Three graduate students in Paris have joined News Decoder, bolstering staff and adding new perspectives to the nonprofit’s governance.
A new intern and two new advisors have joined News Decoder, strengthening front-line staff as it enters the busiest time of the year and adding fresh perspectives to its Advisory Board as News Decoder explores new strategic directions.
Nicole DiSante, a graduate student at the American University of Paris (AUP), started this week as Program and Communications Intern, responsible for informing News Decoder’s stakeholders around the world about its activities and helping to nurture ties with students at partner schools.
Savannah Jenkins and Giuliana Nicolucci-Altman — also graduate students in Paris — have joined News Decoder’s Advisory Board, which provides guidance to the nonprofit startup.
Both Jenkins and Nicolucci-Altman have experience working with News Decoder. An AUP graduate, Jenkins spent two stints as News Decoder’s Communications Manager, while Nicolucci-Altman was formerly a Student Ambassador at academic partner School Year Abroad France and has published stories and podcasts on News Decoder’s website.
Originally from the U.S. state of Arizona, DiSante moved to France in January 2020 to begin a master’s program in Global Communications at AUP. She has worked with youth in leadership programs in Brazil and Mexico.
“I look forward to amplifying youth voices because they have important messages that deserve our attention and support,” DiSante said.
New faces and new perspectives at News Decoder
Jenkins and Nicolucci-Altman share more in common than their past links to News Decoder and their graduate studies in Paris. They are both interested in working in the humanitarian sector.
A dual British-U.S. citizen, Jenkins is studying for a master’s degree in Media and Globalization at Panthéon-Assas University in Paris. Nicolucci-Altman works at Alp Analytica as an environmental sustainability and climate security consultant while studying for her master’s in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po Paris.
The three graduate students join News Decoder as students at its 22 partner institutions in 17 countries are busy doing reporting and research ahead of webinars on critical global issues, including COVID-19, human rights and climate change.
News Decoder and academic partner European School of Brussels II (ESBII) recently won a €60,000 grant from the European Union to strengthen students’ understanding of climate change. The grant from Erasmus+, which combines all of the EU’s schemes for education, training, youth and sport, will underwrite a 18-month program to help schools in Europe and beyond teach climate change using journalism, civic engagement and art.
The grant will enable News Decoder to leverage its experience and resources in association with an academic partner, while potentially opening up new horizons for the 6-1/2-year-old venture. Last year, News Decoder launched a range of activities and resources available to students and educators outside its network of partner institutions as part of its commitment to reach as many young people around the world as possible with its message of tolerance and understanding.