The fifth Ideas Festival in Odesa – inspiration, insights, and success stories

August 21st-23rd was a long-awaited weekend by the Ukrainian leadership communities, as it marked the fifth anniversary of the Ideas Festival in Odesa.

As the festival led up to the 30th Independence Restoration Day, the main topic of the weekend was “Ukraine that managed”. Thus, this year the participants focused on successes. The discussion centered around the topics of society and the state, culture and creativity, science and technology, science, media, security, economy, and entrepreneurship.

Here are the three key takeaways of the Aspen Institute team from this event:

• First of all, it is important to discuss successes, as well as challenges and ways of overcoming them. The popularity of the Ideas Festival showcases the need for dialogue about prospects for development in every possible area, from international relations and security to gastronomy and museology.
• Secondly, people, with their experience and ideas, are a key asset of any society. The dialogue between leaders not only generates new ideas and visions but serves as the cornerstone for the development of a good society in Ukraine.
• Last but not least, events like the Ideas Festival help to discover the bright opportunities ahead. A sociological survey, held by Gradus agency, shows that Ukrainians are a nation of tired, but freedom-loving optimists. Such events as the Ideas Festival help bring the positive into the spotlight, which, in turn, helps us believe in ourselves and the people around us. Hearing these success stories helps us to remember that a good society is worth striving for, and in the end, we can achieve it.

The entire team of Aspen Institute Kyiv is grateful to the participants, speakers, and moderators for bringing these inspiring stories into focus. And we are especially thankful to the International Renaissance Foundation and the OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine.

The Ideas Festival is a platform, where leaders, thinkers, and professionals engage in equal dialogue, share ideas, inspire each other, ask important questions and seek bold answers. The event was held for the fifth time by Aspen Institute Kyiv and Impact Hub Odessa.