The Network Meeting (NWM) of AEGEE-Budapest took place from 4th to 7th December 2014. The event was for everyone, young and old, experienced and new, who had the motivation to go further with AEGEE. Have you heard about it? Have you been there? Today Anita Ruszcsák (Vice-President for External Relations) and Tekla Hajdu (Network Commissioner) are going to tell us what happened!
The AEGEEan: Why did you apply to host the NWM?
Anita: For a long time, AEGEE-Budapest was planning to host an international event for the whole Network. As there hadn’t been a Network Meeting in Budapest for a while, that’s why we decided to give it a try.
How did the organisation of the event go?
Tekla: The core team consisted of eight members: four main organisers, the President, the Treasurer, the Vice-President for External Relations and the Network Commission Assistant for the area. After I was elected as Network Commissioner, I was worked in the core team both as the responsible Board member for the event (Vice-President) and as Netcommie for the area. Apart from the core team, around 25 helpers were involved with smaller tasks. The organisation of the event started as soon as we were informed the event was accepted, and did not stop until the evaluation of the NWM. We had a mailing list for the core team for quick and efficient communication, and personal meetings once a week.
What was the event about?
As a Network Meeting, the main purpose of the event was sharing best practices, getting to know more about AEGEE and strengthening the cooperation between locals. During our NWM, participants were able to learn about how European Bodies work, grasp the concept of the “golden circle” in public relations, get to know the basic rules of fundraising, how to apply for an Erasmus+ fund, and much more.
How were the days of the event organised?
The event lasted for four days, and for each day an appointed main organiser was responsible for that particular day. Every day the participants could broaden their knowledge in several sessions and they could finish the day with some real Budapest parties. The special city tour at the Christmas market and the iconic European Night were of course in the programme.
One of the questions on the application format was “What is your motivation to apply to this NWM”. Did you receive any interesting answers? Can you give an example?
Some applicants were trying to impress us with their Hungarian knowledge, but the most remarkable one was from a Polish participant who cited a whole paragraph from a Hungarian – Polish saying in Hungarian.
Which was the funniest moment of the event?
One of the participants had a very interesting way of getting to the airport, but he arrived back home safe and sound.
Did anything go wrong?
Every event has ups and downs, but we managed to solve everything that came up, so nothing went wrong.
Was it worth it? Why?
Yes, it was worth every minute! We received a lot of positive feedback from participants at the end of the event.
How would you describe AEGEE-Budapest?
AEGEE-Budapest is one of the biggest locals in the Network: we currently have around 200 members. We will celebrate our 25th anniversary in May and so far, we have organised many international events and exchanges. I would say our antenna is special because you can find everything here from thematic events, to pub crawls, from PR Working Group to Sports Committee. Of course, each board has its own priorities, but in general, we offer really diverse programmes.
Comparing AEGEE-Budapest of “yesterday”and AEGEE-Budapest of “today”, what has changed?
We had a change in the structure of the Board in 2013: before, the board consisted of eight people and then we decreased it to five. The goal was to create a mid-level, to remove the operative tasks force from the board, so that they can focus on the strategy and have a more balanced division of labour between the members. It was definitely a successful change: now we are more project-oriented, efficient, transparent, plus the mid-level leaders have a „carrier path”.
What is the best thing you have ever done?
I would say the Autumn Agora Budapest 2012. Should I explain?
What about the future plans of your antenna?
We would like to engage more and more young people and make them active and committed to AEGEE. We also plan to organise the most amazing travel Summer University in the history of Summer Universities together with AEGEE-Kraków.
Complete the sentence: If you think about AEGEE, you think about…
Opportunities!
Written by Karina A. Silivas, AEGEE-Udine