Last month there were elections in all the Working Groups of AEGEE. Anna Gumbau Martínez got elected into the board of the International Politics Working Group and at the same time the super motivated AEGEE-Barcelona member became the editor-in-chief of The AEGEEan Magazine. The former editor-in-chief Patricia Anthony introduces you to the new leading lady of AEGEE’s online magazine.
You have lots of AEGEE experience, but can you tell us a bit about your favourite experience so far?
I have only been active in AEGEE for a year, but there are already so many experiences that I have learnt from. At the local level it was organising a Summer University with AEGEE-Las Palmas, which was completely challenging and time-consuming, but I have learnt a lot and had a great time. The Agora Budapest was the event that got me interested in the European level of AEGEE, so it will always remain very special for me. And being editor for the Thematics section of The AEGEEan was the starting point of some very good times for me… I just can’t decide on one, and I know there are still so many good experiences to come!
What made you interested in becoming editor-in-chief of The AEGEEan?
I felt extremely motivated to take one step forward, I thought I got the experience in journalism needed for that and I got the feeling I was prepared to take up the position. Besides, I felt very encouraged by other team members of the magazine who gave me lots of support. All in all, I am in love with this project: I just love journalism and I love AEGEEing… so The AEGEEan is the point where my two biggest passions meet! I always answer the same thing, but this is exactly how I feel about it. I want to keep improving it and I feel extremely honoured to be leading the magazine.
The AEGEEan team members in Zagreb
What is special about being part of The AEGEEan?
It is the ideal starting point to understand and have a bigger picture of our organisation. In just a couple of months you can learn so much about it! You manage to meet lots of interesting people and their inspiring stories: I always say that each one of us has a story to be told. Moreover, your English writing skills improve at a high speed, and you learn a lot from each one of the editors, journalists and proofreaders. Each one of us has a very different profile and it becomes a very enriching experience.
What would you like to achieve as editor-in-chief?
First, I want to keep up informing on the stories that happen to our members, locals and European level bodies, thus being committed to have a well-informed Network. I would also like to work on our human resources by giving them opportunities for training and self-development, and to assure that there is a well-prepared new generation of AEGEEan journalists rocking the magazine in the next years. Besides this, I would like to work on new, innovative ways to communicate and to present stories, and especially focus on a good strategy to cover Statutory events.
Recently you were fair manager for the Agora in Zaragoza, how was that experience?
The overall experience was very enriching. I felt very lucky to work with my “fairies” (Dasha Onokhova, Olga Rivero, Kathrin Renner and Madalena Sousa), the previous work before the Agora went almost perfect and I wasn’t as stressed as I expected myself to be. It is true that, once the day arrived, there were a few inconveniences that we did not expect at all. But, despite the circumstances, we were fast addressing these issues and adapted our idea without losing our nerves, so I think we did a good job. Besides, I got very positive feedback about the content that the different bodies provided at the Fair, which made me really happy.
How did it help that it was former fair manager Olga Rivero (AEGEE-Oviedo) who was helping you and Dasha with organising the fair?
Having Olga in our Fair team was definitely a plus. She was helpful from the start: I got lots of advice from her even before applying and afterwards she was our contact person with the local organisers and made our work much smoother. I will never be grateful enough for all the efforts she put on the Fair, it was so easy to work with her that I would love to team up again!
How did it help being two fair managers instead of one?
It helped a lot indeed, especially regarding the task division. Dasha is a really creative soul and did a great job with the visual conception of the Fair, so she was indeed a perfect workmate for me. And it is always better when you have someone else to share your nervousness and stress with!
Why would you encourage others to become fair managers?
I would encourage them because, even if you might look extremely stressed and about to pull someone’s hair on the day of the Fair, it is a very fun and rewarding task. It is a unique experience to get deep into the plans of different European level bodies and engage the participants of the Agora with their activities. I was recently talking to one of the organisers of Spring Agora Patra and told him I had so much fun that I might even take up the challenge and apply as the AEGEE Fair Manager again! Just kidding… or maybe not.
What do you think about the organisation of the Agora in general?
It’s extremely hard to organise an event for more than 800 people, AEGEE-Zaragoza has succeeded and I admire them a lot for that. It was great to have the plenaries and the accommodation at the same location, and they made a great effort when it comes to fundraising… so my overall impression is really good!
You have recently joined the International Politics Working Group (IPWG) board, what made you interested in that?
I was a member of the IPWG for a year because I have always had a strong interest in international politics; I am currently doing my specialisation seminar in International Journalism, and I am planning to obtain a Master’s degree on something related to the field of international affairs once I finish my bachelor’s. I have always followed the world news quite closely, and as PR responsible, I can also take up some tasks related to my current field of studies.
What are your plans with the IPWG?
Our main task will be to keep it alive and rocking! We want to activate our members and I am happy to see that there are ambitious plans. For instance, the IPWG will have a strong role in the upcoming Election Observation Project, which you will hear from very soon in the magazine. There are other projects and actions still to be defined, but I would also like to introduce the topic of nationalisms and separatism in Europe in the agenda of our Working Group.
You are going to Belgium next year on Erasmus, what made you choose that place?
During my first AEGEE event I visited Leuven, the city I chose, and I completely loved it! I still keep in touch with some members from AEGEE-Leuven, and there are some other AEGEE friends around whom I would love to pay a visit during my stay. Besides, my cousin also did her Erasmus there and she was absolutely delighted… and I just love beer, so that is definitely a plus. The only “minus” I see that I absolutely hate the rain, but maybe this is the perfect time for me to overcome it.
Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København