We are a network of collaborative leaders, skilled at building resilient relationships across divides. JST Fellows know that lasting progress comes from fostering trust, dialogue, and partnerships that make space for diverse voices to be heard and valued. Our Fellows are: 

Societies today are experiencing growing fragmentation, distrust and uncertainty. Rapid technological change, geopolitical tension and deepening inequality are reshaping how people communicate, connect and lead. 

Across the world, authoritarian and populist forces are exploiting division and insecurity, eroding democratic norms and shrinking space for open dialogue and civic action. At the same time, many change-makers experience isolation, burnout and a loss of hope in their ability to influence positive change. 

The antidote is relational — built through trust, listening and meaningful connection across difference.  

This is what we exist to do. 

For thirty years, JST has been building a cross-border, cross-sector network of leaders committed to collaboration, constructive dialogue and long-term social change. 

We believe that the complex challenges facing societies today — from democratic resilience to climate and social justice — cannot be addressed in isolation. They require leaders who can work across divides, engage thoughtfully with complexity and uncertainty, and build relationships strong enough to sustain cooperation in difficult times. 

Our Fellows are changemakers who move beyond advocacy towards action; sense-makers who work with complexity rather than against it; and trust-builders who understand that trust is the foundation of resilient, peaceful and inclusive societies. 

Through transformative leadership development, international exchange and long-term networks of support, JST helps nurture a generation of collaborative, values-driven leaders equipped to navigate an increasingly uncertain world. 

In an era of fracture, sustained and values-based engagement matters more than ever — and deep, enduring relationships remain the strongest foundation on which positive change can be built. 

Our organisation was founded in 1996 as the John Smith Trust, by John Smith's widow Baroness Elizabeth Smith. Its founding mission — to support leadership during the post-Soviet democratic transition — was both urgent and far-sighted. Over three decades, civic and democratic space across the region first opened, then contracted — a pattern that has since spread beyond the region, including in the UK. Our mission has deepened in response. In 2026, we rebranded as the Just Society Trust and launched a new strategy to reflect this evolution. 

We remain proud of the John Smith Trust legacy: thirty years of building a network of leaders committed to just and sustainable societies across Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.