This summer, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI) joined Lithuania’s biggest discussion festival. Over the course of two days, LLRI hosted ten debates featuring more than forty speakers from various fields, including business, politics, academia, education, and culture. The lively exchanges showed that the ideas of freedom continue to unite communities and inspire action.
“The festival symbolically opened our anniversary season. We raised questions that matter more than ever: how to replace tension between business and society with cooperation, how to nurture new leaders, how to keep the human dimension in economics, and how to create space in schools for life’s essential questions. Thank you to all speakers, participants, and the festival team – we built a truly unique two-day program together,” said Monika Sakalauskaitė, LFMI’s Head of Innovation and Development.
The program invited politicians, entrepreneurs, journalists, civic leaders, teachers, and even students on stage. The goal was to bring different perspectives together. Visitors could hear a debate on who should carry responsibility – adults or young people. They could also follow a conversation between an economist and a philosopher, or join a discussion on social resilience led by a war psychologist, a bank economist, and a museum director.
“After 35 years of work, our institute is in a position to connect seemingly unrelated ideas and open new paths toward societal consensus. That was our aim in joining this festival,” Sakalauskaitė noted.
The discussions were not one-time events. They now form the backbone of LFMI’s new season.
LFMI experts are analyzing government proposals on taxation, labor markets, pensions, prices, monetary policy, and the public sector. Their insights are shared through research, expert seminars, and the weekly radio show Economy Today. Education is also high on the agenda: LFMI continues to explore economic literacy from early childhood, the role of mathematics in learning, and innovative teaching methods, together with students and teachers.
To strengthen this work, LFMI is expanding its Prospera Academy. Starting this school year, teachers are introduced to new initiatives in civic and ethics education, a fresh seminar series connecting economics, citizenship, and ethics, and new practical tools to complement LFMI’s interdisciplinary textbooks. These resources help teachers build meaningful dialogue with young people about freedom and responsibility, drawing on perspectives from economics, civics, literature, art, music, and film.
“And if you miss these conversations before next summer’s festival, you can tune into our podcast Beyond Economics and Back. Hosted by LFMI President Elena Leontjeva, it brings together scholars, business strategists, and psychologists to look beyond economics and share insights that expand horizons,” added LFMI Communications Manager Kotryna Tamkutė.
Pictures of the event are available here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/k73ml585b3dssafiuddi3/AJqYl4mHmVRpU0AWA6VjXio?rlkey=2o0sw0aqitmir431m9q53efru&st=v3f89m7y&dl=0
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