Open Space Works Ukraine
We support development, humanitarian, and civil society actors in evidence-based decision-making by qualitative research and facilitation of participatory stakeholder dialogues.
Who we are
Open Space Works Ukraine is a female-headed private social change enterprise (with two female co-founders and one male co-founder) that originated from the Open Space Works Cooperative, a collective of independent consultants in Ukraine, established in 2016.
We support development, humanitarian, and civil society actors in evidence-based decision-making by qualitative research and facilitation of participatory stakeholder dialogues.
We are committed to ensuring that our business approach creates as much good as our partner’s work. That’s why we independently support development, humanitarian, and civil society sectors by generously giving our time and resources.
We are a Ukraine-based company that works in Ukraine and East Europe.
What we do
Qualitative Research
We conduct in-depth studies for humanitarian and development sectors to understand behaviours, attitudes, and experiences.
Evaluation and Design
We assess organisations, programs and projects to inform design improvements.
Context Analysis and Stakeholder Engagement
We analyse environmental factors and engage with key stakeholders to inform strategic decisions
Large Group Facilitation
We employ participatory methodologies such as Open Space Technology and Future Search Methods to facilitate meaningful group interactions and collaborative decision-making
Capacity Building & Training
Our services are designed to strengthen an organization's capabilities and skills, enabling it to achieve its goals while adapting to evolving markets and technologies. We provide a comprehensive suite of services including: Organisational Development, Strategic Planning, Performance Management, Skill Development, Change Management, Needs Assessment.
Development Networking
We host informal gatherings for professionals working in the humanitarian and development fields. These gatherings offer a relaxed and open environment for individuals from these sectors to connect, share insights, and collaborate on initiatives aimed at fostering social and economic development and providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
Domains of Expertise
We bring expertise in a range of key thematic areas
Humanitarian Research
We specialise in conducting in-depth perception studies on humanitarian aid, particularly cash assistance, and analysing humanitarian narratives to better understand affected populations' and key stakeholders’ perspectives and needs.
Resilience and Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus
Our team focuses on assessing community resilience and facilitating the integration of humanitarian aid with development and peace-building efforts to address crises comprehensively
Livelihood and Economic Diversification
We are dedicated to exploring diversified livelihood strategies through feasibility studies and fostering entrepreneurship to spur economic growth
Civil Society Development
Our team aims to empower civil society organisations for greater advocacy, policy dialogue, and service delivery, driving social change
Civic-Military Cooperation and Veteran Policy
We are facilitating stakeholder dialogues for veteran reintegration and enhancing civilian-military collaboration to bolster community resilience
Public Institutions Reform
We specialise in organisational assessments and capacity building for public institutions to enhance governance and efficiency
Ongoing Projects
Humanitarian Studies
A qualitative study exploring community perceptions of cash assistance in Ukraine.
This study is part of a project implemented by GTS, in partnership with the Collaborative Cash Delivery (CCD) Network and funded by the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC). The findings will be used to generate recommendations directed at the CCD members and their implementing partners, other humanitarian actors and the government on how to strengthen programming in line with community feedback.
Humanitarian Studies
Managing narratives in the humanitarian response to the conflict in Ukraine
This two-year project is implemented by HPG in cooperation with OSWC as a research partner organization in Ukraine and aims to study how different narratives shape humanitarian policy decisions and determine humanitarian outcomes in Ukraine and the region. HPG will convene in-country workshops and a regional roundtable with relevant stakeholders to raise awareness of the impact these narratives have on the humanitarian response to the crises and explore how they could be constructively reframed.