Visegrad Summer School

03/09/2026

🇵🇱🇨🇿🇸🇰🇭🇺 “The Visegrad Group is back.”

Foreign ministers of Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary met in Tomaszov near Bratislava to strengthen regional cooperation and align positions on Europe’s biggest challenges.

As Radosław Sikorski put it: “We can trust each other again and agree on different things.”

Together, we mean more. 🇪🇺

Grupa Wyszehradzka.
Siła Europy Środkowej.

19/08/2026

What does the "Future of Information" really mean? The participants of the 24th Visegrad Summer School have the answers! 🎙️

The 24th Visegrad Summer School is officially behind us. To capture the essence of this edition, the microphone was passed to the true heart of VSS - the participants themselves.

They were asked three key questions:
1️⃣ What did you learn and what are you taking home?
2️⃣ What is the future of information in the age of AI?
3️⃣ Is there something unique about the Visegrad Group?

The reflections of Nino, Laura, Ivan, and Bálint perfectly capture the VSS spirit. Their answers highlight the urgent need for critical thinking, the importance of building regional technological resilience, and the realization that true cooperation is about listening, challenging ideas, and moving forward together.

Curious about their insights? Check out the full video below! 🎬👇

International Visegrad Fund Stowarzyszenie Willa Decjusza Bratislava Policy Institute Knihovna Václava Havla Krakkói Magyar Centrum - Centrum Węgierskie w Krakowie

30/07/2026

It has been exactly 15 days since we officially closed the 24th Visegrad Summer School on July 15th.

Two weeks have passed, but the echoes of your debates, questions, and bold ideas are still resonating through the halls of Villa Decius. As the Directorate highlights in today’s video, VSS is a brand we are incredibly proud of.

We are sharing these quick glimpses of simply to show off the incredible energy of our cohort and to celebrate everything you achieved together. You tackled the Future of Information and proved you are more than ready for whatever comes next.

A special thanks goes to the participants who brought this edition to life, and to our Partners and Sponsors whose ongoing support makes this regional dialogue possible: International Visegrad Fund Krakkói Magyar Centrum - Centrum Węgierskie w Krakowie Bratislava Policy Institute Knihovna Václava Havla Kraków PL Grupa ZUE, and all our Honorary and Media Patrons (Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy - Redakcja Polska Radio Kraków tvp.info)

26/07/2026

Stepping into the Unknown: The Final Day of the 24th VSS 🚀

On the final day of the 24th , our cohort synthesized 10 days of intense discussions into concrete foresight scenarios. Tasked with mapping out the probable, preferable, and plausible futures of our digital world, the participants delivered five incredibly sharp presentations.

Curious about what our digital tomorrow might look like? Below, you will find a quick summary of the bold ideas, complex challenges, and innovative solutions they developed:

🌐 Digital Fragmentation: This group warned against a future where politicians use AI avatars to project a perfect image and avoid public accountability. To counter this, they proposed a legally binding EU Charter of AI governance enforced by an independent College of Experts.

⚠️ Media Radicalisation: Focusing on algorithms and consumption data, this presentation tackled the vicious cycle of social isolation among young men and extreme online content. Their solutions focused on empathy-building through social service and education, while strictly warning against the creation of a totalitarian "morality police".

🧬 Physical-Digital Security: Tackling a futuristic 2040 scenario, this group analyzed the ethical nightmare of human cloning for military purposes and the risk of genetic data leakage. They advocated for new international humanitarian laws and highly encrypted DNA technologies to safeguard human genetics.

🏛️ The Digital State: Warning against the unchecked power of "techno-oligarchs," this group argued that citizens are being turned into data sources without meaningful consent. They proposed taxing tech giants, developing local city-based AI models, and empowering "digital partisans" to build democratic digital communities.

🎨 Human Creativity: Expressing concern that AI will automate creative professions like design, this group predicted that purely human-made products will soon become rare luxury items. To combat the decline of independent thought, they proposed new roles like the "critical thinking trainer" - a message they creatively delivered through an original drawing and a TikTok video.

The depth of analysis and creativity showcased in the Future Laboratory was truly exceptional. The challenges of tomorrow are complex, but looking at this cohort, the future is in highly capable hands. 🌍💡

19/07/2026

Closing One Chapter, Opening Many More 🛤️

On July 15th, at Villa Decius, we officially concluded the 24th edition of the .

Over the past 10 days, we confronted one of the most pressing questions of our era: what will the Future of Information look like? After witnessing the critical thinking, bold ideas, and intellectual resilience of our cohort, we can confidently say that our participants are ready to face it.

From thought-provoking lectures on cognitive security and AI, to the out-of-the-box Future Literacy Workshops, a deeply reflective visit to the Auschwitz Memorial / Muzeum Auschwitz, and the vibrant cultural storytelling of our Multicultural Evening - this edition was as intellectually demanding as it was emotionally resonant.

We are not signing off just yet. The 24th edition might be formally closed, but we will continue to return to you in the coming days with photos, reflections, and specific outcomes from our participants' workshop projects.

🤝 None of this would be possible without the remarkable individuals who build this community. A profound thank you to our participants, who chose to apply, stepped out of their comfort zones, and made Kraków and Stowarzyszenie Willa Decjusza their home for these 10 days.

🤝 We also extend our deepest gratitude to our invited guests, lecturers, and friends of VSS, as well as our Partners and Sponsors whose ongoing support makes this regional dialogue a reality: International Visegrad Fund, Krakkói Magyar Centrum - Centrum Węgierskie w Krakowie Kraków PL Knihovna Václava Havla Bratislava Policy Institute Grupa ZUE Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy - Redakcja Polska Radio Kraków tvp.info Inkubator Umowy Społecznej IUS Slovenské veľvyslanectvo v Poľsku / Ambasada Słowacji w Polsce Magyarország Főkonzulátusa Krakkó / Konsulat Generalny Węgier w Krakowie Instytut Kultury Willa Decjusza

Thank you for being part of it. Let’s keep the spirit of VSS alive -one idea, one edition, and one conversation at a time.

15/07/2026

After days of academic lectures and panel debates, it was time to shift gears at the 24th Visegrad Summer School. On Monday and Tuesday, we challenged our participants to step outside of their comfort zones and known schemas for two full days of high-energy engagement during the Future Literacy Workshops!

To guide this collective co-creation journey, we brought in two exceptional experts:

♦️Agata Bisping: A creativity practitioner who combines research and academic insights into action strategies, having implemented projects for major municipalities and tech giants like Dell Technologies. She is a lecturer at SWPS and AGH, where she researches futures as a tool for building social innovation.

♦️Marcin Maciejewski: A Future(s) Strategist and Business Foresight Advisor at infuture.institute, who materializes long-term innovations and emphasizes kinesthetic learning - believing in the power of touch, building, and drawing to truly experience changes in the world.

Under their guidance, participants were told to completely forget linear thinking. Instead, the workshops were designed to wildly diverge into multiple possibilities, narrow down through tight convergence, and iterate repeatedly. The ultimate asset in the room was pure attention to the "here and now."

Because the future is a great, unpredictable unknown, the goal was not to guess it, but to map out the probable, preferable, and plausible. As our facilitators noted, to truly change your perspective and reach this future, you have to trust the collective process and allow yourself to be a little unhinged!

Judging by the energy in the room, our cohort was more than ready to co-create what comes next.



Stowarzyszenie Willa Decjusza Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza w Krakowie International Visegrad Fund Kraków PL Bratislava Policy Institute Knihovna Václava Havla Krakkói Magyar Centrum - Centrum Węgierskie w Krakowie

13/07/2026

We are back with another quick recap of the 24th Visegrad Summer School! As we dive deeper into our overarching theme - the Future of Information - Thursday and Friday brought intense, high-level discussions on media sustainability, digital power, and historical responsibility. Here is how the last two days unfolded:

Thursday, July 9th:

💡David Kardos kicked off the day with "No Reliable Information Without Sustainable Media". He highlighted that the lack of sustainable funding allows distorted social media narratives to thrive, and emphasized frameworks like the Digital Services Act (DSA) as essential tools to keep public interest media functional.

💡Dominika Kasprowicz led a session on "Disinformation," unpacking Poland’s legal battle against foreign cognitive warfare. She presented a sociological mapping that divides the public into resilient "blue," volatile "green," and highly polarized "red" clusters based on their susceptibility to these narratives.

💡Gürkan Özturan presented "Monitoring Media Freedom in the Digital Age," showcasing how the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) tracks threats and provides vital legal, practical, and training support to journalists across Europe. We wrapped up the afternoon offline, exploring our historic home base during a Guided Tour around Villa Decius led by Mariia Hershova.

Friday, July 10th:

💡Vaclav Stetka explored "Who Informs Democracy?" by discussing the rise of algorithmic platform power and video-based "newsfluencers". This new class of creators is blurring the lines between journalism, entertainment, and activism, posing clear risks to modern democracy.

💡Martin Ehl delivered a sharp lecture on "The Geopolitics of Truth," emphasizing that while superpowers fight with AI, humans remain the weakest link in processing information. He argued that surviving this landscape requires a radical cultural shift and continuous verification rather than just short media-literacy training.

💡Finally, Katarzyna Suszkiewicz Żydowskie Muzeum Galicja w Krakowie with "Chasing Echoes of the Holocaust: Wartime Morality and the Weight of Modern Choice" offered a profound look at historical morality. By re-examining complex wartime choices, the session challenged us to confront our own daily responsibility in shaping a better present.

Bratislava Policy Institute International Visegrad Fund Knihovna Václava Havla Kraków PL Krakkói Magyar Centrum - Centrum Węgierskie w Krakowie Radio Kraków Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy - Redakcja Polska

09/07/2026

When Cultures Connect: The Power of the VSS Multicultural Evening ✨

After intense daytime debates on the future of information, cognitive warfare, and global security, the 24th shifted gears for our traditional Multicultural Evening. This time, the experts stepped down, and the participants took the floor - quite literally, and in some cases, with a song! 🎶

While the evening had the vibrant energy of a Garden Party, it was far from just a casual get-together. It served as a profound reminder of why direct, face-to-face interaction remains our most valuable tool for building international understanding. True networking and diplomacy happen when we understand not just how people think, but who they are and where they come from.

Through highly engaging and creative presentations, our cohort took us on a journey across five powerful themes:

🌟 Famous Faces, Local Heroes: Exploring the world-famous cultural icons, public thinkers, and quiet local champions who inspire pride and shape societal values.

🏡 Traditions, Rituals, and Everyday Customs: Sharing the familiar gestures of hospitality, everyday practices, and generational memories that make a country feel like home.

🎵 Sounds of Our Countries: Filling the room with the rhythms, dances, and melodies that connect people emotionally (and yes, the spontaneous singing was an absolute highlight!).

📖 Pride, Pain, and Lessons Learned: Offering honest reflections on historical resilience, difficult choices, and the shared memory of their nations, making space for both success and vulnerability.

😂 Stereotypes, Jokes, and First Impressions: Using humor and wit to challenge clichés, debunk assumptions, and redefine how their countries are perceived beyond the obvious associations.

In an era of digital echo chambers, evenings like this prove that diversity is our greatest asset. When we share our pride, our history, and our culture in person, we don't just build a professional network-we build a resilient, multicultural community.

Thank you to all participants for a beautiful, meaningful, and deeply connecting night! 🙏

Photo by Pawel Mazur

International Visegrad Fund Stowarzyszenie Willa Decjusza Bratislava Policy Institute Knihovna Václava Havla Krakkói Magyar Centrum - Centrum Węgierskie w Krakowie Kraków PL

08/07/2026

AI, Disinformation, and Democracy: Wrapping Up the First Lectures of the 24th VSS🎓

The first two lecture days of the 24th have been an incredible intellectual journey. With this year's overarching theme - the Future of Information - VSS participants dove straight into complex geopolitical and technological debates here at Villa Decius. Here is a synthetic summary of the program:

Tuesday, July 7th:
💡 Michal Vašečka opened the sessions by examining the paradigm shift towards an AI-driven "post-society". He argued that while artificial intelligence will not globally replace humanity, humans who utilize AI will inevitably replace those who do not. Participants then explored the mechanics of cognitive warfare, analyzing how modern information operations deliberately manipulate human perception, and discussed the "firehose of falsehood" that thrives during periods of rapid social upheaval.

💡Roman Horbyk explored the mechanics of cognitive warfare, detailing how modern influence operations manipulate human perception, emotions, and decision-making to exploit societal vulnerabilities. He traced these tactics back to late-Soviet "reflexive control" methods, now amplified by a digital "firehose of falsehood" that thrives during periods of rapid social upheaval.

💡Marina Nord addressed the global decline of democracy, highlighting that autocratization can be effectively resisted through strong institutions, an independent judiciary, and early action.

Tuesday evening wrapped up with a vibrant Multicultural Garden Party, celebrating the diverse cultures and traditions of this incredible cohort! 🌍🎊

Wednesday, July 8th:
💡Agnieszka Stępińska explored political communication, explaining how passive content consumers have transformed into active "prosumers" who actively alter the flow of information. She warned that social media creates a dangerous "illusion of knowledge," leaving democratic societies in a profound crisis of verification.

💡Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer concluded the day by proposing a radical decentralization of power to combat polarization. Her model suggests building a horizontal information ecosystem that weaponizes localized, peer-to-peer governance against disinformation.

💡Aleksandra Szymańska-Niekłań introduced the participants to their home for these ten days: Villa Decius. The group learned about its history as a unique hub for culture and dialogue, and explored the wide range of residency programs and international projects.

The debates have been intense, and the questions even tougher. Stay tuned as we continue to map out the future!

Bratislava Policy Institute Knihovna Václava Havla Krakkói Magyar Centrum - Centrum Węgierskie w Krakowie International Visegrad Fund Małopolska Kraków PL Uniwersytet Adama Mickiewicza Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego - Kozminski University University of Gothenburg

07/07/2026

Building a community — literally! 🧶✨

After the official opening and intense morning debates, Inauguration Day concluded with the Integration of the Participants.

At VSS, we don't just share ideas; we build lasting connections. Yesterday, our participants got to know each other, shared information about themselves, and quite literally tied the group together with a web of strings! 🕸️🤝

The result? The ice is officially broken. The afternoon was filled with smiles, interactive games, and genuine quality time. This is exactly how the foundation of a strong, international network is built.

Here is to the friendships that started yesterday and will last long beyond these 10 days! 🌍💛

Photo by Paweł Mazur