50 girls from 12 countries spent a week in Limassol working on real briefs from Hermes Airports, CNPC, CSR Cyprus, and others. This was not a school project. Aside from tackling these corporate challenges, they also dove into powerful motivational speeches and hands-on workshops led by top-tier experts and industry leaders.
When Hermes Airports Ltd handed over one of its core business challenges to a group of teenage girls, it was not a PR gesture. It was a calculated bet – that the next generation of consumers understands problems that boardrooms sometimes miss.
This week, the Kateryna Biloruska Foundation (KBF) wrapped up the FEM (Future Empowered Minds) Leadership Camp 2026, a five-day leadership program in Limassol where 50 girls aged 13–17 from 12 countries tackled live business challenges from some of Cyprus’s most recognized organizations. Without VARTEQ’s tech company support, this camp simply would not have been possible.
The challenges were not simplified for the audience.
- Hermes Airports asked participants to redesign the passenger experience at Larnaka and Pafos airports to reduce stress and increase engagement across all traveler types.
- The Cyprus National Paralympic Committee asked them to build campaigns that bring para sport into mainstream public awareness.
- CSR Cyprus asked participants to come up with an engagement Strategy in order to enhance CSR Cyprus’ members engagement, to amplify their impact through joint initiatives and to bring more CSR practitioners together by considering sustainability and environmental footprint.
- Umami Sushi & Pan Asian wanted to know how to become the dining choice of Gen Z in a competitive market.
- Soloveyko Book Store & Lounge asked the question many cultural institutions are afraid to ask: why would a teenager ever walk into a bookstore?
Each partner submitted a real brief. The girls – who had already completed an online leadership course before arriving in Cyprus – worked in teams throughout the week and presented their solutions at a Gala Evening on June 22nd.
Why Cyprus companies said yes
Gen Z is no longer a future consumer segment. In Cyprus, people under 25 already make up a significant share of purchasing decisions in food, travel, and digital services. According to McKinsey’s 2024 report on Gen Z spending behavior, this cohort influences an estimated 40% of household purchase decisions – and they switch brands faster than any generation before them.
For Hermes Airports, which handles over 10 million passengers annually across its two airports, understanding how younger travelers experience the airport is a business question, not a social one.
“Working with the younger generation helped us to look at our airports through a completely different lens. Their perspective on the passenger experience offers us an opportunity to explore new ideas for consideration at our airports.”— Natasa Iacovides, Director Human Resources & Executive Coach, Hermes Airports Ltd.
For CNPC, the stakes were different. Para sport remains underrepresented in public awareness despite Cyprus’s track record at the Paralympic Games. The organization wanted ideas that could actually shift that.
“Para sport needs new voices to tell its story, not just the same channels repeating the same message. When fifty young women from twelve countries come together for a week to think about how to make disability sport more visible, they bring fresh ideas, perspective, and energy that traditional campaigns often miss. That is exactly the kind of momentum that can change how communities see and value inclusion in sport.”
— Marianna Hadjiandoniou, General Secretary, Cyprus National Paralympic Committee
What happened in the room
The camp brought together participants from Cyprus, Ukraine, and ten other countries. This shaped how teams thought about the briefs. A girl who grew up in Limassol or Pafos and a girl who grew up in Kyiv or Montenegro do not have the same reference points for what makes a restaurant worth visiting or an airport feel safe. That gap turned out to be an asset.
Kateryna Biloruska, founder of KBF, said the format was designed specifically to avoid simulations.
“We didn’t want the girls to practice leadership in a vacuum. Real companies brought real problems. In this case you don’t have one correct answer. That’s exactly the environment where leadership actually develops.”
— Kateryna Biloruska, Founder, Kateryna Biloruska Foundation
The camp is part of KBF’s Future Empowered Minds program, which has worked with over 700 girls since its first edition, with 165 alumni. The foundation focuses on youth empowerment through sport, education, and leadership.
The numbers worth noting
- 72% of Gen Z say they would rather buy from brands that give them a role in shaping the product or service (Edelman Trust Barometer, 2024)
- 68% of young people in Europe report feeling disconnected from traditional cultural institutions, including bookstores and civic organizations (European Youth Forum, 2023)
- 1 in 3 Gen Z travelers say the airport experience influences their perception of the destination country (Airports Council International, 2024)
- KBF has reached 350+ children monthly through its sport and education programs in Cyprus
About the FEM Leadership Camp
The FEM Leadership Camp is organized annually by the Kateryna Biloruska Foundation. The 2026 second edition took place June 17–22 in Limassol, Cyprus, and brought together 50 participants from 12 countries. Partners and challenge contributors include: CSR Cyprus, Hermes Airports Ltd, Cyprus National Paralympic Committee (CNPC), Umami Sushi & Pan Asian, Soloveyko Book Store & Lounge.
About the Kateryna Biloruska Foundation
KBF is a Cyprus-based international charitable organization focused on children and youth empowerment through sport, education, and leadership. The foundation works with 350+ children monthly in sport groups, partners with organizations in 5+ countries, and runs programs including FEM, Together through Football with UEFA Foundation, and “Yes, I Can” for Paralympic athletes.
Media contact:
Alina Olikhovska +380680130232 (WhatsApp)
Kateryna Biloruska Foundation communications team.
Email: [email protected]
