Juridical Commissioner for 57th Agora AEGEE-Europe
With the Agora right around the corner we at The AEGEEan are interviewing the candidates to give you an small insight into who the person is behind the face. Here we have with us Yusuf Tırıçoğlu, running for the Juridical Commissioner of AEGEE-Europe for the current and next term.
Tell us about your journey in AEGEE so far?
One day I found a Summer University advertisement on Facebook and somehow it took my attraction. I read everything about it. Some days later I contacted AEGEE-İstanbul and attended a SU promotion meeting. My membership started at the following meeting and my story started on that Travel Summer University in Iasi-Chisinau-Odessa.
What I saw and loved within AEGEE made me motivated to be more active. Therefore, only some months later I took the responsibility of being main organiser of a huge thematic event. It was a challenge for me because I’ve experienced lots of things which I haven’t had before. Taking more than 50 people’s responsibility was not easy to do with three-hour daily sleeps. That event developed my soft skills very well and my adequacy was proven after the event I realized my capacity. Since then I always went further and I managed to keep my skills fresh on the following events I took part as organiser or participant.
During the NWM İzmir 2018 I became aware of AEGEE’s structure on the European level. I had a chance to talk about friends who were taking positions on the European bodies. This took me to the most relevant option: Juridical Commission. One month before Agora Krakow I started to search about it and even considered to be candidate. But then what I accepted that having knowledge is not enough. Although I trust my knowledge, it’s undeniable fact that experience is very important. So I didn’t run in Krakow. But I’ve listened all candidature presentations and also I’ve attended the meetings for voting the proposal as much as possible I could.
After Agora Krakow, I patiently waited to be a subcommissioner and applied at the first open call. I was one of the two subcoms elected in the September as first ones of the current Commission. I was subcom and also organiser at Agora İstanbul. After that I realized that I contributed my local as an organiser well; it was time to move on European level. So I’m mostly focused on JC works since last October. When you achieve something you feel ready to go further. I think I’ve achieved some considerable things so far and I feel ready to be future JC.
What are some of your competencies that would help you in this position in the Juridical Commission? Could you elaborate with some past experiences?
I have a strong legal background. I got my bachelor on Law two years ago and currently studying master on Public Law. Beside this, with the internship duration, I’m practicing law for almost two years. We have clients who are international companies and I specifically work on their cases. So I have an ability to understand the legal problem and find the best solution in a quick and effective way. I’m also a good listener that I don’t forget anything if I listen carefully. This ability helps me to follow-up the works and contribute the current situation with past experiences in an effective and quick way.
On the other hand, I can say that I’m a kind of perfectionist. I always double-check everything I do, even short e-mails. So, thanks to my work-style it’s not easy to find simple mistakes on my tasks. I always care about writing rules, formalism and other necessities. Since modifying CIA is an important part of JC works, I think I’m a competent person to take care as it should be.
Since I’m interested in JC for more than a year, I always pay attention everything about it. I attended Agora Krakow as visitor. So I had enough time to follow the presentations, meetings, voting rounds and so on. I was organiser and subcom at the Agora İstanbul. Therefore, I had a good opportunity to support JC closely.
During my subcom term, I’ve learned a lot thanks to the Commissioners. I’ve managed Speaker Team elections of the HRC and The AEGEEan, overviewed proposals, checked Working Formats or other documents sent to JC and so on. As internal secretary, I was making meeting agendas and following up the meeting decisions. Finally, during the Agora preparations nowadays I’m following the all sides of the works.
How can you leverage your past experiences to working in AEGEE?
I joined AEGEE during the last months of my studentship and I became an active member at the same time I started to work. So my experiences in business and AEGEE life always come along together. Therefore I think I’m lucky to have careers which always going up. Unfortunately, I haven’t been in any other NGOs before so I can’t mention any past experiences in this matter. But since I’m interested in a specific part and already have the general knowledge and experiences about AEGEE, I think I’ll not have any problem to work for my beloved organisation in this next step.
What are some ways in which you could ensure that decisions are made in an unbiased and transparent manner in AEGEE and its networks?
This is a deep issue and not easy to fix completely by proposing some ideas. Firstly, I guess people’s way of thinking must become more fair and also maybe there’d be some regulations. But I still thinking decisions which concerns the whole network must be made openly and transparently without exception. For instance, if a representative will be chosen in order to participate in an “external opportunity” there must be an open call with a fair deadline. Decision makers should explain the reasons of choosing the person if they want to explain something, not the reasons of the exception made by an unilateral decision.
I guess I can ensure involving JC to decision making process as much as possible. Like a referee authority, JC could be involved as a trustworthy organ and observe the process. Surely not in the voting rounds or other parts which have to be private to elected members. Beside this, decisions could be published to the relevant bodies or members for asking if there’s any lack of contentment. So, let’s say there could be more democracy.
All ideas I’m proposing hereby need to be discussed and detailed within a long-term work surely. What I’d like to state briefly: there’s always a solution, just want and go for.
If elected what will be your first task?
I thought about this question a lot. Yet not totally sure which one should be the first. I think it’s not easy to reply this question for me because I’m candidate for both current term and next term. So if elected, there’ll be already a Commissioner who is carrying out the tasks for almost a year and has his own schedule, which I’m also familiar with since I’m closely supporting. But still this term will end soon and then, if elected, I’ll continue with the new teammates. Therefore, I think my first task will be to have a meeting with all current and future Commissioners in order to make our timeline. Yes, probably I should say that making a timeline will be my first task. Because I really like to work within a proper plan and timeline.
Other thing that I’m planning is collecting the statutes on a regular database, making JC more visible and reachable, maybe planning a kind of “JC Trip” for delivering workshops to some locals which really need a touch to their statutes and current ways of operating. These are just ideas for now that can be developed by a working team. Therefore, I’m looking forward to be in a team with people I share the same passion with.
Using your experiences from past Agoras, how can you organize a free and fair elections, and unbiased decisions?
First of all, I think misunderstandings must be prevented. In other words, understanding should be increased. For that, as JC, I’d publish everything written on all ways as suitable as possible such as e-mail, other announcement channels or the projection screen during the Agora. Although all we are speaking the same language officially, everyone has a different style to express oneself. So that people can be sure what they are voting for. In this respect, I’ll explain everything clearly and also I think the Agora Preparation Sessions must be more inclusive and JC should take an effective part.
I believe that people can fix everything if they be aware enough. Otherwise, no needs to take lots of measures or anything else to ensure free or fair elections. So I also would like to raise the awareness. I suppose most of the Agora participants don’t know even the simple things about the rules and procedures. But this is not their bad, it’s our responsibility to explain. We, as independent members of an independent association, do have to raise our voice freely. There shouldn’t be any concern to have the courage of our convictions. So I’d like to make everyone aware that every single vote would shape the future of AEGEE. Therefore, every single one of us has to be a voice, not an echo!