eng 
укр 
On December 16, at the meeting of the Ukrainian Association of Adult Education, the results of the 5th All-Ukrainian competition of the best projects in the area of adult education were summed up.
In the nomination "The best educational project on activating local communities" the honorable 2nd place was taken by the Festival of non-formal education "The art of studying together" implemented at Sumy State University.
"The Art of Studying Together" is a festival of non-formal education, which took place on October 13, 2021, at the Congress Center of SumDU: 36 exciting trainings in three areas ("Art", "Study", and "Together"). The festival was organized at SumDU with the participation of the NGO "Lifelong Learning Centre", the Celle People's University, and with the support of the German Embassy in Ukraine, DVV International in Ukraine and Sumy City Council. Initiators and leaders of the festival: the head of the Department of International Economic Relations Yuriy Petrushenko, and the head of Oleg Balatskyi Department of Management Hanna SHVINDINA.
According to the innovative concept developed by the organizers, the festival of non-formal education "The Art of Studying Together" is the educational event that will bring together residents of Sumy who want to receive additional education and teachers/trainers (also residents of Sumy) who have knowledge and experiences they want to share.
The purpose of the festival is to promote lifelong learning among the residents of Sumy, the development of non-formal education in the city, its focus on the current educational needs of citizens and the requirements of the labor market.
The festival organisers are already working to hold the festival in 2022. The application for the festival has passed the examination of public budget projects and will soon be available for voting:
Further plans are to make the festival international and traditional for Sumy.
