To address systemic legal problems communities should rely on their own knowledge: identify a gap, analyze its causes and choose an alternative to fill this gap.
Human Rights Friendly Community Program helps grass-roots initiatives (teams) to develop and conduct legal needs surveys in communities. Program activities include:
- competitive selection of communities interested in conduction of legal needs surveys;
- trainings for communities’ teams (‘how to conduct surveys’, ‘how to use advocacy instruments in promoting access to legal aid’);
- with the help of practitioners’ group, each of the selected team designs research program and conducts it’s own survey;
- teams pitch survey’s findings among their communities and advocate strategy for resolving of identified problems.
On the basis of surveys’ findings, teams initiate developing local A2J programs or use other tools to make a systemic change for ensuring access to justice in their communities. The programs supports them in these efforts as well.
Educational and practical program “Human Rights Friendly Community Program” has been being implemented by the Ukrainian Access to Justice School of Practice since 2019 on the basis of the network of legal clubs #PRAVOKATOR with the support of Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision, International Renaissance Foundation, Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation, partner organizations and institutions, and administered by Legal Development Network.