Iryna Shchoka
Youth Programmes, Communication Tourism and Project management, based in the Austria
I am a creative and experienced project manager and educator, dedicated to my job.
I started my career at the bank system in 2002 as an economist and finished in 2011 as a branch office head.
In 2006 I coordinated for the Ukrainian NGO FORZA a Cluster analysis of the forest sector of the Carpathian region of Ukraine which also included sustainable tourism and local communities wellbeing issues, supported SMEs in marketing and in state-private partnership activities, implemented climate change mitigation and adaptation measures project. Later I become also an internal expert of the forestry women support project.
Since 2013 I implemented the project “Cross-Road Connections” which aimed to improve environmental situation of small Ukrainian cities and educated adults and teenagers. From 2012 until the end of 2014 I worked as a project manager and developer at the “Agency of Regional Development and Cross-Border Co-operation “Transcarpathia” of Zakarpattya Oblast Council”.
Since 2016 I became a part of the European Wilderness Society team, where I am working on sustainable tourism, youth involvement, communication and educational projects. I also work a lot to support European Wilderness Network Partners. In 2022 I also completed Online Course “Women’s Leadership in Conservation” by Center for Protected Area Management Colorado State University.
One of my favorite directions is Respect Nature further implementation in Europe.
Since March, 2022 I continue my work from the main office of the European Wilderness Society in Tamsweg. Beside Tourism, Wilderness and Educational projects, together with my colleagues I also support Ukrainian in Ukraine and in Austria.
I am fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, English, Hungarian, Slovakian and started to learn the German language.
My Wilderness Motto:
Only Wilderness makes us really free on this planet, free from day-today routine, temporary hardships and banal bad mood. Only intact nature empowers us, provides unique exiting feeling and gives us special inspiration! Therefore as much Wilderness we will have as many really free and happy people will be on the Earth!
