Dmytro Usik and Daniil Lubkin founded ARCU in 2020, after hosting the first JGS course in Kiev. They identified a demand among Ukrainian students to study Objectivism in depth, and so they created a pilot program called the “Objectivist Thought Leader Program” (OTLP). This program trains JGS graduates on how to teach Objectivism to others using Rand’s works and holding discussions, and it provides the graduates with tools to help them start local chapters of campus clubs or study groups.
Having proved their concept, Dmytro and Daniil applied for and were awarded a Prometheus grant to expand OTLP, which is now their flagship program. In 2021, they taught more than 100 students, several of whom have started local chapters in their hometowns in Ukraine.
In addition, Dymtro and Daniil have cooperated with the Ukrainian publisher of Ayn Rand’s novels, Nash Format (Our Format), to promote and continue to publish Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and We the Living. This cooperation will include co-sponsored events dedicated to promoting Ayn Rand and her works, as well as discounted books for students.
The general reach of ARCU’s Facebook page in 2021 exceeded 7000 followers, making it the largest Objectivist Facebook page in Europe in terms of followership. They are also working on their presence on YouTube, where they discuss Rand’s essays and how her ideas apply to current events in the post-Soviet countries.
In spite of the ongoing Russian invasion, ARCU managed to finish this spring’s John Galt School course and are already planning a new course for the fall. They are also working on expanding their Objectivism Campus Program and working to integrate Objectivism into university curricula, beginning with Daniil’s alma mater, Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.
