Co-founder and Operations Manager

Elia is a medical doctor and surgent with tenure experience in the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) as an officer for three years and operations manager in the private sector during his studies at the University of Catania. He has also served as a Red Cross Sicilia volunteer.

Irem Yazicioglu, Co-founder and Executive Director

Irem is a community manager and civil society professional with five years of experience in non-profit organisations, including her tenure at 350.org in the People & Culture team.

She has previously contributed to initiatives with United Nations Volunteers, AIESEC, and OXFAM. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bilkent University and a master’s degree in global politics from the University of Catania. She is passionate about climate activism and creative campaigning.

Valentina Anna Amato, Co-founder and Deputy Director

Valentina brings extensive experience in international, non-governmental organisations and academia. She was formerly a Blue Book Trainee at the European Commission (DG ECHO), focusing on capacity building for prevention and preparedness in the area of Civil Protection. Previously, she worked as a communication and research assistant in the field of environmental migration, her area of expertise, exploring the interlinkages between climate change and human mobility. She has also conducted training using non-formal education tools on active citizenship, empowering young people with a migrant background or an interest in migration.

She holds a double master’s degree in Global Politics, European Union, and Euro-Mediterranean Relations from the Universities of Liège and Catania and is specialised in intercultural mediation.