The mission of the Future European Leaders Forum (FELF) is to create a space for meaningful, open and inspiring formal and informal conversations and learning via different formats such as, for instance, teambuilding, workshops, simulations, trainings, panel discussions and networking receptions. Each year, FELF welcomes around 30 young professionals who get the chance to shape the policy and learn real life policy-making skills that will help them in their future career.
FELF is based on 4 core ideas.
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is the cornerstone of an effective policy. At FELF, you will be exposed to streams of knowledge springing from your peers, distinguished academics, influential policymakers, and other stakeholders.
Every FELF application is carefully weighted in order to ensure the highest level of intellectual stimulation within the group. You will spend the week in an entourage of people of very diverse backgrounds, expertise, and qualities.
To broaden your horizons even further, we have packed your schedule with many workshops, guest lectures, panel discussions and fun networking activities. To give you a flavour of who comes to interact with FELFers, have a taste of our „best of“ selection of past speakers:
- Tomáš Petříček – Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Věra Jourová- Vice President of the European Commission
- Pavel Fischer- Chairman, Senate committee on Foreign Affairs, Defencee and Security; former presidential candidate
- Pawiel Swieboda- Deputy Head of the EPSC
- Christian Lequesne- Professor, Sciences Po; Co-Editor-in-Chief, European Review of International Relations
- … and many more!
NETWORKING
The greatest asset that any event has to offer is the connections it facilitates to forge. Sure, listening to a panel discussion or a keynote speech is interesting and intellectually enriching. But having a follow-up discussion with the speaker on the matters of her or his presentation gives this experience to a whole new dimension.
When you talk to European affairs professionals (be they policymakers, diplomats or lobbyists), they cite having connections as the key
predisposition for having an impact. At FELF, you will be able to interact on a one-on-one basis with not only our guest speakers, but also the panelists and attendees of the Prague European Summit. The latter cohort every year comprises of incumbent public office holders, ambassadors of foreign missions to the Czech Republic, journalists from some of Europe’s most-read publications, renowned members of the academic community, and many others.
And of course, you will spend the week accompanied by some thirty like-minded, bright, and enthusiastic peers. You will find out that you and your fellow FELFers will oftentimes have much more in common than you would have thought. Plus, you will become a member of our numerous alumni community, which is swirling with never-ending opportunities for professional development – conferences, workshops, seminars, internships, etc.
CREATING POLICY
But FELF is not just about sitting in the auditorium the entire day and meeting new people over coffee during the breaks. Equipping the youth with the toolkit to influence the real-life policymaking process is essentially our raison d’être.
As part of your application process, you will be required to elaborate a short essay on a topic of your interest. We will then cluster participants according to overlapping or at least proximate topics of their essays. From that point on, you will to build on your work and collaborate with your colleagues to create a policy proposal of your own!
You will work independently, yet in a structured way. To ensure the highest quality, you are expected to come to Prague well prepared. That is to say that you ought to arrive to the Czernin Palace already with a preliminary draft. Therefore, be ready for a regular engagement with your group in a few weeks leading up to FELF. On the spot, you will then receive comments from our guest speakers as well as guidance from our experienced lecturers who will be at your disposal all throughout the writing process.
Sounds rigorous? That is the point! After all, who would want to present a mediocre proposal to the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs?
VISIBILITY
This is where push comes to shove. For what is an idea in the drawer good for, anyhow? FELF gives you the opportunity to take your idea out of the drawer and put them on the desks of real policymakers.
This is the climax of the Forum. By then, you will have spent countless hours thinking about your proposal, debating and negotiating with your colleagues, getting feedback from various sources and absorbing new knowledge. To make sure your efforts do not end in vain, we regularly invite the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs who is always eager to your innovative and energetic proposals to solve some of Europe’s most pressing issues.
But make no mistake, it does not simply end there. Should you wish to pursue your efforts to see your ideas put in practice, we will provide you with the necessary academic support, put you in touch with the relevant players, or rally our alumni network to help you achieve your goals.
Ready to test your ideas on how to solve some of the problems millions Europeans are facing daily in practice? Great! Then waste no more time and join us in the heart of Europe!