On October 12, 2024, representatives from the Ukrainian School of Elite participated in a business meeting with John Nesheim, one of Silicon Valley’s pioneers, discussing “Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Current and Future Processes.”
The event was organized by the Irpin Business Breakfast movement, initiated by Andrii Shekhovtsov in Irpin, and held in Bucha.
During the meeting with Ukrainian entrepreneurs and public figures, John addressed pressing questions about AI, such as:
In response to these concerns, John explained the “Gartner Hype Cycle.” Every new technology follows a similar pattern. Initially, a trigger creates sudden excitement and high expectations, reaching a peak, as shown in the Gartner curve diagram. Eventually, there is a testing phase where inflated expectations give way to a “trough of disillusionment.” As real-world applications emerge, interest stabilizes, and the technology reaches the “Plateau of Productivity,” where it becomes part of regular business operations.
John assured that AI would follow this same trajectory. As of 2024, we’re only beginning to explore its practical benefits. While there may be disappointments along the way, eventually, AI will become a common tool in daily tasks. The “apocalypse” is canceled.
John Nesheim is a Silicon Valley pioneer, author of the bestseller High Tech Start Up, and a 26-year faculty member at Cornell University.
Over four decades, John has advised hundreds of entrepreneurs, helping raise $2 billion in funding for 300 tech startups. His research on building global startups is used by tech incubators, universities, and governments worldwide. He resides in California, where he continues to mentor young entrepreneurs and engage in philanthropy.
John Nesheim’s research focuses on building global startups, with his advice widely utilized by tech incubators, universities, and governments worldwide. He resides in California, where he continues mentoring young entrepreneurs and engaging in philanthropic activities.
On October 5, 2024, Psychologist Olga Dmytrenko, a volunteer at the Ukrainian School of Elites, conducted a mental care training session titled “Self-Care” for Kyiv’s New Life Evangelical church community during the retreat and rehabilitation weekend in a forest area of Cherkasy region, 2 hour drive to the South from Ukraine’s capital.
Internally displaced people, the elderly, young students, and others were built up emotionally and psychologically. Olha shared latest scientific research data on self-care. And conducted a practical part of the session. The training was a treasure in view of the war trauma and the consequent permanent stress everyone is experiencing as long as the war continues.
The Ukrainian School of Elites is honored to be represented by such experts as Olha Dmytrenko, the professional with a big heart.
On October 4, 2024, expert in Strategic Communications Oles Dmytrenko, a volunteer at the Ukrainian School of Elites, conducted the Increasing Productivity training session for the Kyiv’s New Life Evangelical church community during a retreat and rehabilitation weekend in the Cherkasy region in Ukraine.
During the training, participants were introduced to such concepts as Agile, Kanban, and the incremental and iterative approach (used in the IT sector, particularly in Scrum), as well as the specifics of how the human brain operates in terms of “task switching.”
Mr. Dmytrenko conducted an empirical experiment that revealed excessive time and effort wasted by the human brain during task switching. At the same time, he identified a method to eliminate “switching” and focus on completing similar tasks to increase productivity—allowing for a greater volume of tasks to be completed in less time.
Oles Dmytrenko is a founder of uMOVA EdTech StartUp. He represents the Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance in Ukraine. Since 2023, Oles managers Government Relations at CFC Big Ideas and volunteers for the Ukrainians School of Elites.
Oles has two higher educations, in Languages and International Economic Relations, followed by professional managerial training in Germnay (Academy for International Economic Relations in Berlin) and the U.S. (Indiana School of Philanthropy, Indianapolis, IN, USA), and 20 years of managerial experience.
Representing the Ukrainian School of Elites, Oles shared his valuable knowledge and experience with those members of the New Life community who came to the weekend for restoration, but also seek ways to increse their work productivity and find work-life balance.
In total, nearly 300 people received spiritual and psychological support during the event. For our school, it was an honor to participate in this event by conducting this and one more activite, a Mental Care Training titled “Self-Care” and conducted on the following day by Psychologist Olga Dmytrenko, who also serves as a volunteer at the Ukrainian School of Elites.
On October 24, 2024, the President of the Ukrainian School of Elites (USE), Yuriy Safonov, within the framework of a charitable project aimed at overcoming psychological trauma, donated 150 copies of the book “5 Steps to Eternity” by Canadian author Leanne Paetkau, for free use to representatives of community organizations in Cherkasy.
The coordinator in Cherkasy is Maxim Hryhorovych Sahaidak, pastor of the Church “House of the Father.”
Leanne Paetkau is a Canadian author and missionary who lived in Ukraine for 20 years. At one point in her life, she and her husband John faced tragedy when their daughter Lanea died during a skiing trip in the rocky peaks of Kockreyn.
To cope with the trauma of her loss, Leanne kept a diary of prayers and reflections, where she poured out her soul, emotions, and anger at God, struggling to understand why this happened. The endless “Why?” is familiar to anyone who has lost a loved one.
The book has been translated into Ukrainian and published in Ukraine with the efforts of patrons and the authors themselves for free distribution among those in need of support.
During the war, Ukrainians are losing their loved ones—military personnel, medics, volunteers, and civilians. Every Ukrainian family has felt the pain of loss.
Leanne Paetkau‘s book aims to support all those who know this pain.
Yuriy Safonov, the President of the Ukrainian School of Elites, voluntarily oversees this project, distributing the books to those categories of Ukrainians who need psychological support during this time.
On September 28, 2024, the President of the Ukrainian School of Elites (UASE) Yuriy Safonov participated in the seminar “Compliance. The Reputation of Business” at a meeting of business and NGO leaders organized by LeaderImpact.
According to studies from various independent consulting agencies, reputation adds 20 to 40% to a business’s capitalization. In contrast, employee dishonesty costs a company 5-10% of its gross income. In the context of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, new risks arise, many of which organizations are unaware of.
Reputation adds 20 to 40% to a business’s capitalization. In contrast, employee dishonesty costs a company 5-10% of its gross income.
In developing the Ukrainian School of Elites, we paid special attention to ensuring the organization complies with current Ukrainian legislation, as well as international organizational practices and moral-ethical standards, heeding the advice of top specialists.
Marianna Rozumna is a Doctor of Sciences in the field of “Mediation and Dispute Resolution.” She led the legal support department in banking at Piraeus Bank and was a legal advisor at Citigroup. Since 2016, she has headed the Compliance department at Datagroup.
The expert for the seminar was Marianna Rozumna (Legal and Compliance Executive, Datagroup & Volia Ukraine), who answered participants’ questions and shared important insights about compliance with legal requirements under current conditions and valuable experiences gained over her years of professional activity in compliance.
Special attention was given to the increased responsibility of Ukrainian organizations regarding the selection of foreign counterparties, their reputational checks, and preventing interactions with sanctioned individuals and similar risks.
The moderator of the meeting was Ukrainian School of Elites’ volunteer and representative of the WEA Business Coalition in Ukraine Oles Dmytrenko, and the event was organized by the International Movement LeaderImpact, led by Andriy Holotsvan.
Among the topics discussed at the seminar were:
On September 20, 2024, volunteers from the Ukrainian School of Elites participated in the Irpin Business Breakfast conference for the community of entrepreneurs in Kyiv, in partnership with the international movement FaithDriven Entrepreneur.
From the Ukrainian School of Elites, the conference attendees included Andriy Holotsvan, a board member and secretary of UASE (left in the photo), and Oles Dmytrenko, a volunteer and partner of UASE (center in the background), founder of the EdTech startup umova.online and head of GR at CFC Big Ideas.
The official title of the event was “FaithDriven Entrepreneurs: Trading Up: Navigating the Path to Surrender & Significance.”
Check out the “2024 Faith Driven Entrepreneur Conference” video trailer:
The conference was organized by Andriy Shekhovtsov, founder of the “Irpin Business Breakfast” movement, official representative of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur international movement in Ukraine, and founder of the Outsource Ukraine IT consulting company.
Events under the FaithDriven Entrepreneur banner follow a unique format. The first part is a so-called “watch party,” where attendees analyze video content professionally developed by partners and like-minded individuals from FaithDriven Entrepreneur in a “cinema” setting. Those who do not understand English can use Ukrainian subtitles at the bottom of the screen.
The theme was “more than money.” It discussed businesses founded by Christians from various parts of the world, from the USA to Hong Kong, and from small to large enterprises with billion-dollar turnovers. Attendees had the opportunity to listen to testimonies from successful directors and founders, sharing their successes, challenges, and spiritual experiences.
During the event, the partner company Folks Coffee Roasters treated everyone to exquisite coffee of their own production. Their motto is “People. Emotions. Coffee.”
After the video presentation, a lunch break was announced, featuring sophisticated snacks provided by a local catering business. Interestingly, the event took place at the Irpin Bible Church, which perfectly served the needs of the organizers and participants. The “snack area” was located on the ground floor of the building, providing additional comfort and an opportunity to relax from the information-packed segment while enjoying refined flavors.
The value of the second part of the conference was the opportunity to hear the experiences of Ukrainian experts and ask them personal questions while discussing current issues over coffee. Who were the notable Ukrainian specialists present?
Victor Yevpak — founder of the IT company eKreative (150 employees), and startups MapaMagic, Kidslox (parental control app), and FoodHacker. In 2015, he founded Cherkasy IT Cluster NGO. A well-known public figure and entrepreneur, in August 2023, Victor and his team launched their own FPV drone production company eDrone, which currently has all the necessary certifications and assists the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Andriy Denysov — CEO and co-founder of the technology company TechVision Global, primarily working with clients from the USA. He has been in business for 15 years. Co-organizer of the Global Leadership Summit in Lviv (GLS Lviv), attended by 1,000 participants. He creates Ukrainian-language YouTube content (for example, translating Craig Groeschel’s leadership podcast into Ukrainian) and supports charitable projects.
Mark Marchenko — founder of SENSAR Development. He started his career in IT but later transitioned to construction, applying innovative approaches. He graduated with a master’s degree in Construction and Civil Engineering. Among Mark’s projects are Comfort City residential complex, KVARTAL residential complex, Vidnova, UniClinic medical center, Smart House and Smart Hill apartment complexes, and the GORA Forest Complex.
Attendees gained a lot of inspiration and support from speakers of such caliber. All practitioners felt the cold breath of war and had suffered in one way or another from its consequences, which affected both their businesses and lives. However, they all found the strength to rise, move forward, and take risks. All three discovered new opportunities amidst and despite the crisis.
After the dialogue on stage moderated by Andriy Shekhovtsov, conference participants were able to ask personal questions to the speakers and receive immediate answers from one or all of them.
For the Ukrainian School of Elites, this event was useful and important as it reinforced our goals of forming a competent and socially responsible society. Practically, we found new like-minded individuals and partners. This event provided us with a great opportunity for networking, strengthening our mission, and refreshing our vision.
Due to the combined attack carried out by the Russians on August 26, 2024, against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and the implementation of emergency power outages (as explained by journalists from “Kyiv24.News” — “The lights went out during the live broadcast” and “Facts” — “What is blackout“), most parents registered for the free webinar “How to Guarantee Your Child’s Preparation for the State Assessment in Ukrainian Language,” scheduled for Monday, September 2, 2024, were unable to attend due to the blackout.
At the same time, the need for parents to understand what awaits their children before entering higher education institutions in Ukraine in 2025, particularly concerning the mandatory subject “Ukrainian Language,” remained urgent and unresolved.
In response to this need, volunteer educators from the Ukrainian School of Elites, in collaboration with the uMOVA training center, organized an additional webinar for parents concerned about their child’s university admission and the specifics of the Ukrainian language exam.
The expert for the meeting was Halyna Kononivna Dmytrenko, a highly qualified teacher-methodologist and head of the department at the Troyeschyna Gymnasium in Kyiv, while the moderator of the event was young linguist Yuriy Prokopenko. Participation in the webinar was free.
For 12 months, starting from September 19, 2024, the Ukrainian School of Elites, in collaboration with top experts, and supported by international donors from the WEA Business Coalition, is developing an EdTech project to support teachers. The project’s goal is to provide them with professionally crafted online resources and methodological materials for teaching the mandatory Ukrainian language during and despite the war.
Consequences of Annexation and Occupation: In 2014, the Russian Federation annexed Crimea and occupied significant parts of Ukraine’s eastern territories, causing grief and damage to millions of Ukrainian citizens. Over 1 million Ukrainians became internally displaced persons (IDPs), and the same number fled abroad. This led to issues in the education sector: overcrowded classrooms, overburdened teachers, and a decline in the quality of education.
Impact of COVID-19: The coronavirus pandemic forced millions of Ukrainian citizens (as well as those in other countries) into self-isolation, placing additional strain on the education system and negatively affecting learning quality. Schools and universities were unprepared for online education, and there were no adequate online resources for distance, blended, or online learning formats.
Full-Scale Aggression by the RF: The full-scale military aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, has caused irreparable damage. Over 7 million citizens have become IDPs, and the same number (about 7 million, 5 million of whom officially registered in EU countries for assistance) have mostly fled abroad. Thus, approximately 14 million Ukrainian citizens have suffered direct harm, while the rest of the 28 million have experienced indirect effects.
As of October 2024, Russian troops have conducted over 1,000 air attacks on Ukraine, including mass missile and drone strikes. In August 2024 alone, there were reports of 236 missiles and drones launched in a single day at peaceful Ukrainian cities.
As of 2024, Russian forces have occupied or repurposed about 3,790 educational institutions for military purposes. Approximately 180 schools have been destroyed due to missile strikes, and over 1,700 schools have been damaged.
To diversify risks to the lives and health of students and teachers, many schools have implemented a shift-based learning schedule: for example, two weeks of in-class learning followed by two weeks at home in an online format.
However, the question remains: where can teachers find resources for effective online teaching? How can they find the extra time and energy to create such online resources on their own amid shelling and air raid alarms? This is especially pertinent for “non-technological” subjects like the Ukrainian language, which is crucial for admission to any higher education institution in Ukraine.
Most humanitarian organizations have focused on saving lives, prioritizing survival needs —safety, food, clothing. However, the education sector, particularly the teaching of the Ukrainian language to students in grades 5-11, has largely been overlooked.
Thus, one urgent issue is the lack or insufficiency of online resources for teachers (primarily for the Ukrainian language as the state and official language in Ukraine) in the context of war and uncertainty.
The goal of the project initiated by the Ukrainian School of Elites is to provide Ukrainian language teachers with professionally developed online resources and methodological materials for teaching during the war, in times of uncertainty, and across various learning formats.
As a result, Ukrainian language teachers will gain free access to online materials developed according to the methodology and requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for teaching Ukrainian to students in grades 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.
Access to these resources will alleviate the burden on Ukrainian language teachers, making it easier for them to teach, especially online, and even in classroom settings (for example, by displaying presentations on screens using projectors).
The project will improve students’ understanding of the Ukrainian language—thanks to visual aids, tables, diagrams, terminology, and other elements that will now be displayed on screens (instead of just a “talking head” on a phone without proper visual-methodological support).
Teachers’ lives will improve thanks to the ready-made materials from the project. In one lesson, teachers will be able to convey more material and reinforce it better. They won’t need to waste time becoming “designers” (which is a separate profession) for presentations or “developers” (which is an IT field) for technological solutions.
Teachers will spend more time on individual approaches, addressing students’ clarification questions, practicing exercises, engaging in interactive Q&A, or even games during lessons.
Students’ learning experiences will improve due to the elimination of disinterest in Ukrainian language lessons. Visual tools will help keep students focused on the key points, enhancing the empirical method of knowledge acquisition (by engaging the senses—sight, hearing, touch). Information will be easier to comprehend. Memorizing new terms will be simpler. There will be more opportunities to clarify unclear or complex grammatical phenomena. Students will have more chances to ask questions and receive personalized answers.
The availability of online resources will facilitate learning even amidst uncertainty and upheaval, in a distance format—online or in classrooms.
We expect to reach at least 1,000 teachers and over 10,000 students. Due to the project’s long-term impact (developed over 12 months, but the use of the Ukrainian language materials will be ongoing), we anticipate reaching around 10,000 teachers and 100,000 students over the project’s five-year duration.
As of August 2024, the Russian Federation has conducted over 1,000 air attacks on Ukraine, including massive strikes with missiles and drones. In August 2024 alone, there were reports of 236 missiles and drones launched in a single day at peaceful Ukrainian cities.
According to official data from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, as of mid-2024, Russian forces have occupied or repurposed around 3,790 educational institutions for military purposes, including as weapon depots and temporary bases for Russian occupiers.
As of October 2024, approximately 180 schools have been destroyed due to Russian shelling. In total, over 1,700 schools have been damaged, most of which are located in eastern regions of Ukraine.
UNICEF, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Ukrainska Pravda, UKRINFORM, and other official sources present alarming facts about the destruction of educational institutions in Ukraine as a result of missile strikes from the Russian Federation.
For example, in March 2024, a Russian missile caused significant damage to the sports and conference halls of the Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design named after Mykhailo Boychuk, damaging windows, walls, and equipment in neighboring classrooms.
In March 2022, due to bombardment, Irpin Lyceum No. 3 was seriously damaged, leading to the destruction of the facade and broken windows, rendering the institution unfit for learning.
In April 2022, the Borodianka Lyceum in the Kyiv region was affected by shelling, resulting in the destruction of walls and the roof, making the school unsuitable for the educational process.
Similarly, in May 2022, shelling damaged Gymnasium No. 33 in Kharkiv, in July, Zelena Dolyna School No. 1 in Dnipropetrovsk region was affected, and in October, Mykolaiv Lyceum No. 2 was partially destroyed, which temporarily rendered these schools out of operation.
These are just a few examples of damage to over 1,700 schools in unoccupied territories and more than 3,000 schools that remain in occupied areas of Ukraine.
Restoring infrastructure is a decades-long issue. Unfortunately, this damage goes beyond just “concrete walls” to include the mental and emotional well-being of students and teachers, as well as a decline in the quality of education.
According to the Ukrainian School of Elites, there is no need to wait for infrastructure restoration to assist educators. Instead, targeted projects should be created to address specific needs in this context, and the challenges should be tackled collectively by charitable and community organizations, the expert community, partners, and donors.
The Ukrainian School of Elites has noted the lack or deficiency of methodological online resources for teachers of the Ukrainian language—both as the state language and the language of official communication, as well as a mandatory subject for admission to any higher education institution in Ukraine.
While there has been significant attention given to the mathematical field in Ukraine, due to the rapid development of the information technology (IT) sector (with the EdTech Association of Ukraine, various online courses, and online schools typically focused on IT), the Ukrainian language has been overlooked.
Understanding that we cannot solve all problems or tackle everything (from physics to natural sciences), the Ukrainian School of Elites initiated a project to develop methodological online resources specifically for the Ukrainian language. For this purpose, we have engaged top specialists from the first online Ukrainian language training center, uMOVA, led by Halyna Kononivna Dmytrenko, a highly qualified teacher-methodologist and author of Ukrainian language textbooks and programs for the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
The project is supported by international donors from the Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and is planned for development over 12 months. For more details, see the “Project for the Development of Methodological Online Resources for Teachers of the Ukrainian Language” page.
Undoubtedly, the issue of overcoming war-related psychological trauma will remain relevant for generations to come. Therefore, the Ukrainian School of Elites is also focusing on mental health projects and the development of psychological competencies among professionals in Ukraine.
On August 26, 2024, volunteer educators from the Ukrainian School of Elites, in collaboration with the uMOVA training center, organized a free webinar for parents titled “How to Ensure Your Child’s Readiness for the State Assessment in Ukrainian Language.”
The expert for the meeting was Halyna Konyivna Dytrenko, a highly qualified teacher-methodologist, author of textbooks and teaching materials for the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, creator of the preparation methodology for the State Assessment in the online school uMOVA, and head of the department at the Troieschyna Gymnasium in Kyiv.
On that day, about 75% of the parents registered for the webinar were unable to attend due to a lack of Internet access caused by a massive airstrike by the Russian Federation on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. However, 25% managed to find a way to join despite the power supply difficulties.
Parents learned about the following:
At the end of the meeting, parents had the opportunity to ask personal questions to the expert and receive professional answers immediately.