{"id":7960,"date":"2026-02-18T19:14:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mededu.org.ua\/?post_type=news&p=7960"},"modified":"2026-08-04T19:16:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T16:16:56","slug":"youth-leadership-forum-2026-leadership-values-and-communities","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/mededu.org.ua\/en\/news\/youth-leadership-forum-2026-leadership-values-and-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth Leadership Forum 2026: Leadership, Values, and Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Youth Leadership Forum 2026 took place in Ivano-Frankivsk from 12 to 14 February, bringing together 60 students, intern\u00a0doctors\u00a0and professionals from various regions of Ukraine.\u00a0Over three days\u00a0of sessions, nine speakers and ten moderators came together to create an inspiring environment.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The event was opened by Mariia Karchevych, Deputy Minister of Health for Digital Development; Olena\u00a0Ihnashchuk, our Project\u2019s Medical Education Coordinator; Nataliia Melnychenko, Deputy Head of Rehabilitation for Ukraine, and Matviy Khrenov, co-founder of the Ukrainian Health Centre (UHC).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The programme was structured around several major topics. On the first day, Matviy Khrenov spoke about leadership, power and ethics and\u00a0immediately\u00a0offered\u00a0a different perspective\u00a0on a concept that is often viewed negatively:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTrue leadership is the exact opposite of what is now called Machiavellianism. Because power must be based on trust, the ability to negotiate and communicate<\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Over the next days, the programme delved deeper. Military officer and combat medic Viktoria Kovach spoke about the context in which we live and make decisions, and about how important it is to see reality for what it is.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pavlo Kovtoniuk, co-founder of UHC and former Deputy Minister of Health, shared his thoughts on life and resilience in times of crisis. Olga Romanchuk worked with the participants on the topic of digital identity exploring who we are beyond our professional roles and how this shapes trust and influence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The participants moved through three themed stations in turn \u2014 on career,\u00a0community\u00a0and personal development. Each group was\u00a0facilitated\u00a0by moderators that ensured deeper discussion and building interdisciplinary connections.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A separate session focused on values: young professionals did not only discuss what had positively influenced their professional development, but also what had had a destructive impact, i.e., attitudes and practices that take shape still at university and which are worth re-evaluating.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Between lectures, there was also time for a book club: Matviy Khrenov moderated a discussion on the book\u00a0<\/span>Call Sign Chaos: Leadership Lessons<\/span><\/i>\u00a0from Former Pentagon Chief Jim Mattis.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Forum was organised by the Ukrainian Health Centre (UHC) with the support and funding of the\u00a0Ukrainian-Swiss\u00a0Project \u201cMedical Education Development\u201d and Rehabilitation for Ukraine and was made possible thanks to the generous support of the American people. The Forum\u2019s educational partners were the Global Medical Knowledge Alliance and\u00a0OncoHub. The communications partner was\u00a0Medixy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n