AEGEE-Catania got the prize for the best Summer University four times in the last four years. We talked about it with Roberto Patané, Main Coordinator SU Catania 2015 and Elisa Tabbì, AEGEE-Catania’s former president. We asked them to explain us how they experienced being the Specialists in the creation of the Summer Universities. Located in Sicily, in AEGEE-Catania, people are all friends with each other: this is the secret.
The AEGEEan: For the fourth time in a row AEGEE-Catania achieved the Best Summer University prize. Which is the secret?
AEGEE Catania: Would you like to know our secret? You can take part in one of our SU and we will reveal it! Joking apart, our secret is made up of our Organisers group. Before being Organisers, we are a group of friends and like a big family, we put a lot of effort in the organisation to have the participants happy and have a good time with them, by building just a close group.
Which University Courses do AEGEE-Catania members attend to?
Our members attend to several courses from informatics to law, from humanities to engineering, from medicine to foreign languages.
We always talk about AEGEE Spirit. What is AEGEE-Catania’s Spirit?
We often go out together as friends, we regard us as a big family with the intention to have fun together, without exclusion.
What is the Linguistic Aperitif? Do you often organize any events with the Erasmus students?
The Linguistic Aperitif is one of the AEGEE-Catania main events organised not only for the Erasmus Students, but also for our members and everyone who might be interested in the association. We make use of some games, so that you enjoy the possibility to have relations with European students and learn other languages or improve your favourite one. On the local level, there is a Working Group which deals with all the events for Erasmus students such as sightseeing trips, dancing parties, Cuban Salsa lessons, cooking workshops, and so on. In particular, Anfitrione project, in collaboration with Catania University, is about the appointing of some Catania students as tutors for Erasmus students who arrive in our town: for example, Sicilian students help the Erasmus ones to look for a house to rent or do other stuff.
When was your Antenna born? Could you tell us any local and international events before AEGEE-Catania becomes the Antenna specialist in SU?
Our Antenna was born in October 2004. Since that date, AEGEE-Catania organised many European events, like some NWM, a European School of Entrepreneurs, a Winter University and a lot of Summer events. On the local level, in every semester we prepare lots of events for both Erasmus and Italian students, such as the Erasmus Welcome Week, Anfitrione project and the International Dinner.
For the New Year’s eve you are preparing the Winter University. Would you like to give us any indiscretions?
It will be an event full of attractions. We had already organised a WU in 2013 and we are improving it a lot. People who did not participate in our SU will have the opportunity to try all activities and spend a NYE close to the sea, with a New Year’s Eve big party.
Which are the future projects of AEGEE-Catania?
We hope to host the next SUPS and to organise many events like last year, with a NWM and the 30th Anniversary Antenna.
Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE- Cagliari