From July to September 2025 I had the opportunity to intern at Democracy International as the International Programme Intern. The internship was part of my Dual Master’s programme in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action and Political Science and allowed me to put some of the theoretical knowledge that I had acquired throughout my studies into practice. I was particularly interested in learning more about direct democracy and citizens’ participation throughout my internship since these topics were barely discussed in my study programmes. 

On the first day of my internship, my supervisor Josephine Schnee warmly welcomed me at the office and gave me a detailed overview of the working methods of the organisation, as well as of the projects that I would be working on. By immediately joining the daily team meeting, I got to know the other team members and was included as a team member right away. Throughout my internship, these meetings provided me with an opportunity to learn more about all of DI’s projects and to ask for help if I ever needed it. 

As the International Programme Intern, my main responsibilities included doing research for the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy and contributing to the IDEU crowdsourcing project on Inclusive Digitalisation in the EU. A further highlight of my internship was getting to contribute to drafting the script for the newest Life as an Activist documentary, which allowed me to learn more about inspiring activists that use participatory methods to fight the climate crisis. Additionally, I was also tasked with writing articles for the EU4Global project and for IDEU and helped with writing grant applications. For Eu4Global, I even got to attend a Transnational Citizens’ Panel in Madrid. Given this variety of tasks, my internship provided me with interesting insights into the different areas of work in an NGO. I really appreciate that many of my tasks were very practically oriented and actually made a difference to the projects that I was working on. 

Throughout my internship, every team member was very enjoyable to work with and always ready to answer any questions that I had. They made me feel very welcome and like a real team member, which I really appreciate. I felt that my input was always taken seriously and appreciated. Additionally, working in such a diverse and international team was truly enriching and provided me with an opportunity to get to know more about my colleagues’ culture. 

Overall, my internship experience was truly enriching and taught me a lot about the workings of an NGO. I am very grateful for my time at DI and the colleagues that made this a great experience.