Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG)’s Post

Willst du mit mir arbeiten?? 😊 I'm looking for a colleague to lead ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies #German-language comms work. There's going to be lots to get stuck in to in 2024-5 with a new European Commission, and German elections on the horizon... Come and help us make the case for new economic thinking! Please spread the word / Gerne teilen und verbreiten! #Kommunication #PolicyComms #SocialImpact #NewEconomics

In case you are interested

In case you are interested

In case you are interested

Opportunity

In case you are interested

I recently began a new chapter back in the UK as Head of Global Communications for Shift, a human rights not-for-profit that works around the world to ensure people’s right to a good life is at the heart of how business is done. This new role comes after nearly five years with the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. First as strategic communications manager for the Green Minister of Climate Change in Jacinda Ardern’s Government, and then as Director of Communications for the Green Party, which covered a historic, record-breaking 2023 election campaign.     I gave my crazy, chaotic, unpredictable, and at times infuriating job with the Greens everything I had. I made myself sick, worked far too many 18-hour days, sacrificed time with family, and lost more sleep than I care to think about. I’ve agonised over every single word I’ve written in speeches, media releases, and on social media.    Biased though I may be, strategic, co-ordinated, and consistent communications are critical to delivering the change we so desperately need. The framing, messages, values, and narratives we choose help shape how people understand the world. When we get it right, it’s possible to inspire hope and motivate people to act. For five years at the Greens, I was obsessed (to a fault) with trying to get it right! There is no doubt the job took its toll. But over the last five years I have done some of the things I am most proud of in my entire life. None more so than being part of the best comms team in NZ politics. Bryson Rooney, Tallulah Farrar, Florence Hillyer-Brandt, Pearl Little, Louis John Day, Gordana Rodden, and Johnny Blades, are among the best, most intelligent, and tirelessly passionate people I have ever met. Everything we did, we did it together.    At its best, politics is a place where meaningful change can be won. It can be slow, messy, and endlessly frustrating. It is exhausting. It demands everything of us. But harnessing the power for good in our politics is essential to delivering something better than we have right now. For too long, politics has been made inaccessible, incomprehensible even, as a deliberate tactic to force people to turn away from it in frustration. When people are made to feel that it is impossible to make a difference, they eventually stop trying. Which is precisely why we must keep doing what we do. If we walk away, they win. Many of the challenges we face right now are a symptom of rotten politics. However, I firmly believe that people with values, passion, and real commitment to making life better for others, are the cure. So, let’s go hard. We are in a fight for the future - and the only way to win it is together.

In case you are interested

In case you are interested

International PR Communications: How to Explain a Joke in Hebrew to the Chinese and Not Fail I’ve always thought that working in international PR communications is a bit like hosting a family dinner in a paper-thin-walled apartment. Everyone hears each other, but no one understands a thing. You sit between people speaking different languages—both literally and figuratively—trying to make sure no one storms out, slamming the door. That’s why international communications isn’t just “writing a text and translating it into Spanish.” It’s more like explaining a joke that’s only funny in Hebrew to a roomful of Chinese people who’ve never heard of *Santa Barbara*. Let’s clear up a misconception: I’m not a diplomat in a thousand-dollar suit, sipping champagne while discussing world politics at fancy receptions. (Though I wouldn’t say no to that job.) And I’m not a therapist for corporations or politicians, though some days it feels close. International PR is like chess, except your pieces move themselves and your opponent changes the rules. My job is to keep the king from face-planting into the cake at a diplomatic event and make sure the pawns don’t burn the negotiation table—especially if you’ve decided to launch a PR campaign in Brazil during Carnival about Kazakhstan’s politics. Secrets of the Trade: When Everyone Talks, but No One Listens Once, a client asked me to help with a publication in Scotland. Seemed easy enough: write a great text, translate it into English, and success, right? That’s what the client thought. Instead, his “brilliant offer” came across as trying to sell a bubble-making washing machine. After some cultural training (and adjustments), the piece finally went out. But the best part? The partners asking, “Kazakhstan… where’s that again?” Tip: Don’t assume everyone thinks like you. People are wildly different. What’s crucial to a New Yorker might be a non-issue in another country. One client was sure his text would blow up the internet. Well, it did… in a bad way, leading to a scandal about some inappropriate anatomy references. I’m not sure the client understood what went wrong, but I discovered a great brand of gray-hair dye. Why You Need an International Communications Expert? If you think “international communications” is just a fancy term for business correspondence, you’re in for a surprise. It’s a science and an art. You have to know *what* to say, *how* to say it, and *when*. And it’s not just about language—it’s about culture, expectations, and history. So, if you’ve got an international project and you want it to survive negotiations (and the people who don’t understand you), call me. We’ll find common ground—if not between you and your partner, then between your expectations and reality.