Three Minerva University students have launched a community platform to empower Poland's next generation of leaders. They want to create a space where young innovators can connect, exchange ideas, and work with experts to ignite scientific, economic and political progress.
They call it Young Think. It draws inspiration from tech platforms, but instead of launching products, it will launch ideas for policies.
The three founders — Jakub Kalbarczyk M27, Hubert Pyskło M27, and Jan Bartkowiak M25 — bring together Polish leaders from global institutions including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and NYU.
“We’re transforming bold, unconventional ideas from young minds into policies,” said Pyskło. “By crowdsourcing policy ideas, refining them collaboratively, and distributing them to decision-makers, we’re advancing solutions, which are often too challenging for traditional channels.”
The launch, held in September in Warsaw, brought together significant voices in global economics. Noah Smith, known for his Noahpinion blog, kicked off the event with a practical look at global economic challenges. Professor Marcin Piątkowski from Koźmiński University, who serves as lead economist at the World Bank, shared insights on Poland's economic potential.
At the launch, Young Think revealed the group's first initiative: a fresh approach to public policy innovation. Young Think promised to offer a clear path for this generation to propose solutions to Poland's challenges and connect with government policymakers who can help turn ideas into reality - an online platform for policy crowdsourcing.
The event culminated in a fireside chat where Smith and Piątkowski explored the intersection of innovation and public policy. They highlighted a critical point: Traditional policymaking often moves too slowly for today's challenges. Young Think aims to speed up the process of change by creating direct channels between innovative ideas and decision-makers.
Young Think is preparing its first policy innovation challenge in early 2025. “We're starting with areas where young voices are particularly crucial — education reform, digital transformation and environmental policy,” explains Kalbarczyk. “Our generation has the greatest stake and the freshest perspectives in these issues.”
The organization invites Polish students, young professionals, and policy enthusiasts to join the community and help shape Poland's future. “The best ideas can come from anywhere,” Bartkowiak said “We're just creating the space where they can be heard.”
Young Think founding team launched their project in Warsaw. Left to right: Prof. Marcin Piatkowski and Minerva University students Hubert Pysklo and Jakub Kalbarczyk.