Suzie VanoostenWhat should be the first thing I post? Even if I have always been more comfortable to express myself through words, I had never thought I would throw myself in this kind of adventure. But, after all, I think it is convenient to introduce myself in this very first article to ultimately make sure this project is well understood.
Who am I?
Let’s say it will be a more detailed version than the one available in the “About” page. I am a young French woman, who grew up in the “extreme” north of France, close from the Northern Sea and this little-known (and little-understood) country named Belgium. I lived a normal childhood and was the one who always preferred choosing safety over adventure. Despite it all, I started discovering Europe since I was 16 years old. This has become my way of doing “adventurous things”, secretly dreaming to live and build my life abroad.
That’s why, at 18, I decided to live in a city that I thought I knew well: Brussels. I started studying political sciences, and I deeply enjoyed my new independence. But the little voice in my head reminded me that I still wanted to get into one of those particular political sciences schools in France. I will explain: in France, when you want to study political sciences, the best option remains to get accepted into an “Institut d’études politiques”, commonly known as “Sciences Po”. There are only ten of them in the whole country. I was not successful in my last year of high school, also explaining my choice to live in Brussels. But, in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic, chance hit me, and I was accepted into Sciences Po Lille (SPL).
Currently in my third year, I learnt so many things through my years at SPL: on myself, on what I wanted to do with my life, and lived so many new experiences. Especially these last months: I studied in Canada, had the chance to travel a lot, and I am currently doing an internship in Slovenia, which is probably the most enriching experience I have ever lived.
Why getting specialized in the environmental issues?
I plan on getting specialized in environmental issues. In fact, my interest for those questions emerged when I was in high school. Having always hated injustice and nonsense, the capitalist and consumerist system we are stuck in soon became a mystery to me. How can we keep things as they are, despite all the problems it exists? How can the richest continue to get richer at the expense of the poorest? How can we destroy our beautiful planet? I soon decided to change how I lived, starting with small steps. For instance, the first action I took was to stop eating and buying meat when I moved to Brussels and to become flexitarian. Through time, I tried to expand my knowledge, but I never really considered the possibility of exclusively working on that topic. It is only last year, when I decided to do a long internship the year after, that I realized it was what I wanted to work on. Actually, it seemed obvious: I have been interested in those questions for many years; there is this dimension of fighting against our unfair system; the possibility of working in engaged structures and with inspiring people; etc.
It led me finding an internship in a little European country, but let’s say surprising one: Slovenia. I am currently working in an engaged NGO named Focus, composed of many inspiring members who tackle every day this complicated problem: how to make our societies more sustainable and fair and how to make things change. I am learning so many things. And, I decided to seize this perfect occasion to launch a personal project.
Why this project?
This blog’s aim is to put inspired and inspiring young people in the spotlight. I am attached to the idea that we are the first generation to undergo the real disastrous consequences of climate change, but, in the meantime, we are also the last one that can do something about it. However, it can be very difficult for anybody for many reasons to keep hope and to find the strength to throw oneself into engaging actions or projects.
The ultimate goal is to inspire through words. Inspire young people on how to lead a more sustainable life, by answering the numerous questions this process raises (what should I eat? what should I wear?) through the prism of my own questioning process. Inspire young people who feel they can do something, who feel more or less inspired, but who do not find the strength to start, by presenting them inspiring people and their projects. But, honestly, it will also be a therapy for me: by meeting inspiring young people (first here in Slovenia), I will also get inspired myself, and I will fight this unconscious restraint I have always imposed to myself and my will of fighting.
To sum up, let’s say this project is exclusively dedicated to young people and how to make them fearless (including myself). So, follow this blog and be sure you will discover very inspiring young people and their projects!