1. Taking a gap year is often a taboo for most students, why did you choose to start working after global governance?

I had already taken a gap year before starting Global Governance: after High School, I moved to Sydney, Australia, studying English, working and travelling. It was a positive experience to make up my mind about what to do next! From that moment on, I really valued activities outside the academic environment because I think that you cannot learn all the skills needed for the job market just at university. 

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2. How was your gap year like? 

Between July and August 2019, I won a scholarship for the International Summer School – Environment, Energy and Global Changes - at Tsinghua University in Beijing which offered me a unique opportunity to learn about the environmental challenges China has to cope with, especially food waste and soil pollution.

 

From September to November 2019, I carried out an internship in the operation support department of Bioversity International - Italian Headquarters in Rome: I learnt how agricultural biodiversity can represent an answer to climate change and sustainable production. 

 

From December 2019 to April 2020, I moved to Portugal to take part in the volunteering projects of the NGO Plantar Uma Arvore, as part of the European Solidarity Corps: I joined activities of environmental preservation and learnt about nature-based solutions for ecological problems.

 

3. and what are you doing now?  

Since April 2020, as an intern, I am currently taking care of the social and environmental campaign of Hummustown, foundation which delivers Middle East meals prepared by Syrian refugees in Rome, to secure them with employment and income opportunities.

 

I recently started a remote volunteering with Youth Environment Europe (YEE): youth-led organization based in Prague, which organises activities that can increase the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of nature and the awareness of environmental problems among young people in Europe. I am handling its social media and website while helping In advocacy activities.

 

4. What has surprised you most about working with Bioversity International? 

My colleagues and I were constantly given a lot of attention: my supervisor was very supportive throughout the whole internship. We had the opportunity to get to know people working at the highest positions there and establishing connections, building a network. Everyone was very helpful in answering questions and doubts. We were involved in all the activities organized, even if sometimes we were not supposed to, with the purpose of giving us a truly complete experience and allowing us to learn as much as possible. It really helped to get hands-on experience.

 

5. What do you find most challenging about the project/job Volunteering in Portugal for NGO Plantar Uma Arvore? 

When I started to work in the Parque of Sintra Cascais, I didn't have any knowledge about natural regeneration activities, ecological contexts of habitats, control techniques for invasive species, footpath management, seed germination and weeding… At first, It was difficult to process so many information but day by day, I learnt more and more.

6. What's the best/worst thing you’ve experienced since you started working with Youth Environment Europe? 

The best thing is to be able to work with more than 40 youth organisations that study nature or are active in environmental protection: it is a wonderful and efficient way to strengthen participation of youth in environmental decision-making. Indeed, being a member organisation of the European Environmental Bureau, European Youth Forum and UNEP, it guarantees my involvement in many interesting activities at the international level.

 

As for the worst thing, I do not extremely enjoy working remotely: I would have preferred it onsite rather than online but I suppose it's important to be able to carry out your tasks even in these conditions. 

 

7. Is there any work/project/challenge you overcame thanks to what you learned at GG? If yes, which one and how? 

While attending the International Summer School – Environment, Energy and Global Changes - at Tsinghua University in China, I must confess that I felt somehow lost, since the classes mainly had a scientific approach with which I am not really familiar. Nevertheless, the key features of Global Governance - interdisciplinarity, teambuilding and curiosity - have really led the way in this experience. Being taught to be curious, being used to interact everyday with people belonging to diverse cultures and to study a wide arrange of topics made it less tough to manage the difficulties that I have encountered. I realised that it's not only a matter of exhaustively knowing the topic but it's your willingness to learn about it that plays a relevant role.

 

8. Which advice would you give to GG alumni about to start a project or a new job? 

I would recommend to be proactive, to show interest in the job/project and to get yourself noticed proposing ideas. Personally, I would also ask many questions about how it works: it's really useful! Also, don't panic if you don't know everything once you start: you'll learn a lot!

 

9. What is coming next for you? 

In August, I will start a 2 years master in Environmental Management and Policy at the International Industrial Institute for Environmental Economics (IIIEE), at Lund University, in Sweden.

 

 

We are very proud of your achievements Martina, and we wish you the best of luck for whatever will come next!