Team

Erisa (she/her) Strategy, Education, Training

Erisa is an urban planner based in Tirana albania. She holds an architecture degree from Epoka University in Albania and a master’s in urban management and development from The Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies in the Netherlands. She has previous experience in urban and rural development gained through collaborations with organisations such as the National Territorial Planning Agency, GIZ Albania, and local NGOs. Erisa currently works as an advisor at the Sustainable Urban Transport in Tirana project, overseeing the project’s public transport component. Her professional interests include urban mobility, urban design and planning.

Igor (he/him) Strategy, Education, Training

Igor is an activist and trainer from Warsaw, Poland. He is interested in including citizens, especially young people, in the decision-making process and fighting transport related social exclusion. He graduated cognitive science and language and society studies at University of Warsaw, focusing on the language of politics.

Since 2015, is active in Ostra Zieleń association, where he was spokesperson (2018-19) and international secretary (2022-24). He was also project manager for the two editions of “Young Green Local Government” project in 2020 and 2022. He did internship in Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, working on the Conference for the Future of Europe. Since 2023, is part of Executive Committe of the Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe (CDN).

Julian (he/him) Digital, Training

Julian is a researcher, interested in digital technologies and how they shape our societies. He’s been a part of Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe (CDN) and various digital rights organisation, working in particular on the topics of digital privacy and intellectual property rights. He’s very interested in the opensource movements and contributes to various projects. These days he’s mostly focused on his work as a philosopher of mind and cognitive science (currently as a Postdoc with LOGOS at the University of Barcelona), where he studies how humans and other creatures come to differentiate between a self and an environment.

Katya (she/her) Administration, Strategy, Education, Training

Kateryna, a researcher from Ukraine, specialises in evidence-based policies, decentralisation, local governance, and fair urban development. She advocates for the strength of small communities as the foundation of a strong and sustainable country. However, in light of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, her focus has shifted towards examining the impact of war on urban areas and exploring strategies for enhancing city safety, resilience, and sustainability. Katya also investigates how russian occupation influences urban life and public spaces in her hometown, Berdyansk. Katya holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and an MA in Public Policy and Governance. She previously was a part of the Executive Committee of the Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe (CDN) for two years and currently works as a public policy researcher in Ukraine.

Mariam (she/her) Strategy, Education, Digital, Training

Mariam has Bachelors degree in International Relations of Ivane Javakhishvili State University and Masters in Human Rights and Democratisation, Global Campus of Human Rights, South Caucasus,she was involved in social movements and academia in Sakartvelo since 2013. She was working on digital rights, workers’ rights and urban issues as a volunteer in Young Greens of Georgia and Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe.

For 3 years now, Mariam is a Marketing & Sales Operations Manager working with commercial clients and international organisations. $2.5M+ revenue generated across roles while leading teams or providing services related to project management, research, marketing and demand generation. Mariam holds PMI-ACP certificate.

Mariam (she/her) Strategy, Education, Digital, Training

Mariam is a sustainable urban development specialist from Tbilisi, Georgia. She holds a Master’s degree from The Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam. She has been working at the intersection of cities and climate change in various roles in international development and local NGOs for 3 years. Mariam is interested in data analysis and visualisation as tools for awareness raising and advocacy, and is keen on informal education approaches for empowering communities in the climate crisis.

Masha (they/them) Administration, Strategy, Education, Digital, Training

Masha was born and grew up in Tbilisi, Sakartvelo. They developed interest towards Urbanisation in the early age with the aspiration to become an architect. Masha studied Architecture in the Czech Technical University of Prague and Economics in Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University. They started their activist path in 2012 in Young Greens of Sakartvelo, where they connected the different topical interests - climate, gender and cities. In 2015-2017 Masha was part of the Executive Committee of the Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe (CDN), where she continued to explore the topic of Urbanisation even more in depth. In 2019-2022 she worked for the CDN secretariat and conducted several projects on Urbanism. Masha focuses on the topics of sustainable and just transportation, housing rights, inclusion, energy efficiency and urban gardening.

Nikoleta (she/her) Training, Education

Studied landscape architecture at the University of Belgrade. She is interested in spatial justice, use of public space through an intersectional feminist approach, and urban commons. In 2015, Nikoleta joined Green Youth of Serbia and started her ongoing journey with the Green movement. She was active in CDN, as a member of Alternative Urbanisation Working Group, Executive Committee member and, eventually, working as Network Coordinator 2019-22. She currently lives in Brussels, Belgium where she works for the European Greens.

Nina (she/her) Training, Education, Videography

Nina is an activist and artist from Tbilisi, Georgia. Videographer for Radio Liberty Georgia and activist at Young Greens of Georgia. She has been planning and executing campaigns mostly about local urban and social problems such as gender inequality, safe spaces in public places, etc. Nina has been actively participating in the political processes developing in her city, as well as internationally, through working on educational activities and art projects.

Pedja (he/him) Strategy, Education, Training

Predrag Momčilović is a researcher, activist and journalist. His main topics of interest are political ecology, climate change, and the theory and practice of degrowth. He is the author of the book “Sustainability, degrowth and food production” and “Air as commons”. He is a member of various collectives that, through theory and practice, reflect on the decentralisation of energy, food production, and commons.

Yevheniia (she/her) Strategy, Education, Training, Fundraising

Yevheniia, Ukrainian expert in climate policy. She advocates for climate ambitions in mitigation and adaptation at national and local levels. Since russian full scale invasion in Ukraine has coordinated work on monitoring environmental impact and advocating for Green reconstruction in Ukraine. Coming from a country that is facing a devastating destruction of cities and communities that want to rebuild their neighbourhoods, Yevheniia considers it is important to ensure that the cities are rebuilt in a sustainable, inclusive and green way. She has more than 8 years experience in climate policy and environmental protection. Yevheniia studied Ecology and Environmental Protection (MSc) in National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv. Currently she works as head of the green investment department in Ukrainian NGO Ecoaction.

Selma Levrence (she/her) Strategy, Administration

Selma is a human rights activist from Riga, Latvia, currently based in London, where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Gender Studies at SOAS. With over five years of experience in the green political movement, she is a dedicated advocate for environmental and social justice. Selma serves as a board member of Protests (formerly its spokesperson) and has served two mandates as a board member of the Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe (CDNEE). She also brings experience as a parliamentary assistant, where she worked for three years on legislative initiatives in social policy and human rights. A strong advocate for intersectional solutions across all policy fields, Selma is particularly passionate about reimagining urban spaces to prioritize inclusivity and accessibility. She believes in designing cities that consider the needs of all individuals.

Nataliia Volyk (she/her) Strategy, Administration

Nataliia lives in Kyiv, Ukraine. She works in the public organization “Dostupno.UA”, which implements architectural accessibility, conducts trainings and seminars on correct communication with people with disabilities, and improves their visibility and perception by society. She has experience in project management, and is also currently studying for a Master’s degree in “Urban Planning and Post-War Reconstruction”. She periodicalle participates in camps and training organized by CDN.