From Hungary to New York: Strengthening Democracy Through Global Learning

How can the world's emerging leaders receive the tools, resources, and global learning they need to create lasting change? In her work as a human rights defender, Stefania Kapronczay is determined to increase her capacity to build consensus across lines of difference and leverage storytelling tools to bring about a belief in the possibility of democratic change in Hungary.

As part of the Obama Foundation Scholars Program, Stefania joined a global community of changemakers and gained new perspectives, tools, and confidence—strengthening her vision for a more resilient, participatory democracy in Hungary.

Question:
Has your time in New York City changed or challenged your vision for lasting democratic change in Hungary?

Answer:
My vision has become stronger. Democracies consistently deliver better results for the people than autocracies, however, they have not lived up to their promise. To make democracies work better, we need more meaningful participation of citizens beyond voting every four years. I have experienced at home and I see it also in the US that citizens often don't believe in their collective power to make the changes they want. After the program I want to work on harnessing the power of connection and cooperation to activate hope for a better working system. Where before I focused on supporting citizens who are already active, now I want to focus on helping citizens gain interpersonal skills and experience to enlarge the pool of active citizens.

Question:
How has the Obama Foundation Scholars Program experience at Columbia University empowered your work to contribute to a more resilient Hungarian democracy?

Answer:
Through the Program and courses at Columbia, I was exposed to new tools for building resilience. For example, I always thought that learning to cooperate across divides and fighting polarization were key for resilient democracies. During the Program, I gained skills and was exposed to case studies that enable me to build my own path to this goal.

Question:
What skills or insights have you gained from the Obama Foundation Scholars Program? How will this impact your work to help build a more resilient Hungarian democracy?

Answer:
One of the most important developments is that I became more confident with my voice: the second picture expresses the spotlight on developing personal skills during the program. I would like to contribute my 20 years of experience to build a more resilient democracy in Hungary and beyond by offering the lessons I learned to civil society organizations.

Want to learn more about the incredible work from this year's cohort?
→ Meet the 2024-2025 Obama Foundation Scholars

Stefania Kapronczay is the former co-director of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and has spent over a decade as a human rights defender working to advance lasting democratic change. Under her leadership, the organization grew from a legal aid service that focused on litigation to a social change organization that supports grassroots movements with the aim of inspiring hope in democracy for the Hungarian public. Every year, they provide individual legal advice in more than 4,000 cases and representation in 120 cases, and nearly half a million people read their know-your-rights materials.