Engaging with the Policy Alumni Community

Author

Giulia Ballarin
Giulia Ballarin (giulia.ballarin@unive.it) is a Project Manager at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, specializing in the management and reporting of EU-funded research projects within the Department of Economics. She has previous experience in Fundraising, Communication, and Graphic Design. She holds a European Joint Master’s Degree in English and American Studies (M.A.) from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Publishing: Design and Management from the University of Verona.

Key Features in a Nutshell

The event Engaging Green Policy Decision Making, organized by the project team of ENGAGEgreen of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, its Alumni Brussels Chapter, and hosted by Ca’ Veneto (seat of the Veneto Region in Brussels), hosted participants from the alumni community living and working in the political capitals of Europe who are likely to be involved in policymaking institutions or other similar entities.

Held concurrently with the ENGAGEgreen Dissemination and Stakeholders Conference, the informal networking event gathered participants from a preexisting pool of contacts (alumni). Already familiar with the university and the region (subnational Italian government authority), they were more likely to attend, providing a natural opportunity for them to reengage with each other and explore the project’s topics.

The program includes a dialogue between a moderator and a researcher involved in the project in which the former leads the discussion with questions on the chosen topic and welcomes questions from the audience.

How does this Format work?

Before the event

Preliminary meetings between the project team and the hosting institution are organized to present the initiative and share the rationale of the event and to confirm the date and time and the possible supporting staff available. Consequently, the organizers arrived at a consensus regarding the conception of an event that would encompass the formality of an academic event while also incorporating the informality of a shared reflective moment. Given the busy schedule during a working day, it was organized outside working hours and at its conclusion a light cocktail was offered by the host institution.

One or more meetings with Alumni representatives are needed to align on topics, speaker(s), and promotion of the event.

Finally, the communication activity: a LinkedIn event post by Ca’ Foscari Alumni Brussels Chapter and promotion by the speakers and organizers.

During the event

All organizers meet in advance to finalize the setting and schedule and to welcome the attendees. Being an informal event, no registrations are required.

After the event

The organizing university sends a message of thanks for the co-hosts, and another for the participants, inviting them to follow the project’s updates on social media, and asking to complete a short questionnaire providing feedback on different aspects of the event.

Challenges (and way to address them)

Uncertainty about the number of attendees and spaces required; mitigation measures: set up a registration form with a deadline, so that the number of possible participants can be known at least a day in advance
Alumni present in the region; mitigation measures: scout beforehand regarding the presence of an alumni community; if not present, involve alumni from other partner universities present in the region or change the target audience depending on the co-organizers network there

Tasks and Resources

Project team and host institution

The personnel from the university directly involved in the project liaise with the host institution to identify the most suitable speaker or moderator on the chosen topic, both from academia and among policymakers and other stakeholders. They organize regular online meetings to coordinate on registration, support staff, and possible infrastructures/services needed (e.g., screen, microphone, promotional material to be printed).

Speakers

Moderator: Meets online with organizers and the main speaker to confirm the schedule and agree on topics and questions. In this case, the moderator is also part of the alumni community, a vital link to the target audience.

Professor: Meets online with organizers and the main speaker to define the topics, based on their expertise, and the attendees. Decide on the topic and try to identify the main issues that may concern the invited guests.

Do you want to know more about the policy engagement toolkit?

Do you want to share your experience in policy engagement? Do you think about contributing to the policy engagement toolkit? Feel free to contact Tome Sandevski via science-policy@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de