In AEGEE we have around 190 locals, spread all over Europe. In our Network, we have locals of all different sizes, from ten members to up to 460. For the NetCom Times, Dominique Lenssen from the Network Commission spoke to three board members of the three biggest locals: Gijs van Amerongen from AEGEE-Amsterdam, Mylène Jansen from AEGEE-Enschede and Kristóf Papp from AEGEE-Budapest. Here you will read everything about how these locals manage all their members, what makes their locals so unique, and some tips for other locals to grow!
AEGEE-Amsterdam
Our biggest local, AEGEE-Amsterdam, has around 460 members and for them it is very important to be visible during all the events that universities of Amsterdam organise every year for new students.
Gijs: During these events we talk to a lot of people and let them know about the existence of AEGEE and the possibilities this organisation holds for them. Besides being active during these events we also organise multiple parties and social drinks which are open to potential members so they can see for themselves how much fun AEGEE really is.
AEGEE-Enschede has approximately 350 members, and for them the introduction period of the university in Enschede is also the most important way to gain new members.
Mylène: We organise a big event, multiple smaller events and a lot of parties for the people who come to study in Enschede and participate in the introduction period. It is a good way to show ourselves and to make people enthusiastic about our association.
AEGEE-Budapest board
For AEGEE-Budapest, promotion is very important as well. They have different promotion periods during the year: at the beginning of the autumn and spring semester and around the Summer University.
Kristóf: During this period we try to reach as many university students as possible. We have members from almost seven different universities. We organise a freshmen camp every half a year with around 100 participants – half of them new members. We have a lot of competitions; only at Corvinus University there are ten different student organisations. This competition helps us to improve our profile and try to build up a proper method for recruitment. AEGEE-Budapest is trying to provide possibilities for everyone to experience self-development, so anyone can take part in working on a project or in a working group, or the social events.
For every local, it is of course important to keep their members active. NetCom asked how our biggest locals keep the amount of members so high and how they manage everything.
Mylène: A pretty big percentage of our members are active in AEGEE-Enschede, which means they join committees to organise a lot of things we need and want. For almost everything we organise, we have a committee. Furthermore, our board works full time, which means we are in the office from 10.00 – 17.00 on every working day to do what we have to do to keep the association awesome!
AEGEE-Amsterdam also has a lot of members who love to organise events, and because of them, they have a lot of committees.
Gijs: We have a very rich offer of all kind of activities to assure that there is always something you can do and like. And of course we have five board members who work very hard (and this I can tell you from personal experience) to make sure that everything within the organisation runs smoothly.
AEGEE-Budapest tries to offer their members a career path.
Kristóf: Every active member has the opportunity to organise or take part in any kind of event. We have six different projects running, and three working groups. These project managers, and Public Relations (PR), Human Resources (HR), and Fundraising (FR) responsibles are working on events and the operative part of the organisation. The board is working around 30 hours a week. They are coordinating the work of the “mid-level managers” and fulfilling the strategy of the local.
This shows that these locals are truly dedicated to AEGEE. As every local is special and has a different character, the NetCom was curious what makes these locals so special (besides having so many members).
For AEGEE-Enschede, this appears to be the local level.
Mylène: We have our own bar, called Asterion, and here we have our bar nights every Tuesday and Thursday. Furthermore, we have yearclubs (groups that freshmen form), fraternities/sororities (bigger groups of men/women of all years), houses, committees and societies (groups of people with the same interest) inside the association and this is the reason why most of our members join in the first place. There are lots of possibilities to form a group of people you really like, and this is not only a wish that members have but also a necessity: without subgroups, it would be really hard to keep 350 people bound to the association.
For AEGEE-Amsterdam, the local level is really important as well, but also their trips to other cities throughout Europe.
Gijs: This rich variety of activities makes sure that everyone can do something they love. And another great aspect is that all kinds of people from so many different backgrounds join AEGEE-Amsterdam due to its open and fun-loving character. Everybody feels at home in AEGEE-Amsterdam and is free to act as he or she pleases.
Picture from Agora Budapest
For AEGEE-Budapest, the local level is also very important.
Kristóf: We have a lot of local events – we are trying to offer our members the chance to organise local events, start projects or take advantage of any of the various possibilities offered by the European level. We are also making a huge effort to organise high-quality social events with the involvement of more and more members. We organised three Agorae so far, and our members are mostly well-prepared for the different European Schools or Training Courses.
And apparently, AEGEE-Amsterdam has another special quality…
Gijs: A very special last aspect of our local is of course our great expertise in the field of beer-drinking games. This quality has delivered us the AEGEE drinking championship for the locals in this area two years in a row already, organised by AEGEE-Leiden during their amazing Show Your Colour party!
As all these locals have a lot of local activities, the NetCom asked if they also have many members active on the European level. AEGEE-Enschede has a relatively low percentage of members that are active on the European level, around 10%. AEGEE-Amsterdam does not have a lot of members active on the European level either, but they have a lot of European-oriented commissions and members who help in organising events and exchanges for other AEGEE members throughout Europe. Also the Summer Universities are very popular with members of AEGEE-Amsterdam. AEGEE-Budapest has a lot of active members on the European level.
Kristóf: We have a CD member, Beáta Matuszka, and almost in every project there is an AEGEE-Budapest member. We also have representatives in most of the Working Groups. From our local there will be around five envoys during the Agora in Zaragoza. We are giving lectures on the possibilities on the European level in the freshmen camp and in the Local Training Course (LTC).
AEGEE-Budapest during Agora Zaragoza
In AEGEE, we can learn a lot from other locals and how they work. For this reason, we asked if our biggest locals have tips for other locals to grow and gain more members.
Mylène: Make yourself known amongst the freshmen of the university/school in your city! They are new in the city and looking for a place to feel at home. Also, once you have quite some members, find a way to introduce subgroups in a way that fits your association. It is easier to get a good connection between people in smaller groups. Last but not least: let everyone see it when you’re having fun!
And Gijs from AEGEE-Amsterdam answered: Make sure to be visible during the start of the academic year so you can show a lot of freshmen how much fun AEGEE is. Furthermore I think it is important to have a lot of activities so that people can become very active and get to know each other during these fun activities. Also it is really a good thing to promote the forming of fraternities and sororities of people like that. In this way you make sure people exert a kind of social control on one another to stay active, and of course being a member of such a group really enlarges one’s connection to AEGEE. Also according to AEGEE-Budapest, the promotion is very important.
Kristóf: I would suggest them to build up an exact promotion plan, try to do research on the possible focus groups and then the locals can reach the possible members more easily. This leads to a direct approach that makes the recruitment easier. After that the most important thing is to offer possibilities for the needs of the members. It can be social events, projects, committees or working groups, although it is really important to find the proper topic which fits them. And most importantly, show them the real AEGEE spirit and what AEGEE is really about. Personally I would recommend to locals not to forget that voluntary job is a job and not always fun, and the bigger effort you put in it, the bigger profit you achieve.
This article provided you some insight in our biggest locals, and showed you some unique aspects of these locals. The NetCom is there for providing help for your local to improve, grow and professionalise. You can always contact your NetCommie, or come to a Network Meeting, which is a perfect opportunity to learn from other locals.
Written by Dominique Lenssen (Network Commission), with a special thanks to Mylène, Gijs and Kristóf.