NWM Barcelona, 90 Unstoppable AEGEEans in Catalunya

As we speak, another NWM has just rounded up in Catalunya (Catalonia), from the 10th until the 13th of November. To be more precise, it happened near Barcelona. The local is 30 years old and it has hosted several events, such as NWMs and even an Agora. We asked some questions to Katy Sánchez, PR and Vicepresident of AEGEE-Barcelona, and to Melissa Carreres Candela, the soon-to-be former Network commissioner of the area, informally known as, ‘La Nave’.  

 

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to apply for hosting the NWM?

Katy: We were thinking about applying to host the NWM when the Spring NWM application was launched. However, we had other plans in mind for those months and we decided to apply for hosting the Autumn NWM instead. All the locals from our area distribution (La Nave) supported us and that was a big motivation to finally apply for it [she smiles].

 

Who is in the core team?

There are fifteen organisers. Néstor Saura is the main organiser of the NWM; among the team, you can find the current board of AEGEE-Barcelona, some members of the future one (we had elections on Saturday, 4th November) and a new generation of motivated members that were involved in the organisation from the very first moment.

 

Did you apply for any funds or did you get any help from the University?

Yes, we applied for a grant offered by the university and for another one offered by the local government. Recently, we have got super good news that we received the money! Also, we are working hard on fundraising.

 

What is special about AEGEE-Barcelona and the city of Barcelona?

I think that what makes AEGEE-Barcelona great is that we are a group of friends. This group of friends is slowly growing, turning us into a big family of motivated members who want to achieve great things, and the NWM is the first step to it [she smiles].

What could we say about Barcelona? It is a big cosmopolitan city that has a lot to offer: mountains, sea, culture, art or gastronomy. Anyway, we have to mention that the NWM does not take place in Barcelona itself, but in a nearby city (Vilanova i la Geltrú) where we have booked a countryside house for the 90 people that are attending the NWM (including participants, organisers and the content team).

 

What is in store for the participants (facilities, meals, social programme)?

As I have mentioned above, the NWM is taking place in a countryside house where all of us are together. In this video you can see how it looks! For the social programme, we have prepared three thematic parties: an Animal Party, an American College Party (beer pong competition included) and a European Night on the last night.

 

How many participants are you hosting?

Melissa: We offered 60 vacancies for the participants, but because we had too many applications (more than 150), and due to the fact that the accommodation is big enough, we decided to increase the maximum amount of participants a little bit. So, finally, 90 AEGEEans are taking part in the event: 73 participants, 14 organisers, one member of the CD, two subcommies and I.

 

What will be presented during the sessions?

We have a very diverse programme, several participants who are involved at a European level, and of course we are going to “use them” properly! There will be the compulsory NWM sessions: State of the Network, SWOT analysis, Sharing best practices, also others such as the Civic Education and Youth Mobility sessions, and last but not least, a session delivered by the ACTies.

Furthermore, to increase the quality of the event, we are having three training sessions: HR, KT and how to do a presentation. Therefore, I think we will learn a lot.

 

Who will be providing the trainings?

We have a lot of content facilitators. Apart from Tekla Hajdu from Comité Directeur and my subcom team, Laura Pérez and Julian Ródenas there are:

• Ioanna Gympaki (AEGEE-Athina): She will talk about Your Vision For Europe.
•  Kristina Reshetova (AEGEE-Moskva): She is the current NetCom and she will contribute by explaining the different NetCom projects. Moreover, as a member of Youth Mobility, she will talk about mobility as well.
• Alejandra Piot Pérez-Abadín (AEGEE-A Coruña): Former President of her antennna and newly elected NetCom, she will deliver a Human Resourses WS and contribute to Sharing best practices session.
• Pablo Hernández Rodríguez (AEGEE-Alicante): AEGEE member since 2010. His experience includes management of European and local projects and coordination of policy and advocacy actions. He will facilitate MY-WAY’s session by giving an insight on how to use an entrepreneurial mindset to carry out your dreamt projects.
  

  Netcom and Subcom Team, la Tripulacion 8.1

• Juragis Garcia Perez (AEGEE-Tenerife): Board member of his antenna and also member of ACT. He and Borja will try to motivate us to be more ACTive in AEGEE and contribute to the Strategic plan.
• Asier Rodríguez (AEGEE-Bilbao): Former Treasurer and current HR responsible of his antenna. As a member of Youth Mobility, Asier together with Kristina will talk about mobility.
• Borja Torres Fuentes (AEGEE-Bilbao): President of his antenna and member of ACT. He will deliver an ACT session in collaboration with Juragis.
• María Ballesteros Melero (AEGEE-Madrid):  She will deliver the Civic Education + Gender Equality session and the European Citizens’ Initiative session together with Tekla.

 

Why did you choose Barcelona as hosting local?

Well, actually, I had no applications from other locals to host a NWM during the autumn period, but knowing that Barcelona was planning to apply, made me really happy. I was sure that their project would be very good, and actually it was!

AEGEE-Barcelona is a great antenna that is growing a lot and takes part in a lot of activities. It is also known as the “unstoppable” antenna. They have just turned 30 and they have great plans in mind for the upcoming year. I have to keep it a secret, but stay tuned, because they will surprise us for sure!

 

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona