AEGEE-Bologna decided to have an alternative Valentine’s day by organising a three-day event about blood donation involving youngster in their city, but also in Messina, Catania and Niš. We spoke with Luca Faccani (President), Guido Kabir Troisi (Secretary), and board members Fabrizio Racca and Federica Di Rado, who explained why they started the initiative. But that’s not all, AEGEE-Bologna is looking for a new exchange partner.
The AEGEEan: Describe your initiative.
Luca: “Love Suits You” or, in Italian, “L’Amore Ti Dona”, was a three-day event aiming to bring our fellow Italian and European citizens to donate blood. The event started on February 14th, Valentine’s day, and lasted until February 16th .
We firstly contacted AVIS, Italian Association for Blood Donation, and we asked them about the procedure and the requirements to become blood donors. Secondly, we promoted the event at a local level with flyers, posters and on AEGEE-Bologna’s Facebook page. We decided not to limit the initiative to our members, but to extend the invitation to anyone who wanted to become a donor. For this reason, we contacted other student associations in Bologna to join us, but we managed the event and took care of the applications.
From February 14th to February 16th, our AEGEE staff worked in the AVIS headquarters to welcome and assist the participants. During these days, the potential donors did the preliminary medical consultations, which determines whether or not the candidate is suitable. In 45 days, the aspiring donors will receive the results and we will take those who are suitable to do the donation at another event. From the beginning, we decided to share the initiative with the Network and the antennae that joined us were AEGEE-Messina and AEGEE-Catania (from Italy) and AEGEE-Niš (from Serbia). I want to publicly thank them for the fantastic effort they did in the name of a good cause.
How did you come up with the idea?
Guido Kabir: Our president, Luca, said that the idea came to him while he was studying, but he doesn’t really remember why, but it was something he had wanted to do for a long time and he realised that he just needed an opportunity, an event. When he told us about this idea we thought that this could be a common “problem”, and maybe a lot of people do not donate simply because they do not have time to look for information or because they keep on postponing it. This was something that AEGEE could manage
How many people attended? Was it well received?
Fabrizio: The initiative was generally very well received by all who were involved. There were twenty participants here in Bologna, which is a good amount considering that the requirements for becoming a donor are very strict. Moreover, many students in Bologna come from other parts of Italy, so they choose to donate blood in their home city’s hospitals. Then, we should add that there are another eighty people from Messina and thirty from Niš, while many others will join us from Catania, where the initiative will take place on February 28th.
We are planning a second edition of “L’Amore Ti Dona” next year, hoping to raise the number of participants not only from Bologna but also from the entire Network. It would be fantastic to make it an yearly AEGEE event.
Why is it important to donate blood?
Federica: Donating blood is important because a little help can make a big difference. By donating blood you can help save lives. It’s important to remember that human blood cannot be manufactured, and so donations are essential. Donating life is the greatest act of solidarity and altruism. It is not only important for the recipient, however; after the donation, the donor will feel useful, important, and happy. Furthermore, she/he will be motivated to implement a healthy lifestyle and the continuous visits will allow her/him to keep tabs on her/his health.
What are the upcoming plans of AEGEE-Bologna?
Luca: As a young, ambitious and expanding antenna, founded only in March 2013, we are proceeding step by step developing our skills in different fields, ranging from group-building to managing different kind of events. We are already planning a public speaking seminar that will start in April, which will focus on breathing techniques, elocution and speaking skills. Next, we would like to organise our second antenna exchange, so if any antennae would like to visit our ancient and beautiful city, simply send us an e-mail! One other important event for us will be the first Local Training Course outside Bologna. We would like to rent a farmhouse for a two-day experience. This would improve our new members’ knowledge of all the opportunities that the AEGEE world offers, and also provide us with experience that will allow us to hold bigger events in the next future.
Our motto is “every big thing started being small”. It may sound common, but for us it is the base for achieving something special, a Summer University, an European Planning Meeting, an Agora.
Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona