Supporting Women's Leadership: Career Board Game Piloted as Part of an International Project Involving Karazin University Representatives

26 october 2026 year

International activities

Pilot sessions for a board game designed to help women in academia plan their professional development and identify career advancement opportunities have been held. The game was developed as part of the international project “From Career Roadmap to Career Boardmap: Building Institutional Support for Women Leaders in Academia in Ukraine”, with V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University as one of its partners.

Representatives of higher education institutions from Lviv, Kyiv, and Kharkiv took part in the initial pilot sessions. The game is based on a career roadmap that helps participants reflect on their current stage of professional development, identify barriers and opportunities for growth, and plan their next steps. The game also highlights the institutional support needed to help women realise their leadership potential at universities.

During the pilot sessions, participants tested the game mechanics and content, shared their personal experiences, and provided suggestions for improvement. The feedback collected will help refine the tool before the main game sessions are held.

The project aims to strengthen institutional support for women's leadership in Ukrainian higher education. Developing and piloting the game is one practical step towards achieving this goal. The tool is designed to help participants connect their individual career plans with opportunities for support at the university level.

The project is jointly implemented by the University of Bedfordshire (United Kingdom), Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, and the NGO Innovative Generation. The initiative has received grant funding through the British Council's Gender Equality Partnerships under the Going Global Partnerships programme.

Lviv National Academy of Arts and Tech StartUp School supported the organisation of the pilot sessions.

We thank our partners for their support and assistance in organising the events, and the participants for their openness to sharing experiences and their constructive suggestions for improving the game.