“Before society tells girls who they cannot become, we must show them who they can become.” With this powerful message, Kateryna Biloruska, Founder of the Kateryna Biloruska Foundation, took the stage as a keynote speaker at the prestigious Euro-Global Women’s Forum 2026 in Barcelona. Her address, titled “Learning by Doing: Why Female Leadership Development Must Start at 13,” challenged the global community to fundamentally rethink how and when we invest in future female leaders.
Leadership development shouldn’t wait until adulthood—not when women are suddenly expected to “be serious,” and not when the “perfect moment” finally arrives. True empowerment begins the exact moment a teenage girl stops being afraid to say: “I can.”
Today, the Foundation’s flagship program, FEM, is proof that this approach works, currently boasting:
12 countries represented across the network
Hundreds of girls actively engaged in the community
Participant-led projects making real-world impacts
International speakers and mentors guiding the next generation
And this is only the beginning.
Key Takeaways from the Keynote Speech
During her presentation, Kateryna Biloruska highlighted critical data and structural gaps in how society approaches female empowerment, outlining why the teenage years are the ultimate battleground for gender equality:
The Reality of Global Leadership: Today, less than 10% of world leaders are women. Globally, we are falling behind in advancing women’s leadership.
The Critical Window of Adolescence: During early adolescence, self-confidence is actively formed, and the social environment deeply influences a girl’s ambition. This is precisely the age when girls start questioning if leadership is truly “for them.”
The Boardroom Mismatch: Most current leadership programs target women who are already well into their professional journeys—focusing on university initiatives, corporate mentoring, and executive education. However, the gender gap in leadership does not start in the boardroom; it starts in adolescence.
The FEM Solution: Future Empowered Minds (FEM) acts as a real-world simulation of leadership. It is a unique ecosystem where girls work on their self-confidence, gain practical skills, meet impressive women leaders, collaborate on unique group projects, and build a global sisterhood.
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The Power of “Learning by Doing”
The FEM program is systematically built on 4 main pillars:
Online Program
Summit
Camp
Community
By utilizing a “Learning by Doing” methodology, FEM gives participants more than just theoretical knowledge—it teaches them how to adapt, pivot, and problem-solve in a quickly changing world.
The closing message of the keynote served as a direct call to action for international policymakers, corporate leaders, and educators alike: If we want more women leaders tomorrow, we must start investing in girls today.
