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A Conversation with Oleksandra Matviichuk
Ordinary people can do extraordinary things

“The global storm is approaching,” warns Nobel Laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk. It’s a dire, if accurate, assessment, but not devoid of hope. Because, as she also says, the choices we make today are what will define our future, and it’s ordinary people, through their own  agency, who can make all the difference.

Oleksandra knows, because her own life has borne this out. She joined Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) fresh out of law school with a degree in human rights law, in 2007, and quickly rose to become its chairwoman. She has overseen many of its key initiatives, including the Euromaidan SOS, which she established in response to the violent crackdown on student demonstrators in Kyiv in November 2013, to provide legal, medical, and other assistance to the protestors during the Revolution of Dignity. She and the CCL were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

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Join the WOW community and help create a network of engaged, civic-minded citizens

“Isn’t it the moment of most profound doubt that gives birth to new certainties?”

— Václav Havel

Weight of the World is a media and public events platform aimed at bringing together  European voices of solidarity at a time when humanitarian values and historic alliances are under assault.

It’s a collective conversation for people left sleepless by threats to liberal democracy – always with an eye on human connection and a positive path forward. 

Join us and

  • Connect with an engaged community of allies

  • Move beyond the headlines to meaningful actions and solutions

  • Find inspiration from people who have survived repression and come out the other side

Feeling isolated and exhausted by the daily firehose of bad news and bad behavior?

With podcasts, newsletters, stories, and public discussion, Weight of the World invites you to join us in conversation, commiseration, and hope. Yes, hope. It’s not all bad news. (Boil down Weight of the World, after all, and you get WOW!)

Weight of the World is here to help you.

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TRAILER IS OUT!
Take a minute to listen to an introduction that is short, sweet, and to the point on what is coming your way.

A man sitting at a desk with a laptop, wearing headphones, with a notebook, glasses, and a mug in front of him. The background features a wooden cabinet with books, a white lamp, an orange vase, and a globe. The photo is labeled with the name 'Steve'.
A woman with glasses and blonde hair sits at a wooden table with a laptop and microphone. She wears a black and white patterned dress. Behind her are bookshelves filled with books, and potted plants on a windowsill. The image is framed like a Polaroid with the name 'Daisy' written at the bottom.

Meet Us:
Steve Sachoff & Daisy Sindelar

Steve Sachoff is a journalist and editor with a background in political science and international relations who has lived and worked in Prague and Brussels. He has served as managing editor at a global business news and commodity price reporting agency, as senior editor at an international newswire service, and editor-in-chief of a pan-European publication on the security industry. Steve has also worked at the Czech Foreign Ministry’s Institute of International Relations and with the Czech humanitarian organization People in Need Foundation (Člověk v tísni).

Daisy Sindelar loves a good listen. She got her start as a reporter and editor for The Moscow Times and went on to work at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, where she served as editor in chief, directing award-winning coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, mass pro-democracy protests in Belarus, and the return of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. She also led the Current Time network, providing millions of Russian speakers worldwide with a fact-based news alternative to Kremlin propaganda. She has reported from Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, and the Balkans. She lives in Prague.

WOW x Václav Havel Library

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