Mattia Anesa – Italy
Italian student Mattia Anesa stumbled across the Centre for Sustainability Leadership while pursuing his interest in sustainability and researching potential environment-related topics for this International Trading Master’s thesis. With growing frustrations at the global lack of commitment to the environment, Mattia decided to give something back, and discovering he was able to combine volunteering at CSL with a requirement for an internship for his course, headed for Melbourne.
“I needed some background, some knowledge and also some credentials… my goal is to get into some international policy making, something like that, it’s a big aim, I don’t know if I will be there one day” says Mattia. “I’m passionate and I can learn and get documented research by myself, but I don’t have any background in political science as well so I really need[ed] to off-set that gap” he adds.
With his university background in commerce, marketing and the media, Mattia decided to use his skills to help manage a fundraiser for CSL; something which he admits he found overwhelming at the start. “I remember really clearly the first day, when Larissa gave me the working plan. It was huge – I thought to myself, I’m not going to finish this. But a few hours later I decided that I had to do it…this is my future. This is the challenge I wanted and here it is.”
From the first day, Mattia began to work tirelessly on the fundraiser. The plan was to ask people to ‘spring-clean’ their house or office and donate unwanted goods to CSL. CSL in turn, would sell them on e-bay. Those who donated the most unwanted goods and raised the most money would then be rewarded with an environmentally-friendly themed award, donated by sponsors. After a month of research, persistence and determination, Mattia managed to obtain over $15000 worth of ‘green’ prizes. “I was really impressed when I started getting so many prizes from people who didn’t even know me… they were just giving something free all because they believe in something” says Mattia. It is this passion and commitment which Mattia saw in both the companies he was contacting and in the CSL network, which was one of the most positive outcomes for Mattia.
“I had a chance to attend every Tuesday’s Future Sustainability Leaders meeting, and I was really glad to to do that… the other reason I came down to volunteer for CSL, is that my leadership skills and my public skills were really poor, so it was a challenge and I said, well if I want to get involved in international relationship, it’s a skill that I can’t miss. I [had] never worked in corporate, a management group… it was something different”. Mattia says it showed him that there is a difference between being a leader and acting like a leader, “what I saw from FSL, that so many people are committed… they are in a leadership role and they have to behave as in a leadership role. In the first week when I met them, when I met Jack, I told myself damn I really have to learn a lot from these people…people like Jack they have 52 hour days”.
As Mattia notes, an internship with CSL brings with it a lot of responsibility, and a lot of hard work. Taking ownership for his project was a big plus though, “I actually produced the whole thing but of course not just by myself, I had really good help from Larissa” says Mattia. While his internship held a lot of challenges, and there was a lot expected of him, Mattia is now reaping the rewards. His time at CSL has helped him secure a scholarship to study International Relations and Environment in New Zealand.
“It’s so demanding, it’s so challenging and it’s so rewarding”.