Hello EMAlum, welcome to the EMAgora!
Dear EMAlumni,
I am Geanina, a seasoned EMAlumna (2012) and an environmental rights campaigner for Greenpeace (since 2013) who recently reconnected with the EMAlumni Association through the GCA Task Force on Climate Justice and the Rights of Future Generations. As such, I would be both happy and humbled to further contribute to our inspiring community, in the capacity of Board Member, in as follows:
*What motivates me to run for the Board elections?
The Beginners’ Guide to Climate Justice and the Rights of Future Generations' social media campaign helped me find my way back into the EMAlumni community by recognizing my environmental campaigns experience as human rights work. Joining the GCA Task Force and then attending the Athens gathering brought home to me the role that our community has in strengthening the promotion of human rights.
In Athens I met some exceptional EMAlumnae who make up the current Board, and I got to experience first hand not only the responsibilities that it entails, but also the results that it can achieve. From our conversations, I got familiar with the brick and mortar of their everyday work and decided to volunteer the skills that I have gained in my professional capacity to expand and deepen this vibrant exchange.
*What do I bring to the Association?
I am by nature and by nurture multicultural, cooperation-driven and process-oriented, which I believe is essential for the current role. By way of example, before joining the e.ma Master, I had studied and worked in five EU countries and afterwards I chose the EU Delegation in Beijing for my e.ma internship, as well as continued studying and working in three additional EU countries.
On the content side, I am confident that my decade long experience in driving campaigns for a global non-profit environmental organisation is a strong transferable asset. Working on campaign strategy design, as much as on monitoring and implementation, in multilevel projects and with input from both internal and external stakeholders, strengthened my collaborative, inclusive and agile decision-making approaches.
*What do I see for the future of the Association?
I see the Association has an unparalleled potential to become more of an agenda setter, for causes which we agree can counteract the shrinking democratic space documented not only globally, but also within the EU. It is impressive how many generations of EMAlumni are already active in this space, and what an all ecompassing human rights pool of expertise they constitute, from thinkers to doers alike.
Equally salient, especially after Athens, there is vast potential to tap into regional collaborations, as a way of furthering these causes. As a practitioner in building and nurturing networks, even more relevant during trying global and regional sociopolitical contexts, I can imagine EMAlumni shedding light and facilitating collective action on key legislative, policy and political moments where the EU is the global leader.
Last but not least, I see the Association as a vehicle to expand and deepen connections, share best and worst practices, celebrate wins, and create sounding boards for the often trying work that we are tasked with in our professional and private lives. Revitalising the local chapters and connecting them via EU thematic networking events would be a clear recipe for success, following the case study of the GCA Task Force.
In light of the above, I thank you for considering my application for the role of EMAlumna Board member!
Very best,
Geanina Turcanu / linkedin.com/in/geatur
