Here it is, the Italian candidature for Network Commision (NetCom). The AEGEEan interviewed Mattia Abis(AEGEE-Cagliari) from the beautiful Sardinia about his plans and ideas for Netcom in case he gets elected. Keep reading and find out more.
Matthijs Overhaal(AEGEE-Tartu) would like to know what is your most outstanding quality that you will use to improve the locals you will be assigned to?
Mattia: During the last years, especially with my experience in AEGEE-Cagliari, I had the opportunity to work in a motivated teams where I held different positions that gave me a sense of responsibility and organizational skills. I could affirm with conviction my aptitude for leadership within a team. This does not mean that I tend to impose my thoughts or my ideas, but I tend to favor harmony, synergy and the organization of a team.
In conclusion, I want to offer my skills and my experience in a dimension that goes beyond the local level by creating cohesion between the antennae of the Network and by sharing knowledge in order to increase the quality of their work at the regional level.
Another AEGEE member is interested in what your plans are in case you get elected as a NetCommie. How would you move the Network forward?
Well, I think that my area worked in a good way: during the next Agora not one antenna is risking the downgrade and three new locals will be established (Bologna, Foggia and Verona), this is already a good starting position. Next step should be, first of all, maintaining the “status quo” and don’t lose the improvements of the last year; secondly, create a Knowledge Transfer System between best functioning antennae and weak/new ones. I have different ideas about how to realize it: it can be managed by an experienced Subcommie team, appointing active and expert members as adviser for a local, using Twin Antenna project or the Mentorship System. Other important issues are the ones about funding; I want to stimulate the creation of a lobbying system on institutions: AEGEE locals should collaborate with other similar associations pressing local institutions to create a Youth Mobility Fund. This is what we are doing in Cagliari and I can swear it really works! Then, another important point is to stimulate and help the strongest antennae to host statutory events: in my local board experience I noticed a problem present in other big antennae like mine, or rather some logistical problems about lodging for a big number of participants. In Italy, for example, youth hostels and dormitories are not cheap like the others countries, and the institutions are reluctant to give gyms or other public buildings. In this way it will be important to try to exploit the collaboration with the National Youth Forum, both for fund raising and consideration within institutions.
The AEGEEan: In your programme you said you would like to improve mutual cooperation between locals, so what kind of events would you focus on(except Summer Universities)?
The most important event for learning something about AEGEE, activate members and give them “know how” is the Local Training Course. A lot of locals are not organizing it, some of them because they don’t know it or they don’t think it will be useful, others, the majority, because of lack of funds or lack of members without understanding that they can organize it together: there are locals, geographically close, that are not collaborating. It results in a no-sense practice when you are part of a Network. It will be important even to find a common guideline for AEGEE introduction at University and youth centers: it means we should introduce the Association for every aspect, not only parties and games (I really like these!) but also education, training, non-formal education and mobility.
Where do you plan to create new locals? Do you already have some non-official contacts?
With the Subcommie team I contacted different Universities where AEGEE is not present; we didn’t have good results but I’m still in contact with the University in Chieti-Pescara, we will see what will happen! Then, I had some news from AEGEE-Pisa about some students from Corsica that would like to open the first antenna on their island, which is very close to mine, and I also got some news about a group of interested guys in Enna (Sicily).
How do you think your non-AEGEE experience improved your skills regarding organization of events?
I accumulated most part of non-AEGEE experience as a student representative in different Councils.
I spent four years of my life as a representative and it has been one of the most beautiful experiences in my life, it gave me the opportunity to see the university in a more interesting way by becoming an “insider”. I think it gave me the opportunity to learn how different kind of events should be organized, from a Cineforum to debates, passing through conferences, seminars and concerts. It has been a good training that lead me to join later, maybe too late, AEGEE.
Anyway, after a few months I joined my local, I was already organizing my first two events for AEGEE-Cagliari, three days of AEGEE introduction at the University and the European Day of Languages: I guess that previous board members trusted in me because I had those experiences in my past.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, thanks a lot to all the people that are sustaining me in this adventure. Without them I wouldn’t find the energy and the bravery to be candidate for NetCom.
Written by Cosmina Bisboaca, AEGEE-Torino