Program
07:30 – 09:00
Networking Breakfast
09:00 – 09:15
Opening Session
• Martina Kolesárová, Executive Director | Pontis Foundation
09:15 – 09:35
Vulnerability Needs Data Too
Findings on Slovakia’s vulnerability to foreign influence.
• Dominika Hajdu, Program Director | GLOBSEC
09:35 – 10:15
Leading with Humanity
On leadership challenges, staying true to your values, and maintaining personal integrity.
• Zuzana Čaputová, Former President of Slovak Republic
• Dominik Hašek, Hockey 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 Antala, CEO | Bauer Media Group
• Lukáš Fila, Publishing Director | Denník N
• Alexej Fulmek, CEO | Petit Press
• Peter Gažík, CEO | Markíza Group
• Laura Kellö Kalinská, Host | Journalist | aktuality.sk
10:55 – 11:20
Break
11:20 – 12:00LOFT
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 Teperik, Co-founder and CEO | Resilient Ukraine, Estonia’s National Centre for Defence & Security Awareness
• Zsuzsanna Szelényi, Foreign Policy Specialist | CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy
• Zuzana Papazoski, Moderator | Resident Senior Director, National Democratic Institute
12:00 – 12:40LOFT
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 Hroncová, Exucutive Director | Film Europe Media Company
• Andrej Zaťko, CEO | 365.bank
• Lucia Gröneová, Managing Director | Swiss Re Slovakia
• Lucia Okšová, Host | 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 Bieliková, Founder | Kempelen Institute for Intellinget Technologies
• Vladimír Šucha, Visiting Professor | European University Institute, Florence
• Jakub Goda, Host | Publicist
11:50 – 12:00
Impact Stories: The People Who Are Changing Slovakia I.
None of us has ever built a community alone.
• Maroš Chmelík, Executive 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 Tsikhanouskaya, Leader 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 Šyjanok, Director | Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic
• Karim Pedersen, Head of International Communications | Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
• Lukáš Onderčanin, Host | 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 Slosiarik, Director | 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 Kubíny, Founder | 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 Hanzelová, Journalist | SME Daily
• Martin Hanus, Editor in Chief | Postoj
• Iva Mrvová, Host | 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 Dědek, Philanthropist and Founder | JABLOTRON
• Martin Staňo, Host
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 Dolník, Negotiator | vyjednavame.cz
14:15 – 14:30LOFT
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 Louženská, Founder | TrendBrews
14:30 – 14:55LOFT
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 Stárek, Executive Director | Díky, že můžem
• Marek Mach, Chairman | Mladí o.z.
• Elena Gallo Kriglerová, Moderator | Director, Centre for Research on Ethnicity and Culture
14:55 – 15:35LOFT
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 Draško, Director | Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade
• Eva Bordos, Director | DemNet
• Zuzana Papazoski, Moderator | 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 Gumenyuk, Founder | Public Interest Journalism Lab
• Jeremy Druker, Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief | Transitions
• Pavol Szalai, Moderator | 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?
• Julia Sherwood, Translator
• Jolana Kusá, Advisor
• Ľuba Lesná, Journalist and Writer
• Michal Hvorecký, Host
17:40 – 17:50
Closing Words
• Martina Kolesárová, Executive Director | Pontis Foundation
17:50 – 22:00