Aspen Comms Lab
Aspen Comms Lab is a series of meetings of Aspen Institute Kyiv’s Communications Group, which brings together leading communications professionals from government, business, media, civil society, cultural institutions, and creative industries.
The Communications Group was created to foster professional exchange, collaborate on current communications challenges, and develop solutions that matter not only to individual organizations but also to Ukrainian society and the country as a whole.
About Aspen Comms Lab
Today’s communications challenges can rarely be addressed by a single organization or sector. They increasingly require cooperation among government, business, media, civil society, cultural institutions, and the professional communications community.
Aspen Institute Kyiv’s Communications Group brings together people with diverse professional backgrounds who are ready to look beyond the interests of their own organizations, exchange practices and expertise, and jointly seek answers to complex strategic, societal, and reputational challenges.
The group includes communications leaders and professionals from government institutions, Ukrainian and international companies, civil society organizations, media and newsrooms, cultural and creative industries, as well as independent strategic communications experts.
Our Goal
The Communications Group contributes to the development of a strong, responsible, and ethical professional communications community in Ukraine.
The group focuses on:
- finding responses to current communications challenges facing Ukrainian society and the state;
- developing strategic approaches to public-interest communication;
- exchanging experience, practices, and new tools;
- working together on complex or sensitive communications cases;
- developing recommendations, frameworks, and strategic solutions that can benefit the wider professional community.
How Aspen Comms Lab Works
Aspen Comms Lab meetings are held regularly in the form of strategic dialogues, expert sessions, and Aspen-style dialogues.
Each meeting may focus on a pressing societal or national challenge, a specific communications case, a professional dilemma, or a crisis situation. Participants also exchange practices and explore emerging trends and new tools in communications.
Depending on the topic, invited experts and representatives of other sectors join the Communications Group, bringing additional perspectives that help participants examine each challenge more deeply.
The meetings can result in practical recommendations, strategic insights, new approaches, and models for cross-sector cooperation.
Our Principles
- Honesty and respect. Open professional dialogue in which different perspectives can be heard and thoughtfully considered.
- Confidentiality. Meetings may be held under the Chatham House Rule, allowing participants to use the information they receive without attributing statements to individual speakers.
- Focus on solutions. The group aims not only to identify and discuss problems but also to seek practical responses and opportunities for collective action.
- Cross-sector collaboration. Bringing together expertise from government, business, media, civil society, culture, and creative industries allows communications challenges to be considered from multiple perspectives.
The Role of Aspen Institute Kyiv
Aspen Institute Kyiv provides a space for open and trusted conversations among representatives of different sectors, facilitates dialogue, and helps structure the group’s work and translate its ideas into practical recommendations and next steps.
Aspen Comms Lab is also part of the Institute’s broader work to advance responsible leadership and a culture of dialogue in Ukraine.
