Last month, IREX brought 51 newly selected educators to Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine, for a three-day training to become Learn to Discern (L2D) Ambassadors, joining a cohort of 152 highly skilled teachers who equip students and communities with skills to engage with information responsibly.

Launched at the end of 2024, the L2D Ambassador Program empowers educators to take critical information engagement (CIE) into their own hands. Ambassadors become equipped not only as teachers, but as trainers, mentors, and community leaders who adapt L2D tools to local needs and share them with students, colleagues, parents, community members, and local institutions. 

“Becoming an ambassador is an important step for me, not only in my professional development but also in taking personal responsibility for the kind of information environment that surrounds us,” said Andrii Mykhailovskyi, L2D Ambassador and Mathematics teacher. “It is an opportunity...to gain new knowledge [and] transform it into concrete initiatives for my students, colleagues, and the broader educational community.”

To date, L2D Ambassadors have delivered more than 500 community-level engagements and reached 14,000 secondary participants, including youth, older adults, and local leaders. 

In Slavuta, Khmelnystskyi Oblast, L2D Ambassador Liudmyla Potakovska and her colleague Iryna Ohorodnyk organized a media café for 18 parents of future first-grade students. Using L2D-Ed resources participants reflected on how information affects their daily lives and how they can engage with news and social media more intentionally.

The network also helps educators collaborate beyond their own schools and communities. In Berdychiv, two Ukrainian language teachers – both L2D Ambassadors – co-authored a Ukrainian language handbook for 9th grade that was officially approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Their initiative and drive created an opportunity for long-term integration of L2D tools into the national education system.

The August training marks the fourth group of L2D Ambassadors inaugurated into the cohort. Training sessions – meant to strengthen knowledge, facilitation skills, capacity to deliver trainings, and conduct outreach – included How AI Can Work for Teachers: Creating Resources, Saving Time, and Inspiring Students and Ambassadors in Action: Generating Ideas for Community Engagement.

“Three intensive days of training became a true reset for me, filled with valuable insights, new ideas, and inspiration. I returned home motivated to share knowledge, introduce new practices, and inspire others,” said Liudmyla Dubova, L2D Ambassador and Ukrainian Language and Literature teacher.

New L2D Ambassadors were joined by six Ambassador mentors from previous cohorts. These sessions facilitated relationship-building and professional development, building a stronger national network that can coordinate and advocate for CIE education even after program end.

L2D-Ed — led by IREX with U.S. Embassy support - has worked within Ukraine’s education system since 2018 to integrate critical thinking into national education policy, curricula, and teacher training. To date, the program has reached more than 7,200 teachers across more than 3,200 schools nationwide, and teachers have used L2D materials with an estimated 460,000 students.

Survey results show strong impact: 98% of teachers reported improvements in students’ critical thinking, and 95% noted more responsible online behavior among students after L2D. 

As a result of the L2D Ambassador program, Ukrainian educators and communities are equipped to expand this work with or without direct donor support. The Ambassador community builds on L2D’s successes and ensures that the program’s legacy continues to benefit Ukrainian educators, students, and communities for years to come.