Youth at the Heart of Victim Support: Inside VSE’s New Storytelling Series ‘Next Gen Victim Support: The VSE Intern Diaries’
There is a long, 25-meter corridor with glass walls covering one side of Victim Support Europe’s (VSE) office space, where more than 30 dedicated staff work each day. From the other side of the glass, they look directly at the European Commission’s building in the heart of Brussels’ EU quarter — Schuman. From the outside, the VSE office might seem like just another anonymous building. But inside are the people who have been making a difference for victims of crime across Europe for the last 35 years.
At this moment, eight interns are reinforcing VSE’s work — two in the Communications team, two in the Projects team, two in the Policy team, one in the Finance team, and one supporting direct Victim Care. Together, they represent the next generation of professionals committed to strengthening victims’ rights across Europe.
To shine a light on their work and the human stories behind it, VSE is launching a new initiative: ‘Next Gen Victim Support: The VSE Intern Diaries’. This fresh storytelling project invites readers behind the glass walls and into the daily reality of the young people who help drive VSE’s mission forward.
Each week, participating interns write honest journal entries reflecting on what they’re learning, the challenges they’re tackling, the projects they’re developing, and the small and big wins that keep them motivated. These authentic reflections are then compiled into monthly digests, complete with visual timelines that let readers follow each intern’s personal and professional journey. At the end of the project, the diaries will form a six-part series published on VSE’s website.
The series kicks off with the Communication team interns – Greta Hirschberg and Ryanne Meyer. They both joined VSE this summer and will wrap up their six-month internships at the end of 2025. For them, the diaries offer a space to share their stories and lessons learned — in their own voices.
The idea was sparked by VSE’s Communications Manager, Marina Kazakova. “The idea for the Intern Diaries came to me when I was looking for ways to make our daily reflections on progress and challenges more meaningful — and honestly, a bit more fun, too! Greta and Ryanne were the first brave writers to test it out, and reading their early entries, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was so proud of what they’d achieved and amazed at how they tackled some pretty big challenges,” Kazakova says.
She hopes the project will soon grow to include stories from interns in other teams — from Policy and Capacity Building to Finance and Victim Care. “We’ve been working closely with interns since 2018, and now feels like the perfect moment to launch something new that not only shows how VSE supports young graduates, but also lets them tell their own stories about working in the field of victims’ rights.”
VSE’s work has always focused on strengthening support systems and amplifying victims’ voices. By sharing these honest snapshots of early-career experiences, the Intern Diaries aim to give the wider public an authentic glimpse into the day-to-day work of an NGO that stands at the heart of European victims’ rights.
The project also highlights the crucial role that young people play in shaping the future of advocacy and support services. As Kazakova explains, “The internship programme has really become an important part of our organisation’s contribution to society — like for many NGOs — because it gives young people a chance to grow, learn, and actually have a platform for their ideas.”
In many ways, the Intern Diaries are like a window into that long corridor in Schuman — offering a transparent look into the real work, challenges, and small victories that keep VSE moving forward. Kazakova sums it up: “The Diaries are really like a coin with two sides: they show the real, behind-the-scenes experience of early-career professionals contributing to VSE’s mission, and they open up our internal culture for everyone to see. I hope they’ll inspire more young people to get involved and remind everyone that real, relatable stories are one of the strongest ways to build trust and community.”
For VSE, this is more than just a storytelling project — it’s about investing in the people who will carry the mission forward for decades to come. One story at a time.
