DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW
The SDSA Workshop Department is an interactive department offering activities during which participants can acquire knowledge and skills through round-table discussions led by experts. The aim of these workshops is to reflect on the challenges of diplomacy and equally to give participants the opportunity to acquire skills alongside their studies, expand their network and thus stand out on the job market. Over the past 2 years, we have organized seven simulations, led by foreign affairs experts such as Elisabeth Decrey-Warner, Founding President of Geneva Call, Emmanuel Bichet from the FDFA and Marc Finaud, former French consul. In this way, the Workshops Department establishes a link between what is taught at university and the professional world, by immersing participants in real-life cases involving professionals.
Send an email to the Workshop Department
A WORD FROM THE CO-HEADS OF THE DEPARTMENT
Natacha Pambou-Orski
“I joined the SDSA in 2020 during my first year studying Political Science. Having lived in many countries around the world (Singapore, Indonesia, Scotland, Gabon, Congo, Netherlands, France…), I wanted to find an association that would enable me to return to an environment open to the world, belonging entirely to “International Geneva”. It is with great pleasure that I have taken on the role of Co-Head since 2022, and that I strive alongside the members of the department to offer enriching activities to participants, enabling them to acquire soft skills that will undoubtedly serve them well in their professional lives!”
Axelle Manusardi
“As a first-year Master’s student in European Studies, I joined the University of Geneva a few months ago to pursue my studies in the field of International Relations. Originally from France, I saw International Geneva as an opportunity to familiarize myself with the world of diplomacy and negotiation. The SDSA has lived up to my expectations; today, as Co-Head of the Workshop department, I am constantly working with people who are just as passionate about diplomacy as I am!
ACTIVE MEMBERS
Alma Roncaccia
“Currently in my first year of the Russia-Middle Europe Master’s program at the Global Studies Institute, I joined the SDSA in Autumn 2022. After a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, I decided to specialize in the post-Soviet space and the SDSA has enabled me to discover new aspects of diplomacy as well as acquire many soft skills. I chose to join the Workshops department mainly to improve my organizational, oratory and group work skills. It’s the practical part of each Workshop that appeals to me, as it allows me to put theoretical concepts into practice. I find the experience within the SDSA extremely enriching and useful for anyone who, like myself, is interested in the field of International Relations and diplomacy”.
Quentin Mayoraz
“I’ve long been interested in the global political scene, so it was natural for me to choose the Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, where I’m completing my first year. In addition to the high-level institutions and the university curriculum, I was also drawn to Geneva by its community life. Having always been involved in local clubs and organizations in my native Valais, I quickly sought to join a dynamic association that corresponded to my interests. The SDSA did not disappoint me, on the contrary, with its range of committed people and its wide variety of events on diplomacy in the broadest sense. The idea of creating spaces for exchange between the diplomatic and student worlds, while allowing active participation by the participants, is what motivated me to join the Workshop Department in particular, where I now find myself surrounded by a team as efficient as it is friendly. “