My name is Kamil Goungor and, as the title says, I am the new Development Officer* at ENIL – something that I am really happy about!
But before explaining what I will do, let me briefly introduce myself. I am 30 years old, Polish but born and living in Greece. I studied communication and journalism, and in recent years I have been very active in the fields of disability, youth and children’s rights, both in Greece and abroad.
I am sure many of you already know me, as I am not new to ENIL and to the movement. I learned about ENIL’s work in 2013, during the Freedom Drive in Strasbourg, where I participated as a member of the Greek delegation. It was a very important experience for me and for some of the other Greek participants. After seeing what is happening in other countries and discussing with many activists, we decided that something needs to be done also in the country where we live and where the Independent Living philosophy was unknown. So, we founded “i-living – the Independent Living Organization of Greece”, the first and only IL organization in Greece.
Of course, we maintained a close relationship with ENIL and followed its work. That led me to apply (and to be accepted) for a 6-month European Voluntary Service (EVS) in 2015 with both Onafhankelijk Leven and ENIL – a first for ENIL! This was a life changing experience for me, as I had the opportunity to work with many important people from the movement, learn a lot from them and develop myself. You can read more about it here.
After EVS and until today, I continued to work actively with the organization and its people. I have been volunteering at ENIL for about a year after the EVS, and have represented ENIL in numerous events. Today, I am on the board of the Youth Network, which I additionally represent in the Youth Committee of European Disability Forum (which I Chair at the moment). (Given that I accepted this job, I will be resigning from the Youth Network Board.)
As ENIL’s Development Officer, my role will be to increase membership involvement in the organization, to strengthen the way we communicate with our members and to develop activities that can be supported by them.
Having been an ENIL supporter for years, this is not just a job for me. It is the job I dreamt of having and I am really excited for this opportunity! I fully identify with ENIL’s mission and its Independent Living values. This mission is also my personal everyday way of life. I strongly believe that, only by having Independent Living, you can achieve your other goals and truly live on an equal basis with everyone else.
I officially start on October 1st and will be working on Mondays, Wednesdays and half Fridays. But, don’t hesitate to contact me anytime at: kamil.goungor@enil.eu
I am looking forward to working with you all!
*The position is funded by the Open Society Foundations – Public Health Programme.
