The Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP)
Programme structure
The programme is divided into two parts.
Part 1
Firstly, the training programme consists of 12 themes connected to EU accession chapters and UN SDGs. Each theme, and its activities, is an example of how to increase citizens’ or societal engagement in public affairs and how to design an appropriate public structure to include societal engagement. Some are focusing on preconditions for engagement, such as the importance of transparency. Others are focusing on methods of involvement and inclusion, for example e-democracy or how to foster youth to active citizens. Jointly the activities are aligned with the values of the European Union and support the countries current work with the EU accession process.
Part 2
The second part of the programme consists of follow-up activities in the form of peer-shadowing opportunities and project work. Participation in these activities is limited to selected participants, based on an application and selection process. The activities are designed to help participants experience and pilot ideas from the training programme in real-world settings.
Learning methods
The programme is designed as a joint learning process with participants from different societal sectors – public institutions, civil society and private sector. From experience we are convinced that learning is best achieved by collaborative and knowledge-sharing exercises. The participants will be encouraged to contextualise and make the knowledge and tools of the programme applicable and relevant for their own organisation and society.
The programme aims to give you:
- Increased knowledge of methods to make public governance more inclusive and participatory.
- A deeper understanding of various strategies and best practices that promote citizen engagement and transparency in governance.
- Enhanced capability to implement methods of inclusion and participation.
- Improved ability to adapt, design, and tailor methods and tools of inclusion and participation to specific legal, cultural, and institutional environments, ensuring they are both applicable and contextually useful.
- An expanded professional network of peers, both nationally and regionally.
Why PARTGOV at Malmö University?
Rebuilding trust in democracy and advancing the rule of law are critical for Eastern Partnership countries as they pursue closer ties with the European Union. However, political polarization, societal divides, and shrinking civic space continue to undermine reform efforts and erode public trust in governance. Currently, we are witnessing a global trend towards autocratization. This trend refers to the gradual erosion of democratic institutions and practices, leading to more authoritarian forms of governance and allowing widespread corruption. This includes the weakening of free media, civil society, and an independent judiciary. We see increased repression of political opposition, activists, journalists, and academia, aiming to silence dissent and consolidate control. For civil servants, there is a risk of reduced professional autonomy, increased political pressure, suppression of dissent, and a rise in corruption and patronage networks. In the participating countries, there is a need to mitigate and curb the risk of such developments.
Our programme is designed with these threats in mind. We strongly believe that by fostering a culture of transparency and accountability, participatory governance helps bridge societal divides and build trust between citizens and their governments.
The themes in the programme are proven to be concrete ways to increase transparency, democratic norms, and citizen engagement. The aim is to leverage academic and experienced knowledge to provide context-adapted, hands-on strategies and means that can be implemented. The emphasis throughout the programme is on strengthening capabilities to enable a more transparent, inclusive, and participatory society, giving participants the opportunity to pilot and implement these tools and methods. By focusing on for example consultative processes, transparent lobbying, participatory budgeting, social audits, and accountability measures, we aim to support resilient democratic institutions. These efforts will not only address immediate governance challenges but also help to lay the groundwork for sustainable democratic development, fostering a culture of openness and accountability that can withstand future pressures. By implementing these strategies, the programme aims to create a more transparent, inclusive, and participatory society.
Follow-up activities provide opportunities for the participants to implement and pilot methods and practices covered in the training programme.
Collaboration partners
PARTGOV is a collaboration between the State Chancellery of the Republic of Moldova, the Strategic European Governance and Resilience Institute (INSTEG) and Malmö University.
If you are applying from Belarus, Azerbaijan or Georgia
*Belarus, Azerbaijan, and Georgia can only receive participants from civil society.
Testimonials
Alumni share their experiences from the programme and what you can expect.
Testimonials
Alumni share their experiences from the programme and what you can expect.
Daniela Ermurchari, Senior Consultant at the Ministry of Energy, Republic of Moldova
For me, the PARTGOV programme was more than just a training program. It was an opportunity to step outside my own context and understand how other people actually think about their communities, the challenges they face, and the future. Coming from the fields of public administration, public policy, and European integration, I discovered that sometimes the most important lesson isn’t a solution you can adopt, but rather a new perspective on a problem you thought you already understood. The discussions, meetings, and experiences in Moldova and Sweden have made me look differently at participation, the role of citizens, and the way solutions for communities are conceived. I’m leaving with new ideas, with perspectives that have challenged my own assumptions, and with the desire to bring this perspective back to Moldova.
Zaruhi Arzumanyan, Guest Relations Officer,the Start-Up Armenia Foundation
The programme is a great opportunity to look at participatory governance from different perspectives. Experiencing the programme in both Chișinău and Malmö was also very valuable, as Moldova’s context, as a fellow post-Soviet country, felt closer to Armenia’s starting point, while Sweden provided a different perspective on where we can go and how participatory governance can develop in a more established system. Seeing these two contexts side by side gave me a much clearer understanding of the trajectory that countries like Armenia can work towards, while showing why and how seemingly universal solutions need to be adapted to each country's own context and realities.
Beyond the very interesting lectures with insights from local professionals, one thing that was particularly valuable for me was that it went beyond the curriculum. One of the most eye-opening parts was having the opportunity to speak directly with young people from countries of the Eastern Partnership. Hearing their experiences, challenges and perspectives firsthand made the regional context much more real and personal.
For me, that combination of learning, diverse perspectives, cultural experiences, real-life examples, from discussions with peers to in-person visits such as visit in the Helsingborg Innovation District, is what makes PARTGOV in Malmö so valuable. It broadens your perspective, connects you with people you would otherwise probably never meet, and gives you ideas and experiences that you can take back and put into practice in your own context.
Vitaliy Nosok, Head of Expert Group at the Ministry of Education and Science, Ukraine
PARTGOV is a programme after which the word "participation" ceases to be a beautiful term from presentations and turns into a completely practical question: how to actually involve people in decisions and not just put a checkmark next to "consulted stakeholders". Here, theory, real cases, discussions, and the experience of participants from different countries have been successfully combined – from transparency and citizen engagement to collaborative and co-governance. But the greatest value is people. You come with your own experience, and you return with dozens of new ideas, contacts, and a healthy desire to slightly redesign the system. If it seems to you that public administration could be more open, collaborative, and humane – apply. And be prepared to talk a lot, think, argue, and change your own opinion from time to time. This is probably the best side effect of PARTGOV.
