United Citizens of Europe Podcast

In this week's episode, Sarah Durieux tells us a bit about her time at Change.org and the lessons she learned during her years there, starting as campaign manager until she became Executive Director. She is now co-director at Multitudes and still working on helping out people in campaign organizing. Many people are precluded from the possibility of running an effective political campaign because of a lack of funding or a lack of connections/networking. Multitudes' goal is to be a facilitator and support future changemakers and give a helping hand to people of all backgrounds.  Sarah is also part of the 2020 cohort of the Obama Leaders Program. As Sarah says during the interview, Leadership Programs are amazing for networking and learning how community organizing works in other countries. Sarah gave many useful tips on how to become an effective changemaker. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest: Sarah Durieux Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

What will a Lula-led Brazil look like and what will it mean for Europe? What will happen to the EU-Mercosur agreement? In this episode, Caterina Bruno and Bianca Cunha help us understand what is going on in Brazil, what happened to Lula and we try to foresee Brazil's role on the international stage. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Caterina Bruno, Bianca Cunha Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Maria Mayrhofer, founder and executive director of Aufstehn. Aufstehn means "Stand up" in English, and the main goal of the organization is to help people manifest their dissent on various issues to their local, national and European elected officials.  The digital-fist organization takes the best of both worlds, and Maria explains why their online presence is fundamental to their in-person demonstrations.  Aufstehn can definitely be considered a success story, which is why Maria is part of the 2022 Obama Foundation Leaders of Europe.  You can follow Aufstehn here Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Maria Mayrhofer, #Aufstehn Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we discussed the results of the elections recently held in Italy. We focused on the reception of the news by international media and how most of the international press describes as the winning coalition as an extreme right coalition, whereas the Italian press is describing it as center-right. On the International field, we commented the possible European coalitions moving forward and Fratelli d'Italia's ties with Abascal's extreme right party "Vox" in Spain.  The fear of a restriction of civil rights is growing amongst minorities in Italy. The LGBTQI+ community, women and migrants are the ones who might be the most targeted for possible repercussions. Despite Giorgia Meloni's possibility to become Italy's first female prime minister, many women fear her conservative views will put in danger the accessibility to safe abortions in Italy, as it already happened in the region of Marche, governed by Fratelli d'Italia. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Alessandra Santoro and Giuseppe Lipari Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

This week's episode is dedicated to understanding what is going on in Ukraine and Putin's decision to invade the country. The invasion of Ukraine by Putin's led forces takes Western countries' diplomatic ties with Russia back to 1945 according to diplomat and former ambassador of Italy to Moscow, Guido Lenzi. The diplomat also added that Russia refused to take EU leaders seriously, their only interlocutors are the Americans. However, Putin's Russia must take the EU seriously, especially when it comes down to diplomacy. Other topics with Lenzi were the Bucharest Treaty, Minsk Agreements, "Compatriots abroad", history of EU-Russia relations and the escalation in Ukraine. Our second guest is M.B., whose identity is not disclosed as she is doing a traineeship in an institution in Kyiv and, as we did not have the greenlight for the interview by the institution, she prefers to stay anonymous. She also added that everything she says is her own view and do not express the views of the institution she is working for. M.B. talked about Ukrainian media, the press' reaction to the escalation and a comparison with Western media. The interviews were recorded on 24/02/2022, therefore, any missing information or change of events might be due to the date. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Diplomat Guido Lezzi and our informant M.B.  Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we talked with Beatrice Chioccioli about her life working in the humanitarian field and how easy this sector can lead to burnout. We also discussed how and why she founded her Paris-based NGO that helps migrants and asylum seekers in the French capital (and now in Europe). Lastly, we briefly talked about who are the LinkedIn job fairies.  Listen to the podcast to know more. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest: Beatrice Chioccioli Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

Trigger Warning: This episode of the podcast discusses r4pe used as a war weapon. This topic might be triggering for some people. In this episode, we discussed with Loredana Speranza this topic which is often overlooked and minimized. Loredana decided to focus her MA thesis research on this issue as she found it was not talked about enough. Her case study was the Syrian conflict. One of the findings of her thesis is that International Courts have only recently recognized r4pe as a weapon of war. Listen to the podcast to know more. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest:  Loredana Speranza  Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we have a lovely chat with Laura Degiovanni, CEO and founder of TiiQu. Laura is an Italian national with an international mindset who founded her start-up in the post-Brexit UK.   TiiQu's mission is to "provide every individual with the tools to test and prove who they are, crystallize their knowledge and professional evolution into blockchain-based proofs, and benefit from a shareable, privacy-preserving reputation". We talked about founding a company in the UK as a EU citizen, how the current pandemic affected her company and why she started the company, among other things! Sorry for my voice in the intro, I have a bit of a sore throat. Hope you enjoy the interview! Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest:  Laura Degiovanni, TiiQu Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

This week we gathered some testimonies on the access to the COVID-19 vaccines of non-Europeans living in the EU and EU nationals living outside EU borders.  Emil Aaji told us about his experience in Sweden. Qingya Wei, a Chinese student living in Groningen, shared with us her experience about booking the vaccine in the Netherlands. Our Graphic Designer, Anton Meshkov, also shared his issues with booking the vaccine as a Russian living in France. Tadiwa Mwash, our first guest of the podcast, also recounts her extensive struggle in getting the right documents to get vaccinated in Milan, Italy. On the expat side, two Italians shared their experience with us. Arianna shared her experience as a EU-national in the UK post-Brexit and Francesca Sfriso shared her experience as a student living in Taiwan. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Arianna Grande, Anton Meshkov, Emil Aaji, Francesca Sfriso, Qingya Wei, Tadiwa Mwash. Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

This week we had a conversation with Remy Bonny, activist and executive director of Forbidden Colours. We talked about being an LGBTQI foundation and funding projects for the queer community in Europe, diversity, and the state of LGBTQI rights in the Union. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest: Remy Bonny, Forbidden Colours Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

We are back with season 3 of the podcast! We are dedicating the first episode of the season to Pride! We had a conversation with Kristine Garina, president of the European Pride Organizers Organization about what it means to celebrate pride, how a pride parade is organized in Europe, and we briefly discussed how to get the "Europride" license. Don't forget to join Copenhagen 2021, where WorldPride, Europride and Eurogames meet! Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest: Kristine Garina, Europride Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

This week, we talk about what is going on in Myanmar and the sanctions on Myanmar by the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union with Sabrina Moles, editor of the Italian database "China Files". On March 22nd, 2021, the European Union sanctioned 11 individuals and 4 entities. But what does it mean to be sanctioned by the European Union? Luca De Cristofaro and Hannah Bludau, co-founders of the United Citizens of Europe, briefly explain the history of human rights as a central part of the EU’s foreign policy and the role of the sanctions. Hosts of the episode: Hannah Bludau, Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Sabrina Moles Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

On March 22nd, 2021, the European Union sanctioned the People's Republic of China over the alleged human rights violations of the Uyghur population in the region of Xinjiang. Fabrizia Candido briefly overviews the history of the relations between the EU and China. We talk about the "Lianghui" (Chinese National Assembly)'s key takeaways, and we discuss the mask and vaccine diplomacy. After this introduction, we focus on the situation in Xinjiang and the sanctions by the European Union. Alisa Atarova illustrates the reaction of Chinese media to the EU's sanctions.  Hosts of the episode: Anton Meshkov, Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Fabrizia Candido, Alisa Atarova Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

This week, we're interviewing Dorottya Kósa about working with European projects. Dorottya has a unique experience of both participating in grassroots European projects and working with European institutions. Here's our talk on how to work with Europe.  Host of the episode: Anton Meshkov Guest: Dorottya Kósa Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In today's episode, we interviewed Lawin Ileto, creator of the podcast called "Pop your Cultural Cherry". Lawin is a young Filipino who went to the Netherlands to continue his studies, doing a master's degree in business at the University of Maastricht. After his graduation, he continued his stay in Europe, working in Germany. We talked about different issues, from cultural shock to racially motivated hatred towards Asians. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest: Lawin Ileto Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, Anton Meshkov interviews Joseph El Hayek. Joseph is a founder of the RestART Beirut project which aims to restore the Sursock Palace after the explosion in Beirut in summer 2020. In this podcast, Joseph talks about the historical and personal significance of the palace and plans for its future. Multiple cultural locations have been damaged by the explosion in Beirut. Thanks to EU funds, the Sursock Palace can be (partially) restored and will be turned into an art residence. Despite the access to EU funds, RestArt Beirut is still struggling to make ends meet, therefore if you can, please donate to their cause. Joseph El Hayek is currently working at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Beirut. He has also had an extensive experience in PR, Events, Protocol and General Affairs as well as in Art and Culture.  Host of the episode: Anton Meshkov Guest: Joseph Le Hayek Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

This week, we interviewed Gianluca Cesaro from PICUM, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants. This week's topics cover the access of undocumented to COVID-19 vaccines (and their access to public healthcare), why we say undocumented and not illegal, and how to change the narrative surrounding undocumented individuals. We found this interview very interesting and eye-opening. What do you think? Host of the episode: Hannah Bludau Guest: Gianluca Cesaro Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

How do you convey a message? Valerie walked 750 km to raise awareness about the EU Parliament elections and the values of Europe. She is a firm believer in the founding values of the European Union and Europe as a whole, and only by being a real and united Union, we can achieve great things.750km, from Lyon to Brussels, with little to no help from local institutions, she managed to raise awareness about our civic right (and duty) to vote and be politically active. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest: Valerie Thatcher Nantois Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

Have you ever wondered how Film Festivals are organized? Have you ever heard of the BEAST Film Festival? In this episode, we talk to Radu Sticlea, a founder of BEAST International Film Festival. We explore how the popularity of the New East is matched with the underrepresentation of artists from this region. Radu gives hints on coming up with the concept of the film festival and managing it along the way. Host of the episode: Anton Meshkov Guest: Radu Sticlea Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

This week, we interviewed Julia Mozer from CEJI- a Jewish contribution to an inclusive Europe. The organization is based in Brussels and it is not your typical Jewish organization as it covers different aspects of discrimination and it tries to change the narrative around the Jewish community. Do you think CEJI can be defined as an intersectional organization? Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest: Julia Mozer Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we had a conversation about racism in Italy with the co-hosts of the African Dream Podcast. Spacing from the exclusion of a job possibility to finding love. Unfortunately, we were not able to go deep on the topic but we hope you will enjoy our conversation. Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Farai Chikwanha and Tadiwa Mwash Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

Three guests were invited to this special episode. We decided to dedicate this episode to comment on the situation in Italy and its latest governmental crisis. Our guests explained why coalitions are important to form a government in Italy, why two ministers from the small centrist party "Italia Viva" resigned, and Italy's international reputation. Two young political analysts open the episode with their analysis and then professor - and former diplomat- Guido Lenzi gives us a small lecture on Italy's international reputation and its foreign policy.  Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Marcello Crecco, Matteo Sgubbi and prof. Guido Lezzi. Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

Two guests were invited to this special episode. We decided to dedicate this episode to what is going on in the United States and the future of the EU-US relation. We talked about the rioters invading Capitol Hill, the rise of fake news and far-right groups, and we tried to predict Biden's ideas on the relations between the European Union and the United States. Katharina Zangerl lives and works in Vienna, Austria. She studied Political Science with a focus on the European Union and its foreign relations. She dedicates her work and time to initiatives that strengthen democracy, promote social cohesion to overcome polarisation and to spread easy accessible political education to everyone. Arianna completed her BA in International Relations at the University of Southern California and she is currently working at the National Democratic Institute in Washington, D.C.  Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guests: Katharina Zangerl and Arianna Babraj Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

We are back with a new episode and a new season! We wanted to start season two of the podcast with a story of a European living outside European borders. Francesca Sfriso is a student doing her master's degree in Taiwan. In this episode, we talked about different topics, ranging from cultural differences, spirit of adaptation and missing the food from home.  It was a blast interviewing Francesca, I hope you will enjoy listening to us as much as we enjoyed recording this episode! Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Guest: Francesca Sfriso Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

We are back with a short and sweet episode in which we present ourselves and our project. 2020 has been a rough year. During this period we all struggled with mental and physical health issues, we had to deal with the uncertainty of our future and the mess of a present we are living in. We decided to pull ourselves together and we tried to make some space for ourselves, hoping our platforms could help other people in our situation. So here we are, this is a presentation for our podcast listeners of our mission and of ourselves. We hope you enjoyed season 1 of the podcast because season 2 is just around the corner! In this episode: Anton Meshkov, Hannah Bludau and Luca De Cristofaro Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we interview Leyre Castro, from the Euroculturer! Leyre Castro is a master’s degree student currently doing an internship in Poland. We discussed the protests in Poland, how and why they started, the connection to the LGBT-free zones, the influence of the Church, and Kaczyński. "Poland is the country in the European Union in which EU values are completely distorted". The protection of human rights is a core value of the European Union, but the EU is paralyzed in taking action against Poland because of Hungary's veto. Host of the episode: Anton Meshkov Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this interview, we talk with Marija Jovcheska about switching careers, working for an NGO, and the hardship of project management. Marija Jovcheska is a North-Macedonian and a former teacher who is now working for different NGOs in Struga. The one she will be representing today is the Association of Hazelnut Producers ECO HAZELNUT v. Draslajca, Struga.  Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this interview, we talk to Valentina Musso. Valentina has recently graduated with an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's degree in European Studies, and she spent her time in Poland, France, and Belgium.  In this episode, we talked about her thesis on mobility and youth unemployment in Italy, and we talked about the blue book traineeship. We hope Valentina the best with her new experience, and we cannot wait to interview her again! This episode is also our third episode for the Erasmus Days! Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we interview Eva de Luis, from Eurodesk!  We had a really nice conversation with Eva about taking a gap year, volunteering, and doing internships abroad. ✈ Where can you find all of these experiences you might ask? Eurodesk, of course! 💪🏽 We hope you will enjoy this interview as much as we did Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we interview Heghine Ghukasyan. We are dedicating this week's episode of our podcast to the situation in Karabakh, a region that once again became a scene of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We will discuss the reasons for the conflict, the big international players (mainly Russia and Turkey) involved in the conflict, and the media coverage of the issue. Host of the episode: Anton Meshkov  Follow United Citizens of Europe:  IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope  Twitter: @ucofeurope  Facebook: United Citizens of Europe https://www.facebook.com/ucofeurope  https://www.instagram.com/unitedcitizensofeurope  https://twitter.com/ucofeurope  www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we interviewed Giulia Costantino, founder and partner of IDP Europe and IHF Europe. Giulia is an expert in project management, as she has worked with EU Funds since the 90s and she was a project management professor at the University of Bologna, in Italy. Hope you enjoy! Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode, we will discuss the different dimensions of sustainability with a specific focus on Fashion and Sustainability. Our guest is Alonso de Llanes. Alonso has researched this topic in both Harvard and the University of Strasbourg. We will talk about how energy and ecological sustainability are protected by European law and how the law is applied in the fashion industry and our private lives Host of the episode: Anton Meshkov Follow United Citizens of Europe: Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

In this episode we interviewed Cara Seeberg, a very European German. We talked about internships, post-covid19 job market and European identity. We can't wait to see what's next for Cara! Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com

Tadiwa Mwash is a hard-working and goal-oriented Zimbabwean with an international soul. She has recently graduated from the prestigious Italian University “Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore”. She has lived in various countries such as South Africa, Angola, Kenya, and she is now living and working in Italy. She is now the host of the “African Dream” podcast in which she interviews different Africans who have achieved or are achieving their “African Dream”. Tadiwa is very focused and driven, and she has never let rejection stop her from following her dreams. In the podcast episode in which she recounts her experiences and adventure. Life is definitely not easy, but Tadiwa does not let this scare her and she always manages to succeed. Listen to this episode to know more about Tadiwa! Host of the episode: Luca De Cristofaro Follow United Citizens of Europe: IG: @unitedcitizensofeurope Twitter: @ucofeurope Facebook: United Citizens of Europe www.unitedcitizensofeurope.com