Blablacar, Lufthansa, Brussels airlines, N26 bank, Booking – we are sure you’ve heard of these names, and also most likely used their services. What is the link between them and AEGEE? We were partners in the past!

Right now we have partnerships with A&O Hostels, Flixbus, Eurosender, Interrail and some others. If you still haven’t taken advantage of these offers, then be sure to do so in the future! More information on how to obtain promo codes is on MyAEGEE (discount section). 

How are such contracts concluded? Who makes these partnerships happen? Read on to find out!

Corporate and Institutional Fundraising is an essential task of the Comité Directeur. But to reach higher achievements, they need the help of motivated members.

We would really like companies to queue up for a partnership or wish their representatives would approach us on the street and ask us to sign an agreement with excellent conditions. In reality, this is an arduous process. Even if our partners find us on their own, we spend a lot of time, effort and energy to make sure that the company shares our values ​​and ideals, and the terms of cooperation will be mutually beneficial.

Fundraising is one of the areas where a good team is the basis of success. Who doesn’t know about Luis Alvarado Martínez (read about his work here) and Jorge Sánchez Hernández, our former Corporate and Partnership Relations Officers?

That year we envisioned to have more sustainable merchandising and also wanted to work on establishing more ways of income (if you are reading this, then you are one of the first to know about some of our priorities for the next year). All this is impossible without outside help. 

This is why we have high hopes for the new committee, namely the FRC (Fundraising Committee). 

What do we expect the FRC to work on?

• research of possible partnerships for AEGEE
• Support of AEGEE-Europe in finding and writing grants
• Cooperate with CD on creating and implementing the fundraising strategy of AEGEE-Europe
• Support locals with corporate and/or institutional FR efforts.

Previously, we talked a lot about Corporate Fundraising; therefore, we don’t want to limit the work of the FRC by that. Institutional one is one of our other priorities. Currently, we regularly apply for the European Youth Foundation and Erasmus+ grants. Sometimes, one application can be 40+ pages long. We also need help when we have around 4-6 applications at the same time. Very often our projects require co-funding, for which we also need to look for other sources of funding. 

The Fundraising Committee is a good option for people who want to bring something new to AEGEE and help us become stronger since  AEGEE cannot exist without grants and money. Being part of the FRC means you are a lifesaver of AEGEE-Europe!

“The Safe Person Committee will aim to create a safe space for participants and combat sexual harassment, through the use of education, awareness, and maintaining a pool of Safe Persons to send to events.” One year has passed since the S.M.A.S.H project was founded by members with the aid of the Council of Europe. Now time is up for AEGEE to get in charge of the project and help combat sexual harassment! Enter The Safe Person Committee! 

The Safe Person Project or S.M.A.S.H (Structural Measures Against Sexual Harassment) started this past 2019. For the readers who may have never heard about it or are not really sure what it is about, how would you describe it?

The Safe Person Project started from an initiative to combat sexual harassment in AEGEE, while the S.M.A.S.H. project was an inter-organizational project funded by the European Youth Foundation. The aim of S.M.A.S.H. was to create a system to prevent and tackle the problem of sexual harassment in (youth) organisations, using AEGEE as a pilot but ensuring the replicability, scalability and dissemination to other organisations. So, the Safe Person Project was the initial internal project aimed at tackling sexual harassment in AEGEE. S.M.A.S.H. was about developing a system for (youth) organisations to implement. 

The Safe Person Committee will aim to create a safe space for participants and combat sexual harassment, through the use of education, awareness, and maintaining a pool of Safe Persons to send to events. We are now using the knowledge we gained and implementing the system developed during S.M.A.S.H. in AEGEE. 

You mentioned a Pool of Safe Persons, what is it? 

The Safe Person Pool is the group of volunteers that are trained on how to act as Safe Persons during events in AEGEE. This means they have been educated on sexual harassment in all its forms, know how to prevent, detect and react to sexual harassment, as well as how to respond in a supportive and safe manner to victims. The Pool of Safe Persons is not actually a part of the committee per see, rather the Safe Person Committee is responsible for the management of the Pool of Safe Persons, including recruitment and training.

The Safe Person Committee of AEGEE-Europe (SPC) just got ratified last Agora, meaning that it has practically started and has just one member -which is you [Diederik de Wit], the CD Responsible. We suppose that is meant to change. What would a “finished version” of the Committee be like?

Yes, that should absolutely change, so we are hoping for a lot of applications in the Open Call. For anyone reading this, the extended Open Call is still out and the deadline is the 9th of September at 23:59 CEST. The Safe Person Committee (SPC) should consist of up to 5 members, an appointed CD member, and an appointed MedCom member. 

For the first generation of members for the SPC the decision will be made by the CD, since there are no existing members to work with. In the future, an Open Call will be issued upon internal need by the Speaker Team (consisting of a Speaker, a Vice-Speaker, and the appointed CD-member). The Speaker Team will evaluate the applications and send their decision to the CD for approval. 

Which would be the functions of this Committee once it is elected?

The SPC will have a number of goals, all of which have as aim to bringing Safe Persons to the network and thereby tackling sexual harassment in all its forms. Safe Persons are people trained in sexual harassment prevention and victim response, but the SPC will be responsible for bringing these people and this knowledge to AEGEE. It is a small, but vital difference! 

To sum up their goals a bit less abstract; They are responsible for sending Safe Persons to events whenever that is possible and wanted, providing the network with the knowledge on how to prevent sexual harassment, managing the Pool of Safe Persons, and training new Safe Persons. 

With the S.M.A.S.H Project, AEGEE aims to “create a sustainable system to prevent and tackle the problem of sexual harassment in (youth) organisations, as well as other events and activities involving youth”. That is an incredibly ambitious goal, which would need incredibly ambitious people to carry it out. How would you describe that people aka an ideal member of the Committee?

That is indeed a very ambitious goal, and the S.M.A.S.H. Project taught us a lot on how we can and should approach this. The SPC will be responsible for implementing what we, and other (youth) organisations, learned from the S.M.A.S.H. Project. So, one advantage for the SPC, they don’t have to reinvent the wheel and they can use all the knowledge we gained over the last few years.

One requirement for members of the SPC is that they have attended an official AEGEE Safe Person Training, as the knowledge is essential to have for the task. Other than this, I believe that motivation, a strong sense of empathy, and willingness to engage in a sensitive topic, would be very useful. 

Let’s aim high… what would be the ultimate goal you envision for this Committee?

The ultimate goal would be that we no longer need to have a seperate body to have people informed about sexual harassment, because the knowledge about sexual harassment and the task of the Safe Persons has become part of the culture of AEGEE. 

But, before we would be able to reach that ideal situation, there are a few goals which would be amazing to reach: 

We would like to have a sufficient amount of Safe Persons to send out to (at least) every statutory event. We would like to have a sustainable Pool of Safe Persons, where outgoing generations are replaced by incoming generations and experience is passed down to new members. Next, we would like to be able to send out Safe Persons to other events, such as SU’s and local events. Finally, have a way of being able to offer a (partial) reimbursement to the Safe Persons who go out to events on behalf of the SPC. 

How do you think the COVID-19 situation would affect the actions of the Committee? Is it possible for the Safe Person Committee to suffer in any way?

There is a positive side, a negative side, and a hopeful thought to this question. Let’s start with the positive.

There is a bit more time and resources to dedicate on the development of the committee and the Pool of Safe Persons instead of going to international events and responding to cases. Besides that, awareness needs to be spread throughout the network, and future generations of Safe Persons need to be trained. 

On the other hand, the global situation, the pandemic, and its effects on AEGEE are very demotivating for the entire network. I am afraid that it might be more difficult to find interested and motivated people for the Pool of Safe Persons and the SPC. 

I hope that the future SPC will try to turn this threat into an opportunity to build a solid foundation for when all of our lives return to normal. Motivation is to be found in the fact that the current work is essential for the proper working of the committee and the future of Safe Persons in the network.

We would like to thank the people who made this interview possible, who gifted us with some of their time. Diederik de Wit – president of AEGEE Europe and CD-Responsible for the Safe Person Committee – and Marlijn Mulder, thank you! Not only for being there, but also for making sure the questions and answers were as accurate as possible.

The 1st of August is a historic day for AEGEE: our new Strategic Plan 2020-2023 enters into force. You might be wondering now: what exactly is the Strategic Plan? 

To keep it short: the aim of our strategy is to streamline the actions of all our members towards goals we have given ourselves democratically during the past year, providing us with an opportunity to achieve our mission in an effective way. For further reading, we would like to refer you to the Strategic Plan 2020-2023 (download here) where you can get to know everything about this topic.

To celebrate this important milestone for AEGEE, we would like to step back and have a look at how the identity and strategy of our organisation evolved since the very beginning in 1985. Let’s dive right into our journey through time!

This article has been updated on 13 of August 2020 by including Ideas Factory Leon 2016, the proposal in Agora Enschede 2017 and Honorary membership of Philipp von Klitzing

1985-1991: Foundation and the first structure

AEGEE was founded on 16th of April 1985 as a result of a conference called EGEE (États Généraux des Étudiants de l’Europe). It was organised by the five “Grand Ecoles de Paris” (~colleges of Paris) on the initiative of Franck Biancheri and aimed at overcoming the paralysis of the European integration process. At first local groups, today called antennae, were formed in different European cities aiming to promote European integration.

Then, in 1988 some of the most important entities of AEGEE’s structure were established which remain until the current day:  the General Assembly (Agora), the first Board of Directors of AEGEE-Europe (Comité Directeur), the President’s meeting (known today as European Planning Meeting), and the first European Bodies like commissions as well as a first form of the working groups. After that, the network continued to expand with more antennae being formed across Europe.

1992-1999: Year Plan, Long-Term-Programme and the KeyToEurope

1992 marked an important year for strategy in AEGEE. For the first time, the identity and overall goal, as well as the values of the organisation, were written down as the Statement of Principles. In the same year, the first edition of KeyToEurope – AEGEE’s yearly magazine which summarizes the most important work, changes and plans of the organisation – was published. 

1992 was also the year in which the Comitè Directeur created the very first Strategic Plan of AEGEE: The Year Plan 1993 “Towards a better European society” (see Picture 1 below). It listed five fields of action for AEGEE and list of events that were going to be organised to tackle these fields within the following year. It was created to better coordinate the work of all AEGEE members across the continent, a task especially difficult without modern means of communication like the Internet. Not to forget, the aim also was to better represent the organisation towards European institutions.

Since 1994 the planning with a longer perspective was introduced in the form of the Long-Term Programme. Every year at the Spring Agora the Comitè Directeur was presenting one or several topics with a time frame of three years to the network which was to be ratified. From this time on, the Year Plan served as a more short-term, concrete plan to reach the goals of the Long-Term-Programme.

Philipp von Klitzing, who was the driving force behind introducing these strategic concepts in AEGEE, received the honorary membership of AEGEE-Europe in 1996 for his pioneering work in this field. In the following years, until 2000, the Long Term Programme and the Year Plan continued to play the most important role in strategic planning in AEGEE.

2000-2004: Main Fields of Action & 3-year Strategy Plan

In 2000,  the Comitè Directeur issued a proposal to change the “Long Term Programme” into “Main Fields of Action”, which would determine, at most, five areas AEGEE should focus on. Alongside with it the “Strategy Plan” would define AEGEE’s actions for the next three years. Thus, at the Autumn Agora Udine in 2000, AEGEE-Europe introduced four Main Fields of Action: Education, Peace and Stability, Cultural Exchanges and Active Citizenship. 

At the same time, the President’s Meeting was changed into the Planning Meeting, where several hundreds of members would discuss the future direction of AEGEE. The name was again changed into European Boards Meeting in 2004, as it was intended to specifically involve the boards of antennas in the process.

2005-2012: Planning Working Format & ACT

The Planning Working Format was the section of the Corpus Iuridicum AEGEEnse (CIA) that described in detail the structure of AEGEE’s Strategy. It was first created at the Autumn Agora Izmir in 2005 to replace the former “Main Fields of Action, Year Plan, Strategy Plan”.

At the Spring Agora Valletta in 2007, the Planning Working Format was reformed with the introduction of Focus Areas in the scope of a 3-year Strategic Plan. The new set of six Focus Areas was clearly divided into two groups – the first three were thematic, the last three organisational. Together with them, Action Agenda was added and the Year Plan had finally been deleted (Picture 2).

In 2008 a five-months-long drafting process for the new Strategic Plan took place, which included two Progress Sessions and a Strategic Planning Meeting in Brussels. As a result, the Strategic Plan 2009-2011 was approved at the Autumn Agora Aachen in 2008. It was the first one to be drafted according to the new Planning Working Format from 2007.

In order to facilitate the implementation of the Action Agenda by the network, the Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) was created at the Spring Agora Enschede 2012. Its task was to spread knowledge about AEGEE’s Thematic Focus Areas within the Network and to work closely with the Network Commission in organising work on the topics at the local level.

2013: The Identity Reform

The Comité Directeur, which entered office in August 2012, decided to focus their efforts on reforming AEGEE’s identity. After a year of consultations, an Identity meeting took place in Brussels in July 2013, where the current version of Vision, Mission and Means of AEGEE was drafted. The results were ratified by the network at the Autumn Agora 2013 in Zaragoza.

In the same year the “Main Fields of Action” was finally abolished to emphasise the importance of the Strategic Plan.

2014-2015: Fulfilment Problems,  Working Groups Reform & European Planning Meeting

Between the proposal in Autumn Agora Zaragoza in 2013 and the Spring Agora Asturias in 2015, there were no dedicated teams working on the Focus Areas of AEGEE. This meant that it was a difficult task to focus and reach any measurable progress on the defined goals. 

At the Spring Agora Asturias 2015, a proposal to have one Working Group per Focus Area was accepted. The intent was to ensure a greater precision of AEGEE’s strategy and making the work on it more efficient. Former Working Groups, not connected to the Strategic Plan, were renamed to Interest groups, but continued to serve the same purpose as before. 

Also in 2015, the European Boards Meeting made its third and so far the last change of name, and was now named European Planning Meeting. This was done to explicitly include all members of AEGEE in the discussion about the future of the organisation.

2016-2017: Planning Meeting becomes a Statutory Event

The Planning Meeting “Ideas Factory Leon” that was held in 2016 for drafting the strategy 2017-2019 was the first one to involve even AEGEEans that couldn’t attend it via live-streaming and online-polls.
At Agora Enschede 2017 the Planning Meeting was officially added to the CIA as a statutory event for drafting the Strategic Plan.

2019-2020: Strategic Framework & Strategy Committee (StC)

In 2019, there were still many issues related to the coordination, distribution of responsibilities and promotion of the strategy towards the network, resulting in problems with reaching the desired goals. On advice of the Planning Team 2019, which was responsible for the preparation and facilitation of the drafting of the new Strategic Plan 2020-2023, the Comité Directeur proposed two new reforms.

The first one was to restructure the documents related to the Strategic Plan and incorporate them into the Strategic Framework. The second one was to create the Strategy Committee (StC). Previously, Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) had focused on the implementation of the Action Agenda on the local level. StC, as opposed to ACT, has the goal of overviewing the whole Strategic Process, encouraging and facilitating communication between different Bodies and individuals who are working on the implementation of the Strategic Plan. Additionally, it creates, maintains and evaluates the effectiveness of the structure of all documents related to the Strategic Framework. 

Those two reforms were done based on research, consultations of the network and feedback gathered on the Strategic Planning Meeting Köln 2019 and ratified by the Autumn Agora Salerno 2019.

At this point, we have reached the present. During the last 35 years, AEGEE has changed and evolved, remaining updated to the needs and dreams of young Europeans. Today it is a place to share ideas, develop oneself and to bring change for Europe. This generation, like the ones before us, has now the opportunity to continue shaping AEGEE, to contribute to its mission and to remain at the forefront of European integration. 

In case you would like to get to know more about strategy in AEGEE and/or help with its implementation feel free to contact strategy@aegee.eu. 

Sources:

This article has presented a brief summary of all the events which have happened during the 35 years of AEGEE’s existence. You can find all the sources for this article here in case you want to further research certain parts.

The content of this article has been carefully researched by the Strategy Committee using official sources like various editions of KeyToEurope, the CIA as well as Agora minutes & proposals. Due to the long historic time-span and sometimes scarce data, it is still possible that the text contains mistakes, especially of how certain things were carried out in practice in AEGEE. In case you have any corrections or additions please contact us at strategy@aegee.eu. 

• Foundation phase:
  • KeyToEurope 1991/1992 Page 8,
  •  KeyToEurope 20 Page 10
• First structure
  • KeyToEurope 1994/1995 Page 8
• Statement of Principles
  • KeyToEurope 1993/1994 Page 8
• Year plan 1993
  • KeyToEurope 1991/1992 Page 31

• Long-Term-Programme
  • CIA 6.0, 1994, page 39
  • Key 2 Europe 2018-2019, page 37

• Main Fields of Action & 3-year Strategy Plan
  • Key2Europe 2000-2001, page 59
  • Key2Europe 2000-2001, page 62
  • Key2Europe 2000-2001, page 5

• Planning Working Format
  • CIA 16.1, 2005, page 4
  • Spring Agora Valletta 2007 Proposals booklet, pages 5-10
  • Minutes of the Spring Agora Valletta 2007, page 32
  • Key2Europe 2008-2009, p. 11
  • AEGEE Strategic Plan 2009‐2011
  • AEGEE Strategic Plan 2009‐2011

• ACT
  • CIA 23.1, page 83
• Identity Reform
  • KeyToEurope, 2012-2013, page 26
  • CIA 24.1, Article 2 and 3, page 5 
  • Minutes of Autumn Agora Zaragoza, page 36
• Working Groups Reform
  • Proposals booklet, Agora Asturias, page 19-32 
  • KeyToEurope 2014-2015, page 17
• Ideas Factory Leon
  • Key to Europe 2016-2017, page 57
• Planning Meeting as a Statutory Event
  • Proposals Booklet of Spring Agora Enschede, page 9
  • CIA 28.0, Article 2, p. 75
• Strategic Framework & Strategy Committee
  • Strategic Plan 2020-2023
  • Proposals Booklet of Autumn Agora Salerno 2019

We thank the whole Strategy Committee for their support in creating this article.

Each year on 22nd of May, we celebrate the International Day of Biodiversity. From the Sustainability Committee we wanted to raise awareness of this topic. We all know a lot of species that are in danger of extinction, and this is really bad for the environment and its normal functioning. In this article we will show you what biodiversity means  and its importance in nature. 

Today is the International Day of Biodiversity – we are in the midst of the 6th mass extinction hence we have to act now!  Biodiversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is typically a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. 

The theme of the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) in 2020 is “Our solutions are in nature”. 

Did you know that 1 million species face the threat of extinction more than at any other point in human history? Land use changes, climate change, pollution and invasive species are some of the drivers.  Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development. The Convention recognizes that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and micro organisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment to live in.

Why is it important to have Biodiversity?

A basic concept is that species depend on each other. Having more variety of species increases the ecosystem productivity. Each species has a specific role, so all roles together contribute to having a richer environment. 

• Having more species will support a larger number of plants and, therefore, a greater variety of crops. Related to that it also promotes the soil formation and protection, the quantity of plants and it protects freshwater resources. 

• It provides nutrient storage as well as recycling and breaking down of pollutants. 

• It also contributes to climate stability, speed recovery from natural disasters and provides more food resources. 

Biodiversity is about resilience. Diversity in abilities, roles, tasks etc. of different species, allows the system as a whole to recover when something changes. For example, if the temperature, the amount of water in a system or the amount of sun-hours changes, some species will die. If you have a biodiverse system, other species can then take over the role of those species that disappeared. In the absence of a biodiverse system it is possible that when a species dies off, a certain role cannot be performed anymore. If for example all the bees die out, there are a small number of other insects that exactly perform the same role, which is to fertilize the flowers, so that next year the plants can blossom again and fruits will grow. 

Biodiversity is essential for human health and well-being, economic prosperity, food safety and security, and other critical areas necessary for the individual and collective thriving of all humans and all human societies. Food systems depend on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Threats to inland water biodiversity are significant, oceans contain a wealth of biodiversity, climate change is a major and growing driver of biodiversity loss.

We love diversity in nature, but we all love diversity in our communities and organisations! The best part about AEGEE is the different cultures, the best part about nature is the different species.

To finalise, I would like to say thanks to all the people who helped with this article! 

Sources

• https://www.cbd.int/
• https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/mass-extinction1.htm
• You can get more information, get involved and engage in websites like GYBN, WWF or IUCN.

With 13000 AEGEEans and 13000 opinions, it can sometimes be difficult and chaotic to follow one strategy. A committee that likes to create order in the chaos is the newly established Strategy Committee. The supporting committee of both the Committee Director and the entire network is happy to introduce themselves to you in this interview.  

Thank you, Evita, Freideriki and Michalina for participating in this interview! Can you tell us what the Strategy Committee is all about and who the current members are?

Hey everyone! We are the Strategy Committee (or as we like to abbreviate everything in AEGEE, the StC). To understand the Strategy Committee in AEGEE, let’s imagine AEGEE as a car. The driver’s seat belongs to all locals and European Bodies in AEGEE Network, the Comité Directeur is sitting next to the driver’s seat holding a map. The map symbolises the Strategic Plan and the Action Agenda and the Strategy Committee is sitting in the backseat supporting the passenger. It is crucial to remember that the map is designed by locals and European Bodies at the driver’s seat. The task of the CD (supported by StC) is simply to hold the map and ensure that we as an organisation reach our common destination. 

Currently, we have 9 members: Zurita, Freideriki Tziora, Maya Tielemann, Michalina Górka, Tania Guardiola San Román, Yannic Lades, Evita Ločmele and Ruben Verboon. Our appointed member of the Comité Directeur is Hanna Alajõe.

Why do you think the Strategy Committee could be important within AEGEE?

With 155 locals in 38 countries, AEGEE has the potential to have an impact and have its voice heard on both a local and a European level. However, without a clear strategy, we, as an organisation, are likely to lose focus and be unable to maximise the impact of the effort put in. 

Strategy equals long-term vision and plans that are by no means an easy achievement, as one has to take many factors into account. It is a human tendency to prefer putting the focus on short-term goals that give immediate satisfaction and require short-term commitment, even if a long-term investment like strategy may create greater satisfaction and impact. The members of the Strategy Committee keep in mind that “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and that it takes time to support the Comité Directeur and the Network in this long-term investment. 

What are some of the tasks your committee takes upon?

Our main task is to support the CD with the strategic processes of the organisation. As the main strategic documents in AEGEE are the Strategic Plan and the Action Agenda, most of our time is spent on:

• Monitoring the drafting and implementation

• Coordinating the internal dissemination 

• Measuring and reporting the fulfilment of these documents. 

So far our biggest responsibility was the facilitation of the drafting part of the EPM Barcelona. Now we are focusing on taking all that amazing input and transforming it in the final draft of the Action Agenda 2020-2021 for it to be voted on by the network.

What are the big (strategic) issues within AEGEE that you would like to see become different? How would you like to solve these issues?

One main area of strategy that AEGEE has a lot of room for improvement is the coordination of the organisational matters. A cohesive framework to support the implementation of the Organisational Improvements could potentially lead to the more sustainable development of AEGEE’s future.

From another viewpoint comes the observation that, across the Network, individuals may not feel the Strategic Plan as theirs and thus not being able to fully self-motivate to become involved in its fulfilment. The Strategic Plan, though, should make every single AEGEEan feel like it belongs to them, therefore we aspire to transform this into a reality.

How can members take strategic action on a local level?

Currently, we are working on guidelines to be implemented on the local level when it comes to identity and strategy. So stay tuned for all the assistance we can provide to take the activities of your antenna to the next level and squeeze out all potential.

A point that can’t be forgotten, though, is that the strategy building and the implementation part needs to be a common effort. You – members of local and European Bodies – are your own experts, all we can do as StC is help to facilitate the process. You are sitting in a driver’s seat and are in control of the steering wheel.

Trying to provide a clear strategy for the entire network seems ambitious, how do you try to reach this goal?

Just as anyone does anything to be impactful – doing the work, putting in the effort and “walking the walk”. The members of the Strategy Committee joined with having a strong vision of the future of strategy and an even stronger willingness to be a changemaker. An effective goal is both realistic and ambitious – a combination of maximising the resources available and being willing to walk that extra mile, putting 101% effort every day 365 days a year.

How do you want AEGEE members to get involved?

We want every antenna, regardless of how big or small it is, to contribute to the Strategic Plan. Some groups might be able to do huge activities and other small actions, but every single one of them counts. We would like every individual to look at themselves and their group and just think “what can I or my antenna do?” and just go for it. 

If you have any questions to the Strategy Committee or just want to say “Hi”, drop us an email at strategy@aegee.eu. We commit ourselves to answer every single email we get, we dare you to prove us wrong.

Talking about strategy, how would you try to win a game of Monopoly?

Unfortunately, we are not experts in monopoly, but you can find pretty amazing strategies on Google! Google told us that you can even win a game of Monopoly in 21 seconds as long as you implement the right strategy. The charm about strategy is that it’s strongly connected to implementation. Taking the example of Monopoly, even if you know the best strategy to win the game if you do not follow it, the strategy itself has no use. It’s the same with the AEGEE strategy, there is one but it will not be useful for our association if it is not implemented. 

As Europe On Track edition 5 already stated, ‘Go green or go home’. An AEGEE committee that takes this opinion to heart is the newly established Sustainability Committee. Sustainability is and is going to be an important topic as our world is changing and facing enormous environmental, social and economical challenges. In this interview AEGEE’s new green engine introduces itself.

Thank you, Julia and Diederik, for participating in this interview! Can you tell us what the Sustainability Committee is all about and who the current members are?

The Sustainability Committee of AEGEE-Europe was established in the light of the current climate and sustainability crisis and its harmful impact. We strive for a systematic cultural change within AEGEE which fosters a sustainable mindset and introduces a sustainable behavior in all of AEGEE’s facets.

In order to reach these goals we measure AEGEE’s impact on the environment and other relevant aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as improving the sustainability standards of AEGEE and educating and motivating the network to act in accordance with these standards. As one of Europe’s biggest interdisciplinary student organizations, it is important that AEGEE sets an example for its members, other big organizations and young Europeans. 

We currently have 11 motivated members: Anne Altenburg, Diederik de Wit, Ilona Vieten, Jana Niedringhaus, Julia Gospodinova, Julian van Loo, Laura García Rueda, Maartje Zaal, Marie-Claire Graf, Martyna Giera and Teresa Oberhauser.

What are some of the tasks your committee (wants to) takes upon itself?

Our main aims are measurement, implementation and education.

Measurement: In order to improve something, we need to know where we stand at the moment with regard to sustainability. We are going to prepare criteria with which we can measure the sustainability of European events and European AEGEE bodies according to the UN’s SDGs. We might want to do the same for AEGEE locals in the future.

Implementation: Knowing where the weak points of the network are, we will try to implement systematic cultural changes within the network, which will lead to the overall improvement of sustainability in AEGEE.

Education: The topic of sustainability is broad and often scary-looking, but we will try to break it down and explain what it is, why it is important and how we, as individuals and as a community, contribute to a better future.

Why do you think sustainability is such an important topic within AEGEE?

AEGEE has a wide reach around Europe, and has the possibility of raising awareness and teaching many people about sustainability. Things like sustainability, climate change, loss of biodiversity are unfortunately still largely misunderstood, or underestimated, as it can be a VERY difficult topic. We, as a committee, hope to change that.

In our network there is a lot of potential to improve our impact on the environment. We travel a lot, we have many events and due to that our ecological footprint is naturally high. So AEGEE should take a little bit of more responsibility for its actions and adapt to the political and social changes we see in the world.

What are the big (environmental) issues within AEGEE that you would like to see differently? How would you like to change this?

This is certainly a big question. One of the first key points is travelling. With a network spread from Baky to Manchester and from Gran Canaria to Tartu and so many events taking place all over Europe, AEGEE is responsible for many emissions. We would like to promote more sustainable ways of travelling, suggest alternatives to flying whenever possible and  introduce bigger reimbursements if a sustainable option is taken. Carbon offsets are also something we might try to introduce. 

Another big issue during events is the produced waste. It is common to see lots of flyers or plastic cups filling the garbage bags during an Agora or an EPM. We are going to work closely with the main organizers in order to reduce that to a minimum. We want to make sure that if there is trash, it is going to be divided and recycled accordingly. In a perfect world AEGEE could become zero waste, but we still need to take many little steps in that direction.

The biggest challenge will be changing the way the members think about sustainability. A big issue is the love AEGEEans have for merchandise. Stacks of T-shirts, 20 stickers, new sunglasses and a batch of condoms – there is everything you can think of. But do you really need this new T-shirt? Or will it be still another AEGEE T-shirt dying into oblivion on the back of your shelf?

How do you want AEGEE members to get involved? 

We want them to get involved in so many ways!

Like many may have probably seen, at this moment AEGEE members could be involved with our Veggie challenge for Agora Yerevan! The production of meat is notorious for the amount of water and resources it needs in comparison with plant-based alternatives (around 20% of the world’s carbon emissions). Having vegetarian or vegan meals during events will definitely bring a smile to the face of Mother Earth. The idea is that we could raise the percentage of Aegeeans that choose a vegetarian or vegan diet during Agora Yerevan. 

Although a lot of people are not ready to give up meat and that is not necessary either, moderation is the golden answer. If people ate meat just once or twice a week, this would have an enormous effect on our environment. Hence even if there was a global meatless Tuesday, the impact would be remarkable. But back to our challenge – The Agora takes 5 days. 5 days without meat. Can you do that? Show us! 

Another campaign that is gradually being implemented more and more is ‘Bring your own cup!’. The campaign was started by SEIG and we are beginning to enlarge the campaign with ‘bring your own cup, cutlery, lanyard etc.’ This enlargement sounds like a lot, but you will be surprised by how big the impact of bringing your own items is. Oh, and it takes up little space in your suitcase, so it’s a win-win situation for you and the environment!

– Talking about the Veggie Challenge, what is your favorite vegetarian meal?

Curry with sweet potatoes and carrots is a big favorite of the committee, but more of our favorites are listed in our recipe book. Don’t forget to check it out! It contains about twenty vegetarian recipes with quantities for bigger groups. You could use them to cook for Summer Universities, local events or just together with your AEGEE friends. 

They know what information can be disclosed and what should be kept secret. They are new to AEGEE, but you have definitely heard of them a lot in the recent months. And yet, if asked, you might struggle to quickly answer what their everyday tasks are. The AEGEEan was quite puzzled, too, and decided to get all the answers from the first hand. Let us introduce you to the heroes of the data regulation: the Data Privacy Committee of AEGEE-Europe.

Can you give us an insight of the Data Privacy Committee in AEGEE and who are its current members? From which backgrounds do they come?

The Data Privacy Committee (DPC) is a relatively new one. Its focus is to help the European Bodies and the Locals implement the General Data Protection Regulation, that came into effect on the 25th of May 2018. This regulation sets new rights and obligations for the owners of the data, as well as the organisations and companies processing the data. We do this by creating tools for the Locals to use, such as templates of necessary documents and a booklet, with simplified steps to reach the needed level of protection. We are also always ready to answer any questions members have and are even open to Skype calls in certain cases. We have currently 8 members, they are mostly very experienced AEGEEans: Veronika Chmelárová, Elena Efremova, Paul Smits, Stas Mahula, Philipp von Klitzing, Clemens Adler, Bor de Kock and Jesús Perez Gill. Additionally to these, we have our CD responsible who is Monika Mojak and currently 2 observers: Loes Rutten as MedCom appointed and Fabrizio Bellicano. They all come from different fields of studies, from computer science to law and cyber security, which provides the committee with multiple angles of view on each case. 

What will the tasks of the new Commission be and how will it be related to the Mediation Commission?

The new Commission will take over all the advisory tasks from the Committee and expand its field of action, through also taking over some tasks from the Mediation Commission. Practically all, which are related to the field of Data privacy. Thus it will be, among others, defining the protection levels of data, controlling the access of members (famous NDAs), managing the list of admissible and adequately protected communication channels and more. What is important, is that, the Commission will have the right to investigate the actions of Locals handling the data of AEGEE-Europe and activate the Mediation Commission in case of need. Despite all these new powers, the Mediation Commission will still remain the “judge” and maintain its powers in deciding conflicts. 

Talking about upcoming elections in Agora Salerno, how would you motivate AEGEEans to be a part of DPC? What sorts of skills they would need? What kind of skills will they gain?

Being a part of a Commission of AEGEE-Europe is an experience on its own as they have their own unique structures, you can learn a lot about teamwork, team management and leadership. The Data Privacy Commission will have a special, very narrow focus therefore the skills that they will need, will be, being able to lead constructive discussion with their fellow members and having the specific knowledge of the GDPR and other privacy regulations. IT skills are not necessarily a condition, but will be an advantage and much like a legal background or an understanding of legal documents. Due to this, these knowledge and skills will definitely deepen throughout the year. Other than all these skills, what you will get nevertheless is an unforgettable experience!

Last but not the least would you again apply for a position in DPC? If yes, why? If no, what kind of future are you looking ahead with the skills you gained from being a member of DPC?

Veronika: Personally, I would gladly apply for my position again. Data privacy is a big topic in my field of studies and discussing it with like minded, yet very different people from all over Europe on real cases has been great. And trust me, we have had quite the good discussions. It’s too soon to talk about my future in any way, because I still need to finish my degree, but I can see how the year in this Committee has broaden my views on this topic and how it will be helpful. 

Elena: Definitely yes. Working in such a committee with such experienced people is a real pleasure. You get to know something new all the time. Once you think you’ve got everything, a new point of discussion appears. Here I feel I have developed myself. The topic is important and you feel your work make changes. 

Bor: Yes I would! During my time in this committee I have got to know the GDPR and other laws a lot better and it has been a lot of fun to meet people and parts of AEGEE that I would not otherwise encounter. I also think it is beneficial for the DPC to have people with different backgrounds on board, how I see and treat data as an engineer can sometimes be very different from how other people see it, and from these differences we can all learn a lot. I feel the discussions we had within the DPC and the communication we’ve had with the larger AEGEE community have made a difference in the way that we handle our members’ data, and in the end that is the most important. 

Do you remember the very first time you went to an Agora, and how overwhelmed you probably felt at all the new experiences, new people and new knowledge? Or are you going to your first Agora and curious to find out what will happen? The Agora Mentorship project is here to help you out!

Have you ever wondered why some participants at Spring Agora Enschede 2017 had an “i” icon or a graduation hat on their badges? Well, those were mentors (“i” icon) and mentees (graduation hat icon), participating in the first re-launch of the Agora Mentorship project. Through this project, AEGEEans who were going to their first Agora were coupled with an experienced Agora participant, who could guide them through the chaos we call our general assembly.

Interesting idea, but did it actually work? If we look at the evaluation answers, yes! For the question: “Would you recommend the Agora Mentorship project to others, for example new members in your local?”, 100% of the people said yes, and a large majority (84,4% to be more precise) wanted to participate (and is now participating) in a future edition again too as a mentor.

In the very first edition, 27 mentors took care of 63 mentees, and for Autumn Agora Catania 2017, we are back with 32 mentors and 64 mentees. A good reason to continue this growing project, which is organised by the Human Resources Committee (HRC) again after having its first edition during Spring Agora Asturias 2015, and another edition at Autumn Agora Kyïv 2015.

At Spring Agora Enschede 2017, the project was then officially re-established, and plans to continue in the future also thanks to the incredible hard work of Svenja van der Tol, Andrea Schmelz, Sonia Della Sala, Lyda Michopoulou, and Patrycja Figarska.

The re-launched version of the Agora Mentorship project mainly consists of:

1. Mentor-mentees couples or groups consisting of one mentor and up to four mentees, according to the mentors’ availability.
2. The Agora for Newbies session, which is held in the shape of an Agora simulation.
3. Online preparation of participants via Facebook page through explanatory posts.
4. Live and online helpdesk during the Agora, meant to answer all doubts and questions. The live helpdesk is available during lunch and coffee breaks, while the online helpdesk can be reached through chat on the HRC Facebook page during plenaries.

Missed your chance to apply this time? Stay tuned for Spring Agora Kraków 2018, where we will prove that three times is a charm!

If you want to know more about HRC and have doubts about anything, please approach us during Agora at the Fair or at our Helpdesk.

Written by Sonia Della Sala, AEGEE-Salerno

Agora Mentorship, the aspiring project of the Human Resources Committee, which will be actively reintroduced during Agora Enschede, aims at making the members more aware of what is happening during the big Statutory Meeting. No more people with the “what the hell is going on” face and, hopefully, no more sleeping beauties as well.

Each Agora, we see a lot of people applying without having sometimes any clue of what is an Agora and get easily lost or with the rather confusing AEGEE “slang” that is frequently used, such as “CIA”, “Prytanium”, “proposal”. With the Agora Mentorship System, we dream to make the Agora (especially if it is the first one) a little bit less scary and confusing, enabling participants to fully enjoy and participate.

Agora Mentorship had previous versions in 2015, but now the HRC is bringing it back.  Namely because it  is one of the HRC’s most visible projects, and a perfect example of how the Human Resources Committee wants to tackle the issues AEGEEans are facing, making them more familiar with the structure of the association and preparing them into exploring their potential within it.

Agora Mentorship has had a number of different stages. As you may have already noticed we have launched open calls for mentors (meaning experienced AEGEEans with significant knowledge about the Agora and the whole organisational structure) and mentees (meaning the newcomers or the people who want to learn more and eventually become mentors during the next launch of the Project). Currently, we have 27 mentors and 62 mentees, which are grouped according to the needs expressed by the mentees.

Apart from the pairing, HRC has been working into actively preparing mentors into their demanding job by collaborating with other Bodies, as the Chair Team and the Juridical Commission. This preparation involved preparatory Hangouts/Skype meetings in which we discussed the duties they have, but also the knowledge needed to properly inform and mentor their mentees.

Besides that, we have also sent reading material to both the mentors (more advanced) and mentees (basics) to prepare themselves individually. Next to our Skypes, all mentors also had their own meetings with their mentees, varying from two-hour-long-Skypes to Facebook chat groups.

During the Agora, apart from the pairs, Agora Mentorship Project will be available for every single participant! Yes, you read it correct! We would like to thank the local organisers for supporting our idea of having a live helpdesk, meaning a place where participants can come and meet us, HRC members (during coffee breaks and lunches). Furthermore, we will also provide the possibility to ask clarifications and questions about the Agora through our online helpdesk (during plenary). Just write on our Facebook page (try not to complain about the food or the gym). Speaking of which, we have already started explaining the basics by daily posts. So be sure you pressed the like button! Last but not least, HRC members will hold the Agora for Newbies Workshop during the Agora. So if you are a fresh member, join us.

Closing this article,  we want to invite the participants of the Agora to come and meet us during the Fair or at our live helpdesk, in order not only to learn more about the Agora but also explore the possibilities and support our committee is offering to them and their locals.

Written by Elena Panagopoulou, on behalf of Human Resources Committee

Every AEGEE local is trying to build amazing,  fun, unforgettable events every year, but to create a quality event, that has the impact that organisers want, is not so easy. But organisers are not alone in this process because Events Quality Assurance Committee ( EQAC) is always willing to help and they are only one e-mail away.

The Events Quality Assurance Committee of AEGEE-Europe aims to support locals and organisers to ensure a better quality of events taking place in the AEGEE network. Providing guidelines, quality indicators, assessment and evaluation forms, the Events Quality Assurance Committee’s main field of tasks consists of: helping the locals with event planning, cooperating with bodies on a European level, promoting events, and increasing the quality of events regarding content and logistics. Other examples are: having a better overview of AEGEE events for an easier impact measurement process, and improving educational events to aid the recognition of non-formal educational methods.

Each member has three of four NetCommies assigned, and the relations with the assigned NetComs are fundamental for compliance with deadlines. All of EQAC’s activities are based on the ”Framework of Quality Assurance of the Non-Formal Education Manual”, edited by the European Youth Forum and every change and development of the committee has to follow the steps of this manual.

Their aim is to support and advise organisers of events in all phases of setting up an event, and the committee invites all present and future organisers of events to approach every EQAC member, should there be any case of doubt or need for proper advice, stating that: “We’ll be more than happy to support you!”.

From the EQAC’s point of view, the one thing that is a must in order to have a successful event is a clear goal, a well defined purpose. This recipe for success is the foundation for a good organisational team, and allotting a proper amount of time for planning and testing various aspects of an event is key. Nevertheless, experience is the one quality that makes the difference in the end. For this, they advise you to start as a participant in various AEGEE events, to continue with organising small events, to meet people that have more experience and can give you tips & tricks and to check the guidelines before building an event.

Future projects, that EQAC is working on are: the development of a new assessment form system, the development of a new evaluation form, data mining and impact measurement, and the development of a badge system. AEGEEans can find out more about what all of these mean, how they work, and other future projects at the Agora in Chișinău.

The saying “strong essences are held in small bottles” proves to be true because the Committee has only three members, plus four additional members who belong to the EQAC Task Force. The latter are a kind of ‘job shadowers’, being specialised in developing one or more tasks, for example the data mining or the badge system.

If you see yourself as the most experienced event organiser of your local, as someone who is responsible, reliable, willing to help with organising quality events, or you want to learn even more and put event management in your CV by learning the Europe-wide approved form of quality assurance then join EQAC to learn how to improve the planning management and evaluation of your events for you and for your local! EQAC is offering plenty of opportunities: working in an international and intercultural team, working in cooperation with different European bodies of AEGEE-Europe, personal development in the field of quality assurance and much more. For becoming a part of an enthusiastic team, do not miss the open call for new EQAC members that will start soon after Agora Chişinău!

Written by Violeta Croitoru, AEGEE-Iaşi