Alfredo Sellitti – President
October has been a pretty intensive month, as I spent quite some time out of Office for external representation.
On the 4th of October I attended the “Head of Office Meeting” organised by the European Movement International, which gathered all the representatives of EMI members in order to know each other and to present the current status of activities, as well as provide information about possibilities for funding.
On the 6th I left Brussels to Kayseri, where I attended the Network Meeting ”AEGEE, more than you know”. Several Turkish locals gathered together to meet and discuss, and create a common strategy for their PR campaigns.
On the 20th and 21st I was in Yerevan, where, together with other AEGEE members and in cooperation with AEGEE-Yerevan, the European Movement International organised a Congress titled “Fostering Civil Society’s role for further European integration in the Eastern Partnership countries”. A Final Declaration has been created and published, as starting tool for the Civil Society in target countries to reach a real European Integration.
And, right after, the Autumn Agora 2011 took place in Struga, FYROM; it has been quite challenging, considering the additional organisational problems we had to face on the spot. However, in the end it worked quite smoothly.
Last but not least, a big thanks to Tim and Agata who facilitated our Team Building session during the first weekend of October, giving a new breath and a new spirit to the team.
Alma Mozgovaja – Secretary General
October started with the team building which took place in Moyen, Belgium. There we tried to melt the frost in our everyday life, our personalities, personal and working relations. Even if you think that you know a lot about yourself and others there is still a lot to learn, which we have done.
Three busy weeks of work in the office followed – Skype meetings with the Chair team, communication with the local organisers of the Autumn AGORA, preparation of AGORA booklets and contracts for the next statutory events, data confidentiality agreements, bar codes and membership cards, evaluation meeting of our first month as the Comité Directeur, as well as some routine work.
Before AGORA I participated as a trainer at the Network Meeting in Thessaloniki where I had some sessions on the European level, as well as a very lovely AGORA simulation to set the mood for the upcoming General Assembly.
And then…“you don’t know how strong you are till being strong is the only option you have“. Autumn AGORA 2011 revealed how strong all of us are – Comité Directeur, Chair team, AEGEE-Skopje and helpers, participants, our association. We did not give up, we stood for cooperation, we acted , we changed our minds, plans and the future for the better.
There were a lot of things what I was dealing with during October but there was always somebody who helped me. Thank you, Comité Directeur , members of the former Comité Directeur, the Chair team, Juridical Commission, Erman, Manos, Angel, Anchy, Hara, Athina, Fatima and others.
Elena Antova – Financial Director
October passed as fast as September.
The month started with the team building weekend of the Comité Directeur. It was a great experience for all of us and it helped us to understand each other , to develop our team, to come more closer as friends.
After the team building I managed to attend the NederTop and the Constitutional drink of AEGEE-Enschede. It was really a nice surprise, to see how active and devoted the Dutch boards are for reaching common success. With it I hope we will be able to see this kind of commitment more often all around the Network.
At the beginning of the month, we had the Audit Commission meeting in Brussels. The Audit Commission checked all the documentation and bookkeeping files, spending two sleepless nights to manage with all their tasks.
During October my time was mostly devoted to the Agora preparation. I was communicating with the locals, about their membership fees, preparing the AEGEE-Europe registration desk, finalizing Budget 2011-2012 and Budget 2012, preparing Intermediate Financial Report and the Progress Meeting at the Agora. Also together with the president of the Audit Commission – Esperanza, we prepared a proposal for changing the term of the Audit Commission and also we led a Workshop about the finances and budgeting in AEGEE.
The month ended with one very intense, but also successful Agora. I am really thankful to everyone who collaborated, to make the General Assembly happen!
Marko Grdošić – Vice President and External Relations Director
October was generally marked as a team month. First days were spent on having a great team building that made us closer, acknowledging the good and bad sides of each other and which taught us how we work in a team, and how to work together during the upcoming year. Coming back to the office we were full of positive energy and great team spirit.
When it comes to daily work, October was the month of Institutional tasks – reporting previous projects and the General Subvention for the previous year. These two tasks took a lot of time, but in the end these were finished successfully! During October I started preparing the General Subvention application for 2012, by gathering Activity Plans and by communicating with locals. Sadly, almost one third of our Network didn’t submit them and for the next year we should think of a different strategy how to gather them and raise awareness of the importance they have for the future work and sustainability of our association.
One of the problems that I faced both during September and October is the organisation of Study Fair during Agora Skopje. Despite all the efforts that I put into this project, together with Monika from AEGEE-Skopje, universities didn’t show any interest for attending our event, mainly because of the location, which is why the Fair couldn’t take place in the end.
Last note definitely goes for the Agora itself. It was a hard, challenging and great week, that brought us closer to each other and gave us more motivation to work harder in the following months.
Jüri Kirpu – Internal Relations Director
The second month of Autumn almost flew by without noticing that it was composed of 31 days.
For me it started with the Network Meeting in Zadar, where almost all “Balkan” locals were present. It was amazing to see the soul, spirit and heart of that European region, because seeing the essence of people is something that can´t leave one without deep emotions. This trip also included a surprise by meeting one of my predecessors, which was inspirational in many ways since I managed to get a deeper insight into the past of my position within the Comité Directeur.
The month continued with the notorious Agora preparations, during which the Network Commission and I pushed locals to fulfill so much needed antennae criteria upon which the Network status update was compiled.
The time grew closer and closer for leaving Brussels for our General Assembly. The first days were the most challenging due to the fact that the Agora was our first statutory event as the Comité Directeur, we paid attention to all the things that had to be dealt with, which at some points also meant quite many sleepless nights.
Although the Autumn Agora was challenging in many aspects I am extremely happy, that the Chair team, local organisers, the Juridical Commission and us, the Comité Directeur, managed to come together and together pave the way for steps that hopefully will affect our association to move along a new way.
Gizem Karslı – Projects Director
As the month of the Autumn Agora, the modus vivendi of October was fast and furious for each one of us. Getting ready for the Agora was a demanding period with proposals, progress meetings, workshops to prepare, plans and reports to present.
From my point of view, October was mainly about the planning; namely, the Strategic Plan and the Action Agenda. Presenting the outcomes of a demanding and comprehensive work done by committed AEGEEans was a big responsibility that required quite some energy. In the end, both documents were approved by the Agora with significant support. Therefore, I must thank all who were involved in the process once more! By approving the Strategic Plan 2011-2014 we already stepped forward as AEGEE, well done!
October was also important in terms of the Network Meeting Thessaloniki. The AEGEEans, gathered together in that lovely and lively city of Mediterranean, filled me with energy just before the Agora! Together we discussed the problems we are facing at local level and the strategies for involving locals to the process of implementing the Strategic Plan.
Another significant happening of October was the fruitful discussion I had about the freedom of mobility while waiting in the border to reach the Agora. To discuss this matter in the land of nowhere, between borders with a highly international group was amazing. Hopefully, they will keep their promises and be one of our Visa Freedom Fighters!
Guillermo García Tabarés – Human Resources Director
The month started in a village of Belgium in the team building activity we had, in order to strengthen us and to better understand our “different-backgrounded” minds. Some days after that the first Network Meeting was waiting for me. AEGEE-Cluj Napoca organised a very enthusiastic event in a little village in the middle of Transylvania where all the food was natural. The participants did a great job and went back home with some strong ideas for creating new joint local projects.
That seemed to be too much so I decided to join a perfectly peaceful weekend in a meditation retreat near Brussels, with Thai monks and a very European atmosphere, where I also found some other AEGEEans.
Full of even more positive energy and understanding of myself I was able to work at home for 4 days in a row (a total record this month) before leaving for another Network Meeting in Pécs, where I had the possibility to enjoy paprika in all its versions. It was a perfect rehearsal before the Agora, as that was my next destination.
Our first Agora was about to start, a new challenge ready to be accepted. Proposals, bar codes, and people all over pointing their eyes at the CD that they elected some months ago. I enjoyed being again surrounded by people from all over Europe, amazed as every time, and giving to this year again all the sense that AEGEE has in my mind. Last but not least at all, the Human Resources Committee was ratified after a tough month full of deadlines, that at the same time was quite easy going thanks to such an active group of members.