We welcome Bochra Benachour and Diego Garcia-Vega, the two new young members of our Executive Committee

They are under 28 years old, have an interesting career, have their eyes on the planet and society, and want to change things by working alongside us. Bochra Benachour and Diego Garcia-Vega have just joined the Executive Committee of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation.

Promoting young people’s access to responsibilities

These appointments are the result of one of the commitments we made on the occasion of the Foundation’s tenth anniversary: to offer younger generations the possibility of working on an ambitious project in the service of the general interest and the climate. Although the level of commitment of young people is very high, they are underrepresented in positions of responsibility and appointments of civil society organizations. Despite their low representation, the involvement of the new generations brings dynamism and new ideas to these entities, which reinforces the vitality of the sector and its connection with the expectations of the new generations.

“In 2017, the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council launched the ‘Young and Responsible’ appeal to encourage young people’s access to responsibilities within organisations. We have waited for an opportunity to arise in the evolution of our governance to open the Executive Committee to two talented and committed young members,” explains Marie-Stéphane Maradeix, General Delegate. “This openness can be summed up in two words: ‘oxygenation’, as Bochra and Diego will provide us with their own vision of the world and how we can best respond to the expectations of their generation; and “transmission”, since we hope that their stay at the Foundation will contribute to enriching their life trajectories.”

Bochra Benachour, 26, a firefighter with a 360° commitment

Bochra Benachour holds a Higher Technical Certificate in International Trade, a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management and a Double Master’s Degree in Political and Institutional Communication and Corporate Communication. For 7 years he has been part of the Paris Fire Brigade, where he has been promoted to his current position as a corporal. In addition, at the same time, she works as a reservist project manager in communication and citizen awareness missions.

Bochra is a musician and athlete, she is interested in the world and in others and hates routine. To satisfy her overflowing curiosity, she has been interested in the social and solidarity economy, citizenship, defence, youth and feminism, participating in multiple meetings. She has a long list of commitments from a very young age: a volunteer with a first aid certificate at the Red Cross, a volunteer at the French Civic Service, a participant in the Women’Up La Fusée [The Rocket] programme, a member of the jury at the La France s’engage foundation, a member of a Citizens’ Council in a constituency in the Hauts-de-Seine department and an award winner of the Institut de l’Engagement Promotion Colibr’ISC. «I identify with the famous legend of the hummingbird. Unlike the other animals in the forest that watch helplessly as the fire devastates their habitat, the hummingbird fights by collecting drops of water with its beak to throw them into the fire and thus do its part ».

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Diego Garcia-Vega, 23, a scientist committed to social transformation

A biologist from University College London, Diego Garcia-Vega studies the fundamental role of biodiversity, the interconnections of ecology and the state of ecosystems and the pressures to which they are subjected. He has conducted research in England, Scotland, Spain and California, has done internships with the UN in Jamaica and Panama and has completed a project on the regulatory challenges for the development of new forms of agriculture such as aquaponics. He has been awarded the “la Caixa” Foundation and the Rafael del Pino Foundation excellence grants. He is currently a researcher at the Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI).

Diego, an amateur globetrotter, created the Zero Food Waste project in London, which has been redistributing surplus food from university cafeterias to homeless women for two years (Sustainability Impact Award 2018). Art also occupies a very important place in her life, in particular dance, a hobby that, in addition to practicing on a personal level, is part of her professional projects. “In this time of over-information and desensitization, I strongly believe in the power of art to induce an emotional understanding of the messages we want to convey, and to develop solutions to growing problems affecting mental health, personal growth, human relationships, and understanding of nature.”

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Your commitment to active roles within the Foundation

Following a widely publicized call for nominations and a selection from more than 20 candidates, we are delighted to welcome Bochra Benachour and Diego Garcia-Vega as guest experts among the 12 members of the Executive Committee. They commit themselves to a single four-year term, so that the Foundation can welcome two other “young members” at the end of that period.

Throughout their mandate, Bochra and Diego will have the opportunity to discover our Foundation from the inside, actively participate in strategic decision-making as well as in more operational decisions (e.g. through participation in juries), meet with committed agents (e.g. through field visits or participation in steering committees) and contribute to progress in the great challenges of society.

Their integration has started at full speed with training and a mentoring period this first year. We will closely follow the trajectory of these two talents!