Meet Nicola Forster -- Ashoka Fellow in Switzerland

Ashoka Switzerland has elected Nicola Forster, founder and president of foraus as a new Fellow. After a long and rigorous selection process, Ashoka saw in Nicola all the qualities of an entrepreneur and innovator. With his election as Fellow, Nicola will now be supported by Ashoka in the development and dissemination of foraus.

foraus stands for Forum Aussenpolitik (foreign policy forum). It is a “think- and do-tank" gathering independent ideas from a network of over 1000 foreign policy enthusiasts who work on a voluntary basis. foraus generates high-quality recommendations to policy makers and the general public.

What prompted Nicola to create foraus?

In 2008, Nicola campaigned with a young movement supporting the eastward expansion of the European agreement on the free movement of persons. Building on the success of this campaign, Nicola realized that young people have a strong interest in politics, but they are often discouraged by the structures of political parties and legislative bodies.This is what sowed the seeds of foraus, not only to motivate young people to engage in politics, but also to provide opportunities to discuss impartially, and trying to address problems scientifically.

The think-tank is divided into 10 regional groups and 7 thematic groups and its members come from scientific, diplomatic, academic or economic backgrounds. foraus serves as a broadcasting platform for studies and innovative analysis, blogs and political articles, but is also a forum for high-level discussions. Foraus through these publications and reflections get a response from policy makers through informal recommendations.

You can find more information at http://www.foraus.ch and in our recent media release on his appointment below.