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Palis Fresh Pisuttisarun

"The Youth Leadership Board's trip to Prague was simply a transformative experience. I enjoyed getting to know every member of the Board and the wider Avast Family, whether that was in the beautiful office or at the Prague National Theater! Although we thoroughly enjoyed this eye-opening trip, our time was also driven by a sense of urgency. Our time together represents a culmination of our work which has shown that our digital freedom cannot be taken for granted. As we move forward with the work at the Board, we remain as committed as ever to sprout and execute ideas that serve the digital future of young people everywhere."

Lei Motilla

“Meeting YLB members in Prague last week reinforced my trust in diversity. I was in awe when meeting young leaders from various parts of the globe who also come from humble backgrounds. Young leaders who broke barriers, and thrived to drive in their own communities in the spirit of transformational change.

We could quickly sense and appreciate how each of us has different sets of values, culture, and personal experiences that shape us. Yet within these differences, we are bound by a shared advocacy for digital freedom in our own respective regions.

I believe that the Avast Foundation showed great leadership in placing youth at the center of setting the agenda for digital freedom. Representation of lived experiences from all over the globe is important in order to have a nuanced view of navigating systemic change.

Throughout the week, we saw firsthand the inspiring work each of us is undertaking in social justice activism, inclusion, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, etc., and how to complement these activities in our own efforts.

I believe having the courage to trust in the value of diversity creates an enabling environment and is key to leading a process-oriented approach to championing digital freedom. Although it may seem uncomfortable at the start, dialogue and both open-hearted and open-minded reflection will always help us figure out how to best proceed.”

Jiří Bartušek

“Talking and creating ideas on video calls are one thing, but seeing each other for the first time is an experience that we really needed. 

Even though my day job is creating virtual spaces, we’ll never be able to fully replace real-life experiences. But we might be able to enhance communication through virtual spaces when meeting in real life is simply not possible.

Thanks to Avast Foundation for making this happen."