Meet Kristina Sperkova

Kristina, born in Sala, Slovak Republic, is the first female International President and the 32nd overall to lead Movendi International.

Kristina is a psychologist, alcohol and other drugs policy advocate, development aid specialist, feminist, civil society activist, Human Rights defender and humanist.

Kristina Sperkova has a master’s degree in psychology from Comenius University in Slovakia. 

Kristina can count on 20 years worth of experience working in civil society in the field of health promotion, with special focus on prevention of harm caused by alcohol, working on all levels of society. 

Kristina started her work in substance use prevention in a local peer program in her hometown community in Slovakia. In 2014, she was elected International President of the global movement for development through prevention – Movendi International. 

Kristina served as Secretary-General of a European youth organization, where she successfully developed innovative and compelling programs, projects and campaigns to empower young people and mobilize youth organizations to promote healthy lifestyles. In this work, Kristina has earned merits in both raising funds for youth activities to promote health and well-being, as well as building a platform for political engagement of young Europeans in public health policy-making. 

From 2012 onwards, Kristina worked for a Swedish NGO, the IOGT-NTO movement, that supports partner NGOs in Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Balkan countries, in the field of official development assistance. She worked to build civil society capacity to tackle alcohol as obstacle to development. Combining expertise from her master’s degree in psychology, with her know-how in community-based work and Human Rights-based development work, Kristina has dedicated special attention to addressing the needs of marginalized groups, such as women and children. During this time, Kristina developed work on alcohol and gender.

As International President of Movendi, Kristina has been representing on the highest levels the voice of more than 160 civil society organizations from communities in 60+ countries worldwide. Under her leadership, Movendi International is developing innovative approaches to the prevention, of alcohol harm – advocating for and leading the way in a comprehensive approach to tackling the global burden of alcohol harm. 

Kristina has cooperated with Planet Youth for several years and has been Planet Youth ambassador since September 2020.

Kristina is a member of the WHO Civil Society Working Group on NCDs and Mental Health. The group advises the Director-General Dr Tedros on NCDs prevention and control.

Kristina focuses her academic attention on the Sustainable Development Goals and processes related to the Agenda 2030 and recently published her study “Alcohol policy measures are an ignored catalyst for achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals” analyzing EU+ countries and their utilization of alcohol policy in achievement of SDGs.

Get In Touch With Kristina

Kristina thinking_web_sInternational President

Kristina Sperkova

Stockholm, Sweden

kristina.sperkova [at] movendi.ngo

+46 722 11 30 70

Address:
Box 112 97
SE-11150 Stockholm
Sweden

 

Kristina's Story

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Kristina’s story starts when her dad got on a public tram in Bratislava, Slovakia, and found a little note there about starting an organisation that would focus on healthy lifestyle…

My father never takes public transport. He always walks to learn more about a city. But this time he did and his little journey has taken me on the great journey through life.

I joined the Movendi movement after I had attended their youth European summer camp in Slovakia. I enjoyed all the fun and laughter so I became a member… OK let me take it one more time so I can describe how it really was:

Imagine where action, emotion and ratio meet. All at once in one point. They all together built a strong notion of inspiration. The feeling that pulls you to the unknown. The feeling that both attracts and makes you radiate joy, excitement and enthusiasm.

That is what I felt when I, for the first time, came across this global movement. I was inspired by the knowledge and freedom of the people. I felt lighter like if I was carried by the genuine atmosphere of not pretending. I felt lighter like if I was carried by the ambition to create change I want to see around me. I felt lighter like when you find words for a feeling that you’ve felt for such a long time but only now finally you can put finger on it. I wanted to join forces with people who would look beyond their individual needs and would contribute to creation of environments where also others can grow. I liked that the contribution could happen on so many levels – starting with one’s own lifestyle, ending with global processes transforming societies. So I joined…and took off for a journey.

Genuineness. Inclusion. Joy.

Movendi means “genuineness” to me. It is a place where you know that what you feel and do is real. Movendi means “profoundness” to me. It searches for solutions that are long-term and lie at the root of a problem. To me Movendi means “inclusion” because it accommodates a great diversity of people, approaches, activities and none of them is more valued than the other. And last but not least, Movendi means “joy” to me. The environment Movendi creates on both a small and large scale opens more opportunities for exploration, friendship, understanding and freedom – some of the elements the joy is built of.

Movendi has given me a lifestyle that I have actively chosen.

Thanks to Movendi I became more aware of the happenings around me. I became more aware of the structural and cultural mechanisms that direct our decisions. I started reflecting the world around me. And I would not just blindly give in to something just because it is expected from the role I have in society (a woman, a young person, a central European, a student, a daughter…). But to be aware is not enough and Movendi with all its people and situations it brings into my life empowers me in amount of ways to act upon all the realizations and analyses I daily make. Movendi also gives me a challenge. I am challenged by Movendi almost every day, which makes me grow. And the experience of growth makes me content.

Imagine…what a difference one tram ride can make

Alcohol is an obstacle to development – both for human beings and their potential as well as for entire communities and societies around the world.

I feel honoured and grateful to serve Movendi International and its members.

Working for preventing and reducing harm caused by alcohol and other drugs, and for a world that is more just, healthy and free is a huge challenge but it’s also deeply rewarding and inspiring.

The alcohol-free lifestyle is the lifestyle of the 21st century.

Social Media

SoberGrid

Kristina’s Blog Corner

To get to know more about Kristina’s work, you can follow her personal blog, where she expresses her opinions and perspectives concerning global events, policy developments and other current affairs. Kristina also writes about the every day joys and challenges of leading Movendi International and traveling the world and she shares with us behind the scene reports from major events.

Find Kristina’s Blog Corner here.

Get in touch with Kristina in social media

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Short Biography

Kristina has a master degree in psychology from the Comenius University in Slovakia.

She has been active in the field of substance use prevention within civil society for 20 years starting in a peer program in her hometown community. Later on Kristina engaged in prevention work on European level and served as a Secretary-General of a European Youth Organization, Active – sobriety, friendship and peace. She worked both with capacity building of youth organizations active in the prevention field in Europe and with youth and alcohol policy advocacy on EU level.

From 2012 onwards, Kristina worked for a Swedish NGO, the IOGT-NTO movement that conducts development aid work with partner NGOs in Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Balkan countries, in the field of official development assistance. She worked as a Programme manager, Strategic coordinator and subsequently as Junior Advisor with questions relating to alcohol as obstacle to development.

Kristina has been in the board of Movendi International since 2006, first as International Vice President and since October 2014 as International President.