Being through the Nature is the favourite hobby if Miguel
It is hard to believe that if you are in AEGEE, you do not know Miguel …. He writes many e-mails, is involved in many projects, and is a part of many Working Groups (WG). But actually the personal contact is the thing that would not let you forget Miguel if you managed to meet him personally in an event. He is charming and talkative, and has many interesting experiences in his background, like working with leopards in Morocco. He actually studied veterinary medicine and biology, but he is also keen on trekking, orienteering, scuba diving, and photography. He has done almost all possible things on European level but also did not fail to introduce the European level to members in his region. About this he says: “I remember when I was the only Spanish member active on the European Level, and I am now very proud of what those Network Commission (NetCom) teams have achieved when we see so many active members coming from our antennae and doing a great job.” So in a few words Miguel is:
M – ultitasking; because I have been performing several tasks in AEGEE and outside of it for several years now
I – nspiring; because an Academy trainer I have found the utmost pleasure in motivating and inspiring the next generations of AEGEEans
G – enerous; because I am ready to give one more year of my life to AEGEE, although I know I will get a lot back too
U – nlimited; because I believe in the great power of voluntary youth that can achieve almost everything
E– xperienced; because I have been a member of several WGs and Project Groups, with experience in almost every task.
L – istener; because even when I can be seen as stubborn sometimes, I love to listen, discuss and find agreements
This year Miguel is planning to go even further and become a part of the core team he often worked with – Comité Directeur (CD). See what are his ideas and how he plans to achieve them.
Miguel, I have to confess that your candidature for CD is quite surprising. Why now? Were you gaining experience before or is this just the right timing?
Miguel: Why surprising? I have been in the potential candidates list since Agora Ljubljana! Since some people I admire planted the seed in my head, running for CD was always in my mind, and every Spring Agora I asked myself if it would be the right time. But my academic duties made it impossible, as I knew that if I stopped working on my PhD for one year, it would be very impossible to continue it later. Now I have almost finished it and I plan to have it ready during the summer, so I can finally give it a try and candidate for the European Board. In the meantime, I have accumulated a lot of experience, because I have been active in AEGEE for six years now.
Luckily, it is also the right timing for me to candidate. There are very good AEGEEans running for CD, and I know well almost all of the candidates; I even have some friends among them. I hope this fact becomes useful when we have to work as a team in Brussels, because it will be a big challenge, I am aware of it.
You are running for Projects Director. You have been a member of most of the WGs and also some projects. How do you expect your connection with those people to change?
Have you met SuFu Panda?
It is true that I will be the director to people I have been working with for years. But I think this experience and knowledge will be useful from the beginning, as we will be all aware of our personalities and I believe this will help during the first steps. I have lived through several changes of Projects Director and time for adjustment is always necessary. In this case, my personal knowledge of almost all of them can be helpful to make the adjustment period shorter so we can start to work productively soon.
What are WGs and projects missing now that you can give them?
It depends a lot on which project and WG you are looking at. For some, it is a problem of human resources. In some cases there is a lack of clear objectives that burdens the whole process, in other cases there is a lack of visibility etc. Each team has its own dynamics and I will need to find out what their problems are so that I can work together with them to find a solution. However, one thing that I want to improve is the cooperation between them, finding synergy.
AEGEE is facing changes. Do you plan to continue this process if you are elected? In what direction?
Well, AEGEE is always changing, and this keeps us alive. However, as the responsible for the thematic area of AEGEE, I will focus more on keeping the activity of AEGEE alive even if there are changes. In the past years we have seen a lot of changes with little time to see the effects of their implementation before they were changed again.
You are famous for your environmentally friendly attitude. Are you going to make the CD house greener?
We have a meeting of the Environmental Working Group (EnWG) in Brussels in May for the Green Week organised by the European Commission. My idea is to gather all the people there and go through the whole house and make a plan of small things that can be done. Not only because it is the right thing for the planet, but also because saving on energy, for instance, is good for our budget.
Every time I am in the CD house and I see that the computers are on the entire night, I feel like unplugging all of them. I do not do it because I am there as a guest but if I lived there…
What do you think about the proposed Flagship Topics? Is this the direction AEGEE should go in?
Miguel piss
I am a strong believer in the Flagship Project idea, and those two projects have very strong points to be used for external visibility, which is one of the main facts of having a Flagship Project. They will help us to be heard in Brussels, to become known to institutions, and they are both great projects to get support from European Institutions and companies. About the topics, they are both well-rooted in AEGEE principles. I know we cannot have two flagship projects, but I hope one of them will become the flagship and the other one becomes a successful project. I will work on that.
Which is the biggest strength of AEGEE according to you? Do you think AEGEE could develop this through current WGs and projects?
The biggest strength in AEGEE is the diversity of our members. They are all very capable people from very different backgrounds, cultural and academical. There is a richness I have seen lacking in other student organizations. Moreover, in AEGEE every member can make their ideas into a project and implement it to have results. This is a very powerful tool that can be used to inspire our members to become active, as I have seen at several trainings.
And which is the biggest weakness?
Miguel - always full of AEGEE spirit
Due to our diversity, we have problems for instance to fundraise from companies, or at least a disadvantage compared with other more specific associations. For some kind of companies, it is much more beneficial to invest in an association of students related to their field of work, like BEST, or EMSA. So we have to work harder to get support from companies. But the work of this CD in the past months is giving results, and we are changing this trend.
How important is a good team for good work? Do you think you can build team spirit with the other CD candidates? Have you worked with them?
As I said before, I know most of the candidates and I have worked with some of them. I am a team player and this gives me a lot of confidence, because I believe it is a key factor in the success of a CD. We should invest time in the team not only during the first month but during the whole year. I think my experience in the Spring Agora Alicante will be useful for that, and I will try to import the yellow spirit to the CD house.
You have worked with animals. Is it easier or harder to deal with people?
Well, animals are simpler, and they are easier to understand, but with people you can talk and reach agreements. When people are honest and there is trust in each other, I find it easier to work with people, and you can achieve much more working with them if you manage to become a team.
Why vote for Miguel?
I am good in creating teams around me, and I play the role of supporting leaders and other team members perfectly. I have knowledge and experience and feel like putting it into work once more, to fuel the work of AEGEE in projects and real actions that get us closer to the aims of AEGEE. I have worked on the Strategic Plan and I want to see it implemented, but I also understand the needs of the locals and I will try to make them compatible.
If you still have doubts, just think that AEGEE cannot afford not to have a person dedicated to the thematic work, and I am the person willing to do so.
Thank you. And good luck in Enschede!
Written by Liliya Buyukliyska, AEGEE-Sofia