Get to know the Youth Policy Labs team: We are a multidisciplinary team of researchers, communicators, content creators, and practitioners with a wide range of backgrounds. Founded in 2010 and generously supported by the Open Society Foundations, our work started at youthpolicy.org – building a hub for knowledge and expertise on youth, youth policies, and youth issues. Today, we are an independent, not-for-profit think tank and research agency actively collaborating with civil society organizations, agencies and governments. As a team it’s clear to us that YPL is unlike any other workplace we know of – While the work we do is often complex, working together feels easy because the atmosphere is welcoming and supportive, playful and kind.
Andrea
Research
Andreas
CEO & Research
Anne
Office Management & Team Support
Ashley
Research
Audrey
Fact Sheets
Dasha
Digital Youth Work
David
Digital Youth Work
Erik
Media Production & graphic design
Friedemann
Research
Gustav
Digital Youth Work
Johannes
Research
Jos
Digital Youth Work
Josie
Hack the Wiki Gap, Research & Fact Sheets
Karla
Fact Sheets & Media production
Karo
Office Management & Team Support
Kimberly
Fact Sheets & Research
Laura
Fact Sheets
Lydia
Office Management & Team Support
Ole
Fact Sheets
Tanja
Research
Tom
Media Production & graphic design
Ray
Fact Sheets
Suki
Office Dog
OLE SIEVER
he/him
I’m excited about YPL’s mission, specifically for youthpolicy.org – providing an open-access knowledge hub for the youth sector. I’m inspired by YPL’s culture – supporting new ideas, big and small. I support YPL’s values – never just accepting any status quo. Most importantly, though, the coffee machine in our office is pretty freaking great – and our colleague Tom P. an absolute wizard in coffee making! Who could say no to that?
What drives you?
The chaotic state of our world, of our political landscapes; the often-reappearing disregard of some of the most pressing problems of our time in favor of profits, of votes, or of other – louder – problems. The often-apparent absence of any sort of evidence-, fact-based decision making. And, of course, Tom P.’s insane coffee creations.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
Flying, duh!
What else?
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the artist MIKA. Every single song of him. And every single song featuring him. Check out “Keep it Simple” by Vianney featuring MIKA!
JOHANNES EICK
he/him
Position: Researcher
As a research associate, I am engaged in transnational youth policy and youth work, coordinating and conducting research projects on politics and practices with and for young people around Europe and beyond. In this, I spend most of my time with the RAY-network (Research-based analysis of European Youth Programmes).
What drives you?
I am fairly convinced there are only very few job descriptions that can beat ‘learn new things from and with others, everyday’.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
Photographic memory, to help me remember my literature sources and find my phone!!
What else?
My favorite song at the moment is Frank Turner – Recovery. Enjoy listening to it!
KARO BORN
she/her
I am a member of Team “Orgakunst” while Anne is on parental leave. I enjoy that our work is diverse and therefore never gets repetitive or boring. It includes tasks like turning our new office into a comfy and efficient place to work at, as well as organizing events and seminars, doing research on funding options or helping out in our projects – like supporting the RAY team with research endeavors or taking on the interim project lead of Digitale Jugendarbeit.
What drives you?
I live for sorting things at the office into neatly labeled shelves and boxes 🙂 But, seriously… I do enjoy when all colleagues (and myself) know where to find everything – be it USB cables and books or necessary information to do our jobs well. I’m a big fan of making knowledge accessible to everyone and I wish everything in life came with a comprehensive Wiki.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
Always living in the moment.
What else?
The simultaneously best and worst Ohrwurm that’s been in my head 24/7 these days, is “Immer Sommer” by Tropikel Ltd and futurebae. It perfectly portrays the feeling of wanting carefree times to last forever.
ANDREA
any/all
Position: Youth researcher (RAY network)
Youth Policy Labs is for me a place to deploy my research skills in an applied context, where the output can serve to meaningfully represent and inform young people and youth workers. I spend most of my time working on research in the context of the RAY Network and, slowly, hope to expand towards furthering an understanding of the role of youth work in supporting the mental health of young people.
What drives you?
Bringing together ideas and people working in different, but related, disciplines has always inspired me. During my studies it was the biological, psychological and sociological approaches to mind and brain. Now it is youth research, practice and policy.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
Teleportation
ASHLEY PITCHMAN
she/her
Position: Researcher
Youth Policy Labs is a dynamic hub of learning to me. I get the opportunity to meaningfully employ my research skills toward the interesting field of youth studies and youth work exploring a variety of topics. Moreover, I am privileged to meet and work with inspiringly talented people doing equally inspiring work from media production, digital youth work, and an ever growing list of creative endeavors.
What drives you?
Coffee mostly.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
Teleportation. I could see the world for free! Not to mention my carbon footprint would be drastically lowered.
What else?
My hobbies include baking, specifically perfecting my sourdough bread recipe. I can’t think of a tastier way of experiencing participatory action research. As they say, cooking is an art but baking is a science!
KIM SCHWABE
she/her
I truly enjoy diving into the youth policy realm on a global level, learning about other cultures and governmental structures while getting a glimpse into the challenges facing young people everywhere. I also love my role as an editor and proofreader, not just for the fact sheets team but also my RAY-network colleagues (and anyone else who needs me). Yep, I am a policy and language nerd and proud of it!.
What drives you?
Working at YPL has shown me that things can be done in unexpected and unconventional ways…and turn out magically. I feel extremely fortunate to be working with such a funny, talented group of people who give me hope in these harrowing times.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
I would give anything to be able to teleport, making it possible to visit my family and friends in the U.S. and around the world without miserable long flights, jet lag, and carbon pollution. Can we get a couple of those antsy billionaires to work on figuring this out please?
What else?
In my next life, I want to be singing on stage with Brandi Carlile at Red Rocks Amphitheater!
JOSIANE MEIER
she/her
Position: Hack the Wiki Gap , Researcher & Fact Sheets
I am one of a team of researchers that is constantly working on pulling together the current state of play of youth policies from around the world – and making them available to others in the form of easily accessible fact sheets.
What drives you?
My happy place is at the nexus between research and practice, and I am passionate about using my time and skills to make this world a better place. Digging deep and really getting to the bottom of things – ideally in a team with an interdisciplinary mindset – and then finding ways of communicating them to others is something I thoroughly enjoy. Questions of urban/spatial development and environmental issues are particularly close to my heart.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
Being able to clean all our insane amounts of trash out of the oceans and off the land with a snap of my fingers would feel pretty good. And, obviously, to recycle all the components, no matter how stuck-together they are!
What else?
Talk to me about light pollution 😀
KARLA SCHIEFERSTEIN
she/her
Position: Fact Sheets and Media production
Working for YPL, I have the privilege of working for a dynamic and forward-thinking organization dedicated to shaping the future for young people worldwide. I am proud to be part of something that not only envisions a brighter future for young people but actively works towards making it a reality. Especially researching and compiling information for country-specific fact sheets allows me to delve deeply into the unique challenges, opportunities, and approaches that each nation takes regarding youth policies. It’s like embarking on a journey of discovery, where we unearth the intricacies of policies that directly affect young people’s lives.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
The ability to master all languages
LYDIA BÖTTCHER
she/her
I’m excited to work for YPL and support the mission in the background as an office manager. I do love to get information from all the different projects and support the teams with strategic thoughts or to just keep their minds of the logistic chaos which sometimes comes with projects. To me, YPL is a workplace where I can truly live a good balance between family, work and the struggles that come with compatibility.
What drives you?
I do love to give structure and new thoughts into processes. I’m a huge fan of open knowledge, open data and open source. For me, working with YPL combines a lot of my background topics and interests – youth work, digitalization, openness, strategy and policy making. I can say that the complexity, flexibility and topics of this think tank really motivate me.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
Living in two dimensions at the same time to be able to follow a lot of interests and always swap between a fast and exciting dimension and a really calm and slow one!
What else?
The first sentence of one of my favorite books is: „In der Rushhour meines Lebens, da befinde ich mich gerade.“ (Mareice Kaiser) (I’m in the rush hour of my life right now!)
ERIK DUBS
he/him
Position: Media production & graphic design
Mail erik@youthpolicy.org
As a part of the media production team, I take care of all matters related to graphics, videos, podcasts, photos, website development etc. in all projects. Almost everything media related you can find on the internet from our projects, I had my fingers in the pie.
What drives you?
I think it’s great to be able to use my skills to contribute to public benefit projects. In our fields, it is equally important to have good public relations so that more people enjoy dealing with our important topics. Working as a bridge between our great teams and the public and finding a way to show our work to the outside world is a great challenge.
If you had a super power – what would it be?
Telekinesis – Imagine if you could just sort or set up all of our media technology.
What else?
I love looking for the best deals on everything imaginable!
FRIEDEMANN SCHWENZER
he/him
Position: Researcher
Mail friedemann@youthpolicy.org / friedemann@researchyouth.net
At Youth Policy Labs, I am working at the intersections of research, youth work and youth policies. Whenever possible, I really enjoy not only researching youth related topics but also to support young people carrying out their own research endeavors. As part of the RAY transnational research team, my focus is on digitalisation and (European) youth work.
What drives you?
A big part of my job is providing a basis for positive change in the youth field by gathering and producing knowledge. It’s not always working out, things are moving slow and it’s most of the time not in the spotlight. But that is what drives me at Youth Policy Labs.
What else?
My favorite song at the moment is Into my arms by Nick Cave.