On 7-13 July, Klitschko Foundation and The Aspen Institute Kyiv held a seminar ‘Aspen Teens: Fight for UA Dream. Leadership in a Time of War’ in Austria. The seminar brought together 24 teenagers aged 15-17 from all over Ukraine. Young people participated in moderated dialogues aimed at discussing the future of Ukraine and developing leadership skills through open dialogue.

This year, the project of Klitschko Foundation and The Aspen Institute Kyiv celebrates its 7th anniversary. During this time, we have engaged more than 500 teenagers and held almost 30 events.

‘The main mission of the project is to create a space where participants can express themselves freely without judgement and feel safe,’ said Angelina Osadcha, Director of the Klitschko Foundation. ‘We see each participant as a leader - whether in an organisation, in the community or at school. It is these young people who will shape our future.’

‘We involve as many young people as possible in discussing the future. Not only does dialogue form a broader view of any situation, but it also encourages joint action - locally or globally. Especially when it comes to the restoration and development of Ukraine,' underlines Yulia Tychkivska, Executive Director of The Aspen Institute Kyiv.

The participants of the seminar in Austria joined the discussion of socially important topics, eternal values, and the purpose of a leader in times of challenges; they had the opportunity to view familiar things from different angles - through the eyes of the other 23 participants of the group. The discussions were held in the format of the ‘Aspen Dialogue’, which implies that all participants have equal opportunities to speak out, communicate about the content of ideas and opinions, addressing the whole group at the same time. This helps young people to think critically, analyse information, draw conclusions, and consider more aspects of the same issue.

The evening sessions were dedicated to the group creative project ‘Leader of the Future’. In addition to meaningful discussions, the teenagers visited the University of Innsbruck, where they attended lectures on peace education, cybersecurity, and the impact of digital media, and toured the campus.

The next seminars promise to be even more interesting and useful. Follow the announcements of new opportunities on the pages of the Klitschko Foundation and The Aspen Institute Kyiv.