INTERNSHIP REPORT MOVEMENT ON THE GROUND

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INTERNSHIP REPORT

MOVEMENT ON THE

GROUND

Student: Madeleine Hessing

Home University: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Student Number: S2324849

Host University: University of Deusto Student Number:

Internship Coordinator: Elena Herman-Pletiourgina

Movement on the Ground

Address: Wibautstraat 131D, 1091 DL Amsterdam Internship Supervisor: Nina Schmitz,

Managing director Movement on the Ground Contact: Nina@movementontheground.com

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PREFACE

This is my internship report on my recent internship with Movement on the Ground. I have spent the last three month interning full time with them, Monday-Friday from 9-17. Most of my time was spent at their head office in Amsterdam, however I did get the opportunity to also go to Lesvos for a week where they run most of their projects. Overall I had a really good experience during this internship, I learnt a lot about what it means working for a Dutch NGO and I also learnt a lot about myself. I will elaborate on this in the section on reflection.

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INTRODUCTION

How was the Internship obtained?

As part of our NOHA third semester we are all required to complete an internship. I decided to try and find my own. I started applying for internships in February 2018, so at the start of the second semester. The reason for starting early was because I was aware it could be a long process and wanted to make sure I would be able to start on time. I applied to many different internships, at some other small Dutch NGO’s, but also with ALNAP, Save the Children, WarChild and the Dutch Red Cross. Frequently I would not receive any reply. Which was very disheartening. However, with the Dutch Red Cross I was invited to a selection day, but I decided not to apply for the next round as I did not feel that the things they were offering would suit me.

I had heard about Movement on the Ground in the papers and on tv, but had not thought about applying in the first instance. However, I found out that someone in my network had met Nina Schmitz, the managing director of Movement on the Ground and kept her contact details. After researching some more about the organisation and what they do I decided to get in touch with Nina and see if they would consider me for the position as an intern.

Nina replied to my email, which included my motivation letter and CV, very quickly and we made an appointment, after which she offered me the position. We had all the contracts signed in April/May and I started on the 1st_{of August.}

Justification

Movement on the Ground is a relatively young Dutch NGO. They were founded in 2015 by Johnny de Mol and some of his friends. They have their head office in Amsterdam but most of their projects are run on Lesvos in the refugee camps. The organisation is dedicated to improving the conditions for refugees in the camps. I believe this is a suitable organisation for a humanitarian internship as they are working directly in a humanitarian crisis.

Expectations

I consciously decided not to have to many expectation for the first few weeks of my internship. I was prepared to take some time to get to know the organisation. Overall, my expectations of the internship were mainly:

❖ To get to know Movement on the Ground

❖ To understand what working for a Dutch NGO could be like ❖ To have responsibility over certain tasks/projects

❖ To work together with different people

❖ To get to know and understand the projects Movement on the Ground runs ❖ To determine whether I want to continue in this field

❖ To determine what my preferred way of working is

Living Conditions

My internship took place in Amsterdam. Therefor I decided to leave Groningen and move back home with my parents in Amersfoort. This was because the travel time was much shorter, and I would be able to save some money. I decided not to try and move to Amsterdam because I only had a 3 month contract

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which is too short to find anywhere, add to this the fact that living in Amsterdam is very expensive. The travel time was about 45 minutes to an hour, which was not bad at all. However, there were some days when my train was late or cancelled which meant the travel time was longer. Overall I did not experience any problems traveling to and from work every day.

My internship offered me compensation of 150 euro a month, and free lunch in the office. In September I was able to go to Lesvos and visit the refugee camps and the projects we run. For this trip Movement on the Ground payed for my flights, hotel and 3 meals a day. I stayed in a very nice hotel and had a large room. I also had access to a car so did not need to pay for any taxi’s.

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MOVEMENT ON THE GROUND

Movement on the Ground is a Dutch foundation that was set up in answer to the current refugee crisis affecting Europe. At Movement on the Ground they try and identify what needs are not being met by the current humanitarian response. By activating their very diverse and large network they aim to fill the gaps, in an innovative and sustainable manor. For Movement on the Ground working together with the local and refugee population is crucial as this empowers people and makes them self-sufficient. By involving local populations in their work they also aim to create bridges between local people and refugees so the crisis has the smallest impact possible. Movement on the Ground is reliant on donations and volunteers to do their work.

How Movement on the Ground started

Movement on the Ground was founded by a group of independent business people, creatives and

companies who each in their own way were touched by the migrant crisis in Greece in late 2015 and were called to action. Whether it was in the national debate in The Netherlands about the effect of the crisis locally, or the immediate response to the arrival of refugees at Amsterdam Central Station, or because of experience first-hand by visiting Lesvos, all were called to do more and give more.

Through social media, connections were made with those on the ground and relationships were built with the groups working to ensure safe passage on Lesvos. Personal networks were ignited and they found that often where there was a direct need, a direct response could often be supplied. In November 2015 they were, as a collective, able to donate much needed Items to help winterproof some of the transit camps on the island. They donated lights, heaters, tents, crowd management assets, as well as items to support the medical and search and rescue teams on the coast. This momentum has been maintained and Movement on the Ground now works continuously on many different projects on the island of Lesvos and in

Amsterdam.

Mission and Vision

“Bring dignity and support 'from the beach to a new life' for refugees in Europe”

Movement on the Ground is a foundation responding to a humanitarian crisis affecting the innocent men, women and children forced from their homes by climate change, poverty and war. They identify needs not being met and aim to fill these needs by activating their network of logistical, financial and structural partners to provide these needs thoroughly and without hesitation. By doing so, they take on and create an incubator role where they try and develop prototypes that can be replicated.

“A world where this is dignity and humanity for people on the move”

The vision at Movement on the Ground is to deliver a more dignified, sustainable, and innovative

response to the refugee crisis in Europe. They believe that refugee camps should be more inclusive, more self-sustaining and provide refugees with a better quality of life and adaptation process to their new environments. With collaborative efforts with interested corporations, other charities, refugees, volunteers, and donations, we are activating a network that re-defines the global refugee response.

Projects

Movement on the Ground runs many different projects on Lesvos and in Amsterdam. All the projects can be divided under one of the subgroups: From sea to safety, Camp to CampUs and Refugee to Employee. The divisions are made based on common threads running through the projects.

From sea to safety

A lot of refugees have had a very long journey before arriving at a new place. They are exhausted and sometimes ill. Their first need is a safe place where they can get their strength back. Movement on the Ground provides the safe place they need. An example of a project here is ‘The Giving Foodtruck’. The Giving Food Truck has been one of the very first initiatives of Movement on the Ground and it’s still one of

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the most important projects they have done so far. The Giving Foodtruck is one of the largest professional mobile kitchens in the world and we can cook up to 10.000 meals per day.

Camp to campus

Movement on the Ground believes in building a community. They aim to upgrade refugee camps, so they can empower residents to take control of their futures, starting here and now with our support. Their strategy is to build up a sustainable and self-sufficient camp. One of the initiatives is ‘Solar Pannels’. Movement on the Ground’s solar panel project has been set up to bring power to the people, using the sun as the source of energy. Electricity is so much more than a glowing light bulb. It provides access to computers and smartphones connecting refugees with the outside world and their families.

Refugee to employee

Movement on the Ground believes that successfully integrating refugees into their new environments, in a motivating, uplifting way is an integral part of their journey. For this reason Movement on The Ground helps connect newly arrived refugees to jobs, because they believe employment is one of the most powerful tools for integration and empowerment. An example here is ‘The Movement Hotel’. The Bijlmer Bajes (a former prison) has been turned into a hotel, where the men and women serving you are refugees being trained for fixed jobs in the capitol’s hospitality industry.

Organisation Structure

The organisation is structured as follows: Founders:

• Johnny de Mol (Dutch Celebrity)

• Charlie MacGregor (Founder and CEO of The Student Hotel) • Laura Jansen (Singer/ Songwriter)

• Adil Izemrane (Real estate developer)

• Dylan Ingham (Communications and Marketing The Student Hotel) Core Team NL:

• Adil Izemrane: Head of Mission • Nina Schmitz: Managing Director

• Stephanie Fairbank-Rueb: Project Manager • Milan de Wijs: Communication and Marketing

• Marjolein van Zanten: volunteer coordinator (volunteer basis) • Interns and office support (volunteer basis)

Team Lesvos:

• Volunteer coordinator and activities coordinator Kara Tepe • Resident volunteer coordinator

• Olive Grove and Moria coordinator • Overall coordinator

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DESCRIPTION OF TASKS

During my three month internship at Movement on the Ground I did many different things. My tasks can be divided into different categories. Per category I will explain in detail what the different tasks included:

Research

• Position paper on current crisis in Venezuela:

I was asked to do research on the current situation in Venezuela. As many people are now fleeing Venezuela and are taking refugee in neighbouring countries the care they are given isn’t always good. Especially in Curacao Amnesty international has been reporting on the violations of human rights. I have written a short paper on the context of Venezuela and Movement on the Ground’s position regarding this situation.

• Research on Blockchain:

For the development of a new project that would potentially use blockchain I did research on the pro’s and cons of using blockchain. Whether it would be suitable and applicable in the context Movement on the Ground wanted to use it.

• Research on situation in Greece and on Lesvos for funding applications:

For different funding applications I needed to do research on the current situation on Lesvos and the recent developments. Mostly concerning numbers and recent policies. I was also responsible for writing a complete funding application for a new project on Lesvos.

• Research on NGO’s on Lesvos

I was asked to develop an overview of all the NGO’s that are currently active on the island of Lesvos, what their objectives are and what their main projects include.

• Research for projects related to many different topics

For some project proposals I was asked to do some additional research into the topics. For example, we have recently submitted a project proposal to develop electric bikes on Lesvos. I was asked to look into electric bikes for this.

Evaluation, monitoring and impact measurement

• Writing reports and project updates:

For some of the grants we received we were required to write reports on project updates and reports on the completion of the project. Together with the field coordinators in Lesvos, and the Head of Mission I would write up these reports.

• Creating project overviews:

As port of the new format for Monitoring and Evaluation of our projects I wrote an overview of all the projects Movement on the Ground has completed, is currently running and is looking into running in future. I would write a short description of the project, where it was located and when it ran.

• Creating a format for Monitoring and Evaluation:

As one of my very first tasks at Movement on the Ground I was asked to develop a new format for the Monitoring and Evaluation of current projects. To do this I first research what type of systems and templates are used by different organisations and what was currently used by

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Movement on the Ground. I then developed a template that I believed would fit with the organisation.

Office communication

• Replying to emails and phone calls:

I think this is self-explanatory. I would answer the phone and reply to emails. • Replying to volunteers:

When volunteers had questions about their donations, what type of activities they would be participating in, what to pack or where to find accommodation I would either answer the question myself or but them in touch with the relevant person.

• Updating volunteer handbooks and activity manuals:

Volunteers receive a handbook when they sign up to volunteer with us. In this document they can find information of who Movement on the Ground is, what we do, where we work, the Code of Conduct we expect them to follow, the contract they need to sign. Information on activities, travel, how much cash to bring etc. This needs updating regularly as a lot changes on the ground. • Updating the volunteer app with news items and documents:

Movement on the Ground runs an app especially for volunteers where all the documents can be found and where there are news articles and other information that is nice to know about their time with Movement on the Ground. This needs to be updated regularly with new news items and updated documents.

• Other random requests:

We get a lot of questions from people if they can donate clothing or other things. I would have to check I we needed those items and then communicate where those items could be delivered.

Office tasks

• Printing jobs:

On some occasions we would need flyers or cards printing. I would be asked to find a suitable printer and complete the order.

• Packing up and sending out bracelet orders:

In September we started a new fundraising campaign which meant that we were selling bracelets and bags through our webshop. These bracelets were a short term campaign and needed to be backed and sent to the people that ordered them. I was in charge of doing this with lots of help from volunteers.

• Booking flights and hotels:

When our founders and managing director go to Lesvos I would sometimes be asked to book their flights and hotels.

Attending meetings and workshops

• Attending the University of Amsterdam meeting with Nina Schmitz:

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We are also starting a new partnership with Defence for Children who are developing child rights helpdesks on Lesvos. I accompanied our managing director to some of these meetings and participated in a workshop organised by them on Child Rights.

• Attending the ImpactFest and workshop with PNKG:

Together with PNKG we won a Grant for a new project, this included participating in the ImpactFest and a workshop at the HumanityHub where the project needed to be pitched. I attended the Workshop alone.

• Attending the HumanityHouse roundtable on Refugee security in Lebanon:

Together with Isabel Mora a project manager a movement on the ground I attended this round table organised by the HumanityHouse and Clingendael.

• Attending the Movement Hotel recruitment event:

The Movement Hotel is one of our projects. We organised a recruitment day for our staff to get introduced to recruiters from many of the Amsterdam hospitality chains where they could introduce themselves and potentially get invited to interviews.

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INTERNSHIP SUPERVISION

My main supervisor during my internship was Nina Schmitz, the managing director of Movement on the Ground. Very early on in the internship I found that I had a very good working relationship with her. We scheduled meetings together every other week where I would have the opportunity to update her on any tasks I was doing, I could ask any questions I had etc. She would use this opportunity to help me with some of the tasks, give me feedback on completed tasks and give me new ones when I was close to completing my current tasks.

Regarding feedback, I always found her feedback very constructive, most of the time I would be asked to change very small parts or add another paragraph about something. I also wrote my first Dutch report, where I did struggle with the language, she was very helpful and constructive in structuring sentences and using correct professional language. I never felt put down by any of her feedback, I always felt she was helping me to improve.

Even though we had these meetings scheduled, I was always able to get in touch with her when I had any questions or when I felt the need to reach out to her. Which was very good. Especially when I had a really hard time during one of the workshops. I was able to call her the next day and we sat down and had a long talk about how I found the workshop and why it didn’t go as well as it could have gone.

She would also ask for my opinion a lot when it came to projects and contacts which made me feel very valued and part of the organisation.

For the more office based work I would be supervised by Stephanie who is project manager at Movement on the Ground. I also worked well with her and always felt free to say when I didn’t have time to do something and it would never be a problem.

Overall I really enjoyed the supervision and have felt very supported by the whole team.

Advice for future students

My advice for any future students that participate in an internship at MOTG would be to take the first week to get to know the organisation. Of course this will take much longer than a week, but I think it would be very helpful to take the first week to read all the internal procedures and try and understand everyone’s role in the organisation. Once you are aware of who is responsible for what, you know who to go to with specific questions. My second piece of advice is to just go with it. Movement on the Ground is a small organisation but a very busy. They are running lots of different projects and days can be very busy an hectic. So sometimes it may take longer for some tasks to get done then you would like, because you might be waiting for questions to be answered. Or because other tasks taken sudden priority. Don’t get stressed by this, its just the way it is. Finally, I would advise to stay organised and keep track of all the tasks you’ve been asked to complete. Make sure you remember to finish tasks that may have taken a back seat for a while. Most importantly though, don’t be afraid of asking questions, especially in the beginning while you are getting to know the organisation.

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REFLECTION AND CONCLUSION

Learning effects of the internship

Overall, I believe I have learnt a lot during this internship. Not only have I been able to learn how a NGO works. How organisations are structured and how this influences the work place. But most importantly I have learnt what the expectations and demands are of working in the humanitarian field. It demands flexibility, organisational skills, knowledge and the ability to adapt research skills. Professionally this internship has challenged me, with interesting tasks and responsibilities. It has given me the chance to test out new skills, like writing proposals and funding applications, which will need some more practice but overall, I learnt and developed a lot professionally over the last three months.

Not only professionally did I learn a lot, but also on a personal level. I learnt that I can work very well with many different people, I have a very organised working style and like to keep track of all my tasks, I have learnt that my writing skills may still need some improvement but that orally I am very good at expressing myself. I am able to take criticism and advice well and I also enjoy having clear supervision, so I know who to turn to when I have questions. I am a reliable and hard working person but also know how to set boundaries. Most importantly though, this internship has helped me gain a lot of confidence.

I know now that my strengths lie in working with people. I am able to read people quite well and know what they mean and what they need from me, I also know when appropriate times are to ask questions and when to leave people alone. I am also good at finding information. My weaknesses lie in writing. I am improving but I do sometimes struggle with the correct use of language. The other thing I can work on is not to take everything personally and carry the world on my shoulders. Things go wrong sometimes and that is okay.

To what extent have the expectations been met

In the introduction to this internship report I set out what my expectations of this internships were. Here I will explain whether or not these expectations have been met.

❖ To get to know Movement on the Ground

This expectation has definitely been met. I understand the organisational structure very well. I also have a great insight in the thoughts behind the mission and vision and how projects all work towards multiple common goals. This insight has come from working closely with the people that have founded and are working for the organisation but also through a close insight in the projects.

❖ To understand what working for a Dutch NGO could be like

I have learnt that working for a NGO demands flexibility and organisational skills, and to not be afraid of hard work. Working for a NGO is very dynamic, with no two days the same. Also working with two teams, the headquarters and the field is demanding and it is very important to keep open communication and keep everyone on the same page. I now see how the headquarters and field have very different responsibilities but are as crucial as each other.

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❖ To have responsibility over certain tasks/projects

I got responsibility over multiple tasks, from research based tasks, to writing funding applications, project updates and more practical things like fulfilling bracelet orders, replying to request and staying in touch with volunteers.

❖ To work together with different people

Although the head office consisted of a small team, 4 core members. Everyone was very different, this may be down to the fact that we were a very international team. This meant that everyone had a very distinct working style, which took some time to figure out.

❖ To get to know and understand the projects Movement on the Ground runs

One of my responsibilities was to write up reports and updates on projects. This meant that I had the opportunity to talk to coordinators in the field about the day to day running of the projects and management who designed the projects. Therefor I got to understand the projects quite well.

❖ To determine whether I want to continue in this field

This internship has helped me discover that I do want to continue in this field. Which is an important achievement. It has shown me that I enjoy working in this field but most importantly that I have the potential to do it well and contribute to the humanitarian sector.

❖ To determine what my preferred way of working is

I have determined that I am a very organised worker. Overall, I prefer to be prepared and keep track of all the tasks I am responsible for. I tend to work with checklists, which I complete during the day. Regarding communication, I prefer to have clear and direct communication, I like to know where I stand and what is expected of me. However, I am open to constructive criticism.

SWOT analysis

This is a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the internship at Movement on the Ground and the organisation itself.

Strengths Opportunities

• The organisation is innovative and a breath of fresh air to the humanitarian field. Because of its founders the organisation has a far more business like mentality which means that it tackles certain issues in a different way. • The beneficiaries are the main focus in

everything and are involved as much as possible. This means that a lot of work done by international volunteers is being done by refugees themselves.

• During the internship I was able to participate in many different sectors of

• The fact that many of the founders are well known, means that the organisation has many more opportunities than other small NGO’s have. It is able to be featured in articles, online but also in magazines and in newspapers and on tv a lot more, which spreads it message, but also gives access to more funding opportunities. • It’s innovative response to the refugee crisis means that it is being noticed by larger organisations and the Dutch government . Which can open up new opportunities to rethink the current

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me personally but also for the organisation.

• My own strengths lie in understanding what needs to be done. My verbal skills and my strengths in working with people. • I am able to read people quite well which

often means I know what they mean, what they need and when to ask questions.

the humanitarian field, we don’t always need to stick to the traditional ways. • My own weaknesses lie in two main

things. The first is my writing. I am improving but I can still keep improving especially when it comes to using professional language.

• My other weakness is when things seem to go wrong or not how I had planned, I can get stressed and take things personally.

Weaknesses Threats

• The fact that the organisation is so small and heavily reliant on two people is its main weakness at the moment. The organisation relies heavily on its managing director and head of mission, they are the ones to answer most questions and need to check everything which causes some delays.

• The fact that it sometimes wants to do to much. The organisation is running a lot of projects and continuously developing new ones. Which means that sometimes attention is lost for the projects already running. This is a hard balance to strike for any organisation.

• Because of the notoriety of its founders, the organisation faces a lot of media requests and requests of appearances. This can detract from the main mission of the organisation.

• Because the organisation relies so heavily on volunteers it is often in a position where it has to take what it can get. This means that they are not always in a position to pick the most suitable person to do the tasks at hand. Another side effect of this is that these volunteers have big networks which means that when they have a bad experience they will talk about it. Volunteers need careful

handling, and there is not always time for this in small organisations.

Internship as part of NOHA

In my experience the internship is a very important part of NOHA. During the first two semester a lot of theory, research skills and tools are taught. However, sometimes it is hard to know how this theory and skills can be used in the work field. During this internship I was able to find out how humanitarian theory is used in the field and how research and tools are used day to day. I believe this is a very important part of the degree as it shows you what the work field really is like. It opens you up to the understanding that what you learn during the semesters is often the ideal, and that many organisations have not advanced to that level yet. But with the skills and tools we have learnt in the first half of the course we are able to make important contributions to organisations. Not only that, but we as student learn what the real world is like and what the expectations and demands are of working in this field. Which is important to know before you enter the labour market.

Analysis of this internship for the positioning in the job market

This internship has definitely clarified my own plans for the job market. Before this internship I thought I wanted to work for a large organisation. Now I believe that I would be better suited and would enjoy working for a small organisation better. To add to this I think the positions that would suit me best are in the field of project management. This is because my strengths are found, in organizing and working with people.

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An important part of this internship is that it has introduced me to many different aspects of working for a humanitarian organisation. The fundraising, marketing, project managing and research. It has given me a chance to think about where my strengths lie and what I enjoy. This means that when it comes to applying for jobs I will be able to showcase these strengths and explain where my interests lie and why. Finally, it has given me more confidence because I now that this is what I want to do which will help me in my future applications. I believe that the experiences I have gained through this internship have strengthened my position on the job market.

To conclude, I think the internship is a very important part of the NOHA course and contributes to preparation to the labour market. Luckily enough, I had a very positive experience at my internship and was able to grow professionally and feel that I am now better prepared for the labour market.

INTERNSHIP REPORT MOVEMENT ON THE GROUND