ECIT Taskforce

Chiara Ravasio

Chiara Ravasio is currently an intern at the ECIT Foundation while completing her Master’s degree in European Affairs at the University of Bologna. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Pavia.
During her academic career, she had the opportunity to spend time abroad through two Erasmus exchanges, at the University of Würzburg and KU Leuven, further strengthening her interest in European integration and European policy studies. 
At ECIT, she is involved in stakeholder management, networking, and outreach activities related to the European Citizens’ Initiative “All On Board”, which aims to expand access to learning and mobility opportunities across Europe. Having personally benefited from international study experiences, she feels particularly close to this initiative and is committed to supporting efforts that make these opportunities more accessible and inclusive.

Amanda Escanciano Álvarez

Amanda Escanciano Álvarez is a 4th‑year student in Corporate Communication and Event Management at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Madrid). She has completed two Erasmus mobilities in Ghent and Lille, experiences that strengthened her intercultural profile and interest in international communication and marketing. She works on social media management, content creation and visual identity, and has gained experience in digital communication within European and multicultural environments.

Maëlle Goret

Maëlle Goret is currently completing a double bachelor’s degree in Law and Applied Foreign Languages (English and Spanish) at the University of Western Brittany, France. With a strong interest in European affairs, she actively contributed to several EU-oriented initiatives.

She took part in the European Youth Event (EYE) in Strasbourg and helped organize a European Parliament simulation at her university, both experiences fostering consensus-building and promoting awareness of EU policies.


As a Legal Coordinator Intern at the ECIT Foundation, she is working on the legal framework of the “All On Board” European Citizens’ Initiative in collaboration with pro bono lawyers. She is also contributing to the preparation of a complaint to the European Commission concerning disenfranchisement practices in Member States and writes reports aimed at raising public awareness of these democratic challenges.

Lisa Desjardins

Lisa Desjardins is currently an Advocacy Intern at the ECIT Foundation, while completing the final year of a Master of Arts in Politics at University College Dublin. Studying in Ireland as a French EU citizen living abroad has given her a transnational perspective on European politics and strengthened her interest in European identity, citizenship, and democratic participation. Her academic training allowed her to develop a deep understanding of EU institutions and citizens’ rights.

At ECIT, she contributes to advocacy work with Members of the European Parliament and civil society stakeholders, including youth task forces, in the context of the European Citizens’ Initiative “All On Board”. Having benefited from learning mobility, she is particularly motivated to support initiatives that raise awareness of European citizens’ rights and encourage youth participation in European democracy.

Irina-Maria Berghea

Irina holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Law, a Master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology and is currently a Community Coordinating Intern at the ECIT Foundation. She previously contributed to the Romanian civic education project “Dezaburit” and gained valuable institutional experience through her study visit in the European Parliament.

 

Passionate about human rights and democratic participation, she brings an interdisciplinary approach to supporting civil society engagement. In the “All On Board” project, Irina contributes to strengthening collaboration with organisations and stakeholders, helping to advance the initiative’s goals and impact. She is dedicated to promoting core European values such as equality, democracy, inclusion, and respect for fundamental rights.

The Taskforce is supported by:

Tony Venables

ECIT Foundation Founder and Board Member

Tony Venables founded  ECIT Foundation in 2015. He has a long working experience in European issues, in particular in the areas of the EU’s relationship with NGOs, free movement of people, citizenship rights, and the protection of consumers in Europe. His work also relates to transparency, governance and institutional reform of the European Union.


After graduating from the University of Cambridge with a first class degree in 1966, Tony started to work as an Administrator with the Council of Europe as Secretary of different Parliamentary Committees, including the Political Affairs Committee. From 1973 to 1978, he was an administrator in the Council of Ministers’ Secretariat in the department dealing with institutional affairs and relations with the European Parliament. In 1978, he became Director of BEUC (European Bureau of Consumer Unions) and successfully built up the organisation, before leaving in April 1990 to found the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS). He then also founded the Maison des Associations Internationales as an incubator for CSOs — a formula that also inspired the Salon for European Civic Organisations (SECO) where ECIT is currently based. He was a member of the Commission’s high-level panel on free movement of people chaired by Simone Veil. He has published a book on European citizenship titled Piecing together Europe’s Citizenship: Searching for Cinderella.