CHESNO Opens Applications for the 2026 Veteran Leadership Program in the United Kingdom

The program will take place on 6–11 September 2026 in partnership with the University of Warwick and Warwick Business School, two of the United Kingdom’s leading academic institutions.

Applications are open until 20 June.

Apply via the link.

We invite veterans who:

• seek to explore international approaches to integrating veterans’ experience into policymaking;

• are ready to share their own experience, develop leadership skills, and strengthen veterans’ participation in Ukraine’s civic and political life;

• plan to apply the knowledge gained in civic and political life;

• have a sufficient level of English to participate in the training and discussions;

• have a valid international passport and are able to travel abroad on the specified dates.

The program will include:

• lectures by professors from the University of Warwick and Warwick Business School;

• meetings with British academics, parliamentarians, government representatives, and civil society actors;

• visits to institutions working with veterans;

• meetings with Ukrainian diplomats in London.

The main thematic areas of the training include:

• empathetic and responsible leadership;

• managing change in times of conflict;

• participation in community and public life, as well as in decision-making processes;

• the experience of British institutions in veteran policy;

• mentorship and mentoring;

• networking with British experts and organizations.

The UK part of the program is developed with the support of Associate Professor Bo Kelestyn, the Programme’s UK Academic Director at Warwick Business School. She says the initiative is important not only as a training opportunity, but also as a way to turn veterans’ experience into meaningful public action.

“The Veterans Leadership Programme is timely and necessary. Together with the CHESNO team, we have created a space where military service experience is transformed into public value and new pathways for influence. For Ukrainian participants, it is about restoring confidence in their leadership; for British colleagues, it is a powerful lesson in resilience and responsibility. Such initiatives not only transfer knowledge but also build solidarity and hope,” Bo Kelestyn emphasised.

Applicants are asked to fill in the application form carefully, in particular the sections on their motivation to participate, their level of English proficiency, and information about having a valid international passport and being able to travel abroad. During the interview, some questions will be asked in English.

The organizers will cover participants’ travel and accommodation costs and provide visa support.

This will be the second study visit to the United Kingdom within CHESNO’s Veteran Leadership Program. The first cohort took place in 2025 and brought together veterans from different regions of Ukraine who continue to develop their initiatives.

The training is organized within the Veteran Leadership Program implemented by CHESNO with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.