Students of the Master of Public Policy (English), 2013-2015 On the following pages, some of our current MPP students introduce themselves to you. Alejandro Orozco Alejandro Orozco Venezuela Politician - Social Worker Most importantly, I am passionately Christian, that very detail means everything to me. I am a multitasker: pastor, singer, musician, lawyer, student activist, politician, programmer, geek, human rights activist, community leader, and businessman, among others. But, all of these activities serve as a core mission that was given to me by God. Title of your project: Alianza Cristiana Progresista. I learned through student leadership (I was the nation-wide lawyer student federation President) how to train and recruit political leaders having boundaries between parties and the host organization. I d like very much to take the high moral and motivators that are part of the church leadership, and make them act as public policy makers, in order to fight back corruption. However, I am convinced that, rather to fund another unsuccessful evangelical party, we Christians should set a network which could permeate the current major ones, and also become a reference through social work. I noted also, that over the last few years, there has been public interest increase in this demographic sector, and that most of civil society would like to do something about the current political situation, but they just don t know how to make these changes. I am a political reference for Christians. We have already founded a civil association. We have several leaders who believe in the project, most of them in different cities, with high expansion potential. We have some suitable social work which can serve as examples. We are about to launch a music recording with lyrics based on social work, and we are planning to use the media platform to expand the project. I wanted to deepen my academic formation, but at the same time I could not loose entirely the ties with the communities or the political work that has already begun. The structure of the MPP lets me keep working on my project while having access to superior education at the same time.
2 Ce sar Reyes Ce sar Reyes Mexico Consultant I am a sociable person and generally cheerful. What I enjoy the most: traveling; a good drink; a nice conversation; a brutal gig; an epic football game; a breathtaking smile; a virgin beach; mountain biking. What I don't like: ambiguity and hypocrisy. Title of your project: Lessons of the 'Energiewende': policy recommendations on energy efficiency improvement and clean energy use for Mexico City I want to analyze the opportunities and challenges of promoting concrete energy efficiency policies on the local level by transferring lessons learned from the German Energiewende which may be applicable to the Mexican context, mainly at the local level. To ensure the practical impact of this project, I will mobilize social & political coalitions to raise social awareness and promote policies in order to achieve real social and environmental impact in a pilot municipality. Concept. I think the MPP s approach is both innovative and practical. I have always thought that governments, civil society and companies need to coexist, engage in dialogue and collaborate to achieve social and economic progress. That vision is certainly shared by the School. I truly believe in values such as liberty, tolerance, respect and equality. Those values are strongly promoted by the MPP.
3 Estelle Hube -Laurent Estelle Hube -Laurent France Programme Manager What should people know about you? What characterizes you? I like to go after my projects jovially. I like discovering new environment, learning from new experiences and meeting new people. I believe that everyone has a role to play in society and I'm committed to supporting such people. Title of your project: Development of a Process in Diversity Management Integration The objective of the project is to develop a process in Diversity Management integration based on the best practices of French-German companies, in order to systemize this integration and disseminate the process to other companies. The idea and concept have been developed. I need to think about a structure that will support my activities within the project. I will wait in identifying the implementation stage, in order to really design a strategy that will support the accuracy and benefits of this project. I found the program challenging and that I could benefit from the experience and knowledge of both lecturers and participants. Furthermore, developing one s own project with the support of such renowned universities is an amazing opportunity in one s life.
4 Felipe Turra Sant Ana Felipe Turra Sant Ana Brazil Lawyer Passionate for the unusual. Title of your project: not specified Bring to the people with less education a little education about their rights and duties. I m still in the concept phase. I hope to agglutinate new ideas to my project after our first round of debates and classes in Germany. One friend, who studied at the Humboldt University, informed me about the MPP.
5 Ina Jurga Ina Jurga Germany Head of WASH in Schools, WASH United An engineer by profession, I have worked in the area of sanitation and hygiene in Asia and Africa for the German Government and the UN. Through this, I came to realize it is not about the technology, but the people who are ultimately using the toilets (or sometimes NOT using it). That s why I feel very fortunate to have a job where I can combine fieldwork with global level advocacy in a creative environment. Title of your project: Menstruation Matters. Period. Girls and women around the world face taboos, shame, and poor health due to menstruation. There is a profound silence on the issue that conceals the challenges and needs of girls women, and thus inhibits change in society, projects and policies. WASH United has initiated a Menstrual Hygiene Day for 28 May 2014 and beyond to create global awareness on the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for women and girls. It is in implementation phase, as there is no way back! The project is currently in the stage of the partner mapping and starting with an advocacy & communication strategy. The MPP offers a perfect chance to back-up the project with more in-depth analysis and research. Through the different modules I hope to understand better what drives the change in politics and society that I would like to see through my project, and in the same time get capacitated to act meaningfully (the driving license so to say ;) ).And of course, I am looking forward to meet other passionate problem solver and visionaries and contribute my global experiences alike.
6 Jessica Kraus Jessica Kraus USA Research Analyst My background is in providing research, fundraising and communications support for academic and health non-profits. My ultimate professional goal is to use research to advocate for health policy change. Outside of work, I enjoy cycling, reading the news and perfecting baked goods. Title of your project: Somondo The Somondo project aims to make it easier for non-profit organizations to inform the public about visiting opportunities. These visits allow participants to interact with non-profits and learn first-hand about their work. I am part of a Berlin-based team developing a website (www.somondo.org) that creates a space for users to explore, discover and schedule these visits easily. Finalizing our concept, nearing implementation The MPP is the only master programme that I found with the design, curriculum, and location that I needed to achieve my academic and professional goals. Simply put, it was impossible for me to turn down an opportunity to further my education, gain access to part-time jobs that will advance my career and join my project team in Berlin.
7 Kristine Romorosa Kristine S. Romorosa Philippines Technical Consultant (Health Policy) I am a nurse by profession. I pursued a career in the development sector after graduating Master of Public Health in the Philippines. I became interested in broadening knowledge of policies that help improve the maternal health situation in my country. Title of your project: Reaching Mothers in Rural Municipalities in the Philippines: Strengthening Delivery of Maternal Health Services The project is about reducing maternal deaths in rural municipalities in the Philippines by improving the maternal health outcomes through increased provision of maternal health services (i.e. facility based delivery, etc.). Strategies to be developed shall be focused in demand generation using innovative solutions among clients especially those from poor families as well as preparing the local health system's network and capacity in meeting the need. Concept. To expand my horizon in health policy through a more comprehensive and collaborative approach in addressing problems. It particularly interests me since the MPP requires their students to conduct a project which facilitates application of theories learned in the current researches of their students.
8 Paulo Baracarense Paulo Bracarense Brazil Professor at the Federal University of Parana. Although my background is in Hard Sciences (Statistics) I've always tried to support my activities with a social vision of the problems and apply them to the reality in which I am involved. Interdisciplinary work has been a necessity, to which I ve adapted enthusiastically through teamwork. Title of your project: "Public Policy from the Quantification of Local Green Jobs We want to develop a methodology that defines and helps quantifying the number of green jobs, i.e. jobs that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. With this project, we are attaching to efforts of the ILO in this field. As an outcome of our work we want to provide guidelines for policy makers to crate green jobs in public programs. ILO has used an elementary methodology for accounting for Green Jobs. Jobs that fulfill at least one of the six characteristics that define Green Jobs may be considered as such. This methodology has already been applied to Brazil and Curitiba. We want to revisit all six defining characteristics and build a new definition to be able to better ascertain these settings, not by profession but rather by occupation.
9 Raphael Ami Raphael Michael Ami Tanzania Director I am passionate about impact investment in Africa. This is because impact investment is more inclusive in its nature, caring for humans and the environment. It combines creativity, innovation of the people and sustainable development in Africa. Through impact investing both financial and non financial impacts are created with motivated players. Everyone benefits, the investors, intermediaries, consumers and the local communities. Concept Development for African Sustainable Development. Title of your project: Design and Implementation of water sources conservation project in Mbulu district-tanzania. Due to intensive farming culture and human practice water sources have suffered major destruction. Village Water User committees (VWUC's) have been established, but lack capacity to fulfill their task of conserving the water resources. The objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of VWUC's in Mbulu district by training them on roles and responsibilities as well as on National Water Policy and water conservation techniques. The Project is in its second phase covering 12 villages within one year. The first phase of the project covered 4 villages and this may expand to cover the whole district council in the future. The MPP is a program that combines theory and practice. The MPP brings together practitioners, elders and professors from different walks of life. Having these experiences combined, is rare in most cases. This is also the place where not only students learn but where professors and practitioners learn from the students which is great.
10 Rusudan Kavtaradze Rusudan Kavtaradze Georgia Entrepreneur I have a strong character, I am purposeful, I am passionate about making people happy, I am always ready to serve my country, I love changes and hate monotone. Title of your project: Design and Implementation of Silk Production Line in Georgia My vision is a Silk Production line with all the necessary equipment, its farms and distribution channels. I will be proud when top designers use Silk produced in Georgia. Within my participation in the MPP, I want to conduct a feasibility study for the project, including benchmarking, the design of the manufacturing model, project and business planning and partnership management and afterwards, launch it. Formatting idea into concept This school gives me opportunity to get higher education in the field I am interested mostly in at the moment. Most importantly is that I can be anywhere in the world yet be a student at the same because of the distance learning option, and last but not the least, is that I like the curriculum. I am delighted that I will soon to be a MPP student.
11 Tobias Martens Tobias Martens Germany STS Research & Entrepreneurship I work on / with / for technology companies, investors and early stage startups. Some people say I am good in Design Thinking and Political Sciences, but opinions do certainly vary. My interests are technology governance, digital change, as well as innovations as the intersections of technology industries, art and research. Title of your project: Developing digital community toolkits Online-based share economy services are faced with a scale of problems. At the same time civil society is missing digital infrastructures. With my project I intend to develop alternative approaches and strategies to address both challenges at once. Concept My application was motivated by the interdisciplinary and project-based approach of the MPP.