Overview of the NATO Youth Summit: Synergy of Communities, Exchange of Experience, and understanding of one’s role in building the future

“Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country!”

This famous quote comes from John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Speech as the 35th President of the United States. Times change, but the relevance of this phrase will never be lost.

Young people who actively participate in the lives of their communities inspire others around them by being an example of the power of one who can change the world. Youth have a tremendous potential to influence the future of Ukraine because their ideas and actions shape a new generation of aware and responsible citizens.

On May 13, the Aspen Institute Kyiv, the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, and GoGlobal gathered young people — their programs’ alumni — to Watch Еvent of the NATO Youth Summit. Participants had the opportunity to listen to the speech by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He emphasized that Ukraine’s victory in the war against Russian aggression is a key task for NATO. After the collective watching of the Summit, we added a national context to the event: we conducted two panel discussions with Ukrainian politicians and public figures in the fields of security and law.

Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, focused on the cooperation between Ukraine and NATO. According to Olha, the dynamics of relations with the Alliance are unprecedented at the current stage, but it is not enough in the conditions of war. Ukraine expects greater determination and speed in decision-making from NATO, including consensus-building, to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance.

In the second panel discussion, speakers exchanged practical advice on how young people can develop proactivity to become agents of positive change. Specifically, they discussed participating in youth organizations, initiating their projects, constantly learning new things, creating and maintaining industry networks of like-minded individuals, and being active on social media. Roman Hryshchuk, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, civic activist Oksana Yurynets, and human rights advocate Oleksandra Matviichuk participated in this panel.

Denis Poltavets, Director of Program Development at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, and Tymur Demchuk, Head of Corporate Learning at KMBS and lecturer at “Maibutni” and KMBS, moderated the event.

Participants actively engaged, socialized, created new connections, and shared their thoughts during the event. For us, this was particularly inspiring as young people strive, at their level, to contribute to a secure future for our country in various areas — information security, education, local governance, entrepreneurship, and others.

We hope that after this event, everyone was able to find an answer to the question, “What can I do for my country?”

The Aspen Institute Kyiv became an institutional partner in organizing the Watch Event in Kyiv during the NATO Youth Summit 2024.

NATO, the Aspen Institute (USA), the Aspen Institute Romania, the Swedish Defense University, and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency supported the organization of this event.