Energetic, smiling and hardworking – these are the first words which come into my mind when describing Silvija Perić (AEGEE-Zagreb) who is our Member of the Month of June. Her dedication to helping with organizing the youth conference “Croatia in the EU” made sure that she is a real AEGEE addict, so let’s find out more about her!
Please, shortly introduce yourself to The AEGEEan readers!
I am a law student at the University of Zagreb and the president of AEGEE-Zagreb for almost a year now. I joined AEGEE in the end of 2011 and almost instantly became a board member and was working as a treasurer. Also in May 2013 I joined Antonija Parat’s (Network Commissioner) team as a Sub-Commissioner.
You have been voted as Member of the Month due to your involvement in Croatia in the EU conference. Could you tell us something, please, in a few sentences about the conference for those who were not present?
As you all know, on July 1st, 2013 Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union (EU). The aim of the conference was to hear the opinion of young people in Europe and how they feel about the EU enlargement and Croatia‘s accession to the EU.
It was a great opportunity to review and discuss the achievements and challenges in youth cooperation and to discuss about European Identity. The conference was organized by the Directorate-General Enlargement of the European Commission and it gathered over 200 young people from Europe who actively participated in discussions and workshops.
What exactly did you and AEGEE-Zagreb do to help out? And what do you think were your biggest successes in that?
There were a lot of things that needed taking care of, but my main tasks were to promote the event in Croatia, help with participants’ requests, organize a city tour and journalists’ interviews with Erasmus students, organize the party (together with ESN Zagreb), introduce AEGEE to the participants of the conference, give interviews and report about the conference.
The biggest success was the opportunity to be involved in such a huge project both as the organizer and the participant. Also, it was great to have so many AEGEEans as participants and to promote AEGEE among people from all over Europe.
What are your tips for younger AEGEE members who also like to organize events? What have you learnt in this time?
Be prepared for all challenges! Sometimes it won’t go according to your plan, some things may go wrong, but stay calm, think, ask for the help and continue. Organizing events is a life changing experience. I learned more about myself, tested my limits, gained new skills, had the opportunity to meet and work with great people.
Apart from AEGEE, what are your passions and hobbies?
Traveling! I love exploring new cultures and meeting interesting people. Also, learning foreign languages and reading books.
Last, but not the least – dancing. I’ve been dancing for 5 years – I dance belly dances, tribal belly dance, Bellynesian and Bollywood dance. As Agnes De Mille said: “The truest expression of people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie.”
And how about the future, what are you personally working on at the moment?
Our Summer University finished 3 weeks ago and since then I am helping Antonija with preparations for the Autumn Network Meeting. Also, I am studying for exams in September, searching for new challenges in AEGEE and looking for interesting projects I could join.
Written by Anita Kalmane, AEGEE-Ogre