Lucia Caputo grew up in a household where values like caring about “everyone and anyone” were central. From a young age, she was exposed to conversations about women’s rights, gender equality and LGBTQI rights as well as to the idea of accepting people as they are. As she grew older, Lucia realised these were not only personal values but also emerging academic fields she could explore. This led her to combine her major in Art History with a minor in Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies at Carleton College, Minnesota, USA. These two fields, she explains, have significant crossover, especially when it comes to contemporary and modern art. As part of her studies, Lucia has recently completed an internship with the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), facilitated through Isla Internships. This has allowed her to deepen her understanding of gender equality and apply her academic and work background in a real-world setting, working alongside activists who are shaping policy and driving change.
Lucia first learned about Isla Internships during an information session at her school. She also knew someone who had interned in Kosovo the year before. After reaching out to the Isla team to share her interests, she was “matched” with KWN, which stood out for offering the most promising and interesting opportunities.
Lucia arrived in Kosovo eight weeks ago, just after the FemArt Festival had ended, an event she would have loved to attend given her academic background. Although this was her first time in Kosovo, she found the transition easy. With a French mother, she has spent a lot of time in Europe and sees cultural similarities. Lucia has enjoyed many aspects of life in Pristina, including the coffee culture, which pairs perfectly with one of her favorite pastimes: “people watching” from one of Pristina’s many cafés.
Lucia has previous experience in museum and archival settings. She works in her campus museum’s collections and has done extensive cataloging and organising projects, including archival work for small businesses and even a dentist’s office. Her internship at KWN has drawn heavily on these skills. Lucia has helped reorganise and alphabetise archives, online databases and KWN’s library, improving access for staff and visitors. When asked about where her love for archiving comes from, she laughs and says, “I guess I’m just a very organized person – it’s something that calms me in a way.” “I like jobs where you’re front-facing and you see people and interact, but I also like organizing and archiving because it’s a solo job – you take time to yourself.”
Another project Lucia has worked on during her time at KWN is a story on the Kosovo Women’s Fund, reflecting on its impact since 2012, especially now that KWN has had to pause the Fund for the first time since its inception. Working on the piece taught her a lot about the writing and revision process: “As a student, when you’re writing essays or papers, there is a revision process, but with a lot less people. It was very interesting to see the story ‘go through’ a bunch of people, especially when it’s something that needs to be translated into other languages – I hadn’t had experience with that before.”
Reflecting on gender and social issues, Lucia observes that both Kosovo and the U.S. have strong gender roles and norms. One positive difference she sees in Kosovo is the visible effort to address these issues, especially among civil society: “Here, people are really taking initiatives.” While civil society is active in the U.S. as well – especially nonprofit organizations in her home state of California – they focus mainly on “filling gaps” in state services. Lucia feels that in Kosovo, NGOs like KWN play a significant role also on the policy-level.
Looking back on her internship, Lucia says she has really enjoyed her time at KWN, as well as in Kosovo. The country’s location has made weekend travel easy, and Lucia has visited Prizren, which she found beautiful, as well as neighboring Albania, North Macedonia and recently Greece. Talking to other Isla interns, she noticed that some felt their work was slow or that they did not have too much to do. Lucia really cannot relate – she feels like it’s always busy at KWN, and there is always something to do, which is a good thing: “Gender equality is not something that just slows down during the summer,” she says with a smile.
On her last day with KWN, Lucia reflects on the experience she has gained from an organisation working at the grassroot level, as well as the perspective she has gained from working abroad. She is confident these experiences will benefit her future career. She leaves with an even stronger commitment to advancing gender equality wherever she goes.
If you would like to contribute to KWN’s work, we always need and welcome volunteers from diverse backgrounds, experience levels and locations. To learn more about our Volunteer Program, please contact us at info@womensnetwork.org.
