Press-releases
16.05.2008
Kofi Annan to open the first Ukrainian intellectual forum for youth «Tomorrow: the World, Ukraine, and Me» on May 16, 2008
Today, May 16 2008,
the first Ukrainian intellectual forum for youth «Zavtra (Tomorrow): the World, Ukraine,
and Me» was opened at 11:00, in Ukraine's House. The forum is held
within the framework of ZAVTRA.UA scholarship program, a nationwide project of
the Victor Pinchuk Foundation for supporting the gifted youth. Among the forum participants are winners of the second
competition for the scholarship of 2007,
both Ukrainian and international experts in economics, political
science, sociology, including Anatoliy Zlenko, former Foreign Affair Minister,
Valeriy Heets (Academician of the NAS of Ukraine, Director of the Institute for
Economics and Forecasting), Alexander Paskhaver (President of the Center for
Economic Development, Ph.D. in Economics), Tatiana Yefimenko (Deputy Minister
of Finance, 2006-2007), Ella Libanova (Director of the Institute for Demography
and Social Research of the NAS of Ukraine), and others. About 300 scholarship
holders from 17 regions of Ukraine have been engaged in the forum program.
The Forum is targeted towards providing assistance to Ukraine's youth,
including the holders of ZAVTRA.UA scholarship:
- To be ready for the challenges the young people will face in their professional career in the field of science, business, social sphere, and in public service;
- To engage future leaders in elaborating the scenarios of Ukraine's development and to bring up them to be socially and personally responsible for the country;
- To answer the question: how can the current generation of students contribute into their personal development and the development of the country in order to maximize efficiency of integration in the global future?
- To generate ideas and concepts for further elaboration and discussion in mass media, scientific, government, and business societies.
Viktor Pinchuk, the founder of the Scholarship
Program, was the first speaker to the Forum participants: "Seventeen years
ago a new country, Ukraine,
was born. You have a unique chance to contribute in its development. Today, Ukraine wants
builders, designers, architects, and constructors. These vacancies are yours.
Only new generation of dreamers who are aspiring after building a completely
new country can do that. Here we will talk about your place, your role and your
contribution. Please, do not waste your chance".
The seventh UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (1997-2006), the guest of honor at the
Forum, gave a lecture on today's global
challenges for youth in Ukraine
and throughout the world and answered the questions of ZAVTRA.UA scholarship holders.
He said, he has heard a lot about the program and knew that the participants represent
different fields. "This is a good opportunity to gather in Kyiv to get to know each
other and to establish friendly relations forever. You live in the constantly changing
global world where all things and events are interconnected. You, the future leaders,
cannot have a local thinking. You should have a comprehensive idea of what
takes place throughout the world, inasmuch as any event may affect you and any
your deeds can influence the world developments. I speak to you as to the
future leaders. What is tomorrow?
Tomorrow starts today. And today, you should start to
work... Nobody is born an exemplary citizen or democrat. It's a result of education,
development and communication.
When you are young
you are full of optimism and, may be, slightly naïve. But the youth is always
associated with hope. So, please, follow you inner compass and make right
decisions. Do not focus on negative aspects, always be frank and overt."
From 11:00 till
17:30, within the framework of three consecutive sessions the moderated
discussions on the following topics will be held:
The World:
-
Principal
trends of the global civilization development and scientific and technical
progress;
-
Social and
professional effects of global trends on advanced economies and on developing
countries.
Ukraine:
-
Possible
ways of Ukraine's development and necessary resources (education, geographical
location, natural resources, etc.).
-
Forecast of
the national labor market development. Presentation of survey Principal
trends of the labor market development: the most popular professions, changes
in requirements for young specialists and manifestation of the global trends in
Ukraine.
Me:
-
Strategy of
personal development.
The Forum will deal with analysis of scientific discussion of possible
trends of the global and Ukraine's development prepared by the Institute for
Demography and Social research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
with KMBS experts engaged. The experts also will discuss the results of expert
poll Analysis of imbalance between the real needs
of economy, the educational system potential, and demand for professions on the
labor market made by the
Oleksandr Yaremenko Ukrainian Institute for Social Research upon request of
Forum Tomorrow: the World, Ukraine,
and Me. Within the framework of this
survey the Contractor made an analysis of changes in professional and
qualification benchmarks of Ukraine's society, assessment of the current
situation and forecast of demand for various professions on Ukraine's labor
market. It also found advantages and shortcomings of graduates from Ukrainian
higher educational establishments for developing the effective strategy of
their employment and career growth.
For detailed information
on the survey, please, see the Program's web site: http://pinchukfund.org/zavtra/ru/forum2008/materials/
Additional information:
ZAVTRA.UA scholarship
program of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation is the first non-government nationwide scholarship
program for supporting gifted students in Ukraine. The program was launched on
September 1, 2006. It is targeted towards establishing and developing the new
generation of intellectual and business elite of Ukraine among the best
Ukrainian students.
The principal directions
of the Program are as follows:
- To grant monthly scholarship during the year;
- To provide financial assistance to individual and
social projects of scholarship holders (participation in scientific workshops
and conferences, publications, probations, etc.);
- To engage the scholarship holders in joint social
practices;
- To involve future leaders in elaborating scenarios of Ukraine's development and to bring up them to be
socially and personally responsible for
the country;
- To train the scholarship holders in systematical job search to get the most promising vacancies (special trainings).
In 2006, ZAVTRA.UA program
established partnership with 11 higher educational institutions in Ukraine. Upon
results of the first competition 201 students were granted with scholarship. In
2007, the number of partner HEE increased to 32. Upon results of the second
competition, 316 students became the scholarship holders.
www.zavtra.in.ua
Expert poll «Analysis of imbalance between the real needs of economy,
the educational system potential, and demand for professions on the labor
market»
Customer:
The Victor Pinchuk Foundation
Contractor: the
Oleksandr Yaremenko Ukrainian Institute for Social Research
Sample: 113
experts
Structure
of the sample: 32 directors of recruiting agencies and projects, 26
employees of higher educational establishments responsible for employment of
graduates, 33 representatives of HR departments of large and medium
enterprises, 12 representatives of scientific and research institutions, 10
representatives of competent ministries, employment centers, labor registry
offices, and youth employment services.
Geography: 17
regions of Ukraine (Autonomous Republic of the Crimea, Vinnitsa,
Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zhytomir, Zaporozhie, Ivano-Frankovsk, Kirovograd,
Lvov, Odessa, Poltava, Rovno, Ternopol, Kharkov, Kherson, and Chernigov
Oblasts, and city of Kyiv).
Poll
method: semi-structured interview.
When preparing the
analytical report the Contractor used the data collected in the course of
survey „Value affinity of Ukraine's
population" (December 2006) and „Innovative potential of Ukrainian society"
(September-October 2006), as well as statistical data of recruiting agencies
and special Internet sites.
