Brave Generation builds the next generation of Ukrainian leaders. Designed to cultivate a global community of changemakers, the organization offers pathways to international education and hands-on leadership experience dedicated to Ukraine’s recovery and its democratic future.
$44 of impact for every $1 invested
A refugee’s volunteer effort became an international nonprofit that has unlocked $26M+ in scholarships.
“It’s a very important generation in Ukrainian history.”
When Tetiana Kotelnykova founded Brave Generation, she already knew what war does to a young person’s future. She was 14 when Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014. She was 22 when the full-scale invasion began.
Scholarships changed the course of her life. She graduated from Columbia University and then from Yale, opportunities she says she never imagined for herself.
In 2022 she started a volunteer project to help Ukrainian youth access the same kind of transformative education. That project became Brave Generation, a nonprofit that now serves 400 young people a year.
“Now, for nearly half my life, I’ve been displaced. I’ve lost people. I’ve watched Russia take what it wanted, and I’ve watched the world redraw the lines afterward.”
Purpose
Brave Generation empowers the next generation of Ukrainian leaders by providing pathways to international education, real-world leadership experience, and lasting relationships with young leaders around the world.
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Ambition
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.
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The Brave Generation Fellowship is our annual flagship eight-month program focused on education and leadership development. We prepare Ukrainian youth to become global leaders who will play a key role in Ukraine’s recovery by gaining international education, building strong transatlantic connections, and bringing back skills, ideas, and global networks.
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In 2025, Brave Generation organized the EmpowerHER program with the support of UN Women. Recognizing the critical role women play in post-war recovery and peacebuilding, we provided access to international education and leadership development for displaced young women. The application process for the program is currently closed. You can find more videos and updates on Instagram.
This leadership program, in partnership with Yale’s International Leadership Center, is cohort-based and provides online training along with an in-person component at Yale University.
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The ImpactUA program, in partnership with Razom for Ukraine, organizes summer internships with Ukrainian local NGOs. Participants include American students and Ukrainian students who left Ukraine after the full-scale invasion, working together in teams on internships focused on different aspects of Ukraine’s recovery.
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Selection & care
Through a rigorous application process. Every one is known by name, and individually supported by people who believe in them.
Our model
How do we prepare the leaders who will rebuild Ukraine?
Pathways to world-class universities.
Real projects that shape Ukraine’s recovery.
Care and belonging as the foundation.
Young leaders from the U.S. & Europe.
Track record
The charts show what we’ve already secured — and what your investment can multiply.
Pillar 1
Through a rigorous selection process, Brave Generation chooses 80–100 talented young Ukrainians from difficult backgrounds each year, all committed to Ukraine’s recovery. Each Fellow is paired with a handpicked mentor from a top American or European university.
Explore the fellowshipA Global Mentor From a Top University
Every Fellow is matched with a mentor from a top global university. Selected. Trained. Aligned to their goals. Eight months of structured weekly mentorship through our digital platform.
Practical Support That Changes Lives
Academic advising, English and test prep, fee coverage, travel assistance — whatever stands between a student and education. What might seem small for us is life-changing for them.
Mental Health Support as the Foundation
Individual and group therapy sessions, because mental health is the foundation of successful learning, focus, memorization, and leadership.
A Community That Lasts a Lifetime
Weekly meetings with 80+ peers and a network of 450+ mentors who stay connected long after the program ends — a family Fellows remain part of for years.
Pillar 2
Our leadership track brings Ukrainian and international students together for real recovery work — programs that turn ambition into practice, and practice into networks that last.
Explore our leadership programsImpact Leadership
Ukrainian and American students spend summers working with Ukrainian local NGOs on recovery projects — learning by building, side by side.
Ukraine Recovery Leadership
An online course paired with a three-day convening at Yale — group work and leadership training with Yale’s International Leadership Center.
Eastern EU Dialogue
Events in Washington, D.C. and lectures for young people on European integration, diplomacy, and the future of the Eastern Partnership.
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