How to Europeanise a Local

Network Commission, Public Relations Committee, Visa Freedom Working Group; The European level of AEGEE  definitely has a lot to offer. Yet only a handful of AEGEE members are actively involved in one of the many European projects or bodies of AEGEE. What can be done in order to tackle this problem and to “europeanise” an antenna? The Network Meeting (NWM) organised by AEGEE-Amsterdam tried to answer this question.

From March 22 to March 26, around 20 AEGEE members from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Romania, and the United Kingdom gathered in the beautiful city of Amsterdam to address a problem many locals are currently facing: the vast majority of their members is passionate about organising local activities but has never participated in any European event or project. Why is that? Some members are simply not familiar with the European level of AEGEE, its overall structure and purpose. Others, however, are perfectly aware of the numerous opportunities AEGEE-Europe has to offer but do not know how to get involved.

Picture courtesy of Annika Lüdeking

Europeanise your local

The Network Meeting “Europeanise Your Local” wanted to do something about this. It was specially designed for two types of participants: those who have never been involved at the European level, and those who are very active already and want to know how to motivate their fellow members to follow in their footsteps. AEGEE-Amsterdam set up a diverse and comprehensive programme that met the needs of all participants: a round-table discussion with a press officer from the European Parliament on the future of the European Union raised our awareness for European issues; interactive workshops and role plays helped the more experienced participants to develop the tools and skills needed to “europeanise” their locals; presentations given by long‑time AEGEE members provided the newcomers among us with an in-depth overview on the internal structure of AEGEE and the activities of certain bodies such as the environmental working group. In another session the participants could give each other individual advice on their future career within AEGEE. These are just a few examples of what the programme had to offer.

Active AEGEEans getting to know the Dutch culture

Of course, fun was on the agenda as well. After a long day of intensive work, AEGEE-Amsterdam took the participants out to discover the vibrant Dutch capital at night – the perfect way to get to know each other better and to make new friends. A city tour on the last day marked the end of the Network Meeting. With lots of new ideas and full of inspiration we all returned back home.

Thank you, AEGEE-Amsterdam, for hosting us and making the time with you such a memorable experience. We are now prepared to take our AEGEE career to the next level.

Written by Natalie Zange, AEGEE-Heidelberg