AEGEE-Europe and the Comité Directeur (CD) are the seven members, elected by the Spring Agora, serving a one-year term living in Brussels, in the AEGEE house or “headoffice”, working as full-time volunteers on AEGEE matters. From financial administration to members lists, from project development to communication, from external relations and lobbying towards EU institutions, the CD is working on many different things each year – all in the best interest of the AEGEE network and its locals.
While the CD might sound like a group of semi-fun bureaucrats, the AEGEE spirit stayed with us!
In the middle of the preparations for EPM Zagreb, spring Network Meetings, Spring Agora Enschede and many many other amazing events, this year, the Comité Directeur has decided to combine travels to EPM Zagreb with a small network trip in order to visit several locals between Brussels and Zagreb taking a trip to get to Zagreb between the 13th and the 22nd of February, and a trip back between the 1st and the 7th of March.
What is CD on Track? Exactly what it sounds like!
Réka, Tekla and Zvonimir will be on the route together and separately visiting AEGEE locals who were kind enough to host, and in return the CD members on track are gladly visiting locals’ partners and university offices, organising sessions for the members of the locals, meetings with the boards, discussions on the present and future of AEGEE, and most importantly: bringing AEGEE-Europe closer to the locals.
The idea came from the Comité Directeur 2016/2017’s common understanding that it is essential for AEGEE-Europe to have a direct experience in order to support the ‘state of the network’ research we are conducting this year. Besides surveys and online consultations, the best way to find out the state of our locals is by understanding their realities and by having an honest conversation with them.
From fundraising matters, to cooperation with other organisations, from development of the area of your local to how to get more active members – we are happy to offer the historic knowledge from head office, lots of good practices and great spirit. As well as we will be happy to listen to your wishes and concerns, your feedback and explore the many different ways we are all experiencing AEGEE.
We have received a lot of excited replies from AEGEE locals requesting sessions about the birth of the Erasmus programme, training for the board members, visiting the mayor’s office and holding information night for university students about what is AEGEE. We will be happy to support their work to fulfill all of them!
If you want to follow CD on Track ( #CDontrack ), you can check out the following routes and cities we will be crossing:
Tekla
Locals: AEGEE-Lille, AEGEE-Torino, AEGEE-Milano, AEGEE-Brescia, AEGEE-Udine, AEGEE-Ljubljana, EPM ZAGREB, AEGEE-Munchen, AEGEE-Stuttgart, AEGEE-Mannheim, AEGEE-Mainz-Wiesbaden, AEGEE-Köln
Zvonimir
Locals: AEGEE-Leon, AEGEE-Torino, AEGEE-Firenze, AEGEE-Bologna, AEGEE-Udine, AEGEE-Ljubljana, EPM ZAGREB, AEGEE-Wien, AEGEE-Passau, AEGEE-Heidelberg, AEGEE-Dusseldorf
Réka
Locals: AEGEE-Toulouse, AEGEE-Torino, AEGEE-Bergamo, AEGEE-Treviso, AEGEE-Udine, AEGEE-Ljubljana, AEGEE-Maribor, EPM ZAGREB, [to be confirmed:] AEGEE-Novi Sad, AEGEE-Beograd, AEGEE-Kragujevac, AEGEE-Nis, AEGEE-Skopje, [final stop to be decided]
And because we strive for transparency in our actions, we would also like to invite you to read the extra section that aims to clarify some of the most frequent reactions we received to the idea of the trip:
Q: Is CD going on holidays?
A: No. We will work during the day on session preparations for you, and will also be continuing our daily office work on the way. We would also like to blog about the trip to show the externals the activities and beauties of your cities, as well as supporting the visited locals on spot and providing sessions/consultation according to their needs.
Q: If Network Director, Financial Director and President are leaving the office, who is going to take care of the most urgent requests and contacts, and the external relations in Brussels?
A: The CD members on track will not be completely offline during the trip. We have learnt to be able to work online among various circumstances, and we are sure the trip will not cause major delays in our work. Besides, the four CD members staying in office will be perfectly able to answer all urgent requests, as well as take care of the external relations and event attendance in Brussels.
Q: CD is supposed to book the cheapest travel option possible according to the rules to all events in order to receive reimbursement. Isn’t this trip more expensive?
A: Our currently expiring contract with InterRail has provided us with the free passes that make the trip together with the reservation fees to result in similar expenses as taking a return flight to Zagreb.
Follow the updates on Facebook / Twitter and #CDonTrack!
Hope to see many of your ‘on the Track’ or in EPM Zagreb!
Warm greetings from Réka, Tekla and Zvonimir,
With the moral support of Joanna, Kasia, Lia and Maarten