In the AEGEEan Network we have several locals located in an island and AEGEE-Valletta is one of them. Lying in the sunny Mediterranean Sea, the local just reached the age of majority and this year they wanted to organize a european event. Joanna Incorvaia, the Secretary General of the local, explained to us why their NWM, taking place from the 31st of March to the 3rd of April, is a perfect opportunity.
THE AEGEEan: Tell us more about your local
Joanna: Our local holds within it 18 years of awesomeness. We proudly host 100 members, six board and two advisory board members. We organize monthly events, monthly newsletters and at least one thematic project every year. This year, we have decided to focus more on AEGEE events, holding a Summer Event for 100 people next September, as well as our famous NWM.
Why did you decide to apply for the NWM?
The main objective of the board this year was to host an international event. The NWM fits our plans perfectly as it joins us with the rest of the Italian locals and brings the rainbow locals to Malta.
How is the cooperation with your Network Commissioner?
Lisa Gregis (AEGEE-Bergamo), our Netcommie, has been amazing. She has supported and encouraged us every step of the way. It has been great having someone to help us out in organizing this NWM.
How many participants do you expect to have? Only from your area or from other parts of the network too?
Around 50 participants can take part both from the Italian locals as well as from other parts of the network. In fact, we have received a lot of applications from non-Italians. So don’t leave it till the last minute to apply!
What is the Name of your NWM? Can you explain it?
Our event is called “Hello from the Rainbow-side” and there’s a funny story behind it. We had been brainstorming with Lisa on titles for the NWM and we had about 2 hours to decide. The key word had to be “rainbow” (for the rainbow locals group) and after several failed attempts at coming up with a title, our dear Chucky Bartolo used Adele’s famous song lyrics of Hello: “Hello from the other side” and changed into “Hello from the rainbow-side”.
Do you have any local municipality or university support?
Luke Pace (President): We are based at the University of Malta, and in fact, AEGEE-Valletta is an organization recognised by the Senate and the Students’ Council. We do not however receive any financial support from the University or the Government (unless we apply as a Voluntary Organization for a special funding scheme, when these are made available to the public).
What are your plans for the social program?
We plan to take our participants to our nightlife village called Paceville, where we promise one of the best parties. We will also be taking a tour around the hostel’s city on foot and visiting the cultural sites in the area. We will be having a house themed party (American/ frat), where we will get to know each other better through ice breaking games. AEGEE-Valletta also plans to visit the beautiful fortified city of Mdina and have a ghost hunt in its narrow streets (#haunted). We would also love to organize some pre or post-event activities, so that our participants can also have time to take a quick spin around our little island.
What are AEGEE-Valletta upcoming projects?
Our biggest plan after the NWM is a big Summer Event of 100 youths. Information about this will be issued soon, so stay tuned on our Facebook page.
You can apply to the NWM here and here. You can find the facebook event here.
Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona