartime narrative - a policy modern Russia continues to push. In response to Moscow's threats of criminal prosecution, Lithuanian diplomat Jolanta Tubaitė reminded Russia of its own destruction of Lithuanian cultural heritage sites, including memorials to political prisoners and deportees in Tomsk, calling for their immediate restoration. 🛑

What is your view on how regional heritage and historical memory are being reshaped today? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

Vilnius has rejected Moscow’s accusations of desecrating Soviet soldiers’ remains in Lithuania, calling them false and a...

12/06/2026

🌍✨ Preparing for She Can III: Women for Ukraine’s Democratic and European Path

We recently met online with the participants of our upcoming training in Berlin, an inspiring group of women from educational institutions, youth centres, youth councils, local administrations and community initiatives across Ukraine.

During the meeting, we introduced our project and the participants introduced themselves, their organizations and the work they are already doing in their communities: strengthening youth participation, supporting young people from rural areas and national minority communities, developing youth spaces, mentoring young people, promoting media and political literacy, and creating opportunities for young people to become active in local decision-making.

She Can III builds on our previous work and focuses on women’s leadership, youth participation and democratic engagement in the context of Ukraine’s EU integration.

The upcoming training in Berlin will focus on EU integration, participation and youth engagement, as well as fundraising and proposal writing. One of the key goals is to prepare the participants to become trainers themselves. After the training, they will implement follow-up trainings for adults in Ukraine and develop project ideas that can later be supported through small grants.

A second important part of the project will be the EU Participation Labs for young people. These interactive formats will help youth better understand EU integration, local participation and ways to engage in their communities. Young people will also be invited to develop their own project ideas, with selected initiatives receiving support for implementation.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming this committed and experienced group in Berlin and to working together on new ideas for democratic participation, youth engagement and Ukraine’s European future.

The project is implemented by Dialogue for Understanding e.V. in cooperation with 3.5 відсотків, Обʼєднання «Агенція розвитку освітньої політики, with the financial support from Auswärtiges Amt and Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend.

#ВонаМоже

11/06/2026

Beyond Russia vs. the West: What Armenia’s election means for peace 🇦🇲

International headlines focus strictly on whether Armenia is leaning toward Moscow or the West. But the reality is far more complex. In a new guest commentary, Dr. Gevorg Avetikyan (Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient) breaks down why the latest election results will deeply impact the peace dialogue with Azerbaijan.🕊️

While Prime Minister Pashinyan won, he fell short of a two-thirds constitutional majority. This leaves him unable to unilaterally change the constitution - a key demand from Baku for a final peace treaty. As a result, both nations may have to pivot to a more pragmatic path of gradual economic and trade cooperation instead of an immediate, comprehensive treaty.

Read the full guest analysis via the link to our website in German.

The project “Common Ground: Armenia-Azerbaijan Dialogue” is implemented in cooperation with Civic Initiative Support and the Institute For Human Rights, with generous support from the
Auswärtiges Amt.

Armeniens Wahl birgt weiterhin eine offene Spannung - und sie ist über die Dichotomie Russland versus Westen hinaus von Bedeutung

09/06/2026

Last week, we held the second expert meeting within our project “She Can III – Women for UA Democratic and European Path”.

Together with our Ukrainian experts and partners, we worked on the structure of the upcoming Berlin training, discussed the methodological logic of the programme, and prepared the next steps for working with participants. The meeting helped us to further sharpen the training concept and connect youth participation, women’s leadership, EU integration, project development, fundraising, and local democratic engagement into one coherent learning process.

At its core, She Can III is about strengthening women and young people as active actors of democratic change in their communities. The project creates space for leadership development, mentoring, Participation Labs, and local initiatives that enable participants to move from ideas to concrete civic action.

In the current Ukrainian context, this work is closely linked to questions of recovery, resilience, and European integration. Supporting inclusive local governance and meaningful civic participation is not only important for today’s communities, but also for Ukraine’s democratic future.

The project is implemented by Dialogue for Understanding e.V. in cooperation with 3.5 відсотків, Обʼєднання «Агенція розвитку освітньої політики, with the financial support from Auswärtiges Amt and Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend.

SheCan #ВонаМоже

07/06/2026

🌍 Countering Polarization: Apply Now for "The Great Divide" Summer Courses! 🌍

Are you looking for a space to discuss democracy, human rights, and political philosophy across borders? We are excited to announce the upcoming phase of our project "The Great Divide: Civic Education in Exile"! This program opens up critical spaces for dialogue in times when they are needed, this program opens up critical spaces for dialogue in times when they are needed the most. 📚✨

Starting June 17, we are launching four incredible, completely free online courses led by renowned experts. Participants will dive deep into war and peace, political philosophy, and strategies for dealing with authoritarianism. Plus, the program includes a unique Summer School in Armenia from August 27 to September 3!

Here is a glimpse of the upcoming courses you can join:
• "The End of War" with philosopher Arseniy Kumankov – analyzing how armed conflicts end politically and socially.
• "How to Talk to People with Opposing Views?" with historian Ilya Venyavkin – practical tools for dialogue in polarized times.
• "Texts of a New Time" with journalist Boris Grozovsky – a book club exploring authoritarianism and how to resist it.
• "Conflict of Interpretation" with philosopher Sven Gerst – exploring core dilemmas of freedom, justice, and power (held in English).

Applications are open until June 10! Don't miss this opportunity to learn, reflect, and connect. Check out on our website the details (in German): https://dialogue4u.org/veroeffentlichung/the-great-divide-startet-in-den-sommer/

Do you know someone who would benefit from these free educational courses? Tag them in the comments below to share this opportunity! 💬👇

This project is realized thanks to the contribution of the Auswärtiges Amt.

06/06/2026

🌍 Moving past individual blame: Why Europe’s real challenge is the lack of a unified Russia strategy.

Our Executive Manager weighs in on the current state of European security. The focus shouldn't just be on individual political figures, but on building a coherent, long-term strategic framework for the EU to address pressing geopolitical challenges and safeguard regional stability. 🤝

🔗 Link to the full statement on our website in German.

Europa braucht nicht nur jemanden, der mit Russland spricht, sondern Klarheit über Ziel und Mandat. Warum Ukraine, Armenien und Zivilgesellschaft Teil derselben Sicherheitsfrage sind.

05/06/2026

Armenia Caught in a Web of Dependencies: What’s at Stake in the Upcoming Elections

Beyond the usual headlines of a seemingly straightforward pivot between Moscow and Brussels, Armenia heads into its upcoming parliamentary elections tangled in a dense web of unyielding systemic pressures.

From the security vacuum left by its frozen CSTO membership and deep infrastructural reliance in the energy sector, to an increasingly asymmetrical war over facts in the media—the country is navigating complex shades of gray and existential dilemmas that defy simple answers.

👉 Read more on our project page (in German): https://dialogue4u.org/veroeffentlichung/armenien-vor-der-wahl-und-im-netz-der-eigenen-abhaengigkeiten/

Wer die Entwicklungen in Armenien im Vorfeld der Parlamentswahlen am 7. Juni 2026 verstehen will, muss die Perspektive wechseln.

04/06/2026

4 years of war: How has daily life inside Russia truly changed? 🌍🔍

While European headlines often focus on macroeconomic shifts, the reality for ordinary citizens, independent media, and civil society is different. The International Institute for Peace - IIP recently hosted a panel discussion exploring the growing state control, military-patriotic education, and intense crackdowns on alternative voices inside Russia.

We are incredibly proud to see our brilliant colleague, Angelina Davydova, sharing her deep expertise alongside fellow political analysts and economists. Together, they shed light on how the ruling class has shifted, how the civil sector has steadily declined, and how public discourse is being systematically suppressed. 🤝✨

What is your view on how regional civil societies can best support independent voices under such extreme state pressure? Let's talk in the comments below! 👇

🎥 Check out the full panel recording on Youtube!

Recorded May 26th, 2026 at the International Institute for Peace (I...

03/06/2026

Only two weeks left to secure your spot for an unforgettable journey to Armenia! ⏰

The countdown is on! You have until June 19, 2026, to apply for our unique study trip taking place this September (22–29). If you want to understand how grassroots civil society drives real change in the face of immense geopolitical challenges, this is the experience you've been waiting for. 🧭

We are leaving the tourist tracks behind to meet the people shaping Armenia’s future. Imagine discussing regional security with experts from the Regional Center for Democracy and Security, or sitting down for lunch at a social enterprise in Gyumri run entirely by inspiring youth with disabilities at the Emili Aregak Center. 🤝
From hearing first-hand testimonies about the displacement from Nagorno-Karabakh to exploring ancient monasteries, tasting local wines, and baking traditional Lavash bread—this trip balances heavy political realities with the warm, resilient soul of Armenian culture. 🍇🥖

Spaces are limited to ensure high-quality exchanges and networking among participants. Don't miss out!

👇 Full itinerary, costs, and registration link can be found in the first comment.