Report: Aspen Young Leaders Program 2024

From August 22 to 25, 2024, we escaped our daily routines and headed into a remote environment with a diverse, interdisciplinary group of 40 young leaders from Central Europe. With inspiring speakers from various sectors, we debated the role of leaders, their core values, the challenges we face in today’s society, and the roles we play in solving them. 

The program always starts with an introductory session, where we learn about the motivations behind each participant’s decision to join the Aspen Young Leaders Program. Though we came from different backgrounds and unique stories, we all shared a common purpose: to exchange experiences, broaden our perspectives, learn, stay open-minded, and step out of our comfort zones in a safe and supportive environment. 

This year’s cohort included professionals and enthusiasts from diverse fields—culture, art, tech, math, business, NGOs, media, healthcare, palliative care, communications, environmental work, sports, education, public service, law, and more. You can learn more about each of them at this link.

Throughout the program, we focused on values-based leadership in politics and diplomacy, business, society, art, and cybersecurity. Our inspiring speakers included Roman Blazhan, a documentary film director and producer, Joanna Gwizdak and Jaroslaw Gwizdak, educators and international legal experts, and Sándor Léderer, Co-Founder and Director of K-Monitor, a public funds watchdog in Budapest, who also contributed valuable insights. Peter Pištek, an expert in information security, shared his knowledge on forensics analysis, phishing, network anomaly detection, and process security, while Adam Táborský, a psychologist and founder of Terapie mezi stromy, brought a unique perspective on mental health. Ivan Štefanec, a member of the European Parliament, offered his insights on European policies. Former NATO ambassadors Jakub Landovský, Peter Bátor, and Tomasz Szatkowski, with their extensive diplomatic experience, shared their insights on international relations and security.

We tackled many challenging topics and engaged in practical assignments and workshops, including one on authentic first aid procedures with the ZDRSEM medical educational organization.

Ivan Hodáč, Founder of the Aspen Institute CE, Pavel Řehák, President of the Board, board member Uršula Králová, and our Executive Director Jakub Landovský guided the cohort throughout the program and shared valuable insights from their long-term experiences and unique expertise.