On May 26, a mentorship meeting between participants of the Create Ukraine programme and the third President of Ukraine (2005–2010) Viktor Yushchenko, took place at the KSE Dragon Capital Building.
The participants are young professionals with international experience who returned to Ukraine to work in the public sector. During the meeting, they discussed Ukrainian identity, civic responsibility, and the role of society in shaping the future of the country.
Mentorship meetings are an important component of the Create Ukraine program, implemented by KSE Foundation together with Lithuanian partners. This format helps participants gain a deeper understanding of state-building processes and their own role in driving change in Ukraine.
Key quotes from Viktor Yushchenko:
“If you want to unlock as many opportunities as possible, education is the key.”
“A citizen is a person who is responsible for everything. Ukraine begins with you.”
“You must have a set of tools that help you avoid multiplying evil while adding at least one more centimeter of Ukrainianness for future generations every single day.”
“The Ukrainian nation has demonstrated an unprecedented struggle for its own identity.”
“We must resolve our national question and the question of democracy — through our resilience, inspiration, and dedication to the cause.”
“Never say that you are outside politics. You are always in politics — consciously or unconsciously. If you were born and took a breath of air, you are already in politics. If you planted a tree, you are in politics. If you cleaned up trash, you are in politics. Because you are a community.”
“No nation in the world can build a future plan while putin’s russia exists.”
Create Ukraine is a programme that brings young professionals with international experience back to Ukraine to work in the public sector. Currently, 24 specialists are participating in the program, strengthening the teams of 6 ministries and 3 government offices while working on European integration reforms and national-scale projects.
Would you like to join Create Ukraine? Leave your email on the program’s website, and the team will contact you when applications for the third cohort open.
The #CreateUkraine programme is funded by Lithuania through the Lithuanian Fund for the Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid and is aimed at supporting the return and successful integration of Ukrainian youth currently living abroad into Ukraine’s public sector.
The programme is implemented by the Lithuanian Central Project Management Agency in partnership with the KSE Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and in close cooperation with the Government of Ukraine.
#CoCreateFutureOfUkraine #LithuaniaCoCreate
