The first meeting of this year’s VSPS Meets Russia edition was successfully held on 20 – 24 March 2017. 5 Russian participants from Arkhangelsk, Moscow, Novosibirsk and Voronezh attended the Spring School of Diplomatic Skills (SDS) organized by the European Academy of Diplomacy. During the 5 – day program they took part in workshops covering: public speaking, bilateral negotiations, leadership and team management, public diplomacy, digital diplomacy and diaspora policies, as well as written communication, effective meetings, diplomatic protocol and etiquette. The SDS was focused on developing the communication skills of the participants, providing them with a tool kit for sustaining both personal and organizational contact and relations, and proper external coverage of activities. In keeping with the theme of the VSPS Meets Russia initiative. “Empowering Civil Society”, the program helped with developing skills necessary for representatives of NGOs. Apart from taking an active part in the workshops, the participants had a chance to discover Warsaw and to network with colleagues from Afghanistan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
