How old are you?

On April 27 2014, I celebrated my 26th birthday.

Where do you live?

I live in the east of Hamburg (Germany), only three stations from the Central Station. Nevertheless, it is a rather quiet, green quarter and my apartment has a nice balcony for relaxing and gardening :o)

What do you do?

In March 2015 I will finish my studies (Biology and English for becoming a teacher at secondary / grammar schools) at the University of Hamburg with the „Master of Education" degree.

Besides studying I work at the famous Hamburg zoo "Hagenbecks Tierpark" as an educator (giving guided tours for pupils, families...).

Which YEE member organisation do you belong to? What are the main activities of your organisation?

Since my voluntary service in 2007 I am a member of FÖJ-AKTIV e.V. It is an organisation to support and develop the one-year ecological voluntary service FÖJ in Germany for young people aged 16-27 years. The organization aims to help volunteers develop and carry out projects that are additional to the tasks at their workplace. All the projects and activities we do together promote the ecological voluntary service itself as well as environmentally-friendly and sustainable living. Our organisation depends on active members who want to volunteer even more and thus gain even more experience in project work. Additionally, FÖJ-AKTIV e.V. gives its members the opportunity to improve the voluntary service (politically) and represent their interests to uphold its high quality.

Why did you want to return to/ stay in YEE Board?

I wanted to continue my work in YEE board, as firstly, I felt really growing into this position and enjoyed a lot working in the team. Secondly, there are some more issues I would like to continue and finish. I learned so much during my first mandate, and feel to give back to YEE because I can continue working right away and not much time is spent on introduction.

What is your main aim as a 2014 - 2015 Board member?

This year I will focus on the implementation of short-term-strategies, I want to foster the creation of environmental guidelines for projects would like to uphold the quality and positive atmosphere of the team working together.

What are your main achievements from your previous mandate?

I guess my main achievement was bringing the team together, meeting frequently and regularly so as to keep track of news and getting work done in time.

What environmental problem worries you the most?

Biodiversity (variety of life) is the most precious good we have on Earth as well as the root of our progress. Human beings show a high diversity of skills, knowledge and talents which have helped to increase our quality of life through new inventions and research. However, we depend on a variety of animals, plants and minerals for food, medicine, resources (for energy supplies) and materials.
At the same time we carelessly destroy ecosystems – mostly obliviously– by our everyday consumption behaviour. Species that have been optimised by evolution over millions of years are at risk of become extinct extremely fast. Therefore the greatest importance to me is to raise awareness to protect and esteem our rich nature, and all we can learn and get from it. When we act in order to protect biodiversity, we act sustainably.

What is your favourite place in nature?

I think this would be in a kayak on a very small river downstream through the forests in the East of Germany (it is a kind of lake district, called Mecklenburgische Seenplatte). There are a national park and nature conservation areas and you can see various animals, plant species and huge trees there. You can breath in the fresh air, listen to the sound of nature and relax!

Workplan 2014-2015