Program
07:30 – 09:00
Networking Breakfast
09:00 – 09:15
Opening Session
Martina KolesárováExecutive Director | Pontis Foundation
09:15 – 09:35
Vulnerability Needs Data Too
Findings on Slovakia’s vulnerability to foreign influence.
Dominika HajduProgram Director | GLOBSEC
09:35 – 10:15
Leading with Humanity
On leadership challenges, staying true to your values, and maintaining personal integrity.
Zuzana ČaputováFormer President of Slovak Republic
Dominik HašekHockey Goalie and Activist
10:15 – 10:55
Media: Values vs. Profit
The search for balance between truth and profit, ownership and independence, pressure and ethics.
Ivan AntalaCEO | Bauer Media Group
Lukáš FilaPublishing Director | Denník N
Alexej FulmekCEO | Petit Press
Peter GažíkCEO | Markíza Group
Laura Kellö KalinskáHost | Journalist | aktuality.sk
10:55 – 11:20
Break
Loft11:20 – 12:00
What Makes a Country Strong?
Lessons learned from Estonia, Hungary, and Poland on what can strengthen Slovakia’s resilience. How leadership, civil society, and national strategies shape the resilience of democracy in our region.
Dmitri TeperikCo-founder and CEO | Resilient Ukraine, Estonia’s National Centre for Defence & Security Awareness
Zsuzsanna SzelényiForeign Policy Specialist | CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy
Zuzana PapazoskiModerator | Resident Senior Director, National Democratic Institute
Loft12:00 – 12:40
When Companies Speak up
A resilient society also relies on companies that speak out on issues resonating across the country. So why do some remain silent?
Silvia HroncováExucutive Director | Film Europe Media Company
Andrej ZaťkoCEO | 365.bank
Lucia GröneováManaging Director | Swiss Re Slovakia
Lucia OkšováHost | Editor in Chief, Forbes
11:20 – 11:50
Artificial Intelligence: gAIn or pAIn
Artificial intelligence is becoming a force that shapes how we live, make decisions, and communicate. How will it affect the future of democracy?
Mária BielikováFounder | Kempelen Institute for Intellinget Technologies
Vladimír ŠuchaVisiting Professor | European University Institute, Florence
Jakub GodaHost | Publicist
11:50 – 12:00
Impact Stories: The People Who Are Changing Slovakia I.
None of us has ever built a community alone.
Maroš ChmelíkExecutive Director | Center for Community Organizing
12:00 – 12:20
Away from Home, Not Away from the Fight: A Personal Story (online)
Behind the scenes of life in exile. What is it like to become a leader you never planned to be? How does exile reshape a person, their relationships, and their motivation?
Sviatlana TsikhanouskayaLeader of the Belarusian Democratic Movement
12:20 – 12:40
Away from Home, Not Away from the Fight: Communities in Exile
The everyday work of people building democracy from exile. How to keep a dispersed community connected, and how to build bridges between a repressive regime at home and a world that often loses attention?
Kryscina ŠyjanokDirector | Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic
Karim PedersenHead of International Communications | Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Lukáš OnderčaninHost | Head of Foreign Desk of SME Daily
12:40 – 13:40
Lunch Break
13:40 – 13:50
Democracy Perception Index: For the First Time in Slovakia
Exclusive data from the survey on democracy perception in Slovakia.
Martin SlosiarikDirector | FOCUS
13:50 – 14:00
Impact Stories: The People Who Are Changing Slovakia II.
Each of us has lost someone — yet we humans have a remarkable ability to become whole again.
Lucia KubínyFounder | Tanana Civic Association
14:00 – 14:40
Two Perspectives on One Year
A conservative-liberal discussion on the top events of recent months.
Zuzana Kovačič HanzelováJournalist | SME Daily
Martin HanusEditor in Chief | Postoj
Iva MrvováHost | Reporter
14:40 – 15:10
The Voice of Business and Philanthropy: Courage to Raise Important Issues
Philanthropy today is not just about generosity, but also about strategy, courage, and the ability to change society. What role do philanthropists play when they tackle even the toughest issues?
Dalibor DědekPhilanthropist and Founder | JABLOTRON
Martin StaňoHost
15:10 – 15:35
From Kidnappings To Everyday Life
Adam Dolník knows the value of human life, having negotiated for it in the most critical situations. How can one find the peace and inner strength that have the power to change fate?
Adam DolníkNegotiator | vyjednavame.cz
Loft14:15 – 14:30
Gen Z and What We (Don’t) Know about Them: Talk
Trends such as polarization, cultural shifts, and identity formation shape the lives of Gen Z and set the stage for the upcoming Gen Alpha. How do these changes relate to the rising radicalization of young men and the evolving resilience of generations?
Pavlína LouženskáFounder | TrendBrews
Loft14:30 – 14:55
Gen Z and What We (Don’t) Know about Them: Discussion
Algorithms, radicalization, and mental health pressures profoundly shape the experiences of today’s youth. What threatens them, what unites them, and how can we strengthen their resilience and trust in democracy?
Bára StárekExecutive Director | Díky, že můžem
Marek MachChairman | Mladí o.z.
Elena Gallo KriglerováModerator | Director, Centre for Research on Ethnicity and Culture
Loft14:55 – 15:35
Hacking Democracy from the Bottom up
Democracy is not built from the top down. Experiences with citizens’ assemblies and other deliberative innovations strengthen public engagement, fairness, and community resilience. How do these tools work in countries with hybrid regimes?
Gazela Pudar DraškoDirector | Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade
Eva BordosDirector | DemNet
Zuzana PapazoskiModerator | Resident Senior Director, National Democratic Institute
15:35 – 16:10
Break
16:10 – 16:50
Truth in Times of Crisis
The media play a key role in how society navigates crises and stays informed even in the most challenging times. How can media strengthen society’s capacity to face these challenges, what role does civil society play, and what can we do to ensure people have access to reliable information?
Nataliya GumenyukFounder | Public Interest Journalism Lab
Jeremy DrukerExecutive Director and Editor-in-Chief | Transitions
Pavol SzalaiModerator | Director, Reporters Without Borders Prague
16:50 – 17:00
Stories of Resilience
What challenges have public figures faced, and what helped them overcome difficult moments? In short videos sharing their experiences: Roman Samotný, Zuzana Baťová, Martina Kavalírová, Peter Kaščák, Katarína Koščová, and Beata Balogová.
17:00 – 17:40
How to Live Well: Resilience in the Past and Now
Conversations with women who lived and created during the era of Normalization reveal their experiences and perspectives on overcoming challenging times. How can these stories inspire us, provide guidance, and remind us that defending democratic principles is worth the effort and never giving up?
17:40 – 17:50
Closing Words
Martina KolesárováExecutive Director | Pontis Foundation
17:50 – 22:00
Networking
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