The programme: The ESACH / Europa Nostra – Internship Programme is aimed at raising and promoting the voice of students and young professionals in the field of cultural heritage in Europe and beyond. This professionalisation programme is run by Europa Nostra, one of the leading European NGOs in the field of cultural heritage, and will be located at its offices in The Hague or Brussels (or remotely). The programme shall be complemented by participation in capacity-building events in order to equip the candidate with learning and networking opportunities for career development on the international level.

Our Intern for the year 2022-2023 was Elif Aydın.

Past Intern Testimonial | Miruna Andreea Găman, (Intern 2021-2022)

"The joint internship of ESACH and Europa Nostra was one of the highlights of my 2022, and I am grateful to have been lucky enough to spend part of it at the Europa Nostra office in Brussels as well. I enjoyed discovering the behind-the-scenes of the European heritage scene and networking, as well as the role of nurturing the connection between the two organisations.

Although, as with any project one pursues, there were some obvious challenges on the way, the experience was definitely worth it and helped me grow immensely, both personally and professionally".

Miruna Găman (‘93) is a geographer with experience in projects at the intersection of cultural heritage, activism and arts. She is currently undergoing research on the social impact of cultural heritage and focuses on developing a critical approach to heritage in Romania. Miruna has gathered experience in European-level organisations and collaborations with international projects and initiatives, such as Europa Nostra, ESACH - European Students' Association for Cultural Heritage, CHARTER - European Cultural Heritage Skills Alliance, as well as some of the most important local NGOs in Bucharest and the surrounding area in projects presenting cultural heritage to a broader audience or conducting field research on residents' perception about their environment. She is always looking for new ways that would showcase the importance of culture and heritage, as well as tools to connect the general public to these topics and empower citizens to act.

Past Intern Testimonial | Wanda Marcussen, (Intern 2020-2021)

"In the fall of 2021 I was lucky to participate in the internship programme arranged by Europa Nostra and ESACH. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic I was sadly not able to join the Europa Nostra team at their office in Brussel, but non the less I learned a lot through participating digitally and meeting the team in Venice during the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2021.Throughout my internship I was onboarded to several aspects of Europa Nostra’s important work and felt very well taken care of by the team who let me try out many exciting tasks. I was also lucky to collaborate with many of the volunteers at ESACH and promote their many inspiring initiatives. 

The highlight of the internship was interacting and becoming friends with the European Cultural Heritage Youth Ambassadors and arranging many of their tasks and collaborations. It was also especially rewarding for me to work on projects relating cultural heritage and sustainable development." 

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Wanda has studied International Relations with specialization in History at The University of Oslo, and is currently studying for her Master's degree in Environmental History at Trinity College Dublin. Her main interests are ancient and medieval history, mythology and the study of sustainable use and preservation of cultural heritage.
Traveling and exploring new sites and cultures is her main passion, and she always looks for historical sites and museums to explore, as well as going to locations outside the main cities and off the traditional tourist routes. In addition to holiday travels, she has lived for a longer period in Pennsylvania (USA), Barcelona, Nepal, England, Rome, and Dublin for study and volunteer work.

Past Intern Testimonial | Shari Bone, (Intern 2020-2021)

"Although my internship was undertaken digitally, I was immensely impressed at how much I was able to learn and accomplish in such a short time. I am exceptionally grateful to both Europa Nostra and ESACH for welcoming me into their respective teams and helping me to grow both professionally and personally". 
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Some highlights of the internship programme included:

• the opportunity to interact with a variety of students, young professionals and experienced cultural heritage professionals 
• being able to help implement new partnerships and watching them come to fruition
• being given the trust of both Europa Nostra and ESACH to work independently while also being welcomed as part of the team 

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Originally from Australia with a background in Archaeology and Anthropology, her Masters’ degree brought her to Germany and Egypt to study ‘Heritage Conservation and Site Management’. During her time in Europe, she was able to take on a number of positions with ESACH, Europa Nostra and European Heritage Volunteers, which gave her a passion for community engagement and working with young professionals, a topic she hopes to pursue as she looks to begin her career back in Australia. 
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She's now Project Archaeologist at Tardis Archaeology in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.