Civic Signals Lab: Technologies for Civic Impact (online)

PROBLEMS WE SOLVE
You are involved in civic activism or work in the media, but you feel that:

• You are exhausted by routine: All your time goes into data collection, leaving no energy for advocacy, real problem-solving for the community/society, or strategic planning.
• Your voice isn’t heard at higher levels: You see the problems in communities but lack the resources or analytics to elevate them to the national or international level.
• The audience is fatigued: Classic appeals and “trauma content” no longer work—people are ignoring your messages.
• You are under online attack: You face bots, fakes, and threats that hinder your work and damage your reputation.
• Lack of an evidence base: It is difficult to persuade authorities, audiences, or donors without structured data and visualization.

SKILLS YOU WILL ACQUIRE
We do not teach theory—we provide tools that help you achieve your goals:

• Automated advocacy: Learn to work with open data and AI monitoring to track the situation in your community or your field internationally 24/7, effortlessly.
• Digital safety & AI hygiene: How to safely use AI, recognize deepfakes, and protect your team from online attacks.
• Sentiment analysis & trends: You will learn to identify not just threats, but “growth points”—successful cases of self-organization that can be adapted and scaled.
• Rapid visualization: Master tools that turn complex numbers into clear infographics for posts or reports in a matter of minutes.
• Constructive communication: Learn to create content in the “solutions journalism” format, which doesn’t exhaust your audience but inspires the community to act.

NETWORKING AND JOINT ADVOCACY
We are building bridges between the frontline, Kyiv, and the international community.
The program includes a key networking event:

• Synergy: We will invite leading national organizations, advocacy specialists, and participants from frontline regions to collectively elevate local initiatives to higher levels.
• Co-design of a joint advocacy campaign: Together, we will develop and launch a joint advocacy campaign to amplify voices and highlight the most significant problem/solution.

PROJECT CURATOR
Alina Elivtierova is an experienced digital security expert with years of practice in implementing innovations. Alina specializes at the intersection of technology, media, and the civic sector. She will support participants throughout the project and help configure your organization’s digital ecosystem so it delivers results even in the most difficult conditions.

PARTNERS AND INTERNATIONAL SCALE
Your participation in Civic Signals Lab opens the door to a global community:
The project is part of the large-scale transformational program DDI Digital Spark, implemented as part of the project Regional Support Mechanism EECA, lead by Metamorphosis Foundation (digital transformation), in partnership with TechSoup’s Digital Activism Program team (support for digital activism);
The project is part of CIVICUS’ global Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) and aims to build a sustainable and inclusive ecosystem for digital democracy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, especially in conditions of narrowing civic space, disinformation, and increased digital risks.
Bonus for participants: In addition to training, you will gain access to TechSoup digital solutions and the opportunity to exchange experiences with activists from other countries.

HOW WILL IT WORK? 

• Duration: the program will run for 5 months (May – October 2026).
• Application deadline: May 30, 2026
• Format: online