The Network Meeting (NWM) in Berlin will take place in only a few days. The AEGEEan spoke to Vice Coordinator Ralitsa Mihaylova and NetCommie Andrea Schmelz. Read the article to find out what awaits the participants of this interesting NWM!
Between the 19th and the 22nd of November, 40 participants from all over Europe will take part in the NWM in Berlin which carries the expressive title: “NWM Berlin – The power of borderless thinking”.
The main focus of the event will be AEGEE’s policy and advocacy. “We will explore our internal and external resources such as our own local work, our European events, and other organisations, as well as, discuss the stake of our beloved organisation with respect to some of the hottest topics in Europe right now: the refugee crisis and the creation of new borders through Brexit, for example”, says Andrea.
Berlin seems to be the perfect spot for this focus. “Its political and historical importance makes it a great place not just for important discussions, but also for initiating change”, says Ralitsa, the Vice Organiser of the NWM. In her opinion, Berlin is a synonym for cultural diversity and open-mindedness and therefore, it perfectly matches with the main focus of the event itself. And of course, one should not forget that Berlin is an interesting capital, easy to reach from all over Europe and which offers great opportunities to go out at night.
The organisers did not only work on the social programme, but they also worked together for PR, covering specific posts with people from the organisation team. Next to Clemens, the Main Organiser and Ralitsa herself, who is also the Incoming Responsible, there is Filipp, AEGEE-Berlin’s President, who is responsible for the fundraising and last but not least Nicole, who is the boss of the cooking squad. Almost every single member of the local is involved in organising the NWM, and on top of that, they also have “some amazing external helpers who are coming to Berlin to support us during the event”, Ralitsa concludes.
Everybody is really looking forward to this event. It will be AEGEE-Berlin’s first NWM and hosting one has been a goal for these AEGEEans for a while. In the past year, they have been working hard to stabilise and grow their antenna and they have become a lot more active. “That definitely helped us seducing Andrea to give us this opportunity”, Ralitsa says jokingly. And indeed, Andrea lets us know that it was mere seduction! Hopefully, AEGEE-Berlin’s video application will be made public soon.
Although this NWM is being organised without any cooperation with universities, the Berliners are fortunate to get support from other institutions, and to find accommodation with conference rooms where the sessions will take place. To ensure that these sessions will be interesting, three experienced facilitators created the programme through many skype meetings and e-mails, while lots of supporters were giving them hints on how to improve the content even more.
And what happens after an exhausting day, full of interesting input? Sure, it would be time to give the participants a real taste of Berlin. Everything from the classics, like a city tour in the center, a visit to the Bundestag, to some more unconventional activities, all of these will be included in the NWM’s social programme. Because, as Ralitsa sees it: “since we will work hard during the day, it’s only fair that we play hard at night”.
Concerning any other plans in the near future, Ralitsa is optimistic. First of all, at the beginning of December, they will have an exchange with AEGEE-Praha, but for sure, there will be more to come: “We have some big plans for next year, so keep an eye on AEGEE-Berlin!”
Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen