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March 13, 2026

Intergenerational Perspectives on Moral Leadership Workshop

A colorful mural showing a person in front of a stop sign that says "think" and a girl with a book.

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.

Participants

Saji Prelis

Saji Prelis

Saji Prelis is co-chair of the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security; director of Children & Youth Programs at Search for Common Ground (SFCG); and a senior fellow with the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues. With over 25 years of experience, Prelis has been a leading figure in youth movements within conflict and transition environments across more than 35 countries.

Sarah Sladen

Sarah Sladen

Sarah Sladen is a senior fellow at the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues, where she is leading a focus on global youth development in a changing landscape of foreign assistance, funding, and partnerships. Her areas of expertise include positive youth development (PYD), youth engagement and leadership, economic inclusion and mobility, and sports-based youth development (SBYD).