José Andrés, Garry Kasparov, Daniel Lubetzky and Alexander Vindman Team Up to Launch Ukrainian Scholarship Program and Student Ambassadorship for Global Democracy

As public interest in the war wanes, four leaders commit to help Ukrainian youth and remind Americans to stay engaged in the fight for freedom

NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As American public interest in the war in Ukraine wanes, chef and humanitarian José Andrés; global human rights and pro-democracy activist Garry Kasparov; social entrepreneur and KIND Snacks Founder Daniel Lubetzky; and Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman have announced a scholarship program and global democracy ambassadorship to help displaced Ukrainian students continue their studies, educate global peers on the fragility and importance of democracy, and inspire the world to stay engaged.

Andrés, Kasparov, Lubetzky, and Vindman, who have proudly made the United States home after emigrating or seeking asylum (Vindman and Kasparov came to America from Soviet Ukraine and Russia respectively), aim to go beyond their direct impact on Ukrainian scholars and their classmates to also remind Americans, and the world, not to take our freedom for granted.

According to the United Nations, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced over twelve million Ukrainians to flee their homes. The World Bank reports that 700,000 Ukrainian students have been displaced and 2,000 schools have been destroyed in Ukraine. Among those Ukrainians whose lives have been upended are college- and university-aged youth challenged with forging their futures as their nation battles for the future of the free world.

In response, the program will grant $1 million to support an initial group of Ukrainian scholars with financial and wraparound support to study at a US-based post-secondary institution for one academic year. The Lubetzky Family Foundation (LFF) is leading the initiative by activating its resources and team to launch the program and raise awareness for the critical role of citizens in defending democracy.

Says Lubetzky, "Young Ukrainians have a powerful role to play in waking up our world to our shared responsibility to defend values like freedom and democracy that we cannot take for granted. We want this program to put a spotlight on the fact that the fight for freedom is ongoing, and that every one of us has the power to make a difference."

To ensure that their lessons for our world do not go untold, scholarship recipients will be empowered to act as campus ambassadors for democracy. Kasparov, who has long used his platform to educate the world on the global interconnectivity of democracy, will mobilize his Renew Democracy Initiative to provide scholars with educational programming designed to encourage all students to build strong global alliances in support of democratic values like those that Ukraine is bravely defending.

Says Kasparov, "It's not just that we are offering Ukrainian scholars a chance to continue their education, but also that they can educate us by their example. They represent the Frontlines of Freedom and can remind American students, who are their roommates and classmates, that democracy is worth fighting for. That could have a phenomenal impact on reinstating a culture of defending democratic institutions and recognizing the invaluable importance of democracy for human progress."

Andrés, whose nonprofit organization World Central Kitchen has provided over 154+ million meals to Ukrainians, has committed to lending his public support to the initiative, and to connecting with participating scholars to express his gratitude and instill hope.

Says Andrés, "It's been nearly six months since the invasion started and World Central Kitchen's work to support Ukrainians began. Despite incredible hardship, every single day, thousands of Ukrainian Food Fighters show up to provide nourishing meals and food aid to families. It is the young Ukrainians who are leading the way! They are the future, and we must invest in supporting them to rebuild and thrive."

Vindman, who continues to advocate strongly for increased US government action to support Ukraine, including better efforts to aid refugees, is working to bring on increased resources to scale the program's impact for more Ukrainian scholars.

Says Vindman, "Reconstruction in Ukraine is going to be a decades-long effort that will require the participation of passionate young students with the capabilities to take on this project. We are trying to generate some of that capability and passion through this program, so that scholars can return home to help rebuild a new Ukraine – one that pays tribute to the enormous sacrifice of its people, who are defending not only their homes but also democracy and freedom."

The scholarship's application and selection processes are being led by the Institute of International Education (IIE), which oversees multiple leading international scholarship programs and student and scholar rescue initiatives. Recognizing the trauma that accompanies experiences of war, the program will take into consideration the holistic needs of all participants. To deliver immediate support and impact, the scholarship will kick off during the 2022 fall semester, serving eligible Ukrainians already studying in the US before expanding internationally in Spring 2023. For more information and to apply, visit www.iie.org/Programs/Ukraine-Democracy.

About José Andrés

Named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People" in both 2012 and 2018, and awarded "Outstanding Chef" and "Humanitarian of the Year" by the James Beard Foundation, José Andrés is an internationally-recognized humanitarian, culinary innovator, New York Times bestselling author, and educator. In 2010, Andrés founded World Central Kitchen, a non-profit which uses the power of food to nourish communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond. Andrés' work has earned awards and distinctions including the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the 2015 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama. Andrés was awarded the Princesa de Asturias Foundation's 2021 Concordia Prize for his humanitarian work. As a naturalized citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has been a tireless advocate for immigration reform.

About Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov is the chairman and founder of the Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI). He is widely considered the greatest chess-player of all time. His famous matches against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1996-97 were key to bringing artificial intelligence and chess into the mainstream. Today he is a prominent human rights activist as well as an author and speaker on politics, human rights, decision-making, and artificial intelligence. He is the  author of the 2015 book: Winter is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must be Stopped.

About Daniel Lubetzky

Daniel Lubetzky is a social entrepreneur working to build bridges between people and increase appreciation for our shared humanity. The son of a Holocaust survivor, he has made it his life's work to help prevent what happened to his father from happening again. While best known as the founder of KIND Snacks, Daniel's foray into food was the unexpected outcome of his work to use business to bring neighbors in Middle Eastern conflict regions together. He conceived of civic initiatives OneVoice, Empatico, and Starts With Us to foster empathy and empower individuals to practice daily habits that move our culture away from extreme, divisive, and hateful positions. Daniel is a member of the Anti-Defamation League's Inaugural Board of Directors. He has received awards from The King Center, World Economic Forum, Skoll Foundation, Conscious Capitalism, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and Horatio Alger Association. Daniel was named a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship by President Obama. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Do the KIND Thing.

About Colonel Alexander Vindman

Alexander Vindman, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, was most recently the director for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Russia on the White House's National Security Council. Previously, he served as the Political-Military Affairs Officer for Russia for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as an attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia. While on the Joint Staff, he co-authored the National Military Strategy Russia Annex and was the principal author for the Global Campaign for Russia. He is currently a doctoral student and senior fellow for the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Pritzker Military Fellow at the Lawfare Institute, executive board member for the Renew Democracy Initiative, senior advisor for VoteVets, and the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Here, Right Matters.

SOURCE Lubetzky Family Foundation