Views International

This board was in function from 1 January 2014 till 1 January 2016 with the following composition:

Mahfud CHAABAN (Es)

I'm from Spain, I was born in 1985.

I'm totally blind, my guide dog let me to be independent and go to everywhere without worries.

I studied two degrees: Sociology and Political Science. Also I studied two master degrees, one for teachers of the secondary school and another one of Human Resources.

I knew Views International in 2005 and become member of Views International in 2008.

I am a volunteer of Red Cross in La Rioja (Spain).

I love technology, I have a podcast about technology and accessibility called Tecnocharlas, our blog is www.tecnocharlas.es, you can follow me on Twitter @tecnocharlas.

I like to travel and meet new people, different cultures and so on.

I'm in the Board of Administrators since 2014.

Michael THORNTON (Uk) - secretary

I’m Mike Thornton
I am a member of the board of administrators since December 2012.

I live in the UK and I have experience of working on the board of other organisations in the UK.

In my spare time I enjoy playing goalball and meeting new people. I speak English and a little French and Spanish.

Nikola BAKALOV (Bg) - vice-president

My name is Nikola Bakalov. I live in the UK, even though I represent Bulgaria within VIEWS. I have been a member of the Board of Administrators since 2013.

In 2014, I was elected Vice-President of VIEWS International.

Currently I am doing a PhD (Doctorate) within Sheffield University Management School. The topic area of my research is “Employment and Earnings of Disabled People – Identifying Good Practices Across Europe”.

I hold a Master’s degree in Occupational Psychology from the University of London and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Coventry University.

Between 2012 -2015, I was a part-time University Lecturer in Psychology in the UK. During that time, I was also a Support Worker for people with severe Autism.

I have been involved with international youth work within various organizations ever since 2006. Since 2009, I have focused on projects within the Youth in Action 2007-2013 and then the Erasmus+ programme.

Within youth exchanges, I have worked with people with and without disabilities. I have been a group leader and I have also organized workshops on topics such as Youth employability of disabled people; Social integration between disabled and non-disabled people; adapted theatre, etc. I have also organized ice-breakers and energizers.

Jessica SCHROEDER (De) - president

Boglárka KOLLÁRSZKY (Hu)

My name is Boglárka Kollárszky, I am one of the new members at BOA Views International.
I am 24 years old, still a university student. I am doing my master studies at psychology and pedagogy, in Budapest, Hungary, although

I've already had some work experience in the field of public administration and human resources as well. I really like multiculturalism and cultural diversity - getting to know and communicating with people from other countries with completely different backgrounds and cultural habits -

I've already attended some international summer camps for visually impaired people and also taken part in some youth exchange programmes abroad, organised by Youth in Action.

I really like reading books, playing the piano, doing some sports like swimming, running, tandembiking and skiing and just hanging out with friends.

One of my aims is to organise a youth exchange in Hungary and to help as much as I can in the new Views International projects.

Anna Rita de Bonis (It) - delegated administrator

My name is Anna Rita de Bonis and I come from Italy.

I have been a member of the board of administrators since November 2014 as a delegated administrator. It’s the first time I have worked for the board of an organisation, but I really like it because I feel involved and I can do something for other people too. I decided to present myself as a candidate for the board because I share VIEWS International values, goals and aims and I wanted to be a more active participant in its activities.

I have been engaged in international youth projects since 2008, when I took part in my first youth exchange as a participant, thanks to the Youth in Action 2007-2013 programme. From this moment on, I couldn’t stop because it really changed me a lot and I could enjoy the beauty of keeping in touch with people from all Europe and share moments and activities together. For these and many other reasons, I have continued to participate in so many youth exchanges both as a participant and as a group leader, and in some trainings as a participant and as part of the team trainers within various organizations, even with the new programme Erasmus+, where I worked with people with and without disabilities. Furthermore, in 2009 I served as a European volounteer in Belgium for 4 months.

My greatest passions are foreign languages and travelling. I really like meeting people from other cultures and exchanging experiences and opinions with them. Since I was a child I have been dreaming of becoming a simultaneous interpreter and this wish influenced my whole education carreer. For this reason I graduated in Translation and Interpretation in French and Spanish.