Nadja from Austria, 4 months internship at ONE in Berlin

Berlin: A major city with great global political influence

Getting a taste of the big city air and helping young people to get involved in political issues and work for a better world - what better conditions could there be for an internship abroad in another EU country? My internship experience, for which I thankfully received ESC funding, took me to Berlin, where I worked for "ONE". ONE is an international organization working to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases by 2030.

The focus of my day-to-day work was on media relations, mixed with a bit of "operations", a touch of creativity and a handful of meetings. I was particularly impressed by the proximity to international politics. Germany is a member of the G7 and the G20 and also held the EU Council Presidency in 2020. This made it a particularly exciting time to get an impression of young political activism in Germany and to gain practical work experience.

International politics and teamwork

What I particularly enjoyed about the internship was writing the daily political press review and writing blog posts, although unfortunately the latter was not actually one of my tasks. I was also particularly pleased that we were able to publish an article by a Kenyan and a Nigerian activist in the German media - including here at Africa Live. Above all, I was impressed by the team spirit at ONE, which was clearly noticeable both in the German team and at virtual international meetings.

Youth ambassador at ONE

Each year, ONE also looks for youth ambassadors who are committed to the fight against extreme poverty. The Youth Ambassador program is a springboard for young adults who want to get involved in politics. They learn a wide range of necessary skills, from conducting lobby talks to various political issues and sending out targeted press releases. More information on the Youth Ambassador program can be found here. Alternatively, you can also get involved with ONE Regional.

Berlin - relaxed and casual

I can also only recommend Berlin as a city, especially to young people. In numbers, half of Austria lives in this big city, where there seems to be nothing that doesn't exist. As soon as you get involved, Berlin will take you on a journey and cast a spell over you. Berlin's beat is infectious, the atmosphere on the streets is relaxed and casual, and even people who might be considered "left-wing ticks" elsewhere almost have to worry about not being labeled "bourgeois" here. A city full of creativity, history and potential that should not be missed!

The European Solidarity Corps

ESC has also enabled me to take part in a virtual language course. An opportunity that I greatly appreciate and advise all funding applicants to take advantage of! As German is my mother tongue, I was allowed to choose another language, which I was very excited about.

I am convinced that every experience abroad is an enrichment and would advise everyone* and everyone* to definitely take advantage of such a great opportunity!