European Congress of Local Governments (XI Europejski Kongres Samorządów)
11th European Congress of Local Governments (XI Europejski Kongres Samorządów)
The YOUTH NARA-SK team will be among the active expert contributors at the 11th European Congress of Local Governments in Mikołajki, Poland. The group will appear as a representative of the new generation of experts in environmental innovation, circular economy, and regional development. Through their participation, they reaffirm that young professionals play a key role in shaping the future of regions.
YOUTH NARA-SK will co-organize and provide professional coordination for the panel discussion titled "The Region as a Laboratory of the Future – Innovation, Environment, Community." The panel will open with a presentation by Silvia Tvarožková entitled "Art as a Social Tool for Environmental Protection – A Case Study from a Digital Art Festival."
She will be joined in the discussion by Lea Lapinová, Viktória Zemančíková, and Anastasiia Kytaieva, who will present concrete examples of connecting the creative sector, communities, and environmental solutions. Together, they will demonstrate how the younger generation of experts can bring innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to addressing regional challenges. Their contributions will highlight the importance of participation, education, and practical projects with a tangible impact on quality of life in the regions.
Regions are increasingly becoming innovation laboratories that combine industrial development with environmental and social responsibility. The panel discussion will focus on new models of cooperation between local governments, businesses, public institutions, and the creative sector in the areas of circular economy, living labs, and social entrepreneurship. The goal is to present solutions capable of engaging citizens, raising environmental awareness, and building a sustainable regional economy.
The discussion will be moderated by Andrii Kytaiev, an expert in regional development at the National Recycling Agency Slovakia, who will ensure a professional and well-balanced dialogue among representatives of local governments, academia, and innovative organizations.
Participants in the discussion:
- Jan Plesnik, CEO, National Recycling Agency Slovakia (NARA-SK), Slovakia
- Aleksandra Szumská-Kalocińska, Chief Operating Officer, Professor Jan Czochralski Kuyavian-Pomeranian Science and Technology Center, Poland
- Pawel Nacovsky, Chairman of the Board, CZECH.UP, Czech Republic
- Maciej Zajkowski, Head of the Technology Transfer Center, Białystok University of Technology, Poland
YOUTH NARA-SK's participation in the congress sends a clear signal that young experts are ready to actively contribute to the development of public policies and innovation strategies at the European level.