Event highlight
09.03.2023

Human Rights Networking Event

Representatives from Berlin-based human rights organisations met Hertie School’s students and alumni for a networking event.

On March 9, 2023, over 120 students and alumni gathered at the Hertie School’s Forum for the first in-person Human Rights Networking Event. The event was co-organised by the Student Advisory Board for the Centre for Fundamental Rights in cooperation with the Centre and Hertie School’s Career Development Unit and aimed at creating an informal exchange space between practitioners and students interested in engaging in human rights-related work. The networking session attracted current and former students from different programmes and cohorts.

Speakers, Kristina Hatas (Amnesty International), Oleksandr lakymenko (Democracy Reporting International), Julianne Kippenberg (Human Rights Watch), Luzie Dallinger (IOM), Florian Westphal (Save the Children), Barbara Hohl (SOS Humanity), Anne Koch (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik), Julia Auf dem Brinke (Transparency International Deutschland e.V.), and Mathis Wichmann (UNHCR), were invited to the stage to introduce the organisations they were representing to the audience. Following this introduction of the nine invited organisations, participants had the opportunity to approach speakers individually and exchange about ongoing projects, job opportunities, and career tips, among others.

Ana Carolina Fisher (MIA 2023), a member of the Student Advisory Board and one of the event organisers, noted that such events are much appreciated by the students and alumni communities. “Many colleagues from different backgrounds and specialisations are sharing a similar interest to engage in human rights work. The big turnout shows a high demand for networking opportunities within the Hertie community and encourages us to organise more thematic career events in the future”, she said. Jesse Wai (MIA 2023), who attended the event, said “This human rights networking event came at the perfect time, as my classmates and I prepare to enter the job market after graduating from the Hertie School. It also made me realise how competitive positions in the field are, and the work I still need to do to make myself stand out to prospective employers”.