Youth Leadership (Episode 2)

Fresh Humanitarian Perspectives

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In this episode, we continue talking about youth participation in humanitarian and civic action. We discuss how youth can and should be involved in crisis response, humanitarian action, and development.

Hear from participants of the Youth Leadership for Emerging Future programme Miro Béreš and Maria Andruchiw, as well as Kacper Rynio, the HLA's Programme Officer in Eastern Europe Regional Centre.

About speakers:

Kacper Rynio works as the HLA Programme Officer in Poland. He gained experience in humanitarian aid while studying Global Development and Sustainability at Bath Spa University. Over the years, he has been involved in various projects and worked with organizations such as the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association, Polish Medical Mission, UNICEF and UNHCR.

Miro Béreš is a social innovator focused on creating global systems of crisis interventions online based in Slovakia. As a coordinator of the civic association Úsmev pre druhých (Smile for others), he actively works on projects aimed at social innovation and sustainable development. His work includes involvement in initiatives like REDpreneur under the Red Cross, Ahoka YLEF program or NGO Academy which fosters the growth of sustainable social innovations. With a background in journalism, he combines media expertise with technology to build scalable solutions for crisis response and humanitarian aid.

Maria Andruchiw serves as the Vice President of the Poland-Ukraine Socio-Cultural Association and is the Co-organizer and Communications & Marketing Manager of the Ukrainian Spring Festival. Maria is also a member of the Council for the Integration of Migrants at the Poznań City Hall and has graduated from both the Poznań City Leaders School and the 2024 Polish Political Leaders School.
As part of the YLFEF project, Maria co-launched UNITED, a community focused on humanitarian aid, social crisis response, and refugee integration. She is also the founder and leader of the Angels' Headquarters Volunteer Initiative, supporting Ukraine through aid to hospitals, soldiers, paramedics, and civilians. Maria’s efforts have earned her recognition as both the Poznanianka of the Year and Volunteer of the Year in 2023.
Her interests span migration policy, intercultural integration, charitable work, and cultural diplomacy.

Oksana Dobrovolska is a Communications Officer at the HLA, overseeing communications for programmes in the Middle East & North Africa and Eastern Europe regions.

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The views and opinions expressed in our podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of their organisations.