The International Carpathian School is a multi-vector platform for informal education, which, according to the organizers’ concept, is designed to bring together representatives of educational institutions in the fields of education and art, craftsmen, scientists and scholars, public figures, proactive and creative people to develop the Carpathian region on the basis of sustainable development of vulnerable territorial communities.

The Carpathian School combines scientific lectures, ethnographic research, master classes, and educational trips, and demonstrates ways to establish cooperation between local authorities, businesses, and public organizations. The thematic areas of the School’s work cover the preservation of national cultural heritage, the development of international tourism, the preservation of biodiversity, and the state of education for sustainable development. The organizers of the School identified as a separate task the highlighting of the role of communities, entrepreneurs, and local authorities in the implementation of strategic directions for the development of the region. In particular, priority goals were set in the areas of cultural heritage preservation, recreation and tourism, and educational and awareness programs for young people.

The School has strengthened understanding of current trends in society and the dominant role of communities in responsible decision-making. Participants have the opportunity to study the directions and methods of self-organisation of the local population, analyse the instruments of formation of spiritual values and ethno-cultural traditions of Kosivshchyna and the adjacent parts of Verkhovyna, Kolomyia, Vyzhnytsia, and Yaremcha. The moral and ethical values of local communities were explored during excursions to national nature parks, folk art workshops, visits to exhibitions of national cultural heritage museums, as well as temples of leading religious denominations.