In 2026, trust is a rare currency, and traditional institutions are under immense strain amid global instability. This workshop tackles a pressing question: What does it mean to lead with integrity when the old rules no longer apply?
Breaking down the walls between generations is no longer just a "nice-to-have" social goal—it is a security imperative. This interactive workshop, facilitated by Senior Fellows Saji Prelis and Sarah Sladen, provides a brave space for youth, practitioners, and elders to engage in authentic dialogue that moves past "power-over" dynamics. Together, we will co-create a vision for moral leadership that is rooted in shared values rather than age-based hierarchy.
We will tackle three core questions:
- How do we define moral leadership amid current global instability?
- How can we ground our daily work in a core set of non-negotiable principles?
- What specific, actionable qualities allow us to rebuild trust and bridge generational divides today?
While this session serves as a companion to our February workshop on “The Politics of Youth,” it is built as a complete, standalone experience for anyone navigating the complexities of modern leadership. No prior attendance is required.
This workshop is an in-person event and will not be recorded. It is open to all, including students, faculty, staff, and members of the broader community. We are inviting a diverse ecosystem of voices—students, faculty, staff, and DC-based practitioners—to ensure the dialogue is as rich as the world we are trying to build.
This event is co-sponsored by the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children's Issues and Search for Common Ground.
Schedule
March 13
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. | The Arrival: Ubuntu and the Intergenerational Spectrum
1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. | The "Lead as a Person" Lab: Aikido Politics
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Setting the Ground: Safety and Credibility
March 14
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | The Trust Cycle in Action
11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. | Dilemma Lab: "Be All Sides of the Story"
12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. | Intergenerational Working Lunch
1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Leading in Chaos: Stakeholder Mobilization
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | The Toolkit and the Courage Circle
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Jay Galvin, CC BY 2.0.