Give Yourself a Chance: a national campaign to support Ukrainian women in their professional growth has been launched
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On March 7, the national campaign “Give Yourself a Chance” was launched to help Ukrainian women navigating in career, freelancing opportunities, and business ventures. The campaign includes a podcast and manifesto, as well as educational opportunities — an educational online course and a mentorship program — that will support women at different stages of their professional development.
Women in Ukraine continue facing numerous challenges in terms of employment and financial independence. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 4.8 million Ukrainians have lost their jobs since the beginning of the war, a significant number of whom are women. The gender pay gap remains at 18.6%, and stereotypes and discrimination limit women's opportunities in competitive industries.
The “Give Yourself a Chance” campaign within the Women For The Future initiative supported by UN Women in Ukraine and Happy Monday, was created to change this discourse. It will motivate women to develop their careers, acquire the necessary skills, and take advantage of available opportunities for professional growth.
“We observe that securing employment has become more challenging for women since the full-scale Russian invasion. There has been a rise in female unemployment and an increasing pay gap between men and women, even among those who are employed. Despite these challenges, we also see a silver lining. For UN Women, it is truly inspiring to witness the strength and resilience of Ukrainian women, especially in the face of the ongoing war. We stand in solidarity with those incredible women and look forward to supporting them on their journey,” said Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine.
Manifesto “Give Yourself a Chance”
The campaign opens with a video manifesto in which the podcast characters and speakers of the educational online course call on Ukrainian women to act. Life changes when we give ourselves a chance. A chance to learn something new, to go beyond the usual, to try something that seems impossible.
This video manifesto is the voices of those who have already taken this step and are ready to support others. You can watch the manifesto here:
“We want to help women believe in themselves and take responsibility for their professional future. Every woman deserves a decent job, career growth, and financial stability. Through our campaign, podcast, and course, we aim to give women the tools to do so,” says Anna Mazur, founder of Happy Monday.
The podcast “This is (not) for You”
On March 20, the first episode of the podcast “This is (not) for You” will be released, a series of conversations with Ukrainian women who successfully overcome professional challenges, build their own businesses, move into new fields, or return to the labor market after a forced break.
The podcast will be a source of inspiration and practical advice for those looking for new opportunities. Well-known experts, entrepreneurs and leaders will share their experience of career changes, overcoming fears and new beginnings.
Among the podcast guests: Olena Kompaniiets (astrophysicist), Sofiia Bezverkha (cultural blogger), Anna Rizatdinova (Olympic rhythmic gymnastics medalist), Kateryna Halushka (combat medic, veteran), Ella Libanova (Doctor of Economics), Viktoriya Zvarych (ballerina, entrepreneur), and others.
Educational online course “Building My Own Path”
On March 25, a free educational online course for women's professional growth "Building My Own Path" will begin to provide Ukrainian women with tools to build different career trajectories regardless of the chosen career type, field of activity, level of professional maturity and other factors.
Participants can expect:
- 8 lectures on choosing a field of activity, negotiating, developing a personal brand, building a network of contacts, etc.;
- the opportunity to join an online community of like-minded women to study together and grow professionally;
- online meetings with women leaders about their experience of career advancement.
Among the speakers of the course are top managers of leading Ukrainian and international companies: Anna Mazur (Happy Monday), Natalia Savchenko (Glovo Ukraine), Marina Avdyeyeva (Arsenal Insurance), Anastasiya Gromova (MHP), Kateryna Hlushenia (Laba Group), Yanina Nesterchuk (Ukraine & CIS Acino), Maryna Baturinets (Bazilik), Yana Honcharenko (Starlight Media).
Mentoring program
The initiative includes a mentoring program for women seeking to find a new job, restart their careers, and expand their network of useful contacts with the support of experienced mentors.
Four waves of the program are planned, each lasting two months: one has already been successfully completed (100 women received support from 47 mentors), the second is ongoing, and two more waves will be held in the summer and fall of 2025.
Where to follow the “Give Yourself a Chance” campaign?
For more information, access to the podcast and online course, please visit the Happy Monday and Women for the Future pages:
Join the campaign and give yourself a chance for new opportunities!
The "Give Yourself a Chance" campaign is part of the "Women For The Future" initiative, implemented by Happy Monday (NGO “Professionals of the Future”) within the framework of the UN Women Ukraine project “Transformative Approaches to Achieving Gender Equality in Ukraine”, funded by the Embassy of Sweden, and in cooperation with the Office of Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.