27. 8. 2025 | PR, Young BSF
Pokljuka, 28 August 2025 – Today marks the beginning of the 14th edition of the Young Bled Strategic Forum (Young BSF), taking place on Pokljuka and later continuing at the main Bled Strategic Forum. This year’s programme, titled What values?, puts the spotlight on values as one of the core forces shaping global politics. In a time marked by a resurgence of realpolitik, Young BSF poses a timely and layered question: How – if at all – do values influence international politics? And what does the state of the world reveal about ourselves and the values we hold?
Designed with and for young professionals
This year’s Young BSF brings together 49 young professionals from 26 countries, aged 18 to 35, working broadly across the field of international politics. The group includes diplomats, activists, journalists, advisors, parliamentarians, legal experts, entrepreneurs, trade unionists, and more – all united by their commitment to making a positive impact in their communities and beyond.
The 2025 edition has been shaped in close collaboration with past and current participants. Last year’s alumni helped co-design the programme; young experts will lead most of the workshops, and this year’s participants will take on roles as moderators in all forum discussions. Every element of the programme was built with the aim of maximising participant engagement and ownership.
What can today’s world tell us about our values?
Young BSF 2025 explores values as a fundamental driver of international politics. At the centre of the programme is the question of whether values still meaningfully shape global decision-making – and how our current world reflects, reinforces, or challenges the values we claim to uphold.
Participants will explore this intersection through three key thematic pillars:
- the crisis of the rules-based international order,
- the stalling fight against the climate emergency, and
- the personal experience of practitioners confronting the gap between their values and the constraints of their working environment.
The event’s format is deliberately participant-oriented. Workshops and peer-to-peer discussions take priority, while classic panel formats are reserved for the closing part of the programme. By focusing on exchange among participants themselves – all of whom bring exceptional knowledge and experience – the forum fosters an environment for both deep reflection and practical idea-sharing.
In addition to promoting learning and professional development, the forum also plays a crucial role in community building. New connections and friendships formed during these three days often lead to fresh collaborations and future opportunities, making the Young BSF experience as personally enriching as it is professionally impactful.
Bringing in the best from abroad – and showcasing Slovenia’s own expertise
Twelve institutional partners supported the development and delivery of this year’s Young BSF – six of them directly involved in shaping the programme content. The organisers emphasised the importance of quality and diversity in both local and international partnerships, with the dual goal of bringing top talent to Slovenia while also showcasing Slovenian expertise to the world.
Among the content partners are the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Germany), The Carter Center (USA), Cast from Clay (UK), the Gajst Institute, the Centre of Excellence in Finance, and the Slovenian Student Association of Psychology. The event is co-organised by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Centre for European Perspective, with additional support from the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, the Central European Initiative, the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
The Young BSF continues to serve as a dynamic tool of Slovenian public diplomacy – one that brings international professionals to Slovenia while creating space for the country’s ideas, people, and institutions to be presented to a global audience.
An independent programme, deeply connected to Bled Strategic Forum
Although independently curated, Young BSF is closely interwoven with the broader Bled Strategic Forum. On Monday, participants will host a special series of in-depth conversations – Deep Dive by Young BSF – which will be open to all Bled Strategic Forum attendees. These sessions, held in either one-on-one or focused panel formats, offer selected Bled Strategic Forum guests the opportunity to explore their ideas in greater detail and in dialogue with the younger generation.
As in previous years, selected Young BSF participants will also participate in Bled Strategic Forum panel discussions and be given priority during Q&A segments, ensuring that insights from mid-level practitioners inform high-level debates.
3. 4. 2025 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Young BSF
We are happy to announce that the applications for the 14th Young Bled Strategic Forum (Young BSF) are now open! Young BSF is a participant-driven platform where bright young minds from around the world come together to share ideas and find inspiration to improve their communities.
We are inviting ambitious young professionals working in a broadly defined field of international politics to apply by 27 April 2025. All the relevant information can be found on the Young BSF website.
About Young BSF 2025
Under the title ‘What values?’ Young BSF 2025 will explore the intersection of values and world politics. Our aim is to better understand the fundamental drivers of international politics at the personal, professional and institutional levels by explicating our individual belief systems and juxtaposing those with the values that guide our actions on the global stage. For more information on the content please refer to the concept note that you can find on the website.
The programme of the Young BSF 2025 will take place from 29 to 31 August 2025 in Pokljuka, Slovenia, with participants arriving on 28 August. Following the conclusion of the Young BSF programme, the Young BSF participants will attend the 20th Bled Strategic Forum in Bled on 1 and 2 September.
Who can apply?
The Young Bled Strategic Forum participants are promising, curious and proactive young professionals aged 18–35. They are leaders and practitioners in the broadly defined field of world politics, with overlapping educational backgrounds, professional interests and career paths. They are young people driven by a commitment to creating a positive impact.
Why should you apply?
- To explore the main theme of Young BSF and source ground-up solutions for select contemporary challenges in collaboration and in discussion with other participants and world-renowned experts.
- Attend a three-day Young Bled Strategic Forum tailor-made programme with insightful discussions and engaging workshops in Pokljuka and then participate at the Bled Strategic Forum international conference – the leading conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe.
- Hang out with and befriend some 40 thought-provoking, up-and-coming, interesting, ambitious, and diverse young leaders from all over the world.
- Because the attendance is free, and all the costs of your participation are covered by us! Young Bled Strategic Forum is possible because of donations and funds from generous partners and sponsors. This way we can enable participation to whomever, regardless of their socio-economic status.
Participant selection process
The applications are now open and will remain open until 27 April. As the conference is participant-driven, we aim to select a gender-balanced group of individuals who will bring diverse and informed perspectives to the discussions. Participants will be selected from all continents, representing a variety of worldviews, educational backgrounds, and professional experiences.
1. 9. 2024 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Young BSF
Za novico v slovenskem jeziku kliknite tu.
The 19th International Conference Bled Strategic Forum will take place in Bled on 2 and 3 September. This year’s event is titled “A World of Parallel Realities”.
The focus of the Bled Strategic Forum 2024 will be a call to work together for the common good: by listening, by hearing, and by going beyond one’s own views.
We are living in a time of great global transformation, which has the potential to shape our common future profoundly. At such a time, the ability to hear and listen in the international community is crucial if we are to find effective and sustainable solutions. This is what this year’s Bled Strategic Forum offers – an inclusive platform where the different voices, perspectives and reflections of key players in the global multilateral environment are heard and taken into account. We believe that constant and constructive dialogue is the only way to build a multilateral system that operates on universally accepted norms.
This year, BSF will once again host a wide range of interesting guests from the worlds of politics, business and civil society. It will touch on all the most crucial challenges of global society while also raising themes that have the potential to shape our common future. The most exciting panels will therefore include a panel on the (dys)functioning of the global multilateral framework (including Slovenia’s experience in the work of the UNSC so far), a panel on the Middle East, preparations for the Future Summit, the Indo-Pacific, India, disinformation, food security, energy and much more.
As one of the novelties of the Bled Strategic Forum 2024 programme, an innovative concept of “Living library” will be introduced. This is an interactive event where people with different experiences and backgrounds on a chosen topic act as “books”. Conference participants (“readers”) talk to them and learn about their stories and perspectives on the topic.
The Bled Strategic Forum continues to strengthen its partnerships and, this year is working with more than ten key global thinkers from different continents to shape the programme. It continues its long-standing collaboration with leading organisations such as the Atlantic Council, the Nelson Mandela Center and the BMW Foundation. This year, for the first time, it is working with the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity and the Oxford Process on International Law Protections in Cyberspace. Collaborating with global partners allows for a broader understanding of global issues, a wider range of speakers and topics, and the inclusion of new perspectives.
This year, for the 13th time, the Young Bled Strategic Forum will take place on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum. This year, 42 selected young people from all over the world will take part in the event, which will take place in Pokljuka between 30 August and 1 September. They will focus on the causes of the existence of different realities and on ways to reunite them in a programme entitled “Restoring Common Ground“. This year, the participants of the Young Bled Strategic Forum will also be actively involved in the Bled Strategic Forum International Conference. They will have the opportunity to participate as speakers in the debates, the priority to ask questions in the debate (the so-called first question opportunity) and the possibility to organise their own debates within the Forum.
17. 5. 2024 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Young BSF
We are happy to announce that the Young Bled Strategic Forum 2024 (Young BSF 2024) applications are open!
Young Bled Strategic Forum is a unique meeting place for young leaders, offering them a platform to share their visions, exchange ideas and network with other exceptional young individuals from all over the world. Each year, it attracts a group of about 40 young leaders from diverse backgrounds and engages them in interactive discussions on pressing challenges and addresses inventive approaches to developing creative solutions. Young Bled Strategic Forum is an inseparable part of Bled Strategic Forum, the leading conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe.
If you are between 18 and 35 years old and committed to bringing positive change within society (you can be a student, young academic, NGO representative, activist, politician, engineer, young member of public administration or governmental institution, athlete, member of international organisation, entrepreneur, or anything else) you are eligible to apply. You can apply here for Young BSF by 2 June 2024 23:59.
This year, the Young Bled Strategic Forum will take place under the title Restoring Common Ground. It will take place between 30 August and 1 September 2024 in Pokljuka, Slovenia. The participants will then participate at the 19th Bled Strategic Forum on 2 and 3 September in Bled. Young Bled Strategic Forum participants will explore the factors that contribute to the divergence of realities and what can be done to bring these realities closer together to restore common ground from which meaningful social action can emerge.
For more information on the content of the conference and the format of the conference you can refer to the concept note and the website.
9. 5. 2024 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Young BSF
The 19th Bled Strategic Forum International Conference, titled’ A World of Parallel Realities,’ will take place between 2 and 3 September 2024.
Within the framework of the title, the thematic focus of the Bled Strategic Forum 2024 will call for cooperation for the common good, by listening and hearing beyond one’s own views. Sustainable solutions are needed at a time when international society is confronted with a cycle of competition, insecurity, and antagonism, manifested in instability, violence, and conflict. The awareness that we live in a world of parallel realities encourages us to bring these realities together for the common good.
#BSF2024 will aim to bring new innovative approaches to the programme and involve young people more.
As per its mission, BSF 2024 will bring together a diverse set of participants, including heads of state and government, ministers, diplomats, businesspeople, scholars and experts, youth, and media from around the world. It will provide a platform for participants to openly discuss and contrast opinions and seek solutions for contemporary regional and global challenges.
Additionally, the Forum will provide an excellent opportunity for tailored bilateral and multilateral meetings and networking with prominent regional and global actors from diplomacy, policy, business, science, and innovation.
Before the BSF, Young BSF will take place between 30 August and 1 September in Pokljuka, Slovenia.
4. 9. 2023 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Young BSF
Ljubljana and Bled, Slovenia, once more hosted young leaders within the activities of the Young Bled Strategic Forum and Bled Strategic Forum. More than 40 young perspective leaders from 25 countries (Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, United States of America) joined forces, experience and creative energy in a three-day training and capacity building organised between Friday 25th of August and Monday 28th of August 2023. The Young BSF strives to empower young leaders from different sectors (academia, civil society, private sector, public administration, and other fields of expertise) to build joint solutions for joint challenges of our societies through transnational cooperation. Young BSF 2023 was organised under the title ´Mitigating our Butterfly Effect´, underlining the power and responsibility of all stakeholders within our societies to make positive changes and contributions in the short and long term. The activities of the Young BSF continued with active participation within the Bled Strategic Forum, organised on Monday, 28th and Tuesday, 29th of August 2023 at Bled, focusing on contributions to ´Solidarity for global Security˙.
Day 1, or the opening day of the Young Bled Strategic Forum 2023, stressed the importance of cooperation and networking to share ideas to solve today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. New knowledge and development of skills will enable us to build a world we want to live in.
The Young participants were addressed by Mr Peter Grk, Secretary General of the Bled Strategic Forum and Ms Nina Čepon, Executive Director of the Centre for European Perspective, who commended the wide participation of young experts from different fields of expertise and countries. The opening discussion set the stage for the work and capacity-building of young leaders.
Day 2 began with a practical session focused on traditional and media literacy. Following was the Pillar I session, which focused on understanding our shared history, noting the role of narratives in our lives and the importance of critical thinking, followed by the Pillar II discussions focused on empowering youth through cooperation with the government, CSOs and various initiatives aimed at supporting and promoting active citizenship. Each pillar consisted of an expert panel followed by a world cafe, where Young BSF participants embarked on a deeper exploration of topics.
The second day concluded on a high note with a conversation with H. E. Ms Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, on the importance of solidarity, current global issues, Slovenia in UN SC, feminist foreign policy and more. “Be curious and brave. Curious, I say, as we live in this polarised world where everything is changing so fast, where we have to think outside the box to adapt,” was Minister Tanja Fajon´s opening call to the Young Bled Strategic Forum participants.
Day 3 of the Young Bled Strategic Forum continued with thematical Pillar III, focusing on the leading question: “How do we address our present actions to secure the future us and for the younger generations?”. The Young Bled Strategic Forum participants transferred from Ljubljana to Bled in the afternoon using a train. The last closing elements of the Young BSF included two capacity-building and inspirational sessions. The Young BSF was closed on Monday, August 28 2023, with presentations of participants’ group work that once more exposed the importance of ideas and work of young leaders that contribute to positive changes within our societies. Their ideas, recommendations and proposals will be joined within the Young Bled Strategic Forum Declaration, which will be published following the event. The Young perspective leaders joined the activities of the Bled Strategic Forum in the following days as panellists and active participants.
Young Bled Strategic Forum and Bled Strategic Forum are honoured for the opportunity to have hosted the first meeting of the CEI Youth Reference Points organised by the CEI Secretariat at Bled, Slovenia, on Tuesday, 29th of August, to exchange best practices, experiences and ideas for youth empowerment within the CEI region. The discussions pave the way for closer cooperation in the field of youth policies and transnational and cross-sector cooperation.
The Young Bled Strategic Forum is supported by the Central European Initiative, the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana grant, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung think tank, implemented within the activities of the Slovenian Presidency to the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region and supported as part of the Priority Area 10 Institutional Capacity and Cooperation, an Interreg Danube Region Programme project co-funded by the European Union.
