‘We want to support our area and introduce our new members to the network’, that is the reason why the one and only Lioness of Italy (AEGEE-Brescia) will host the next Network Meeting of the Rainbow area (ed. Italian speaking locals, AEGEE-Valletta and the Contact of AEGEE-Europe in Lugano). The AEGEEan met the organizers and their Network Commissioner, Mattia Abis, in order to understand what does a Network Meeting mean for a local and why should other antennae follow in the footsteps of Brescia.
As many of you already know, AEGEE-Brescia is one of the strongest locals in the Rainbow Area, thanks mostly to its long-lasting experience in our network and the many local and European events they organized this year: some examples are the fourth edition of the “European Talks”, a set of conferences with some AEGEEans as speakers and special guests. They also organized a Local Training Course and were co-organizer of a cool party in the castle of Brescia.
In January and February they did a fundraising campaign, which was much appreciated by the University of Brescia which decided to approve three upcoming projects of this local: the fifth edition of European Talks and a Leadership Training Course. In addition, The Lioness is now involved once again in the Summer University project and the entire board is more than ready to host the next Rainbow’s NWM this Autumn.
According to the board members of the Lioness, the upcoming Network Meeting in Brescia is the perfect occasion for locals to introduce the new fresh members and to involve them in the Rainbow Area. The enthusiasm of this board is justified by its members’ event management skills and their belief that in order to have a successful NWM fundamental is the ‘mix between work and fun’.
Organizing a NWM is an important task and there are two main difficulties to face according to Mattia Abis, the Network Commissioner of the Rainbow Area: ‘One is related to the fact that there are two different bodies, the Network Commissioner and the hosting local (…) The second one is, from the Network Commissioner’s side, understand what the locals should get from the NWM’.
What makes Mattia and the host local proud of their work is the feeling that the participants enjoy their time and are involved during the activities: ‘You can feel if there is a positive turmoil in their minds, that is the best moment because we understand if our event works or not and, later gives you also a more honest feedback about what worked and what you should improve next time’ says Mattia.
A Network Meeting, in other terms, is one of the most important events for a local, because it enables them to gain recognition and exposure on the European level, that is why the Rainbow’s netcommie highlights the importance of taking part to such an event, which is a meeting point where AEGEEans can ‘share their experiences and improve their local, create connections with other locals and start collaborating with them, discuss upcoming topics related to the association or related to European youth’. Moreover, ‘in Brescia we will get also prepared to the next Agora, try to launch new activities for the upcoming year and probably we will discuss also about Erasmus+ from a practical aspect!’ declares Mattia.
So you guys have a lot of time to think of applying for the next NWM in Brescia: remember that The Lioness is waiting for you.
Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona