Anuschka Ruge

About me

In 2017, I came to Brussels to work for the Young European Socialists, which changed my life. Only around six months before I had participated in my initial training for trainers, where I learned about youth work and the transformative power of non-formal education. Previously, I had studied to become a secondary school teacher in mathematics and arts in Germany but had always longed for my work to make a broader societal impact.

This first work experience within the European political NGO sector made one thing very clear. I found my purpose in bringing together grass-roots activists, politicians, scientists, civil society and other interest groups to debate almost impossible topics that will define our future on this planet. I feel I am stepping into my true self when I work with groups.

As a project manager, I have dedicated the last three years to working more and more on climate topics. Currently, with Climate Alliance, I am working on climate adaptation and mitigation measures, net neutrality and similar challenges in cooperation with cities from across Europe and indigenous peoples from the Amazon basin. However, I am now aiming to work intensely on climate justice issues such as those at the intersection with other social and change struggles and, therefore, to make a slow transition into freelance work.

We can only achieve true sustainability as a global community if we understand the climate crisis as an environmental, social, educational, diversity, and rights struggle.

My skills

In my facilitation, movement and educational work, I centre an experience of shared humanity and interconnectedness. Through that, participants are encouraged to recognise each other as human beings and ground themselves in their expertise and on and with the earth. Coming from international youth work, my core practice is based on Non-formal, Human Rights and Global Citizenship Education and Experiential Learning. Through purpose- and practice-driven life-long learning efforts, I have added approaches from Emergent Strategy, Diversity-Equity-Inclusion, Nonviolent Communication, Intercultural Learning, Visual Practice and many more to my repertoire. I am committed to actively decolonising my practice and measuring it on anti-racist and intersectional standards. This deep reflective work is something I also bring to my clients and the groups I work with. I also believe in sharing knowledge and expertise within a community of practice. Bringing all these aspects of my skills, I am excited to put further into service of sustainable, inclusive and green events. I have worked on a wide range of topics that intersect with the fight for the environment and climate justice, such as feminism & gender equality, class struggle, labour & workers' rights, inclusion & accessibility, & youth participation. In addition, I have trained groups on diversity management, organisational development, public speaking, organising and collective action, (youth-led) research, visual thinking & more.

Why you should work with me

When developing an event or designing a learning journey, I prioritise inclusion and accessibility from the start. This affects timing, location, methods, materials and many more aspects of my work and expectations for the logistical partner.

For me, it is crucial to prepare for access needs rather than just an ad-hoc scramble for a solution when a participant with varying ability registers. To ensure impact, I am convinced it is crucial that participants can develop ownership of the outcomes. Therefore, I work with highly participant-driven methods to enable trust in and understanding of the processes that lead to those outcomes. These methods also align my practice with green values, such as equality, decentralisation, non-violence, and democracy. Furthermore, when selecting workshop materials, I prioritise sustainability and environmental compatibility and sourcing both locally and from SMEs. Methods and activities I commonly use include:

• Witnessing rounds
• Open-space Technology
• Power flower
• Appreciative Inquiry
• Fishbone diagram (root-cause analysis)
• 5 Whys
• Silent discussions
• Take a step
• Sticker discrimination

When selecting methods and activities, I look for varying ways of learning. For example, after an intense discussion, I would use a movement- or arts-based activity. On the other hand, an individual silent reflection activity could be generative after collaborative group work. 

My work experiences

As freelancer:

• Nov '21 - 'Diversity Management for Youth Organisations' for JINT vzw (trainer)
• Sep '21 - 'Study Group - Cycle 1 - Intersectionality' for the Open Lens Collective (organiser)
• Jun '21 - 'Generation Equality Forum - (Y)our body, (y)our choice, (y)our voice' for FEPS (virtual graphic recorder)
• Mar' 21 - 'Data for monitoring poverty & vulnerabilities in Europe' for CEPS (virtual graphic recorder)
• Dec '20 - 'Society is OURS!' for IFM-SEI (virtual facilitator)
• Feb '20 - 'Feminists of the World, UNITE!' for IFM-SEI (course director & facilitator)
• Sep '19 - 'University on Youth and Development' for the NSC of the CoE (as Joint Pedagogical Team member)

Since May '21 - Project Manager at Climate Alliance - Klimabündnis e.V.
• Leading project management of the Horizon 2020 projects Europa & NetZeroCities.
• Developing training materials & strategies on various topics.
• Contribution to internal staff training & capacity building initiatives.
• Participating as speaker at high-level events
Mar '19 to Feb '21 - Project & Communications Coordinator for IFM-SEI
• Leading project management of multiple youth projects.
• Co-authoring successful funding applications.
• Financial & narrative reporting.
• Organising & implementing capacity building activities, educational events & trainings on a local, regional & international level.

My education & training

2014 – 2017 University of Osnabrück (Germany)

My references

 References:

• Carly Walker-Dawson - she/her - Former Secretary General - IFM- SEI
• Matteo Cervi - they/them - Former IUSY Project Officer
• Basak van Hove - she/her - CEPS Project Officer
• Ana Rodrigues Afonso - she/her - Independent facilitator & coach