Today, The AEGEEan is meeting another enthusiastic member, who is running for the position of Network Commissioner: Malwina Zielińska (AEGEE-Torun). Malwina had a chat with us regarding the attributes that, according to her, a netcommie should have.

The AEGEEan: Who is Malwina Zielińska?

Malwina: I would say that Malwina is a girl full of energy, who is not afraid of challenges. In addition, she never gives up and puts a lot of effort in what she does. She loves meeting new people and hates sitting in one place.

When did you join AEGEE and why?

Officially I joined AEGEE on 09.11.2012. This was three weeks after I started college. I wanted to develop Public Relations theory and meet new people. When I decided to join AEGEE I did not think it would be the best decision of my life. In this network, I did not only meet real friends but also people who are motivated to believe in you and want you to grow. Here, everyone believes in another human being. It’s wonderful!

What is your experience in our network?

At first I was a member then I was the public relations responsible and this year I was president of my antenna. It was a very difficult term, because the antenna was in crisis, however, it managed to stave off. Moreover, I went to all Network Meetings (NWMs) in which I took an active part and I was also a delegate at the Agora in Patra. Undoubtedly, the most connected event with my studies was the participation in the PR School, where I met many wonderful AEGEEans from all over Europe.

Define the role of the Network Commission in your own words.

Supervise and support an antenna but also motivate, help and believe in the possibility of the AEGEEans.

Which attributes should a Network Commissioner have?

A Network Commissioner should be:
friendly
outgoing
communicative
a good listener
be able to respond quickly
share his/her experience
helping
honest
but also should be able to plan and seek help in every possible place for him.
Last but not least is that he/she should believe and motivate AEGEE members.

Do you really see yourself in this role?

Yes [she smiles, ed.]

If you were elected, what would your programme as a netcommie be?

I would like to continue the development of the Network Meeting-format in a way that they answer local needs in the most efficient way and bring benefit to the Network, but also continuing  what was started by my precursor. I would like to create a strong team of subcommies so that they will be more empowered and prepared for further work in the Network Commission. I would give advice in the areas of IT, PR, HR and FR to help the locals develop in those fields. I would like to supervise the quality of the implementation of Local Training Course (LTCs) by the antennae in the area. I would like to put a special accent on recruitment of new members by creating a recruitment plan and put a greater focus on knowledge transfer between the boards of locals, by creating more possibilities for dialogue and exchange of best practises between them. I would be in regular contact with representatives of the locals and also visit each antenna in my part of the Network and meet them face to face to see how they work and in which parts you can still help them. But most of all, I would like to create a fair and friendly atmosphere, because I believe that only people who like to be with each other are 100% honest [ she smiles, ed.]. To reach this last purpose, the creation of a method to exchange information within locals is important, follow closely and help young and small antennae to strengthen their full potential, foster collaboration beetween antennae, essencially between strong or expericed and weak or new ones for the creation of common initiatives and projects.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

You can read her full candidature here.

The Agora is coming soon and this means that it is time for elections! Today we are meeting Mareike Wegener (AEGEE-Aachen) who is running for the position of Network Commissioner. Mareike is a member of our network since 2013 and has been a SubCommissioner as well. Now she considers herself more than ready for the NetCom.

The AEGEEan: Tell us something about you.

Mareike: Hey my name is Mareike and I am studying Material Engineering, but I will finish my master soon. I am actually a member of AEGEE-Aachen, but I moved to Cologne six months ago to write my master thesis at the German Institute of Aerospace – hope to become an astronaut afterwards. Just joking [she smiles, ed.]. Now I am also a member of AEGEE-Köln and really happy that I get involved in this great local as well. This summer I was one of the Main Organisers of Summer University (SU) Aachen and helper at SU Köln and Osnabrück. It was one of the best summers of my live, because it combined everything I like: get to know people, other cultures, meet new friends and spend an awesome time with my best friends and the greatest teams I ever worked with!

Describe yourself in three words.

If you ask my friends they would first say I am a pretty organised person and sometimes a workaholic, but I am also cuddly, like all AEGEE-Aachen polar bears [she smiles, ed.] and always in a good temper.

When did you join AEGEE and why?

I joined AEGEE in summer 2013 after my Erasmus time in Stockholm. When I came back to Aachen I started to miss my Erasmus friends and the international atmosphere and for this reason I became an Erasmus tutor for six months and was involved in a lot of different events for international students, organised by AEGEE-Aachen. I got infected with the AEGEE spirit and joined the board as a treasurer in November 2013. Since then AEGEE is a part of my life and I was involved in organising a lot of events like SU, Local Training Course (LTC), Network Meeting (NWM) or Election Observation training.

What do you know about the Network Commission?

I am SubCom in the team of NetCom Andrea Schmelz for almost one year now, and I learned a lot from her during this time. I got a huge overview about the NetCom related tasks and already worked with five locals in my position as a SubCom. The Network Commission is a link between the European and local level, and in between locals. A NetCom has to help and to support the locals he is responsible for. The Network Commission has to trigger and push networking which is personally my biggest source of learning and motivation in AEGEE. Furthermore the Network Commission is working as a team internally to improve the structure of the network and to promote AEGEE.

Why is it so important to have a Network Commissioner to be the bridge between the local and European level?

When you join AEGEE as a new member, of course first of all you learn a lot from the more experienced members of your local, but when somebody joines the board or wants to be more active, it is good to know that there is a NetCom helping to connect the person with the network and the European level. Many members do not know much about our Comité Directeur (CD) or the European level. For this reason I think it’s is the responsibility of the Network Commission to close this gab, to motivate more and more members to get active on the European level. Moreover a NetCom has to help and to support the locals in the network with any problems. The NetCom needs to have a good overview about all the things that are going on on the locale side, but also on the European side and share this information’s between them, because otherwise they will get lost and no one can profit from them. Knowledge transfer and networking are in my opinion two of the most important goods we have in our association. For this reason, I am really looking forward (of course just in case I get elected) to visit my future locals, to get to know them well, build up a relationship that’s based on trust and good cooperation and understand all their problems and needs. On the other side, I am lucky that I know at the moment most of our Comité Directeur members pretty good and have a good contact with them and I always know that I can still count on my precursor Andrea to build a bridge between the local and European level.

What makes you the right candidate for this position?

I gained a lot of experience being SubCom over the past year and have been a member of AEGEE for almost two years now. I figured that as a NetCom you have to be organised, but flexible, multi-tasking, being able to work under pressure and attentive towards people.

I think I have these characteristics, but mostly I gain a constant stream of energy, inspiration and motivation from the great people I meet and work with.

If you are elected, what would your programme as a NetCommie be?

As I already mentioned in my candidature, in terms of my work with the locals, I would like to continue the work and with the system of my precursor, who has elaborated a very well organised communication and administration system.

I would like to place a focus on local groups that are close to each other, and those that can actually support one another. I very like the idea of twin antenna and I have experienced a very positive feedback through monthly exchange meetings between antennae and Skype meetings where members got to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere.

Furthermore I see the necessity to build up a strong pool of well informed and motivated members by establishing LTC and Regional Training Course (RTC). I do not like the idea of a too rigid structure of LTCs and RTCs at the moment, but I fully support the idea behind them. We have so much knowledge about PR or FR but also about board related tasks and motivating and recruiting members in our network, that we need to use and share it. Every local is different in AEGEE, but in general they all focus on similar problems. I would like to work on this.

Do you want to add something more?

I would like to thank you for the interview and I would like to thank all the people which encouraged, supported, and even forced me to candidate as a NetCom.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

You can read her full candidature here.

Writing a Thesis about AEGEE is becoming a real trend. This shows once again how our network represents an important source of information and inspiration for its members. Today we are meeting Tekla Hajdu (AEGEE-Budapest), Vice-speaker of the Network Commission, who has written a Thesis about AEGEE-Budapest.

The AEGEEan: Could you tell us a bit about you?

Tekla Hajdu: I am Tekla Hajdu from lovely Budapest (smiles). Currently I am doing my Master in Leadership & Management, and I am quite an active AEGEEan as Network Commissioner.

Since when are you officially an ‘AEGEEan’ and why did you join our network?

I am officially a member since October 2012, and I joined because I had a classmate in one of my university classes who told me a lot of interesting stories about AEGEE. At the end, I was so convinced that I decided to check out this organisation myself. And after my first LTC, I was sure that I would like to belong here (smiles).

You wrote a thesis about AEGEE-Budapest. How did you come up with this idea?

As my second major was Business Administration and Management, I wanted to write about a certain organisational situation, analyse the results and draw the conclusions. At first I thought about going for a business enterprise, but in the end, I decided to switch and go with the examination of my local.

What about the main topic you focused on?

My main topic was the structural change of AEGEE-Budapest after Agora Budapest. We had a change in the structure of the Board in 2013: before, the Board consisted of eight people, then the Board at that time with the approval of the Local Agora decreased it to five. The goal was to create middle-level responsible positions to remove the operative task forces from the board, so that they can focus on the strategy and have a more balanced division of labour between the members. In my thesis, I examined the effects of the change and I added some possible fields for development based on the interviews and management literature.

What kind of materials and/or methods did you use to develop your work?

Instead of quantitative methods, I decided to focus on the qualitative aspect of the situation, and used in-depth interviewing. I interviewed several people who were in charge of the structural change or effected by it afterwards – Kristóf Papp, former president of AEGEE-Budapest; Luca Gallyas, the president of AEGEE-Budapest in Autumn 2014, and Beáta Matuszka, former Network and Human Resources Director.

Which were the premises and the results you expected from your thesis?

My biggest expectation was the necessity of the change in the structure, and the development in the career path in my local since that time (my thesis was written in October 2014, and the structural change came into effect from May 2013).

Were your expectations fulfilled?

Yes, most of them were fulfilled, but there were still some interesting conclusions at the end. In general, it was definitely a successful change: now Budapest is more project-oriented, efficient, transparent, plus the mid-level leaders have a „career path”.

Would you suggest to other AEGEEans to write a thesis about our network?

Yes, definitely! If you have chosen a topic that is connected to AEGEE somehow and you feel like it is worth going with it, then do not hestitate. Also, keep in mind that some topics are better processed with qualitative methods – they might look more complex and time consuming, but you can learn more about the subject by digging to the depths.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

The Corporate & Institutional Relations Committee (CIRC) is the natural evolution to the former Corporate Relations Committee (CRC) established at the Spring Agora Enschede in 2012. The main goal of this brand new committee is to provide and increase the funding for projects, events and other activities in our network. The AEGEEan met the current CIRC team in order to better understand the aim of this committee and in particular their plans to improve its activity.

Lyda Michopoulou

The AEGEEan: Thanks for having us. Could you introduce the members of CIRC?

Lyda: CIRC consists of: Ander Guerrero Ruiz (AEGEE-Zaragoza), Francesca Russo (AEGEE-Padova), Francesca Bormioli (AEGEE-Bergamo), Noemi Lowy (AEGEE-Debrecen), Christoph Denker (AEGEE-Osnabruck), Maria Matilde Albanese (AEGEE-Roma), Lyda Michopoulou (AEGEE-Thessaloniki).
The new board of CIRC consists of Lyda Michopoulou, Speaker of CIRC and Maria Matilde Albanese, Vice Speaker.

Maria Matilde Albanese

Tell us in your own words what the CIRC is.

Lyda: CIRC, the Corporate & Institutional Relations Committee, is a supporting committee of AEGEE-Europe and was established at Agora Enschede. Our mission is to support the work of AEGEE-Europe and ensure its financial sustainability providing help in its institutional and corporate relations on the European level, analyzing the needs of the network at the European level, implementing the fundraising strategy and increasing the financial resources of AEGEE-Europe, working on Institutional and Corporate Relations and supporting the Network on fundraising issues.

In your opinion why is it so important to have such a committee in our network?

Lyda: CIRC’s reestablishment will, first of all, improve the financial stability of AEGEE-Europe which means more projects would be funded by the Comité Directeur (CD) and also help the antennae improve their own financial stability, learn how to approach corporate and institutional stakeholders and develop their fundraising skills.

Francesca Russo

Why did you all decide to be active part of this committee?

Francesca: I attended the Fundraising European School 2014 (FRES) and I was so inspired that I decided to join the just established committee. I thought I could help AEGEE with my knowledge in the field. Moreover I like the continuous challenges that fundraising gives.

Ander: After being fundraiser for Agora Zaragoza and a few more events and participating in FRES last year, I wanted to do something else related with FR in AEGEE. During FRES I was discussing with Lyda and Ola (ed. Aleksandra Kluczka – Comité Directeur) about the missing potential of AEGEE in this field as well as the extreme need to increase FR in our associations… And several months later, here we are!

Noemi Lowy

Noemi: As I became the fundraiser responsible for the project Democracy in Practice, I could gain better insight in the grant writing processes and see how diverse and complex it is. Based on my experiences and AIESECer background, I thought it would be a good opportunity to help the network with fundraising and grant writing activities via this committee.

Francesca: I believe that we noticed that are missing some fundraising guideline and some financial security. We know that we have a big fundraising potential as an association and that we can do a lot for it.

Lyda: I think it was my love for fundraising and negotiations that drew me towards CIRC but FRES was the beginning of the reestablishment of CIRC. I’ve been a fundraiser for the last 9 years and I love it! The thrill, the excitement and satisfaction when you sign an agreement with a new partner is overwhelming!

Lyda, what does it mean for you to be the speaker of CIRC?

Christoph Denker

Lyda: When I see myself as Speaker of CIRC, I view my role as a facilitator and a leader when needed. I am here to facilitate and promote the work the members of CIRC do, represent CIRC in future Agorae and in the AEGEE network. Together with the rest of CIRC members, I want to start redesigning and organizing the career fair, bring financial stability to AEGEE-Europe, nurture and advise antennae on how to fundraise and further develop in this aspect. All of this cannot be done without CIRC members, together we are gonna take CIRC sky high!

Can you tell us about your plans and projects for this committee?

Lyda: Our plans for this committee are not many, but they are certainly diverse. We are working towards redesigning and improving the career fair, improving the financial stability of AEGEE-Europe and making AEGEE-Europe known to corporate and institutional stakeholders.

According to you what should be done to improve the activity and the visibility of CIRC?

Francesca: We’re already working well: objectives, timeline and clear goals for each person of the team is a good way to improve and have a good working group. Of course we are still too few. We need more members and for this we should work more on the visibility with a marketing strategy for social media where all the members see us and with our presence during Network Meetings and at Agora workshops.

Ander Guerrero Ruiz

Ander: Restarting a committee is always complicated. We have the passion and the knowledge, we saw it in our live meeting in Brussels. In order to perform correctly, we just need to learn how to work and try to motivate others members to join and see how much they can learn and they can help AEGEE in the CIRC. 

Noemi: I think a committee like CIRC is very much needed in our organisation since there are a lot of opportunities out there that support youth initiatives and that are not explored by us yet. It is fundamental that we make it as a well-structured committee that has clear processes and can be served as a useful “platform” for our network that provides knowledge and resources in fundraising.

Francesca Bormioli

Francesca: We need a bit of time, commitment and patience. We should find more people interested and show them the potential maybe by making some courses.

Lyda: In order to improve the activity, I would say we need some more people and to improve visibility, continue and expand our promotion campaign though all available AEGEE channels.

Since the team is brand new, are you still looking for motivated people to join your committee?

Lyda: As I said above, we are looking for motivated people to join CIRC. It doesn’t matter if they are experts in fundraising, advanced or beginners, there is always a place for motivated members in CIRC! Just fill in our Join the CIRC form.

How can our readers get in touch with you?

Lyda: At circ@aegee.org and on Facebook at CIRC

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

Recently the great job of another amazing antenna was recognised by being named Local of the Month: AEGEE-Athina. The AEGEEan met Chrysanthos Stergiopoulos, the President of this local, who actually confirmed the hard work of his antenna and the activities they have been doing. Curious? Then check this out!

The AEGEEan: AEGEE-Athina has been officially elected as local of the month. Congratulations! How do you feel about it?
Chrysanthos: The truth is that we feel really happy and rewarded. The whole board and the members of the antenna were working overtime in the last months and with a lot of enthusiasm in order to make their innovative ideas come true. That said, it is a decision that gives us a moral vindication.

Did you expect such an important title?
Honestly, yes! The first five months of this board’s term were highly active and everyone did what they could best. Local events, regular meetings, Summer University projects, exchanges, partnerships with other NGOs, participation in fairs and of course parties are only a few examples of what AEGEE-Athina organised during this time period. All topped off by a lot of hard work and devotion. Weren’t we worth the title?

Can you introduce briefly the history of your local?
AEGEE-Athina was founded in 1986 and was one of the first locals of the network. Since then, AEGEE-Athina plays an important role within the network, since it has been a considerably big and active antenna throughout the years. The events that were organised by AEGEE-Athina and stood out would be the Agoras of 1992, 1996 and 2002, as well as its participation as co-organiser of the very successful AEGEE project “Turkish-Greek Civic Dialogue”.

Who are the members of the current board?
Our current board consists of nine members. The President is Chrysanthos Stergiopoulos, the Secretary is Panos Spyrou, the Treasurer is George Mylonas, the Vice President and External Relations Responsible is Dimitris Bouloubassis, the Human Resources Responsible is Maria Dimitriou, the Public Relations and Information Technology Responsible is Simos Grivas, the Fundraising Responsible is Konstantina Anagnostopoulou, the Erasmus+ Responsible is Angeliki Achtypi and finally a general Board Member – Alice Kontogianni.

This year you organised many interesting activities like “AEGEE’s got Talent”. Could you explain our readers what is it about?
“AEGEE’s got talent” is exactly what is sounds to be. Inspired by the worldwide reality show, this year the members of AEGEE-Athina decided to show their talents during this special event. Talents and performances ranged from cooking to karaoke, to theatrical plays, music and dances, from which the jury of course could not be missing. The event had a great success and a part II is already in the making.

AEGEE-Athina also signed partnerships with other NGO’s…
This year we decided to make AEGEE in Athens more extroverted. Therefore, we signed many partnerships with other NGOs throughout Europe in the frame of Erasmus+ projects. More than 20 different collaborations where signed, giving the chance to many of our members to take part in different voluntary projects while travelling with a specific financial support. In this way we want to make AEGEE an organisation that is not being kept to itself, but that on the contrary plays an active role in terms of European citizenship and non-formal education.

What about your exchange programme?
Three different exchange programmes where held in a period of four months. These exchanges include the antennae of Istanbul, Bamberg and Gdansk. The exchanges took place in two parts, meaning that Athenians were hosted by the above-mentioned antennae, and people from these antennae were in return hosted by Athenians. The purpose of these exchanges was to strengthen the bonds between AEGEEans, something that was accomplished with success, as collaborative projects have been discussed, such as a Greek-Turkish dialogue and a Summer University cooperation. More exchanges are planned for autumn.

This year your local is organising a Summer University to. Is everything ready for your lucky participants? Introduce your SU to our readers.
This year AEGEE-Athina is going big. We are organising two amazing Summer Universities for our lucky participants.

The first one under the name of “Sunset Paradise Vol. III” has a thematic of history and local culture. The participants will have the chance to visit the capital of Greece, Athens, the cradle of democracy and western civilization, as well as the beautiful islands of Naxos and Santorini, where the Cycladic civilization, one of the very first in Greece, flourished around 3000 BC. And all this under the breathtaking sunsets of the Mediterranean sea. Pretty interesting, isn’t it?

The second one is for the first time attempted by our antenna. The title is “Summer Sportades: Born to be Wild \m/” and the theme is oriented towards eco-tourism and agro-tourism. Participants will have the chance to visit three islands of Northern Sporades with untouched nature and crystal clear water, where they will practice more alternative activities, like water sports, hiking, wild-life observation and workshops about local production and art.

Can you tell us about your future plans?
Our plan is to continue working for the best of our antenna and soon to become the first antenna to organise four Agorae.

Would you like to add something more?
I would like just to say that the success of the antenna this year is due to team work. However, I do not mean it with the plain term of just working in a team. It has to do with other things more substantial. It has to do with understanding and respecting one another through the process of voluntary work, where you have nothing to gain and nothing to lose. There, you get the chance to approach the others selflessly and accept them for what they are. Then, you get the meaning of real friendship, you get to enjoy the real company of  others. This is when you can create bonds that cannot be severed and with this strength you can build all things from nothing. This is the idea of my antenna this year and I am really proud to be the President of it.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

The Information Technology Committee (ITC) represents the evolution of the Information Technology Working Group established in 2010. The main goal of this Committee is to support and provide know-how in order to develop our network’s IT. A new board was elected for this important task and The AEGEEan interviewed them. Meet our ‘nerds’!

Dasha (on the left)

The AEGEEan: Could you introduce the new ITC team?

Dasha Shcherbyna: I have been a member of AEGEE for a year and a half and I already took part in three Agorae and joined the board of AEGEE-Kharkiv. I have a System Analysis and Administration Master Degree and I worked for 8 month as Project Manager in a IT company. I really like being part of ITC, because I am a the only girl on the board team (smiles). Jokes apart, our team is so enthusiastic and experienced and I want to do some really significant steps during our term.

Paul Smits: As one of the Board members of the ITC is a CD member according to the ITC Working Format, I had the opportunity to join in. I might not have the most knowledge on advanced IT things, but as a technical person I know my way around and can talk along to some extent. Unfortunately I have no academic background in hard IT, but also in my studies I learned some object-oriented programming. I am delighted with the new team, as they value the same things in IT solutions for AEGEE as I do.

Maurits Korse: I have been a member of AEGEE for quite some time now and within this period I have been a board member of the PRWG (ed. Public Relations Working Group now Public Relations Committee), member of the Mediation Commission, Key to Europe, Summer Uuniversity Coordination Team (SUCT) and have been involved, on the side, in various projects. On the local level I have been President of AEGEE-Enschede, member of the local IT committee and various other committees.

Ingo Müller: I am from AEGEE-Heidelberg, where I was Vice-President for one year and very active for 3 years, including the IT stuff and statutes rework. I was delegate two times and will most likely be at Agora Oviedo. Furthermore I am in the fourth year of my PhD in Database System in cooperation with a company (SAP).

All: It is cool to be aware that you can do something that matters and to serve the practical needs of the network. And now it is the time in AEGEE when we have a lot of interesting work to do to further improve the IT and the ITC. For example, there is the active development phase of “OMS” (online membership system), improving HR, trying to involve all ITC members in the different elements of the committee. And in general this is the place where we can try, and create an impact. We are young and want to contribute where we really can do it.

Do you have a brand new programme for your committee that you want to share with us?

Maybe it is not so brand new, but now our priority is to get our members active and involve them in the projects and tasks we have for the moment. We hope to involve all the ITC members into the different aspects of the ITC. That is not just making websites, maintaining servers and other nerdy things, but also dive a bit more into Internet Governance and other social issues related to IT. But back to the IT infrastructure. As Board we want to support the active development of OMS, help any AEGEE member with their IT questions and issues. To help everyone, we want to create a knowledge base with manuals and other common questions on IT. Most of this is already present, but over the years they have been put in several places so that the information you need becomes hard to find. So one of the things we want to do is close old and outdated websites and move all useful information to a single place.

Yes, the previous team made a really good job. We are in good connection with the previous board and our active members. They have helped AEGEE to the level where we are now, and are therefore very valuable to us. So we hope to continue the collaboration with them. The most important recommendation from their side was to create a sense of group feeling, so we are exploring options to strengthen the ITC community. A good start was to actually document who is working on what.

What is the current network status?

Ingo

The main tasks of the ITC are divided over various teams. Some of them are:

The Mail team creates aliases, solves issues concerning mailing lists and gives support to the network on the mailing lists.

The OMS developer team is working to replace the current intranet with a reliable and working management system.

The myAEGEE team maintains the current intranet and gives support to the network.

The sysadmin team, manages the IT infrastructure: like maintaining linux servers to host statutory websites, intranet and the antennae websites.

The Head Office team: maintains the Server and IT in the head office and gives support to the Comité Directeur.

The biggest problem now is a mix between an intranet not working (although that’s work in progress) and a server infrastructure that requires specific skills that are difficult to pass on to new members.

What do you think that should be done to fix them?

First off, we hope to find new members, and make our current members enthusiastic for the things that are coming. HR is therefore important. For instance we hope to have continuous OMS development. Next to that we are focusing if the IT in AEGEE can be made less demanding on the available capacity. This way maintenance and development of new awesome tools, or maybe even an true AEGEE mobile app becomes easier!

What is the OMS and its current development status in our network?

Currently a handsome member has moved to the CD house to be the lead developer of this long overdue project: Fabrizio Bellicano.The idea is that more than a product, we need something that would make our members interested in joining us – otherwise we could just have outsourced the development. Why spend AEGEE-Europe money if we have volunteers! For now there are some questions under discussions about management system and other things, such as the supporting infrastructure on which the OMS will be running. Making the right decisions makes the OMS future-proof, eases maintenance while providing new opportunities to make the IT in AEGEE even more awesome.

Mauritz

If you think of AEGEE in 10 years which are the main changes that might happen in the IT?

The ideal situation is to have one system which will contain all functions that can make communications and collaboration as easy on European level as on local level . For example groups, creating events, calendar, comments, chatting, email communication, elections, statutory functions, surveys, custom forms, and other tools. If you have an idea, share it with us so we can put it in the bucket list! In other words, as long as our system is neat and works like a charm, the network can collaborate much better and realise their ideas much quicker. So in 10 years, we as ITC and you as members of AEGEE shouldn’t face the problems that we are facing now!

Are you looking for new members to join your team?

Paul

Of course we will be glad for all new members: fresh ideas and forces. At this moment, for the current tasks we are looking for people who can contribute on developing OMS. Also we need a person who is able to help maintaining one of the servers and has time and knowledge to support other webmasters. But in case you have a good idea, you are also welcome to join and realise it together with us!

So, don’t hesitate and join ITC. It’s a good place to develop yourself, gain experience, get and share knowledge. And if you are afraid that you don’t have enough IT skills, don’t worry, because you don’t necessarily need them, and if you want we can help you learn! To join, you can find our application form right here.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

Spring Agora is approaching and new fresh candidates are coming! Today we are meeting Réka Salamon (AEGEE-Aachen) an experienced member of our network, who is currently running for the Comité Directeur (CD) and who considers herself more than ready for this role. Her motto? Life is good!

The AEGEEan: Who is Réka Salamon?

Réka: Réka is one of the few with the unconditional willingness to put AEGEE before anything or anyone else in her life, because she believes everything she does here serves a higher purpose. She is driven, meticulous, and a perfectionist.

Can you tell us how did you join AEGEE and most of all why?

I joined AEGEE in 2011 after attending an information night organised by AEGEE-Debrecen on the upcoming Summer Universities in AEGEE. I became however, more interested in AEGEE’s role in the European political field and as an organisation for young activists… and I still haven’t been to a Summer University [she smiles, ed].

You are very engaged on the European level. Tell us about your experience.

My experience on the European level started with the Public Relations Committee to which I owe meeting wonderful people who are still close friends of mine, and discovering my true interest in the field of graphic design and PR. Over the past three years of being active, I also got involved in the Corporate Relations Committee, the Events Quality Assurance Committee, but probably the Europe on Track project is what I am most proud of. Since the second cycle of the project has also finished, now I am part of the Anniversary Team that is setting up the celebrations for AEGEE’s 30th birthday!

What made you decide to apply for the Comité Directeur?

The decision that I am going to run for CD was made when I first visited the CD house in Brussels – back in February 2012 – when the head office was still the broken old house where 15 CDs have lived and worked for AEGEE. I was fascinated by the idea of living in a place where so much knowledge and inspiration had been culminated for decades and where the walls literally have so many stories to tell. The more involved I got in AEGEE after that, the more certain I was that the CD house is the place for me.

What is the role of a member of the CD?

The main role is to keep an overview of a hopefully ascending line of improvement on a certain field the CD member is responsible for. Being one of the ‘directors’ means a constant load of intertwined tasks, from developing strategies to being in constant contact with the network and answer its needs. No matter how different things could seem in the Brussels bubble, the CD members always have to act representing the network’s opinion and keeping its best interests in mind.

Why do you think you are the right person for this position?

I have walked probably one of the most unconventional roads to get here. From living in the CD house on three separate occasions covering my own livings costs, through working together with three different CDs on specific projects to gaining a complex understanding of AEGEE’s past and present by being actively involved on the European level, I believe I have gained enough experience to call myself the balanced mixture of a idealist-pragmatic AEGEEan.

Do you really see yourself in this role?

No, I’m just planning a big April’s Fools joke on stage in Asturias where I will withdraw my candidature. Whoops, I shouldn’t have told you that.
On a more serious note: I wouldn’t run for the European board again after last year’s elections, if I wasn’t sure I wanted this.

Here is a question from our readers: You specify in your programme that you are “determined to work on the re-conceptualization of our Strategic Plan and Action Agenda”. How are you planning to do this?

I really like the idea of having a big thematic conference every year to define the most important objectives and activities for the Action Agenda – and Strategic Plan. However I found the system fundamentally flawed when there are only around 200 people involved in the process of this idea-generation. The people active at the European Planning Meeting (EPM) are not necessarily going to be working on turning their own ideas into actions and we are left with a lot of open calls and surveys. Implementing the Strategic Plan is proving to be harder and harder each year and we have to find the way towards a more bottom-up approach and the initiative coming more from the locals and not from the EPM.

Another question from the network: Could you point out the most relevant aspects of your candidature?

For lazy readers? Joking, a digest is always useful, just to keep the right amount of information in mind. I am running again for the European Board of AEGEE, because I believe I have the skills and the knowledge that AEGEE can benefit from in Brussels. I became the right balance of realistic-idealist over the years… I always aim high but with my feet on the ground. Following these two above: I have ideas for structural improvements in AEGEE – and I will make sure they are feasible enough to become reality.

Tell us something more about you, for example your life beyond AEGEE.

When I am not AEGEE email-bombing, I am working full-time as a kindergarten teacher at an English-German bilingual Kita (kindergarten) in Aachen. So most of my time I am spending being surrounded by 3-5 year-olds, and the rest is for enjoying the company of the AEGEE-Aachen bears. Life is good! [she smiles, ed.]

Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

I have plans for travelling/relocating to other countries for the next 2-3 years maybe. But if I decide to settle down, I can imagine myself living in Germany. I really like this country and the mentality of German people. I’m also getting more and more used to this lovely language.

Would you like to tell our readers something more?

Can’t wait to meet you at AgorAsturias!

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

Partnerships are agreements which have spread a lot in our network, because they actually enable an antenna to become stronger and explore new opportunities for growth. Today, we are introducing an antenna that understands the importance of cooperation with other realities, namely AEGEE-Lyon, which recently signed a partnership with Le Journal International, an independent student media. Do you want to know more about it? Then check this article and meet Marine Betrancourt (President of AEGEE-Lyon) and Nathan Lautier (Editor in Chief at Le Journal International).

The AEGEEan: You signed a partnership with Le Journal International. How did you come up with this idea?

Nathan Lautier (Le Journal International): We are working in the same coworking space. With the good atmosphere there, it was impossible not to create links between our two associations which both share an international dimension.

Marine Betrancourt (AEGEE-Lyon): It was a cold monday of January and as usual, we were teasing each other on both of our associations. We had talked about it as a joke for a long time, but this time, we decided to make it happen! And here is how the magic happened! (She laughs)

Could you introduce your partner Le Journal International?

Nathan: Le Journal International is an independent media created in Lyon in 2008 by students. It went from a student-led media for students to an independent media targeting interested people in our editorial line. We write about international news that is little or not reported on by traditional media and respect three key words: international, neutral and original. It’s only available online for now. We have an average of 200 000 pages read and about 80 000 readers per month, which means a visitor read in average two articles, and we are pretty proud of it! We favour “long format” with articles of about 4000 letters, because we prefer to have quality analysis over a lot of articles.

Marine: Nathan introduced it better than I could. From my point of view, I would add that their strength is their international network of contributors and the quality of their articles in the perspective of their editorial line. It’s a really good alternative source of international news treated indepth by their contributors.

What does this partnership consist of?

Marine: Basically, AEGEE-Lyon agreed to provide with Le Journal International an article written every week by a member of AEGEE-Lyon or of our wide network. Our logo appears on their website and they reference the contributors. In this way we gain visibility. Meanwhile, we are sharing the articles as much as possible and try to raise awareness on the opportunity for members of AEGEE to contribute to Le Journal International by writing articles. We believe in the strength of AEGEEans willing to share and write about what’s happening in their community, region and country that is of interest, but is not or little treated by traditional international media. So far, we got quite some positive feedbacks of AEGEEans willing to contribute to the editorial line of Le Journal International. I want to underline that it is not a way to compete with the AEGEEan recruiting journalists for another cause. The editorial line is absolutely different. Le Journal International target consists of international news not or little treated by the traditional media.

How did you manage to sign this partnership?

Marine: We printed and signed two copies of the document. It states both our obligations to each others and all the legal aspects. Very easy since we agreed on the terms.

Would you suggest a partnership like the one you signed to other antennae?

Marine: I believe AEGEE locals definitely need to cooperate with other local organisations. The strength of our association is its wide network and range of topics targeted. In Lyon, our antenna is very small but our strength is found in the opportunity that the city council of Lyon offers us of having a students’ organisations coworking space where we get to know and work with other organisations and that is an amazing richness!

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

Healthy food means wellness and happiness. That is why our network has been concerned about this topic since 2012, when the Health4Youth (H4Y) project was founded. This initiative, aimed to make young people aware about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, gained a lot of success and it is proud to introduce its second generation.

The Health4Youth, estabilished in 2012, is a project of AEGEE-Europe oriented to inform youngsters through non-formal education techinques (such as conferences, training courses, exchanges and seminars) about the importance of a healthy lifestyle starting from a balanced diet up to a sufficient physical exercise.
The first generation that represented this project reached important goals, that is why the AEGEEan is proud to introduce the second edition of H4Y with its new team: Joanna Pankowska, AEGEE-Warszawa (Project Manager), Marina Boychuk, AEGEE-Warszawa (Secretary), Alfio Bonaccorsi, AEGEE-Catania (Content Manager), Barbara Anžič, AEGEE-Ljubljana (Event Manager), Christian Spagnol, AEGEE-Udine (Event Manager), Sylwia Lelonek, AEGEE-Wrocław (Event Manager), Mar Valero Mas, AEGEE-Alicante (Impact Measurement Responsible)
e Melani Kalev, AEGEE-Paris (Public Relations Responsible).

These eight guys come from different countries and academic backgrounds, but they all share the interest for the ‘healthy lifestyle’ topic and the idea that “healthy does not mean ‘eating only carrots’ or ‘doing sports 24/7’. If your body is fit but your mind is not, and vice versa, you cannot really call it being healthy. That is why, one of the topics we will focus on is proper relaxation, to keep away bad vibes, to have energy to do the things you love to do, to have a positive outlook on life”, they state. These words underline the real goal of this project and its members, which doesn’t focus only on physical wellness, but also on psychological one. This concept was actually expressed a long time ago in a latin aforism of the poet Decimo Giunio Giovenale: “mens sana in corpore sano” (translation: a sound mind in a sound body).

The second generation of Health4Youth is really motivated to make this edition of the project a real success by following the former team’s footsteps. That is to say learning from their strenghts and their experience, but also by introducing new fresh ideas: are you curious about the future plans of Joanna Pankowska’s crew? Well you need to be patient because the topics of the second edition of H4Y are still TOP SECRET: do not worry they will be revealed soon! What we do know is that the team is looking for a really motivated new member for an important task: the Fundraising manager position.

So if you are interested to fill this position or simply to get in touch with the H4Y team and be updated about their activities, send them an e-mail at health4youth@aegee.org or follow them on Facebook.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

Passion is the key of event management according to Simone Ruscica, honorary member of AEGEE-Cagliari and the main organizer of the General Assembly hosted in Cagliari in Autumn 2014. His experience as event organizer (within and beyond AEGEE) was fundamental for the success of the last Agora. Do you want to know what’s behind his dark hair and see why he’s got brains? Check this out!

The AEGEEan: Hi, Simone, could you introduce yourself to our readers?

Simone: Hello, I’m Simone, 25 year old student of business administration, event organizer and current honorary member of AEGEE-Cagliari.

When did you join AEGEE and why?

I joined AEGEE in March 2012, so I’m not such an old member. Why did I join AEGEE? I think for the same reason as 90% of the others AEGEE members: to have the possibility to travel around Europe with really cheap prices, meet new friends around Europe and take part in a Summer University (SU).

What made you stay in our network?

Spirit, passion and enthusiasm are all aspects that make somebody an AEGEE member. I found this out during my very first SU and I was really surprised about that. Maybe I was just lucky because I met a great group of people during the SU, but when I came back to Cagliari, I immediately decided to become an active member.

What is your experience in AEGEE, both at the local and at the European level?

Actually I took part in almost all kinds of events, both at the European and at the local level. I took part in a Travel Summer University in 2012, a Winter University in Naples in 2013, I attended the Autumn Agora in Zaragoza in 2013 and the Spring Agora Patra 2014. At the local level I have been an organizer in several events (it is impossible to count all of them): starting from Local Agorae up to Agora Cagliari.

You faced an important challenge with your antenna when Cagliari hosted our General Assembly. As main organizer of the Agora could, you tell us which are the main obstacles/difficulties you had in terms of event management? What about the highlights?

The main obstacle? Finding the right mood for it, in other words to be brave and calm. Actually we had several difficulties (but I think it is something you always face while organizing an event). The biggest problem was to find the right location to host over 800 people and to gather enough money to feed all of them. In other terms fundraising is fundamental: if you have enough money, everything is a lot easier. The main organizer needs also to be stubborn and “crazy” enough in order not to give up. The highlights? For sure the opening ceremony (it was really exciting) and the closing one. I have seen twelve months passing in front of my eyes in a few minutes and almost all the members of my team started to cry. I really love them all.

Did you have any experience in this field beyond AEGEE?

Yes, I had other experiences in this field [event organization]. I used to be a marketing assistant at Mondo Ichnusa 2011 (the biggest concert on my island with over 100.000 participants), location manager at Leggendo Metropolitano 2012 – 2013 (the most important literary festival in Sardinia), co-coordinator of several Loud Open Air Festivals (free music festivals we’ve organized in Sardinia with over 15.000 participants per event. You can find out more about it at the following link: http://vimeo.com/100932563).

According to you, what makes somebody a good organizer in AEGEE?

Oh, good question. To be a good organizer in AEGEE, first of all you should love what you are doing and you should have a lot of passion for it! Secondly, you should be really determined and motivated but also to be able to motivate your own team. The most important thing is that you shouldn’t forget that you are not the boss and that you need to approach your team as friends and try to build a real “family”. Everything will run easier in this way.

Are you still active in your local?

Well, right now I’m trying to be more active in my university. Right mum? (he smiles)

You are an honorary member of your local. How do you feel about it? 

I feel great and really honored, like on the day in which the previous AEGEE-Cagliari board asked me to be the coordinator of Autumn Agora Cagliari 2014. It was totally unexpected and one of the best surprises I got this year from my local. I want to dedicate this “prize” to all the members of my team and the people who supported me in this great 2014. Everyone of you put a big brick in that big wall and you made my dream come true!

What about your future plans?

I have only one more goal to reach right now: complete my Bachelor studies in business administration and after that I will think of some new big event to organize.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona