Who I Am: Studies, Passions, and Vision
My name is Luna Mortini, and my professional identity is built at the intersection of social sciences, cultural creation, and field research. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, a Master’s Degree in the Economics of Cooperation, and a Master’s Degree in Anthropology and Contemporary World History. With over 15 years of experience coordinating social care services and public welfare policies in Italy, my passions have always been centered on human rights, decolonial communication, anti-racism, and social innovation. Recently, I launched my own nomadic business, Luna Digital, alongside our independent editorial media project, Mia la Città. Operating from a fully equipped camper van as a mobile office, my work combines Mobile Journalism with qualitative research to give voice to grassroots social movements, workers’ rights, and critical perspectives on technology and body control.
Why I Decided to Participate in the EYE Program
My decision to join the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program stemmed from a strong desire to expand my horizons and test my nomadic startup on an international scale. After years of working within national welfare structures, I felt the urgency to gain hands-on experience abroad. I was driven by curiosity to see how European NGOs and creative agencies manage cross-border projects, structure ethical communication, and access European funding schemes (such as CERV, AMIF, and Creative Europe). Living and working in Madrid with the NGO Red Deporte felt like the perfect bridge to test my independence and build long-term European partnerships.
Human and Professional Growth: Expectations vs. Reality
These first 15 days in Madrid have been an intense, humbling, and transformative experience, both humanly and professionally. Moving from Italy with my camper van—the core asset of my business plan—proved to be physically exhausting and financially heavy. The long journey depleted my economic reserves, and facing the vast distances, fuel costs, and public transit commutes in a sprawling megalopolis like Madrid brought an immediate wave of spatial disorientation.
Professionally, the daily reality has diverged from my initial plans. Instead of diving straight into European grant design and field interviews for Mia la Città, my time has been absorbed by the routine operational needs of the host NGO, such as sorting sports equipment inventory and editing short clips.
However, this gap between expectation and reality is precisely where my deepest growth is happening. Humanly, it is teaching me resilience, patience, and the ability to navigate uncertainty in a new country. Professionally, it has triggered my proactivity: while working with the director to gradually unlock European planning opportunities, I am independently reaching out to Spanish Third Sector organizations, grassroots collectives, and social centers across Valencia, Catalonia, and Andalusia aligned with key issues such as migration, anti-racism, and the critical use of AI in body and border control.
This exchange is proving that entrepreneurship is not about finding a smooth path, but about adapting, taking initiative, and forging meaningful connections wherever you park.