The festivals of  Midsummer’s Eve, known as Saint John’s Eve among Christians, have roots in ancient celebrations related to the summer solstice. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southward again. The Bonfires of Saint John’s (Hogueras de San Juan) is a traditional and popular festival, customary for many cities in Spain. The greatest bonfires though are those of Alicante. For this occasion AEGEE-Alicante has organised an event this year. We have talked with the instigators and local organisers of “Alicante on Fire” Elena Agulló, Melissa Carreres and Verónica Pérez. Here is what we have learned of this magical event.

“Alicant on Fire” was held from the 22th until the 25th of June in the coast city of Alicante and 35 participants were part of the group. They were coming from 18 different antennae, mostly Spanish, and they gathered together to celebrate the Hogueras and get to know the local traditions. This was the main aim of the organisers who were a total of eight people. The surprising thing is that inside the group of organisers, just three people were born in Alicante. “The rest of us didn’t have so many idea of Hogueras, but we all could say that we learned and enjoyed a lot these festivities as though we have been doing this for all our life!” says Melissa.

My main question to Melissa, though, was what’s this element that makes Hogueras unique among other festivals in Spain and other countries. The answer I got from all girls contributing to the intreview was simple: “The triplette that Alicante offers during Hogueras: sea, fire and party!”. A festival in essence that manages to combine its long tradition and reveal itself in harmony with the perfect scenery of Alicante. This is what the participants actually appreciated. They had the chance to see the authentic spots of the festival and live the rhythm of Hogueras close to the locals. As one participant says about the event “I am happy because I enjoyed this event so much. I met lots of good people from Alicante and other antennae. It was smart. I enjoyed all activities, thanks to the beach. First event of fogueres? Very good.”

And it was indeed an amazing job if you consider the fact that their motivation started flourishing during the Mini European School for SelfDevelopment which was organised by AEGEE-Oviedo. The local organisers of Hogueras came back with this willingness to deal with the lack of members available in that period -usually due to exams at university- and create something to develop their antenna and show their magic city during this time of the year. And they achieved their goal managing to engage their members and make the participants get the most out of it.

The programme though did not only include activities related to Hogueras. The participants had the chance to practise and learn new skills through various other activities, such for an example a very relaxing yoga workshop on the beach.

Of course, as every AEGEE event that focuses on the local history and tradition of the place where an antenna is located, “Alicante on Fire” managed to have an impact on the community of Alicante as well. Firstly, the organisers supported the local festivities by having them known in a wider range and by giving a refreshing touch through all these young participants that were in the city for the event. But this wasn’t a one-way relationship, as the organisers enjoyed a very fruitful collaboration with the local authorities. They had support from the University of Alicante, Diputación of Alicante and Alicante Municipal Tourist Board, that have all helped this event to reach another level of quality.

In conclusion I would like to leave you with the hidden promise that Melissa left us in the interview. “We are proud of all the hard work that was done and very happy to see that everybody has enjoyed a lot the event. Maybe next year we will have a second edition.. Would you apply?” We, definitely yes!!!

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

NWM -Thessaloniki was held from the 30^th March to the 2^nd April in Thessaloniki. It was one of the first couple of NWMs that opened the spring season this year. It was attended by 30 participants, Spyros Papadatos from NetCom, Réka Salamon from CD and experienced trainers, such as Damien Moon Latacz from MedCom and Lucia Gavulova from Summer University.

The title of this article, which was inspired by Spyros Papadatos’s motto “Make the impossible, possible”, sets the beat and describes in the best way this NWM. It was a united collaboration between the local organisers, that surpassed every obstacle, and the European contribution of NetCom, CD and the other participating commitees. The result was a well organised NWM in both the logistic and the content-related aspects.

The participants came from various parts of the Network. Even though the element of the antennae coming from the distributional area where the NWM was organised was not prominent, this enriched the opinions and practices that could be shared during the whole process. The sessions were held in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and some of them in the local youth council settlement. Specifically, the participants had the chance to learn about the structure of AEGEE, prepare and present a SWOT analysis for their antenna, work on FR, HR recruiting and team management. Apart from this, there were sessions about Agora preparation and “Democracy in AEGEE”, a discussion about the future of AEGEE which was presented by Réka. The highlight though, according to many participants, was the Best for My Local session in which each antenna had the chance to share the knowledge and their best practice for recruitment. It was very helpful and enlightining, especially if we consider the fact that our Network is more and more threatened with shrinking. Moreover, the Open Space Technology, which hosted different discussions, from the Brexit to specifying the Point System, was the one that everyone enjoyed the most, due to the fact that they could be involved and participate actively. Laslty, there were very interesting sessions about the youth carrers within EU, which were presented to us by a representative of Europe Direct.

Despite the hard working during the sessions and the commitment with which everyone handled with it, the social life was enjoyed by everyone.  Thessaloniki is a city well known for its nightlife, tasty food temptations and hospitable people.

The participants had the chance to meet all of these through city tours, partying like superheroes in an alternative style pub, travelling back to disco times and tasting the local liquors in traditional tavernas, even when the NWM was finished. We couldn’t exclude the legendary European Night, which was mostly enjoyed by Spyros, our NetCom, Marios, the local representative, and Alperen from AEGEE-Istanbul, who won an Interrail ticket in the Best of my Local competition.

All these wouldn’t have become a reality without the amazing team of organisers from AEGEE-Thessaloniki and the main organiser, Stella Krokou. Within a hard economical situation in Greece, they managed to keep up to everyone’s expectations and hold an inspiring NWM. The have succeded in fundraising, covering all logistics, gaining the collaboration of the university (whoever comes from an antenna with a difficult collaboration with the university can understand how important this is). The quality of their effort was eminent from the fact that everybody had a wonderful time both during the NWM and after it. Personally, as a participant myself on this NWM, I would like to express my gratitude towards them and wish this NWM to reflect on them the same inspiration and create an equal motivation to them as they did for us all!

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

The Charlemagne Youth Prize is one of the most prestigious European Prizes. It has been awarded annually since 1950 by the city οf Aachen, Germany, to people who contributed to the ideals upon which it has been founded. It commemorates Charlemagne, ruler of the Frankish Empire, who resided and is buried in Aachen. Traditionally the award is given to the recipient on Ascension Day in a ceremony in the town hall of Aachen. In April 2008, the organisers of the Charlemagne Prize and the European Parliament jointly created a new European Charlemagne Youth Prize, which recognises contributions by young people towards the process of European integration.

This year AEGEE has the honour to have not one, but two projects that won the national round in Romania and Slovakia, respectively: “Faces of Europe” and “Summer University”.

Faces of Europe is a photo blog launched by Your Vision for EUrope, a project of AEGEE-Europe. Inspired by the famous Humans of New York, the photoblog aims at making Europe more personal and exploring the human diversity of our continent. They want to collect and spread the faces and voices of people from different social, cultural and national backgrounds.

The first edition of Faces of Europe, running from January until June 2016, was already a success. In the first edition, the team consisted of 16 committed reporters from seven different nationalities. As a result of their works, they published more than 100 stories of many Europeans on Facebook, collected more than 2,500 likes and many messages of support and positive feedbacks from readers. The second edition is currently ongoing.

Summer University, one of the most successful, if not the most successful, project of AEGEE, has proven its value to all of us through the years. The Summer University is an event that takes place in the summer between two to four weeks. Usually, 20 to 50 participants are hosted in different parts of Europe, and they have the chance to learn by travelling, meeting new people, integrating with the culture of their hosting country and as a result they broaden horizons.
Specifically, in 2016 it gave the opportunity to over 4000 Europeans to see different parts of the continent, meet other youngsters and learn new skills and abilities together. Since 1988 more than 100,000 people participated in Summer Universities, which took place in over 260 cities in more than 40 European countries, making it the biggest volunteer-based mobility project in Europe.

In 2013, Europe On Track, another project, which was inspired by the current president of AEGEE-Europe, Reka Salamon, was awarded with the Charlemagne Youth Prize.

This month, from the 22^nd to the 24^th of May, the Charlemagne Youth Prize Winners’ ceremony will be held in Aachen. AEGEE will participate with these two nominations that were received from Romania and Slovakia. Due to the fact that AEGEE has already been a laureate in the past, apart from the winner projects, the CD also received some invitations. So our association will have represantitives who will attend several events, including the Youth Prize Award Ceremony, which always takes place two days before the Ascension Day, the day on which the prestigious International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen is awarded.

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne_Prize

https://www.projects.aegee.org/suct/su2017/cyp2017.php

http://www.zeus.aegee.org/portal/

Evrim Emiroğlu from AEGEE-Eskisehir is candidating for the Network Commission. She has given an interview to us sharing her programme, which focuses mainly on increasing the communication between locals and their collaboration with the European bodies through “an information transfer platform/channel”, as well as it underlines the importance of thematic events. She is also discussing with us the current political situation in Turkey and the effect that it has on the life of the locals that exist in this area. Read about all these and much more about her candidature below.

The AEGEEan: Can you present yourself in a few sentences?

Evrim: My name is Evrim Emiroğlu. I am 23 years old and I will finish my bachelor in economics in June. For next year, I am planning to do an MA programme but nothing certain yet. I am also considering to have a year without a job so I can look out for my interests and dream for the future of my life. My hometown is Ankara and I am from AEGEE-Eskişehir. I have been an AEGEE member since spring 2012. Since then, I am addicted to AEGEE and have always been active, especially at the local level. I am a person who loves new experiences, to push my limits and never afraid to step out of my comfort zone. More precisely, I live out of my comfort zone, I always find myself in a busy life without noticing and query myself how have I come to that point again and again. In the simplest terms, this is the story of my life.

How did you decide to candidate for the NetCom?

To be honest, I considered to apply for this position long time before the deadline. Because considering the fact that I am graduating and don’t know what will I do or where will I be during the next year is one of biggest doubts that I face. However, like I mentioned above, for the past five years AEGEE wasn’t just my hobby but it became my life and whenever I have doubts whether to continue I find myself with other responsibilities within AEGEE. That’s why I trust myself whatever I will do or wherever I will be, I am not able to sever my ties with this organisation yet. On the other hand, I believe AEGEE is a unique organisation because it has a big Network and it draws its strength from that. During my board years, these feelings got stronger and I noticed that no matter what you implement in your local, if you are not united with your Network the impact will be inefficient. My experience in AEGEE has shown me the importance of unity and communication within AEGEE. After 5 years of AEGEE life, I feel that this is the only thing that keeps me motivated to stay and contribute to the organisation with my knowledge gained over the years in and outside of AEGEE.

Can you already share some of your policy ideas with us?

For me there are five crucial points as I mentioned in my programme. First of all,  I observed that many locals are working without getting informed from each other. Before everything, I do believe we should improve the collaboration and communication inter locals as well as between locals and European Bodies. Secondly, I believe the thematic part of AEGEE to be the most important aspect of our organisation. Locals need to collaborate in order to use the diversity of AEGEE, become more visible and enhance the impact area together with neighbour locals, if possible with locals in different areas. I would like to encourage and empower locals to organise thematic projects/events in collaboration with other antennae. After that, new locals are our babies. They need most of the help to become part of this organisation and start to contribute as immediately as possible. Moreover, nowadays the number of people who is afraid of getting involved into European Bodies is increasing. There are different reasons behind it, such as language barrier, lack of internal education, lack of knowledge about the tasks. I would like to focus on increasing the number and quality of people working in the European Bodies. Last but not least, if I work with this area, I do believe some people have bias due to the ambiguousness of the country.  This area needs more support from other areas, understands the situation from the inside and tell this to other people.

How do you want to implement these policies?

Firstly, I will work on creating a space included a digital archive especially for board members for sharing information about the current circumstance of locals, best practices of strong locals and opportunities to provide knowledge transfer for new boards in order to encourage locals for effective actions and integrate new locals into the AEGEE world. Secondly, I do plan to create an information transfer platform/channel between a representative from other European Bodies and NetComs in order to be aware of their work and the useful materials which they created for the locals. Moreover, in order to achieve the plan about thematic activities, I am planning to add a section to NWMs, about introducing local projects and constituting possible partnership opportunities, promote Exchange and Twin Antenna Project and create active channels for improving communication. Besides, I want to help new locals to form their statutory rules and orders for ensuring healthy democracy inside the local. Last but not least, I want to keep the locals motivated  by being the voice of antennae and making sure their success is being heard in the Network. I will do my best to listen to their problems and weaknesses and find ways to turn them into opportunities and strengths.

How do you think the current situation in Turkey affects the life of the locals? What are your plans with this situation to overcome the obstacles?

To be honest, Turkey’s current situation is not very pleasant. Especially in the last two years, the terrorist attacks, coup attempt and referendum caused a distressing process. On the occasion of being under a state of emergency, NGOs are facing many obstacles and even closing down if they don’t act according the government’s wishes. All of this is causing NGOs not to be able to act independently and express their opinions. Moreover, due to the foreign policy implemented by Turkey, there are some issues with European countries, these issues causing cooperational problem within the Network and AEGEE members’ to not participate in the events taking place. In order to strengthen the antennae in this area, I am planning to canalise the locals to the European level more and encourage all AEGEE Network to cooperate more with locals in this area. Regardless of the consequences, the society is trying to keep the stability; in order to do so, civil society shoulders a great responsibility. As AEGEE locals in this area, we can create a common action by organising discussions about the perception and what we can do. Together with the locals of the distributed Network area, I believe we can be the analyser of the tense situation and relationship between Turkey and EU; initiate the dialogue by using the power of AEGEE.

In your programme you are talking about your vision to improve the communication between European Bodies and locals through “an information transfer platform/channel”, as well as enhancing their quality and human resources in order to raise motivation and awareness. Could you please clarify to us they way you plan to pursue these?

During my board term and term as member of European Bodies, I contend miscommunication between locals and European Bodies. Even though there are a lot of materials, toolkits and guidelines composed by European Bodies, a few locals actually are aware of these materials and a few of them have motivation to use it. Although there are some information platform, is it clear that this is not really working and not enough to motivate people to involve in it. I believe the NetComs are supposed to be a bridge between locals and European Bodies. Therefore, as a first step we should empower the link between NetComs and other bodies. After that, we can encourage locals to integrate to AEGEE-Europe. So then, I would like to work for creating a platform which can be a drive, mailing list, fb group etc. and involve one representative of each European Body together with all NetComs in order to ensure that European Bodies have enough knowledge of locals’ needs and can create materials accordingly, and the NetComs are aware of materials which they can transfer to the locals.

Question from the Network: What is the area of the Network you would like to work with?

I would like work with all areas but considering my experience and knowledge, I can be more beneficial with Turkish speaking antennae, including AEGEE-Mağusa and locals in Azerbaijan. As the NetCom candidates local distribution has been changing, the distribution of our locals has also kept changing for two years. The situation of this area, as being really wide and very multilingual, creates some negative consequences. Even though there was a great effort from the NetCom side, for the past two years the area faced problems like not sending enough or none participants to NWMs and other events. Therefore, locals in the area lost the communication and cooperation. What I want is to unite the locals which have similar backgrounds and build friendship and communication between them like old times.

You can read her full candidature here.

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

Dennis Bosman form AEGEE-Nijmegen has definitely a passion, which may work to his advantage. He has a degree in banking and insurance, he is studying business administration and he had his internship on this field. Moreover, he is a SubCommie to the Audit Commission. Read about him here and learn about his plans to reform the Commission and create a more solid basis to it.

The AEGEEan: Could you please introduce yourself to us?

Dennis: My name is Dennis Bosman. I’m 22 years old and I live in Nijmegen. I am almost finished with my Bachelor in business administration. In my spare time I love to watch good TV series or a nice movie. I have been a member of AEGEE-Nijmegen for almost two years now and currently I’m the treasurer.

What is your experience with economics and how did you decide to candidate for the Audit Commission?

I have a degree in banking and insurance and I almost have my Bachelor’s in business administration. Ever since high school I have been interested in economics because it connects the whole world. Everywhere you look you can see economics and that is what I love the most about it. I have decided to run for the Audit Commission because I have been a SubCommie since Agora Chișinău. Now I have more time to devote to the Commission, so I decided to run officially.

Could you share already some points from your programme?

My programme contains three key points: proper knowledge transfer, more transparency and better storage of previous financial reports.

How do you plan to implement these?

As SubCommie, I have received a lot of questions about how to fill in a financial report. By creating a document which explains what to fill in and where, I hope filling in the financial report gets easier for the treasurer and therefore more fun! My second point is transparency. There should be more transparency between locals and the Audit Commission. Currently we only receive a financial report and we must assume it is filled in properly. By receiving the administration of the local as well, we can audit the local more accurately. It also gives the Audit Commission a better overview of the financial states of the locals. I want to implement this by just asking it to the locals. In case that will not work, we can submit a proposal at Agora Catania of the Agora after Catania. The last point is better storage of the previous financial reports. Currently, they are stored per year in one big file. It is very unclear and hard to find what you need. By storing the documents just like they were handed in, it’s not only easier to search for a specific local, it’s also much clearer to find the data you need.

In your programme you refer to “the creation of the local-by-local storage for the previous years of Audit Commissioners”. What do you think in your point of view was done wrongly in the past and how are you changing it?

The fact that one year is all stored in one Excel sheet is very inconvenient. It’s easy to misread and, therefore, easy to make mistakes. By storing the documents the way we receive them, you’ll have one file per local so it’s easier to read and easier to compare the reports whit the reports of one year ago.

Which skills did your experience as SubCommie help you develop and which sides do you need to strengthen?

My communication skills and my teamwork have definitely improved. By working in an international team I have learned a lot. One thing that I might improve is my Dutch directness, since not every culture likes it and as Audit Commissioner you have to work whit a lot of different cultures. I want to work at my directness.

You say that your previous experience can add value to the Audit Commission. Could you give us some examples?

Currently, I am also in the Audit Commission of International Students Organization Nijmegen and I have done an internship in an accounting company. My main job was to check the administration and fill in the tax forms.

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

Marco Bentoglio from AEGEE-Bergamo is running as a Coordinator of the European Citizenship Working Group. In order to deepen the knowledge of the Network on him and his programme, before the Agora he has given an interview to The AEGEEan answering both our questions and questions coming from the Network.

Marco: I am Gigi, 31 years-old. I am no longer a student. I have a degree in psychology, but I don’t work in that field. Actually, I spent last year working at university events across Europe, mostly about skiing. I am a rugby player, but before that a rugby man.

Nowadays, Elena Efremova from AEGEE-Grodno is the girl who takes on responsibilities in many fields and manages to multitask and keep control over her duties. This is the way she has already worked in AEGEE by getting involved in various European Bodies, learning from them and collaborating with them. Ahead of her presentation at the Agora in two weeks, she was interviewed by The AEGEEan and she shared her vision as a potential NetCommie.

The AEGEEan: For those who do not know you, who is Elena Efremova?

Elena: I am Elena, 24 years old, I have a Bachelor’s degree in History. Yes, I adore history and cannot understand why we still do not have digital archives and official books of AEGEE history in AEGEE! I live in the Russian Federation, in Rostov-na-Donu. I love chocolate, coffee and travelling, so my happiest moments in life are when I sit down with a cup of hot coffee, eat milk chocolate and search for cheap travelling tickets.

Last year I left university and devoted my life to AEGEE. In the year 2016, I visited around 16 countries and more than 52 cities. I have been an AEGEE member for two and a half years now. Firstly, I have been a member of AEGEE-Rostov-na-Donu where I held the positions of Incoming Responsible and Twin Coordinator for a year. Currently I am a member of AEGEE-Grodno and AEGEE-Chişinău. Moreover, I am a member of the Action Agenda Coordination Committee and the Youth Mobility Working Group.

How did you decide to candidate for the Network Commission?

I thought about the NetCom position even before Agora Bergamo, but at that time I did not have that much experience in AEGEE, as I had been active for only one year. Many things were totally unclear for me and I was not ready to take on the responsibility for more than ten locals as a NetCommie. That is why I decided to have a year to learn what I did not know yet. I came from a small local with many troubles. One year ago, I was more needed on the local level, to help with the Summer University and Antenna Criteria fulfilment. Moreover, I travelled a lot last year, visited AEGEE events and locals, collected information and now I hope to see a full picture of what AEGEE is and how locals live. Locals are the cornerstone of the whole organisation, without them there would be nothing. They are an indicator; if they are weak, AEGEE is weak. For me, it will be challenge to be a NetCom. It is a huge responsibility, but right now, I feel that this is the right position for me and the right time to run for it.

Regarding your involvement in many European Bodies within AEGEE, how do you plan to combine them with your duties as a NetCommie? Are you considering to leave some?

My terms in the Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) and Youth Mobility Working Group end on the 31st of July. It means that I would combine three positions at the same time for only two months. As I already worked with the Network Commission, being their General Assistant, I mostly know how to work with Podio and I understand what exactly a NetCom should do. During the past year, I combined three to four positions every time. It taught me how to be good at time-management and how to prioritise. During my NetCom term I will fully devote myself to locals and their needs.

Can you already share some of your policy ideas with us?

Locals are sensitive organisms, nobody from the outside can treat or solve problems. As a NetCommie, I would not be the one to teach people what to do and how. I would be the one to see the full picture and be a link for locals between each other and between locals and European Bodies. I would like to outline several main goals of my term. First of all, I see the power of a network in unity; when people all over the network know each other, visit events around the network (not only official ones, but any), have common Visual Identity. The power of AEGEE is people, and most of us are here because of friends. So, why not start a big AEGEE family from the small ones based on the network? Then, if events like European Schools, Fundraising European Schools, Training New Trainers and others are far away – why not create or host them in our network? If we need and want to get this knowledge but cannot reach the final destination, we need to have our own. If it is expensive to reimburse travel and participation costs for trainers, why not have a deal with local ones? Why not create a pool of trainers in our network and use them for any events when we need trainers with specific knowledge – not even only from AEGEE, but also from other NGOs? If we feel that we cannot manage events alone, why not cooperate with other NGOs in our cities?

How do you want to implement these policies?

How to implement it? I would like to motivate people and locals to travel, to be open, to be involved in AEGEE, to apply for European Bodies and to have cooperation with other NGOs. I cannot tell them what to do and how, but I can share my own experience with them, offer some ideas to be discussed and be available to help at any time. Nothing is impossible when we are together. Of course, I will also work inside the NetCom team, helping with internal projects.

In your programme you are referring to having a “special event – kind of Share Best Practices”. Aren’t Network Meetings (NWMs) supposed to be a space for that already?

That is a really good question. According to the CIA, “This meeting (NWM) has an administrative impact and it is focused on sharing best practices, keeping the Locals closer to each other, connecting them with the European level, updating them about last progresses and launching initiatives”. And it should really be like that. But a NWM is an event from two to five days. You need to combine sessions from the CD and European Bodies, take needs of locals you are responsible for into account, and make it interesting for everyone – both newbies and oldies, participants from your area and outside. Not easy, right? If you have participated in several NWMs, you will notice that some of them are about sharing best practices, some mostly held by European Bodies, and others look like a Soft Skill training. Every region has different problems, and a different political situation which influences the work of AEGEE on the local level. Sometimes, we need to talk about urgent issues face to face, inside one group of people.

My idea is to have events for specific regions, where the programme is made by participants according to their needs. It will be a place where people from my region get to know each other personally, as personal relationship is one of the cornerstones of cooperation. Here, they will also think about common events or future cooperation. Here, they will share problems and possible solutions. Here, people from other NGOs can be asked to join and share their ideas about certain topics. My idea is not unique, we already have events like that – Renove, Czechoslovak Weekends. What is the difference between NWMs and this Share your practices event? This event could be unofficial, does not need to have much time for preparation and could probably be almost for free. It would be an event for specific regions, where actual problems are discussed. During that event, locals would discuss current problems and if they do not know how to solve them, they come to NWMs where they ask people from other parts of the network about them. This would mean that, thanks to our Share Best Practices meeting, we would raise the quality of Open Space sessions during upcoming NWMs and Statutory events.

How would you like to pursue the cooperation between BEST and other NGOs and the antennae on a local level?

We, student NGOs, are very different with different target groups and our power is in unity. Together, we can achieve more than by ourselves. It looks like it is time we start to realise this and move to meet each other. A couple of days ago, I came back from an NGO Weekend in Moscow, where representatives of four NGOs – AEGEE, AIESEC, BEST and ESTIEM – came together to learn how to be a good leader. It was an event with no budget but with invaluable outcomes. Right now, we are considering to create the NGO Weekend vol. two, and to have ambassadors towards each other, not only on the European level, but also on the local one. It is only the first step towards our possible future. Together, we can continue to organise leadership trainings (or any other: PR, HR, etc.), to be infopartners on the social media, and to do NGO presentations together. Being in touch and helping each other with big events means that together, we can get more sponsors, human resources and promotion. If locals all over the AEGEE network work together, they can create one event for all of AEGEE. If locals from one region work together – there is one event for a specific area. But if different NGOs  work together – there are many events in many cities. In that case we can involve more people with limited resources. It is all up to us. I cannot foresee how it will go. But I truly believe that there is a big field of possible cooperation, from theoretical knowledge to practical things. And what we need right now is just to start.

Question from the Network: What is the area of the network you would like to work with?

First of all, this Agora will change the locals’ distribution, since we plan to have 11 NetCommies instead of ten now. It means that right now, it is very hard to say what the network areas will look like. Moreover, we should not forget that the final decision to choose the NetCommie with whom to work is under locals’ power. And I would be happy to work with any local from all over the Networκ.

In general, I would prefer to work with locals which are not so far from the city and country I live in – Rostov-na-Donu, Russia. Why? Firstly, there are locals with whom I am already in contact, at least with part of them, and it will be easier to start working. Secondly, because of geographical reasons, it would be easy for them to ask me to come any moment when they need me, and for me to visit locals, participate in their events and help them. Moreover, during my NetCom trips and NWMs I will need much less money than if I travel far away (thinking about AEGEE-Europe and Network Commission budgets).

You can read her full candidature here. 

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

The new AEGEE Contact in Nicosia has recently become a member of our Network. Andreas Panayiotou is the founder of this contact, even though he does not accept this title for himself alone as he considers this is a teamwork success and it would not be happening without the other members. We interviewed him together with Spyros Papadatos from the NetCom, who also shared his experience on this whole procedure.

A brief description of the history of AEGEE in Nicosia shows that this is the third attempt to establish an antenna in the region. The first takes us back to 2000 when AEGEE-Nicosia used to be a contact and was promoted to contact antenna in 2006. It was closed but reopened in 2012 and managed to become an antenna again in 2015. As Spyros says, this will be the third time and lucky one. Without any doubt, this time has all the advantages to do so.

It all started when Andreas went abroad to Tarragona as an Erasmus+ student. Even though he had heard of AEGEE in the past. In Spain, he had the chance to see what AEGEE really is, to observe the members of AEGEE-Tarragona and get to know about the structure, goals and the opportunities that AEGEE offers. Challenged by the work the association does at its European level and inspired by the way it combines important issues with the interaction of young people. He returned to Cyprus and determined to open a local. An advantage that also played an important role in Andreas’ decision was AEGEE-Famagusta, which he hoped to communicate “in a bi-communal base in social or cultural terms for Cyprus”. First, he came in contact with AEGEE-Europe and the Network Commission about the exact procedure and requirements. Andreas talks about a joyful and pleasant process that is characterised by “mutual appreciation, respect and excitement for all the contacts, not only with Spyros but with every member of AEGEE-Europe”. However, starting a contact from the scratch comes with certain difficulties. The greatest one that Andreas had to face was the stress of carrying through with the proceedings and the limited time, as he wanted to fulfil everything in a short period of time and see his dream become real.

At this moment, AEGEE Contact in Nicosia has 11 members and has already started taking action. Their first goal is to recruit more members for the contact and introduce AEGEE to the Cypriot student community. Their wish and the main concern are to be promoted to an antenna. As a result, they are planning on taking part in European events and are focusing on organising local events, for which they also have a lot of support from the University of Cyprus and the rector Christoforides himself. They are looking forward to the moment when they will be ready to host AEGEEas from all over Europe. Apart from this, a big and crucial part of their future plans is to open a public discussion on a European level because, as Andreas says “it is very important for Europeans to understand that our little island is not in a middle of a war crisis. It is one of the safest destinations in the world and Cypriots create a common spirit for both sides, as the culture of the island is one of its most important aspects and it consists of both European and Arab civilisation. All in all, our plans are to discuss the problems we have due to financial, social and war crisis”.

AEGEE Contact in Nicosia was also a novelty for Spyros from the NetCom. Even though he has been working in the position of Netcom for almost a year now, this has been the first time he was asked to open a new contact. He describes it as an exciting experience and a challenge for him because he had to cope with inexperienced AEGEE members that needed to be introduced to the formalities of opening the contact. Despite this, he mentions an exceptional collaboration between Tekla Hajdu, the Network Director, himself and Alejandra Piot from the NetCom with Andreas. His role was to help Andreas and the other founding members through the process and to the extent to create a solid base for them. Talking about his expectations and hopes, Spyros makes it clear that he thinks his “priority would be to build a sustainable antenna on the long-term and to generally support the AEGEEans there to achieve their aims”. The term “shrinking network” has been heard a lot over the last years and even though the NetCom does not identify the opening of new antennae as the main solution to this problem, it is nevertheless a pleasure to expand and enhance the Network with new members from various regions, that can contribute with their passion and will in order to work for what AEGEE is fighting for in Europe.

This is the case that also stands for the Contact in Nicosia. We, The AEGEEan, would like to officially welcome them to the Network and wish them all the best for their future plans.

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

I would like to thank especially Andreas Panayiotou, AEGEE Contact in Nicosia and Spyros Papadatos, Network Commission of AEGEE-Europe, for the interviews.

One event. 13 days. Six cities. 23 participants and almost 25 organisers. “Our Big Fat Greek Winter University” was the New Year Event organised by the greek speaking antennae of AEGEE-Athina, AEGEE-Peiraias, AEGEE-Patra, AEGEE-Ioannina, AEGEE-Thessaloniki and AEGEE-Kastoria, between the 28th of December 2016 and the 9th of January 2017.

This NYE was one of its kind! An ambitious plan and a profoundly challenging event with one and only aim: to emphasise the diverse beauty that Greece has to offer to its visitors during the winter. Usually, when people think about the country, the first thing that pops automatically in mind, is the S triplet: sun, sand and sea! The journey followed a different path this time. Participants got to travel and see both the urban everyday life of the big cities and harbours, as well as the picturesque, suburban areas with the vivid student life.

As for me, this was a self-discovering and an amazing experience. When I joined AEGEE a year ago, trying to find my footsteps aside from school and my comfort zone, I would never imagine that I would be mainly responsible for such a thing. This is why, when my antenna proposed to me to be in charge of AEGEE-Ioannina part in this event, I felt it like a challenge.

No matter the difficulties that the organisers had to face considering it was a collaboration between six antennae, we managed to make the dream of many people, even before us, come true. We definitely surpassed the Greek stereotypes that want many people when working together, arguing with each other with no result. The biggest proof is what one of our participants, Leyla Gasanova from AEGEE-Moskva, said:“In general I want to say big thanks for this event! We could see a reeeally good job and a lot of preparation”.

The NYE started in the Greek capital Athens, of course. During the time in Athens, the participants had the opportunity to see our cultural inheritance. They visited the National Archaeological Museum, the state-of-the-art Akropolis Museum and Akropolis Rock. This was a life dream for many AEGEEans, who added a check to their to-do lists. They also paid a visit to the Ancient Agora and Pnika, the place where the ancient Athenians were gathering to discuss and vote. As Athens is a modern city, which combines perfectly the old with the new style, we could not miss an opportunity to walk in the alleys of the centre with full of bazaars, as well as shops with a modern and alternative essence. Lastly, the organisers of AEGEE-Athina took a good care of the social nightlife and partied along with the participants in various clubs. Everybody agreed on the fact that Athens had the best and craziest parties of the event.

The participants left with a great first impression to move to Patras, the second biggest harbour in Greece. The most enjoyable moment was during the city tour and the city rally when they visited, among others, the orthodox church of Saint Andrew and closed the day in the lighthouse near the marina, where we saw the sunset by the sea! It was a serene moment during this trip, perfect to meditate, as one of our participants did. The NYE party in Patras was a typically Greek celebrating meal, late in the evening. After we welcomed 2017, we ate the New Year’s Pie, a custom in the country. The pie was cut into pieces and served to guests. In it, there is a coin and whoever has it in his piece, is the lucky one for the year that has just arrived. It is connected to the orthodox Santa Claus, who is called Saint Vassilios, and he was the first to offer such a pie to the poor. Foteini, president of AEGEE-Patra, was the winner. After the meal, it was time for the party in the local bars!

Following destination… Ioannina! It is the small town in the north-west of Greece, as known mostly for lake Pamvotis and the mountainous sceneries. The time here is like stuck in the past, in the era when the Ottomans ruled. This impression was increased by the byzantine castle, the remaining mosques and the legends still alive in every corner. Travelling through places of the Medieval Age astounded the participants. We also visited the island in the lake, the one with its permanent inhabitants. We had a dance workshop there with local dances from Epirus and the Ionian Islands.

Of course, we did not miss the chance to dance the syrtaki as well. It would not be a Big Fat Greek Winter University without it, anyway! The highlight of the day: other visitors were passing by and staring at us. However, who really cared at that moment? Another workshop given by Netcom Spyros Papadatos was both interesting and fun. It was about “An interactive way to introduce AEGEE so that both the new and the old members could contribute and enjoy”. Ioannina ended its part with the European Night, which was organised in accordance with the guidelines of the “Drink-wise Project”. As the main organiser on behalf of my antenna, I had the “Eurotrip” through all the tables of different nations and opened the night with Spyros. And yes! I am able to say we survived!

Next in the row was Thessaloniki, “The Nymph of the North”, as locals proudly call the city. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and an eternal competitor with Athens. The participants had an amazing time in the city tour. One of the highlights was the byzantine castle, which was built in the 4th century. It offers a breathtaking and panoramic view from the highest point of the city to the beach and to the White Tower. During the two nights that they spent there, they got a taste of the legendary nightlife in Greek style tavernas with local foods, drinks and music. The pub crawl was a social activity which they also enjoyed much. In Thessaloniki, the organisers from other locals gathered together, created a lovely feeling to be all together for the final days of the NYE.

The event was meant to finish in Kastoria. The phenomenal snowstorm, though, that stroke Greece this winter, had another opinion on this. Under extremely low temperatures, AEGEEans took part in Ragoutsaria, a carnival that has its origins to the bacchanalian ceremonies that were exercised in the area. In Kastoria, the organisers also introduced them a real Greek night. The best part was definitely the moment that the participants tried to sing the mainstream Greek music. Unfortunately, the weather was a constant enemy and Murphy’s law “If something can go wrong, it will”, worked exceptionally well. With the whole country entering in a freezer, problems in the accommodation came up and the event had to finish ingloriously. This made us all disappointed, as we were all looking forward to the three-days party with the wine and the unstoppable dancing with the rhythm of Balkan music all around the alleys. Yet, every bad situation comes out a good result…or at least a funny incident.

We made it to the news! Two brave AEGEEans, during their visits to the frozen lake, walked on a very thin sheet of ice. Next day they became viral as the Kastorians who walked on the lake! Of course, we knew otherwise!!! To sum up, this NYE has been a pleasure and an adventure for everybody. As all NYEs, it was the perfect start to a year with full of travelling, meeting new friends and getting to know another country. More specifically, it was a chance to visit many Greek cities from the north to the south, learn about the culture and the particular cultural characteristics. Even though it might have been a little tiring swapping between six destinations, we were very happy to be able to show a different and more representative aspect of Greece. This would have been impossible without the friendly atmosphere we managed to create among the group of organisers. It was a surprise to me to get closer with our fellow antennae in such a way. We also owe this all to the most challenging and patient group of experienced AEGEE members that helped us to make it happen. And as once said… why not? Let’s turn this into a tradition!!!

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina