Laura Deckers is an intern at AMS for the Urban Impact Team, exploring engagement of non-intrinsically motivated citizens to partake in the MALL. Her work at AMS is closely related to her current Research Master’s studies in Social Sciences for a Digital Society at Vrije Universitiet. 

Prior to moving to Amsterdam, Laura worked for seven years at Synergos, a global non-profit. There, her focus was on strengthening the philanthropy ecosystem in Brazil and Latin America. Her past projects include working with new generation of philanthropists through immersive programs; coordinating philanthropic investments in the Amazon region; coordinating an institutional development program for Latin American organizations working on civil society strengthening; and the Coronavirus Emergency Health Fund. 

Laura moved to Amsterdam in 2023. Previously, she was living her native São Paulo, Brazil, where she also got her degree in International Relations. 

Laura is passionate about the work AMS does as she highly values co-creation and multistakeholder approaches. Coming from São Paulo, a city with its own complexities, she is excited to explore common urban challenges and potential shared solutions in the city of Amsterdam. 

“From São Paulo to Amsterdam, every experience teaches me that cities are living ecosystems, full of potential for transformation.”