Who said that contributing to the thematic priorities of AEGEE was difficult ? It is high time every member realises that words as « Strategic Plan » and « Action Agenda » are just complicated phrases which actually hide a simple reality : if we want AEGEE to have a bigger impact and to have shown internal and external coherence in its activities, we need common priorities (Strategic Plan) and among those priorities, concrete objectives to fulfill (Action Agenda).
You already know the priorities chosen for 2011-2013 by heart : Youth Participation, Inclusion of Minorities, and
Bridging Europe. For a few months already, the Action Agenda Coordination Team (ACT) is working hard to make antennae and members aware of those priorities, and to help them contribute. It can be done by organising big actions and European events, but it can also be achieved through very simple local activities.
From the fruit to the roots
Currently, I am living in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and actively take part in AEGEE-Las Palmas activities. I will share the story of what is going on in this very (southern) part of the network :
In December 2011, AEGEE-Las Palmas organised a European youth exchange called « Preserving our future : from the fruit to the roots » which gathered members from AEGEE-Las Palmas, AEGEE-Peiraias, AEGEE-Riga, and AEGEE-Yerevan. In only one event, they managed to deal with the three priorities mentioned above because they organised an exchange with a local from a target area (Bridging Europe), they promoted voluntary work among young people (Youth Participation), and two of the local association with whom they collaborated were dealing with minorities, disabled, and immigrants (Inclusion of minorities).
Do you have a day?
However, they did not stop there: Very inspired by this experience of volunteering and working with different NGOs, they started a project called « Tienes un dia ? Involucrate » (« Do you have a day ? Get involved ! ») which consists of promoting volunteering behaviours and raising awareness on different kinds of volunteering. Each month, AEGEE-Las Palmas is collaborating with a different local association and organises an action day. In March, we held an afternoon together with the Association of Down Syndrome of Las Palmas. We all gathered on the beach one afternoon, playing games and breaking stereotypes. Kevin Santana Medina, the coordinator of this project, is already planning the next months. Moreover, we are planning to collaborate with an association for recycling and with an association on health-related issues.
Just once a month, members from AEGEE-Las Palmas and young people from the area manage to share their time with other local organisation, discovering new horizons, new realities, new ways of being involved and active !
You liked the story ? Well, as you can see, it is pretty easy to actually contribute to the current priorities of AEGEE !
We are looking forward to hearing more inspiring stories from the network!
Written by Lucille Rieux, on behalf of the ACT-Team, AEGEE-Toulouse & AEGEE-Las Palmas