Hello, dear AEGEEans! We’re thrilled to introduce another candidate joining us at the Agora in Novi Sad. Meet Eren Geçkin, who is a candidate for the Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe.
Hello. Before the start of the interview, introduce yourself and tell us who you are and what connects you to our organisation.
Hello! I’m Eren Geçkin from Marmaris, Turkey. I’m 24 and a recent economics graduate from Ege University in Izmir. I’ve been an AEGEEan since 2018, the beginning of my university years. About my connection, I can tell you that this has been my desire since I was 13 – when I was chosen for the first time to participate in an Erasmus+ project.
When I started university, I directly found AEGEE by asking the right question; “How can I spend my teenage years in the best way?” and the answer was right there. A logo that looks like a key and stars on the ocean blue flag.
What made you decide to run for this position?
Within my 5 years in AEGEE, I experienced nearly everything such as; Local board membership, event organising, experiences in European level, etc. and meanwhile, I met countless amazing people here, I made close friends and shared my best memories with them. I’m a person who likes to take responsibility and challenges. So, the idea of running an organisation that I’m so committed to sounds amazing to me. It’ll be a great challenge but I’m sure the pleasure and the payoff will be just as great.
CD position requires teamwork in AEGEE, how do you see yourself fitting in a team? What are some of your skills that would keep the team motivated?
Honestly, I think managing a non-EU Local twice was an important experience since there are a lot of different handicaps that we face like currency, visa, distance, etc. But in the end, we did an incredible job as a team by overcoming all obstacles.
I believe these years made me a great teammate when hard times come or when things are overwhelming for everyone. I’ll be the one who will raise the team’s mood and show a practical way out of the problem. I can say that I am usually positioned as a joker in my teams. I am an energetic person who is focused on solving problems in the shortest way, you can call me a typical Mediterranean kid :) I even had a catchphrase when I was a SU main organiser which was ; “Bad news! There are no bad news. Only normal news continues”
For 6 years, I have worked in many teams, but my teammate characteristic actually dates back to my childhood. I played active basketball for 12 years, two of them professionally, and this taught me respect, love and belonging to my team.
As a CD member you work with many different teams, which may require at times mediating skills. How would you approach a situation where there is conflict within a team you are working with?
First, I have countless emergency jokes :D and I talk a lot as the big mouth of the team so I would use my strongest weapon first.
Then, I’d make them leave the problematic place and go somewhere that we can chill and talk and have fun of course. It’s always good for teams to postpone problems for a short time.
As a candidate for the position of financial director, what do you consider to be AEGEE’s current challenge in the financial direction?
Recognizing the importance of a secure financial foundation for the AEGEE Social Responsibility Fund (ASRF), my initial focus will be on strengthening our internal operations. This includes improving data maintenance and reporting processes to ensure responsible stewardship of our existing resources. Diversifying income streams beyond membership fees is also crucial. We’ll work to solidify existing passive income sources and explore new avenues for fundraising. In parallel, I believe we need to address the decline in event quality. Strategic support for events can revitalise them, potentially leading to increased revenue and engagement. Ultimately, empowering the network through improved financial literacy and fundraising skills will be paramount. While this is my initial perspective, a more comprehensive understanding will follow my knowledge transfer (KT) process.
What do you suggest to the members of the organisation to solve these problems?
- Focus on Internal Strengthening
- Securing Sustainable Funding
- Transparency and Communication
Is there something you want to tell us? Now it’s your time to do so.
As “potential” CD#62, I mean as candidates we already had meetings and brainstorming sessions together. I am very confident that this group of people will be a great team.
Also, when I visited the AEGEE house as a guest last year, although I had no future dreams about AEGEE, I involuntarily imagined myself there after entering the house.
This year I hope I have the chance to be there and do my best.
Together, let’s make AEGEE better than ever:))