The synergy of interaction between leaders encourages collaboration, which inspires the creation of a society of good life

As part of the Ideas Day in Rivne region, held on July 17, participants exchanged ideas for cooperation today and in the future. The Aspen Institute Kyiv and Impact Hub Odesa, represented by its co-founder Yegor Grebennikov, organized the event. 

During the first panel discussion, “National and civil identity as a component of national resilience,” the speakers discussed how Ukrainians preserve their identity even during the difficult times of a great war and how they strengthen their resilience.

Oksen Lisovyi (Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine).

Education should be based on values, and values are its foundation. When choosing an ideological framework for post-war Ukraine, we should focus on values like freedom. Freedom cannot be achieved through vertical reform. Of course, we cannot avoid mistakes in this process, but if we involve civil society in the reforms, the transformation will be successful. 

Oleksandra Koltsova (Ukrainian public figure, singer).

There is nothing more important now than to draw the attention of young people to our culture. Young people are connected to culture, in particular, through social media. Therefore, we must create new content demonstrating that Ukraine produces something cool. Rapid transformation among young people is becoming more popular because they feel that Ukraine is excellent, and we need to maintain this level of “coolness.”

Andriy Zelinsky (political scientist, military chaplain of the UGCC).

We have become hostages to an incomplete identity definition because time cannot limit identity. National identity is very closely related to individual identity. We have many challenges ahead of us, and our identity and ontological resilience will allow us to overcome them. To do this, we need to form a vision of our future. Then it will be clearer how to get there. And we need to recall the image of the Ukrainian and the values that helped him overcome the challenges.

Yuliya Tychkivska, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Kyiv, and Denis Poltavets, Director of Program Development at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, moderated the discussion.

We thank everyone who joined the event! We remind you that the broadcasts of the Ideas Days will be held on July 20 and 22!