Hello! I’m Julia, from Germany and I’ve just finished my Erasmus+ internship in the FCV. I already lived in Barcelona for a year when I did my master in anthropology in 2016, and since then I always wanted to come back. This internship has been the perfect opportunity to reconnect with the city and gain some professional experience in the field I would like to work in.
My internship only lasted two months, but the list of things I’ve done and learnt during this time is long! Right on the first day, I was asked to join a meeting of member organizations of the Spanish network of the Anna Lindh Foundation. Quite exciting for the start—and a subtle reminder that I should take some Catalan classes soon. In the second week, my coordinator Lluc asked me if I wanted to participate in an international training course in Croatia since there was still one free spot. Of course I wanted! So in week three I was already on the plane leaving Barcelona again to join young peace builders from all across Europe in a week of intense training about non-formal education. I came back highly motivated and inspired. I started to plan a non-formal learning activity on my own: a workshop to raise awareness about stereotypes, which I will carry out soon.
The big task of the second month was to write a project application to the European Commission. It is a new FCV project that wants to empower young refugees and migrants in Barcelona and other European cities through their participation in active voluntary work. I could take on a lot of responsibility throughout this process, which I really appreciated. Since the deadline was near, it also implied some long working hours. But the best: If the project gets approved (which is not easy), I might even have a job in the FCV!
Apart from that, I’ve been involved in some other of the many projects that the FCV is carrying out, for example one that deals with the Resolution 2250/2015 of the UN Security Council about Youth, Peace and Security.
Last 2 months, I’ve had the opportunity to learn a lot about peace culture, non-formal and intercultural learning, youth policies, the way an NGO works and the networks of different organisations and actors in the field of youth work and peace building.
To sum up, my internship has gone beyond my expectations—thanks to the great FCV team. And by the way, I was never asked to make coffee because there was no coffee machine in the office 🙂
Julia