Monika Mojak from AEGEE-Warszawa and AEGEE- Lublin is at the end of her term as president of the Juridical Commission of AEGEE-Europe, but she is candidating for a second term because she feels she still has much to offer to the JC. We interviewed her about her candidature and her programme.
The AEGEEan: President of the JC, attorney-in-law trainee, AEGEE enthusiast: what do we still don’t know about you?
Monika: Besides law, I study international relations, that I found very interesting thanks to AEGEE. When I find some free time (which is not easy) I am trying to write my master’s thesis. Moreover, I am an animal lover and I am engaged in some activities aimed to their protection. Sometimes I test my cooking skills on my family and friends or I play the piano (unfortunately for my neighbours). Like every AEGEEan, I cannot imagine my live without travels, adventures, and great people around me. I am also a big fan of the 80s, French movies, English literature, Mediterranean cuisine, and everything made of chocolate.
Why should people vote for you?
I am passionate about the JC, I left a big part of my heart here and I can say that I really love working for it. I believe that when you find something interesting, it naturally increases your willingness to perform your tasks better and put 100% of your effort, but at the same time it gives you a lot of satisfaction and energy, especially when you can help other people. I am happy for what I do, and I still feel motivated to contribute to the JC more. I think that the combination of my skills, practice and knowledge can be very useful here and will help in further JC development.
You say being president of the JC was challenging. Could you give us some example?
For me, the greatest challenge of being the president is the fact of how many people rely on you, on your knowledge, skills and you as a person. That is why I wanted to ensure that everybody in the JC felt good and the atmosphere was nice, that our decisions were objective, just and in the best interest for those who were affected by them, and that people were satisfied about how the JC operates in general. I am trying to do my best not to disappoint people.
How did the past year in the JC help you develop and what do you think can still be improved?
It was a very intense time in my life. Of course, I learned a lot, I gained many new skills and experience that can be helpful in my future activities. But what I found the most important are all those fantastic people I met, and with whom I had a chance to work and cooperate. They gave me a lot of support, inspiration, and motivation. Sometimes they pushed me to go beyond my own limits that turned into new ideas and plans that I would like to put into practice now. Thanks to them I got new energy and enthusiasm to work harder, to keep on going with what I really like doing, to believe that nothing is impossible and everything depends on us alone. This is priceless.
I found working with the JC team great. Everybody is very motivated and hard-working, we learn from each other, we support each other, exchanging knowledge and opinions. But mostly, we are good friends. Then, our cooperation is working well. But sometimes we should increase the speed of our actions. Some cases demand precise research and time, but I am also aware that in some cases our decisions affect the operating of other bodies and we should think how to divide our work and the tasks we have to become more efficient. I have some ideas how to improve it, and I really hope I will have an opportunity to put them into practice soon.
You plan to bring the JC closer to the Network. Do you already have some ideas in store?
I have noticed that many AEGEEans have only a general overview about our commission. But at the same time, I was happy to discover that many, many of them are really interested in how we work, what are our tasks and role within the association and how they could get involved. That is why I would like to take care about the new website, where people could find all the important and updated information about our body. I also believe that nothing could bring the JC closer to the Network than direct contact. I would like to get the JC involved in more activities held during AEGEE events, where we can present ourselves, be more visible, meet with people just to talk with them, answer their questions and dispel the doubts they have relating all legal issues.
The second and very important thing is the fact that many members still don’t know a lot about the CIA. The CIA is extensive and can be incomprehensible for those who do not have legal background, and this is understandable. But this is the essential document that regulates the most important aspects and sets a base for our activities within AEGEE. And our role as JC is showing that the CIA is not as black as it is painted and that the knowledge about the CIA is important and helpful for all of us. For this reason, I would really like to work on some JC guidelines, where members could find all the basic and most important information regarding the CIA. I am also thinking about workshops that we could have during Agora, NWMs, SUs and any other events, when people learn more about the JC and the CIA, but can also get some useful legal knowledge needed in their daily life.
You mention that you were not able to put all your ideas into practice in the past year. What would you like to implement if you were elected?
I would like to work on all the tools that can help bring the JC closer to all the members. As I mentioned before, this is a new website, an updated Facebook page, JC sessions during events, useful CIA presentations and our activities to help people understand our role in AEGEE.
You can read her full candidature here.
Written by Federica Soro, AEGEE-Cagliari