Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation was officially presented in Kyiv

On 1 November 2017,  the presentation of Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation in the Column Hall of Kyiv City Council, which was founded earlier this year by wife and children of Bohdan Dmytrovych

The main mission of the Foundation is to continue and develop the work of the prominent Ukrainian, begun in his life: to help to create a critical mass of professional, responsible, decent and patriotic Ukrainians who will take an active part in transformation of Ukraine into a successful democratic state.

As noted by Khrystyna Batrukh-Hawrylyshyn, daughter of Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, President of the Foundation: ‘Throughout his life my father dreamed of an independent democratic Ukraine. He dedicated last 30 years to the realization of his dream. I hope that thanks to the Foundation we will be able to continue his mission and young generation implement changes in our country.’

The opening brought togather family and friends of Bohdan Havrylyshyn, participants of ‘Young Generation Will Change Ukraine’ program, professors and graduates of MIM-Kyiv Business School founded in 1989 by Bohdan Dmytrovych, public activists and many progressive Ukrainians who believe in successful future of Ukraine.

The event was attended by many famous and influential Ukrainians from different sectors: government representatives, diplomats, businessmen and educators. Dmytro Shymkiv Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration,  Dr Shpeti, Deputy Ambassador of Switzerland in Ukraine, Olivier Wodo, founder of Renaissance Foundation, Geneva, Volodymyr Prokopov, Deputy Mayor and Secretary of Kyiv City Council Mykola Movchan, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Iryna Tykhomirova, President of MIM-Kyiv Business school gave the opening speech.

‘Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation will work on the basis of values that Mr Bohdan believed in and followed: responsibility, professionalism and cooperation. The Declaration of responsibility created by him will be the basis for all programs of the Foundation’, Head of the Foundation Olena Bekreniova said.

In her speech, Olena said that the key directions of work of the Foundation would be implemented through the following programs:

• ‘Young Generation Will Change Ukraine’ – the continuation of well-known program created and developed by BohdanDmytrovychin 2012 for proactive youth that, on the basis of the European experience would transform Ukraine.
• BohdanHawrylyshynSchool of management is an educational program aimed at fostering a new generation of politically conscious enlightened circle of Ukrainian youth;
• The art of life: stories for inspiration – a project with an open format that provides for the dissemination of success story of BohdanHawrylyshynand other prominent Ukrainians, who by their example can inspire Ukrainian youth;
• Projects of regional development – trainings and educational courses for regions of Ukraine thatwill be developedto increase the activity and participation of youth in community development;
• Ukraine in the world – projects focused on creating, editing, and dissemination of effective and positive internal and external image of Ukraine.

A separate direction will be the implementation of ‘Ukrainian Youth Delegate to the UN’, which gives the opportunity to officially present the Ukrainian youth at the meetings of the UN General Assembly in New York and throughout the year to work with young people and implement their own initiatives related to youth issues and global sustainable development.

Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Mykola Movchan, in his speech noted that through such programs, foreign experts noted Ukrainian youth at business forums. This year delegates Maryna Mykhailenko and Olga Ruda also congratulated guests of the event and shared their experience of participation in the program.

According to Iryna Tykhomyrova, President of MIM-Kyiv Business school: ‘Mission is the formation of critical mass of professional, successful, patriotic Ukrainians who will develop and change Ukraine – that brings together the business school and the Foundation. Bohdan Hawrylyshyn always said that a critical mass of Ukrainians, a new generation is able to bring qualitative changes’.

Patricia Hawrylyshyn-Shmorgun, daughter of Mr Bohdan and founder of the Foundation in the concluding remarks, thanked the guests and said: ‘My father constantly sought to a free and prosperous Ukraine in his career. Now it’s our turn to continue his mission and work with Ukrainian youth he believed deeply in and admired.

During the evening, video presentation of Bohdan Hawrylyshyn’s lecture on the future of Ukraine was held (This is one of 15 lectures recorded during the last year of Hawrylyshyn’s life as a well-known director, author of documentary films by Volodymyr Kuznetsov).

During the event, guests were able to get autobiography of Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, an envelope with an exclusive variety of sunflower seeds, named in honor of Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, and enjoy live music, classics and jazz performed by young talented violinist Ilia Bondarenko in a duet with Olena Zhukova and Nataliia Lebedeva (piano).

Photo: Kostiantyn Zhytskyi