On February 26, interns took part at a round table on “Lobbying in Ukraine and Abroad: Experience, Problems, and Prospects” was held in Kyiv (organized by the Ministry of Justice Working on Lobbying with support of PDP-II and the Fulbright Program in Ukraine). More than 80 participants from executive and legislative structures as well as civil society participated in the meeting. Informational materials regarding lobbying legislation and practice in Europe and the United States was prepared by PDP-II. The Concept of the Lobbying Law was presented by the Working Group which has been formed by the Ministry of Justice and which PDP-II helps to facilitate. A special website (lobbying.in.ua) has been established by the working group to solicit broad public feedback to the concept presented. This is an innovative approach to broad public policy discussion of a major issue faced by Ukraine.

On 24 February a kick-off lesson of the debate school took place. The curriculum of the program designed in a way to be interesting, involving and practical for the interns. It is planned to have a learning session on rules of conducting parliamentary debate of British format. The program includes organizational, methodological, role-game and entertaining parts. The interns are coached by Anastacia Moscalenko, Vice-president of All-Ukrainian Youth Organization “Debate Academy”. Parliamentary Development Program for Ukraine allocates much time of the program on developing presentation, oratorical skills of the interns. Especially, taking into consideration that debating:

The Parliamentary Internship Program was founded by the United States Association of Former Members of Congress and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in 1995. Since November 2000, the Program has been administered and financed by the Indiana University through the Parliamentary Development Project for Ukraine with support of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Over 12-year operation of the Parliamentary Internship Program, 846 young specialists in the spheres of law, political science, economics, finance etc. have done an internship with committees and departments of the Verkhovna Rada.
 
Since September 2008 PDP II   has expended the internship program to the policy-making institutions of the executive branch: ministries, Presidential Secretariat, and Cabinet of Ministers.