Who are the people who create the fund's projects — the heroes of our time, Julius Caesar or just dreamers who love their work? We tried to understand the interview.

Today we get acquainted with the project manager of "School of Success" and "Realms of the Future" Igor Efymenko.

How are you? How do you like the new format of work?

After a long time in quarantine, you start to see the good in everything, but certain "buts" have not gone anywhere. The remote format requires much more effort and time to complete tasks. Especially not so much over time, it is catastrophically lacking. But in general it is an interesting experience.

How did you get into the fund?

My story at the foundation began four years ago. I passed my 4th year of university, and that made me sad and bored. I was looking for a job when I saw an ad on Facebook about "Internship 5.0". I talked to a friend and we both applied. We passed the training, then the interview — and now we are proud to go to the office for an internship. At the time, I was working on the School of Success project, after which I was a mentor on the same project twice. This experience made me realize that I can't live without so much communication, and that I am most inspired by the happy eyes of teenagers on the project. So I decided to stay in the fund, and now I am implementing my third project.

What are the valuable projects you do?

I am working on the School of Success and Realms of the Future projects. "Realms of the Future" is a very close project to me, because I studied philosophy at the university for 6 years. As a child, I was interested in complex fundamental issues, read relevant literature, but joined the circle of like-minded people only after entering the university. It seems important to me from school age to develop in children the ability to express their thoughts, analyze information and think critically. This helps to better understand the processes taking place in society and to form one's own attitude to them. "Realms of the future" provide just such an opportunity, and also become a platform for communication on important topics.

"School of success" just became love to me at first sight. I like to be a positive example for teenagers, I like to teach them useful things. This project brings together children with different backgrounds, views, mentalities, and all of them are united by the desire to change and change. At the age of 14-15, they have such goals and motivation that we did not have before the age of 18, and this is very cool. The "School of success" shows that change is in our hands. After all, we do not have to go abroad for a better life, but we can make our society and country better, we just have to want.

What do you like most about your job?

In fact, there are a lot of positive moments in my work. Sometimes there are even problems or challenges that lead to quite unexpected solutions that allow you to look at things from new angles. But most of all I like the amount of communication: sometimes I even want to be silent for an hour after work. This amount of communication is an advantage for me, because it is an opportunity to learn, to discover something unfamiliar, to hear new thoughts.

Who would you like to have coffee with now?

Just with a stranger. I like these casual conversations with people you see for the first and last time, because they are always sincere.

What advice would you give yourself as a teenager?

Believe in yourself. Ignore those who say you can't do anything and become nobody. Being persistent, maybe even stubborn. Go to the end, even if not quite sure of the destination. This is much better than constantly hesitating and not going anywhere.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by an understanding of how we are changing globally: views, history, culture. It is something that is greater than the life of an individual and that we can directly influence.

Do you have a favorite place in Kyiv?

Yes, I really like Landscape Alley, and Podil in general. But provided that there is no usual noise and crowd — only you and the light of lanterns. I especially like to walk there in autumn or summer.