We empower young Ukrainians to rebuild their country and lead global change

Today’s Ukrainian youth face immense challenges.

Brave Generation is rewriting this story–and we’re already making a difference.

4.6M

struggle with education

1.4M

face mental health issues

Our Mission

Brave Generation equips Ukrainian youth impacted by war with the education and leadership skills they need to build Ukraine’s future.

Our Approach: Specifically Designed for Ukrainian Youth

Brave Generation builds leaders and changemakers through two core pillars: transformative education and leadership development. Both guide every program we create.

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Transformative Education

Potential begins with learning. Through a transformative education, participants gain the confidence, knowledge, and curiosity they need to awaken their individual purpose.

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Leadership Development

For youth especially impacted by war, mental health support and inspiring social environments are key to participants’ success in learning and leadership. That’s why we integrate both into our programs where needed.

How We Strengthen the Core

For youth affected by war, mental health support and an inspiring social environment are essential enablers of learning and leadership. That’s why we integrate them into our programs where needed, to strengthen and sustain our core mission.

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Mental Health Support

Mental health support is integrated as a core component across many of our programs. These resources help participants build resilience, regain clarity, and process trauma so they can heal—and move forward.

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Inspiring Social Environment

Trauma can also create isolation and disconnection. That’s why we foster inclusive and empowering communities of peer networks so support is always there–domestically and internationally–and no one feels alone.

Our Vision

We aspire to graduate 1,000 young leaders by 2030–each ready, willing, and able to build Ukraine’s future as well as be an inspiration for others globally.

Hear From Our Community

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Our Leadership Development Programs

Our Transformative Education Programs

STRUGGLE · RESILIENCE · PURPOSE

The Story of Brave Generation Is the Story of My Life

— Tanya Kotelnykova, Founder

“I was 14 when the war in the Donbas region began and my hometown was occupied by Russian-backed forces. I was 22 when the full-scale invasion started while I was a university student in Kyiv. Thanks to scholarships I received along the way, I was able to graduate from Columbia University and Yale University–both opportunities I would never have imagined for myself. I built Brave Generation for Ukrainian youth who are today living through what I already lived twice. I created this organization to give more young people access to a transformative international education, as I once had, as well develop the leadership skills and connections needed for the future of our country. Every day, I see how the war continues to devastate young people’s lives, especially their mental health and education. That’s why I firmly believe Ukraine’s recovery will depend not only on rebuilding infrastructure, but also on rebuilding the lives of its young people who will be the nation’s future.”

Read Our Story

Launched as a small, one-person volunteer effort in 2022, we’ve since grown into an international nonprofit operating in both Ukraine and the United States.

$19.6M+

in scholarships

$3.2M+

in pro-bono services

Media Coverage

Expertise That Spans Continents, Rooted in Ukraine’s Urgent Needs

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