The Dissident Project: Firsthand Stories of Life Without Freedom with Grace Bydalek

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What is it like to grow up under a dictatorship? The speakers of The Dissident Project don’t have to wonder — they’ve lived it. And they’ve escaped.

In this episode, Grace Bydalek joins us this week to discuss her work with The Dissident Project, which brings survivors of authoritarian regimes into American high schools to share their powerful, firsthand stories. From Cuba and Venezuela to Russia and beyond, these voices bring the reality of life without freedom into the classroom.

We talk about why these stories matter — especially for students who may never have questioned their own liberties. Why high schoolers? Why now? And does this kind of civic education actually make a difference?

Join us for a moving and timely conversation about freedom, resilience, and the importance of living for something larger than yourself.

Grace Bydalek is the Director of The Dissident Project, an initiative of the nonprofit Young Voices dedicated to educating American students about the dangers of authoritarianism. She is also a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, a ministry apprentice at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and is currently pursuing a master’s in theology. Oh — and she’s also an actor.

Want to explore more?

• Daniel DiMartino on Life in Venezuela and Immigration, a Great Antidote podcast.
• Arthur Brooks on Love Your Enemy, an EconTalk podcast.
• Bryan Caplan, Communism, in the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.

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