NATO’s #ProtectTheFuture

7/5/2026

I just landed in Türkiye, to attend the NATO Summit as a content creator with NATO’s #ProtectTheFuture program.

A decade ago, this concept would seem unfathomable.

However, politics isn’t changing…. the translation of it is.

Younger generations are tired of being lectured at through a screen, in memo format, buried in jargon they don’t understand.

You know who understands this? NATO.

My first activation with them was last October, a cyber coalition exercise in Estonia where I got to see inside ally red team operations and help translate why international cooperation matters, to an audience that doesn’t usually get a seat at that table. It was the first time influencers had ever been invited in.

Today, I arrived in Türkiye for the NATO Summit, alongside 26 other creators from across the allied nations.

Over the next few days, we’ll sit down with Secretary General Mark Rutte and Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska, get a look inside the Defence Industry Forum where allies and industry leaders are showcasing what’s actually being built to keep the alliance secure, and hear directly from the teams running NATO’s support to Ukraine. We’ll be in the room for leader arrivals, the North Atlantic Council meeting, and press conferences that usually only credentialed journalists get access to.

NATO understands something a lot of institutions still don’t: if you want to reach and build trust with a younger generation, you don’t just change the message. You change the messenger. You change the medium.

I’m beyond honored to be part of this #ProtectTheFuture cohort, and I’m looking forward to meeting the world leaders and officials who do this work every day to keep us safe.