An American in Brussels
About the author: Remy Charles ’25 is an FSI The Europe Center Global Policy Intern with Renew Europe. Remy is currently an International Relations major at Stanford University.
From the moment I landed in Brussels, my journey was a whirlwind of emotions and anticipation. I began my first day after having arrived late the night before and prepared to embrace this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Although I have spent a long time studying European institutions and the French language with the hopes of working abroad one day, living in Brussels for this internship was my first time setting foot in Europe. I knew that through the opportunity to work in the European Parliament, I would gain first-hand experience that could not be replicated by studying Europe in a classroom.
Once I arrived in front of the Parliament, I was awe-struck by the sight of the grand building, and all of the employees coming in and out, briefcases in hand. My future advisor was there to greet us and introduce us to life at Renew Europe. Although I have worked for political campaigns in the United States, this would be my first time working in an office for a political group. As the intern for the networking committee, my job was to help with organizing events and work on a longer-term projects to expand youth outreach. My experience with campaign outreach and knowledge of European institutions was perfect for bringing a fresh perspective and new ideas to Renew Europe. Above all, the best aspect of working at Renew Europe was the respect I was shown by my colleagues. My supervisor and head of unit greatly valued my insight, and they introduced me to many people to help my ideas become reality. For example, while in Brussels, I met with a cabinet member of the European Commission, representatives from the Committee of the Regions, and the leaders of Renew Europe’s youth organizations.
The largest project I worked on while at Renew Europe was my report on youth outreach. First, I researched all the events that Renew Europe and their partner organizations held for youth, and created a spreadsheet with all of these events, distinguishing by focus, location, and size. Next, I repeated this process for the European People’s Party, the Socialists and Democrats, and the Greens. Once I finished my research, I looked for gaps in Renew’s outreach strategies, then wrote a memo with detailed proposals on youth outreach. During the rest of my internship, I had the opportunity to present my proposal to the networking committee, had a conversation to discuss details of the proposal with my head of unit, and talked to leaders of youth organizations to present my findings.
Through this internship opportunity, I used the skills I learned at Stanford to bring new ideas to Renew Europe, and create new outreach strategies that will continue after I leave. This experience at Renew Europe was invaluable; while in the Parliament, I greatly deepened my knowledge of European affairs and immersed myself in the unique culture of Brussels, while contributing to Renew Europe and making connections that will help me pursue my dream to work in Europe doing international affairs.
