From Academic Rigor to Civic Engagement: Luca Poggi's Journey

Twenty-eight years old, a job as an economist and senior data analyst for T&E — an NGO that lobbies for legislation pushing net zero in transportation and energy in the EU — after a degree from Bocconi University and an experience at the Laboratory for Effective Anti-Poverty Policies (LEAP). Luca Poggi may be young, but he knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. He's one of those who, when he sees a gross injustice, can't just ignore it or turn away, but must intervene whatever way he can. In the case of the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, he did so by personally getting involved, helping organizing and then boarding the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail in September to break Israel's naval and food blockade of the Strip.

What inspired you to board the Flotilla?

Actually, I was one of the organizers. I had taken part in the Global Movement to Gaza which attempted an overland expedition through the Rafah crossing from Egypt into the enclave, which, as we know, was unsuccessful. When we returned to Egypt, there was still a willingness to do something about the situation in Palestine. We were in contact with the Freedom Flotilla and the Sumud collective, and we said to each other, "Maybe it would be a little easier if we do it by sea. Do we want to try?"

The word “sumud” means resilience: what does it mean to you after this experience?

For me, resilience is above all that of the Palestinian people, who, despite all their suffering, continue to move forward. The core of our actions and ideas was the desire to help those people. And this was the goal we all had clearly in mind and also, in some ways, a way to keep trust among ourselves and find strength in complicated situations.

Are you more idealistic or more pragmatic?

I'm pragmatic, in the sense that I feel the need to act to change a situation that I think is unjust. Then, obviously, to do so, you must follow a direction, an idea, so yes, this means you also have to be a little idealistic.

What did you discover about yourself during the mission?

It wasn't the first action I'd participated in, but it was certainly the largest and the most intense: on the one hand, I had confirmation that, when you're determined and believe in your goals, you can find a way to achieve them, even if in the end we didn't make it to Palestine. However we have sent a strong signal to the world, and perhaps this ceasefire agreement (which I personally don't have much faith in) was also driven by the pressure we exerted on world governments. On the other hand, I've discovered that it's possible to live through fear without being dominated by it.

What do you mean?

In the sense that sometimes you can accept fear rather than flee from it, for example, if you're part of a large group experiencing the same emotions. There are three ways to deal with fear: giving in to it, which is paralyzing, fleeing the threat or accepting it. If you believe in your actions and have a supportive group around you, fear gives you clarity, even when it comes to making important decisions, like those we faced during the voyage.

What were the challenges during the organizational phase?

Maintaining a certain degree of confidentiality while trying to reach the entire world with news of the mission. On the one hand, there was a communications team tasked with raising awareness on the issue by reaching out to prominent figures around the world and involving them in videos of support that have garnered millions of views. On the other hand, a more operational team I was a part of traveled around Italy buying boats, trying to remain vague about the reason for our purchase (but also without being able to lie). And then, hire someone to fix them, as well as someone to bring them to Sicily.

And during navigation?

Managing all the different kinds of people that composed the Flotilla. And not only because there were people with very different levels of confidence with boating (some had never been on a boat and some didn't even know how to swim), but also because they had completely different profiles: an activist who lives in social movements, an MEP, a captain who lives at sea, a journalist. So many souls, who obviously experience situations and respond to stimuli each in their own way.

In the end, however, the goal was so strong and shared that everything was overcome.

Exactly. What I want to emphasize, in fact, is that we didn't set sail for Palestine to have the experience of a lifetime. First and foremost, we put our own personal safety at risk, but also put our jobs, and for some, even our marriages on the line. And we didn't do it for ourselves, but because things had gone too far creating a situation of immense suffering and total denial of human rights.

Has this experience changed your understanding of social activism?

It made me understand the importance of unity, of the need to transcend groups and factions to achieve an important goal. And indeed, in the end, this mission worked well because different minds brought different experiences onboard and offboard.

So it also taught you the art of mediation a bit.

Certainly, but mediation, not compromise. It was not about meeting halfway, but deciding to take a different path together. And, if there are enough of us, perhaps opening a new one where one doesn't exist. Furthermore, it was an experience that taught me to understand civic engagement as a constant and permanent form of commitment. Now that we're back, there's a lot of buzz; we see more awareness among people, so it's time to continue working until the situation is fully resolved.

At the University, you completed the DES program (Degree in Economic and Social Sciences) as well as a formative experience at LEAP, the Bocconi Laboratory for Effective Anti-Poverty Policies. Have these experiences had an impact on your approach to social activism?

They definitely gave me two things: a love for rigor and a desire to seek the best possible outcome in any situation, leaving nothing to chance. And, in a way, they also pushed me to think big.