Governmets must support the leaders of tomorrow, today

“When leaders invest in young minds, it signals that they understand the value of nurturing the next generation of changemakers.” Oleksandr is a project manager at the NGOPublic Diplomacy Platform, a member of the Servant of the People political party’s youth wing where he advocates to ensure that the voices of Ukrainian youth are heard in international forums and conferences, and a recipient of the Leading Ukraine Scholarship, funded by the Croatian Government, led by Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia.

Supporting today’s young leaders

The One Young World Summit is an event like no other. It brings together the world’s most promising young leaders from over 190 countries to take part in four transformative days of speeches, workshops, and networking. Participants are counselled by influential political, business, and humanitarian leaders before joining the prestigious One Young World Community. 

This year, we took the Summit to Montréal/Tiohtià:ke where we were joined by 10 Ukrainian young leaders who had been given the opportunity to attend the Summit by the Croatian Government. 

“The Croatian Government's assistance to Ukraine is unwavering and strong. By supporting young, talented people from Ukraine, we all invest in the country’s future. I am very pleased that we can provide scholarships for 10 young leaders to attend the One Young World summit this year and I wish them a bright professional future, also for the benefit of their brave homeland," Prime Minister Andrej Plenković says. 

“When heads of state show their support for young leaders, it demonstrates that their voices are valued at the highest levels of government,” explains Tina, founder of Royal Media Group. “It sends a message that young people are not just the future, but an active part of the present leadership.” 

Leaders championing leaders

Scholarships, such as the Leading Ukraine Scholarship, provide opportunities for young leaders to not only attend the Summit but to forge lasting connections that could catapult their initiatives to have a much greater impact. 

Daryna is a corporate lawyer, IT support and cybersecurity specialist, integration and social inclusion specialist and researcher. For just under 10 years, she has been working in optimising the integration and social inclusion of migrants, refugees and forcibly displaced people in the territory of EU countries, something she has first-hand experience of. 

“In 2015, I was displaced for the first time from my home city Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, due to the Russian aggression which by that time had occupied the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and was approaching Kharkiv. I went to Poland to study law at the University of Opole and obtained a student visa, becoming a migrant student.”

While at University, she saw an increase in people coming to Poland from the eastern regions of Ukraine to escape from the war. “They were refugees in desperate need of both linguistic and legal support, preferably free of charge. I introduced in my Alma Mater an initiative to add to our students’ practice an opportunity to provide free-of-charge legal support to refugees, by that time mostly to Ukrainians, to help them legalise themselves on the territory of the EU, as well as obtain the support of a translator to get access to basic needs after arrival.”

In 2022, Daryna was forced to flee to Italy where she founded DAR for Peace and Equality. DAR is a non-profit organisation which helps with the main practical prerequisites of integration and social inclusion of migrants, refugees and forcibly displaced people on the territory of the EU, and promotes immense inclusion of young newcomers into the international youth exchanges and training courses in the aim of raising awareness on diversity and multiculturalism within the younger European generations.

Daryna at #OYW24 

“I came to the Summit only and exceptionally thanks to the Leading Ukraine Scholarship funded by the Croatian Prime Minister and supported by One Young World. It is invaluable when young people have both a platform to share their dreams which can change the world, but also have people believing in them, and, what is fundamental, have financial support which enables them to do that!”

After four days at the One Young World Summit, Daryna’s main takeaway was: “Peace is possible! For me, as a Ukrainian who was displaced by war twice, it was crucial to emphasise this postulate! As long as representatives of different countries and nations are united and willing to reach a state of peace, we can do it together!”

Connections and impact that lasts a lifetime 

Despite the Summit only being four days long the connections made and subsequent impact last a lifetime. Since 2010, our Ambassadors have directly impacted over 50 million people globally and mitigated 2.52 million tonnes of CO2 emissions since 2018. 

“The Summit gave me a renewed sense of purpose and a more global perspective on the work I do. The connections I made at One Young World will play a crucial role in driving partnerships and expanding the networks of the startups I mentor,” says Daria, a startup analyst working to help Ukrainian startup founders navigate the UK market. “In the next year, I hope to continue supporting Ukrainian entrepreneurs, not just by helping them secure funding but by opening doors for them internationally, enabling their products and services to reach broader markets.”

Having the support of heads of state through opportunities such as the Leading Ukraine Scholarship is invaluable to young leaders. “When heads of state show their support for young leaders, it sends a powerful message that youth-driven solutions are recognised and valued at the highest levels. It also bridges the gap between generations of leadership, showing that governments and institutions are willing to listen and engage with fresh ideas,” Daria explains. 

Words of encouragement from our 2024 Delegates

Our community of inspiring Ambassadors is over 18,700 members strong, and counting. The One Young World Summit Montréal/Tiohtià:ke was the founder of Waves to Home, Zoya’s third Summit. “Participating in the summit for the third time has inspired me in many ways. As I always say, creating genuine human connections is my primary source of inspiration. It’s through these connections that Waves to Home was started—a team of 11 young leaders from nine different countries who primarily connected during the first summit I attended.”

If you are considering applying for a future One Young World Summit Scholarship Oleksandr’s advice is simple: “Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.” For me, being selected by the Croatian government for a scholarship was a total surprise, but it only happened because I tried and believed in my potential. Remember, every application you send is a chance to open doors to new possibilities, and even if you don’t succeed the first time, persistence is key, try more and more. So take the leap, trust yourself, and go for it!”

 

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