This time the future of AEGEE takes place in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, a small country in the middle of the Caucasus mountain range. As with every spring, AEGEE will choose new people to be in elected positions in Europe and new steps will be taken towards the progress of Europe. Participants following the motto of the event, “You Decide”, will make important decisions that will affect AEGEE for the rest of the year. 

What do we in AEGEE know about this former USSR country at the end of Europe? We had to wait until 2010 to see the only antenna in Armenia, established in Yerevan which is known as “The sunniest city in Europe”. A pearl to be discovered, their members want to get closer to the rest of Europe despite the historical and geographical barriers preventing it. In this event, AEGEE-Yerevan will show, through the amazing organising team, what they can do and we’ll get to know them better through this interview!

Hello, good evening, and thank you so much for this interview. As an introduction, can you please tell us about yourselves?

Բարև(Barev) – Hi! We are Kalipso Bznuni, the President of AEGEE-Yerevan and Armenak Minasyants, the Main Organiser of Spring Agora Yerevan. We are honoured and also very excited to be sharing the wonderful vibes of the upcoming Agora, so let’s dive in!

Before talking about the Spring Agora of May 2020 maybe you can tell us about the history of AEGEE-Yerevan. What important events have organised the antenna since its foundation in 2010?

Being established in 2010 by a group of like-minded Erasmus alumni, AEGEE-Yerevan has grown to become one of the leading youth organisations in Armenia and one of the strongest in the AEGEE network. The broader mission of AEGEE-Yerevan on the local level is to promote European integration, active citizenship and youth mobility in education in Armenia and beyond. By encouraging traveling and mobility, stimulating open discussion and organising common projects, AEGEE-Yerevan aims to overcome national, cultural and ethnic divisions often seen in society and to help in creating a society that matches the youth’s vision of Europe.

As of right now more than 100 young people a year with various educational backgrounds, interests are coming from all over Armenia to be active members or volunteers of the organisation. In recent years AEGEE-Yerevan has organised more than 60 local youth projects, international conferences, as well as Erasmus Capacity Building trainings, allowing for more than 5000 students and young people from both Yerevan and other regions of Armenia (as well as other European countries) to take part in youth empowerment, civic education and leadership events. Among those projects, we would like to highlight a few.
Every year since 2011, AEGEE-Yerevan has organised an event known as the Armenian Model EU Conference, which typically brings 130 participants from various European countries to Yerevan to participate in a political simulation alongside their local counterparts. The event takes place on an annual basis and serves as a platform for young people to network not only with peers but also with experts in the field. The political simulation is preceded by sessions with representatives of Armenian state bodies and CSOs, journalists and youth workers, who participate in panel discussions and working sessions with the young participants on topics related to current political trends in Armenia, the Caucasus, and the broader region. As an AEGEE local, we are obviously, very proud of being the host of AEGEE’s first-ever statutory event in the South Caucasus and the biggest ever European youth event in Armenia – European Planning Meeting Yerevan 2018. The event gathered around 200 AEGEEans and is considered to be one of the highest-level events in the recent history of AEGEE-Europe, receiving the patronage of Ms. Federica Mogherini, Vice President of the European Commission. Another highlight is the Euroclubs in Armenia which with the objective to promote and develop European values among youth were founded in 2016 by AEGEE-Yerevan and funded by the Delegation of the European Union in Armenia. In the period, 2016-2018, 11 Euroclubs were established, one in each region of Armenia, in the course of the 2 years since their establishment, the Euroclubs have involved over 900 youngsters in more than 40 different trainings and events on civic education, gender equality, youth opportunities and more. Afterwards, in late 2018, AEGEE-Yerevan hosted a specially outlined training camp titled “Youth: Trends & Leaders”, which was organised in partnership with the Prague Civil Society Centre and brought an experience-sharing and study visit of 60 leading civic and political activists from the former-Soviet Union space (including all Central Asian countries) and Eastern Europe with the aim of training them with the knowledge and experience of developing civic education and active citizenship concepts.
And now we are looking forward to our next milestone – Spring Agora Yerevan 2020. 

How did the idea of organising an Agora start and why did you want to make this project real?

Agora is a huge project for any local, including us, even though we have had a very successful experience in hosting statutory events, namely EPM Yerevan 2018, which eventually brought together one of the biggest numbers of participants (178) in the most recent editions of the EPM. While applying for Agora, we were also motivated by the rapid democratic changes happening in our country as a result of the Velvet Revolution of 2018, which has completely changed the landscape in our society. AEGEE-Yerevan also has passed through its generational change and we have now much younger and new faces. So we want to capitalise on this, and having now a huge team of volunteers, being led by the experienced and proven AEGEEans – the local is more than ready to host not only Agora but anything else you can ever dream about! So for us hosting the agora is not that much of a motivational thing, rather than a normal process of organisational growth, let’s say, the logical next step for our local’s development.  

Do you expect participants to come from all over Europe? And what kind of activities can they expect during the event?

The short answer is why not? As local organisers, we are working our hardest to ensure the making of the best Agora ever is a reality and we hope that our motivation coupled with a curiosity to explore Armenia will transpire into potential participants. Especially now when there are dozens of affordable connections via RyanAir and WizzAir to regional airports literally from anywhere, no visa requirement to travel to the region to almost all nationalities, amazing logistics and accommodation at agora, a hospitable host nation, rich European culture and tasty food! The momentum continues to build around Agora Yerevan; which is really exciting for us.
The upcoming Spring Agora Yerevan 2020 will be highlighted with the big amount of thematic content and thematic activities. As the general theme of we have selected digitalisation and youth work and as a thematic agora, the upcoming event will focus on developing AEGEE’s members’ skills and competences through non-formal learning and civic education, enhance their digital and media literacy skills. In addition to the traditional workshops and progress meetings, this agora will also offer a variety of thematic panel discussions and workshops, which will be attended by high level national and European officials, known youth workers and enthusiasts as well as supported by various known IT companies and agencies. We are confident people would respond to the event once they got to know the conditions and terms of it. In recent years, sadly, the numbers of participants for all AEGEE activities are in decline. This is a bit of an institutional and systemic problem, but for us, it’s quality over quantity. Honestly, sometimes, we hear this where AEGEEans work on a project to reach a certain number of participants but we don’t want to organise an Agora just to chase numbers! Stay tuned, it’s going to be a great event with even greater participants, regardless of the numbers! 

Because this is an important event in the AEGEE calendar and the opinion of different members will count, what is the situation of the organisation nowadays and what is the solution to its problems?

As promised back in May in Bucuresti, we have started working on the Agora since the day we were back and in that time have already managed to secure the fundraising of the event, establish all key local and international partnerships and launch effective communication within the broader AEGEE network. Still, any AEGEEan who has organised any type of event throughout their AEGEE career, or outside of it, be it small or big, can definitely understand the unique challenges the event management can present. We are very lucky to have an amazingly strong and qualified team which makes the whole process with all of its challenges to be an exciting one. The Agora Yerevan 2020 team – both the local and international core teams, is a dream to work with and we are honored to be doing it this year! 

Ok, so let’s finish with this question: what will AEGEE-Yerevan do in the future after this Spring Agora?

Well, the team will have a well-deserved staff retreat trip to a yet undecided destination and afterwards back into action! 

Agora Catania is starting in a few days and as always, the AEGEEan will try to help you better understand the Proposals which will be discussed during the Prytania. These following ones are proposed by the Mediation Commission, the Audit Commission, AEGEE-Aachen and AEGEE-Enschede.

Fixed term for the Mediation Commission

Proposed by Damien Lacatz on behalf of the Mediation Commission. This proposal seeks approval for the establishment of a set starting date for the term of the Mediation Commission, which now starts on the day following the end of Agora, implying that previous commissioners lose access rights due to confidenciality and thus making KT very difficult. If the proposal was to be approved, the MedCom would have a term starting on the 1st of December, allowing a timeframe for KT between the election date and the starting date. The proposal would end up in an addition of this provision to the Statutes of AEGEE-Europe, also granting the newly elected members access to all necessary data for Knowledge Transfer purposes.

Gathering of the financial documents of every European event

Proposed by Luca Bisighini on behalf of the Audit Commission. This proposal aims at making the work of the Audit Commission more comprehensive and more respondent to its features in compliance with article 27 of the CIA and articles 13 and 14 of the Financial Rules. The proposed change to the Financial Rules of AEGEE-Europe aims at collecting and checking the financial data connected to events and projects organised by locals (final budget, bank history, bookkeeping), in relation to every European event and project.

Modification of Locals’ Statutes

Proposed by Nils Barkawitz on behalf of AEGEE-Aachen. This proposal is based on the fact that to fulfill Antenna Criteria, a local should have Statutes compatible with the Convention d’Adhésion and the Statutes of AEGEE-Europe in both the original language and English to be presented to the Juridical Commission upon request or upon modification by the local, but nobody checks if changes were made during the last term. Thus the proposal is to delete from Article 6 (1).1. the expression “upon modification by the local or”.

Nomination of the JC member who is in MedCom

Proposed by Damien Lacatz on behalf of the Mediation Commission. This proposal’s aim is to introduce at Article 29, (4) of the Statutes of AEGEE-Europe a provision making it possible for the Juridical Commission to appoint a member different than its president, suitable for mediation and resolution of conflicting issues, to join the Mediation Commission.

Proposal to set all deadlines for publishing official documents at two weeks before the Agora 2.0

Proposed by Steyn ten Kate, Rik Smale and Timo Haarman on behalf of AEGEE-Enschede. Following a previous proposal during Spring Agora Enschede, this proposal aims at setting the deadline for the publication of all official documents of Agora two weeks before Agora. If approved, it would result in the addition of this provision to the Charter of Honorary Members and the Working Format of the Agora.

You can find all the proposals here.

Written by Federica Soro, AEGEE-Cagliari

Agora Catania is starting in a few days and as always, the AEGEEan will try to help you better understand the Proposals which will be discussed during the Prytania. These following ones are all proposed by the Comitè Directeur. 

EPM topic selection at Spring Agora

Proposed by Loes Rutten on behalf of the CD. This proposal aims at anticipating the selection of the topic for EPM to Spring Agora, in order to have a better correspondence of the timeframe with the preparatory work of the hosting local. Moreover, the announcement of hosting local of EPM would be made at the previous EPM, so that this factor could be taken into consideration for the topic selection. The proposed emendments to the Working Formats of Agora and EPM replace the expression “Autumn Agora” with the expression “Spring Agora” (in the Agora WF) and “the preceding Spring Agora” (in the EPM WF).

On resignation of members from elected European Bodies

Proposed by Fabrizio Bellicano on behalf of the CD. This proposal’s intention is to limit the possibility for members to apply for an elective position before they finish their duties, in case they where already elected for a different elective position at a previous Agora. The proposed changes to the WF of the Agora add that members who hold an Agora-elected position cannot run for a different elective position at the following Agora, except when the end of the previous term and the beginning of the following one do not collide. The same rationale would apply to resignations, unless announced three months in advance before Agora.

Vote of Confidence and Comité Directeur

Proposed by María Ballesteros Melero on behalf of the CD. This proposal is based on the fact that a vote of confidence against the CD is automatic in case the interim Action Agenda fulfillment is not approved by Agora, but the CD doesn’t -and shouldn’t- have control over the Action Agenda fulfillment. It is proposed to link the vote of confidence to the lack of approval by Agora for binding documents for CD such as their Activity Plan or interim Activity Report. This last provision would be added to article 21, (1) of the Statutes of AEGEE-Europe, while at article 3, (3) of the Strategic Plan and Action Agenda, point 5 (“Disapproval of the interim evaluation leads to a vote of confidence for the Comité Directeur”) would be removed.

You can find all the proposals here.

Written by Federica Soro, AEGEE-Cagliari

During Agora, there can be many scary words going around if you’re there for the first time – especially if you’re a delegate. Don’t worry, the Chair Team is here for the rescue! In this article, the Schulze method (ranked voting) will be explained, so you can come a bit more prepared.

What is ranked voting?

Ranked voting is a type of online voting where instead of simply casting votes, delegates are asked to rank their preferences. It is currently used for the EPM topic selection, and was used for selecting the Focus Areas for Strategic Plan 2017-2020 (in combination with voting on the number of focus areas). Ranked voting was introduced to the CIA by a proposal in Agora Bergamo, and has been used in practice since Agora Chisinau.

What is the Schulze method?

The Schulze method is a specific way of ranked voting which is in the CIA used for ranked voting (by the same proposal in Agora Bergamo). It was developed in 1997 by Markus Schulze as an electoral system for selecting a single winner by using votes that express preferences. Without getting into too many details, the method works with the following system: voters make an ordered preference list (aka ranking the options) where ties and/or leaving out options are allowed. Then for every two options, they are compared (ignoring the other options), checking which option is more preferred by the voters. After the options are compared, the system calculates the strongest paths (aka which option is the most preferred overall by all voters) and the final results are made.

Looks confusing? Here is an example supported by Wikipedia:

Let’s assume that there have been 5 topics submitted for EPM, named A, B, C, D and E. There have been 45 votes cast in the following order:

Number of voters           Order of preference

5                                       ACBED

5                                       ADECB

8                                      BEDAC

3                                      CABED

7                                      CAEBD

2                                      CBADE

7                                      DCEBA

8                                      EBADC

First, the pairwise preferences are calculated which will look like this:

Green means that the voters preferred the option in the column, red means that the voters preferred the option in the row (for example, 20 voters preferred topic A over B, and 25 who preferred topic B over A).

For the next step, the strongest paths are calculated (how it is exactly done is visualised with direct graphs in the Wikipedia article), which will look like this:

Green means that the voters preferred the option in the column, red means that the voters preferred the option in the row (for example, 28 voters preferred topic A over B, and 25 who preferred topic B over A, so with the Schulze method topic A is better than topic B).

Based on the Schulze method, the ranking is E>A>C>B>D, therefore topic E is selected for the topic of the EPM.

How the method is visualised in the AEGEE voting system you can see it in the following pictures:

The Schulze method has been selected for voting for the following reasons:

• It allows the delegates to make ties for the ranking (they can rank one or several options as same importance)
• It allows the delegates to leave out options (they can leave an option out of the ranking if they feel strongly against it)
• It reflects on the majority decision (the option which is preferred by most voters in general)

We hope that with this article we could give you a bit of help for understanding the Schulze method as ranked voting in AEGEE! In case you have any questions or doubts, don’t hesitate to ask us before Agora at chair@aegee.org, or at the HRC help desk during the Agora!

Written by Tekla Hajdu, Chair Team jobshadower

Vasiliki Andrioti, member of AEGEE-Ioannina, main organiser of a Winter University and of a NWM, is one of the most active members of her Antenna. She also collaborated as SubCommie with Network Commissioner Spyros Papadatos.  Now she wants to share her passion for the SU project and improve it. Furthermore, Vasiliki shares some proposals about the 30th anniversary of the SU. We interviewed her about her candidature and her programme. 

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to run for a position in the Summer University Coordination team?

Vasiliki: Summer University is the project that changed my life. Even if it sounds cliché for an AEGEEan to say so, this is the truth. I consider myself a totally different person before and after Summer 2016. Using this SU’s title BBS, I am Bigger, Better, Stronger after it. I am very passionate about SU. So my will to get involved on the European level (other than The AEGEEan, that matches my academic interests) is an absolute extension to my passion for Summer University. Through this year that I have become actually active by organising and participating to various events (SUPS, SU, NWM, Agora, etc.), I have gained skills and I have come up with ideas that I can see now visualised in the Summer University Project. This is my main motivation for running for Fundraiser and Content Manager. I would like to give back to AEGEE and SU, specifically, what I have been gifted on experience and knowledge. I would consider myself really proud to be part of this team.

You are in the board of AEGEE-Ioannina, appointed main organiser for upcoming events, already active at the European level. How do you plan to balance your committments with SUCT?

The last year I admit that it has been very active for me. As I usually say, my life is all about AEGEE now. Actually I owe this motivation that keeps me moving to Summer University. It wasn’t hard for me to decide that I wanted to involve myself on the local and, after a while, on the European level, as I was seeking a medium to express myself. Until now, I have managed to cooperate very well and to live up to the expectations in every position. I am the perfectionist type of person [she laughs]. I always give 100%+1 of myself in everything I am involved. And this is what I am planning to do with SUCT as well. I am very passionate about this project and I am absolutely ready to be devoted and work for it. As for my other commitments, on the local level I am only busy on a demanding level up to the 5th of November, that NWM-Ioannina finishes its circle.

Other than this, my fellow board members and NetCom Spyros Papadatos are aware of my decision and they support me with any potentially increased duties. My first priorities this year are two: SUCT and The AEGEEan. I am finding myself to have ideas that I would really like to put in practice for both projects. This year I feel the need to create and give back to the association the knowledge and competences I have gained all this time. To conclude, I do not believe in neither quitting nor over-taking responsibilities. I believe on being able to put duties in hierarchy and trust me, I know this well. If it is on stake, SUCT will never come second.

What is your most relevant experience when it comes to Summer University?

In the last two years I have participated in four Summer Universities (Ioannina 2016- helper, Cagliari 2016- participant, Ioannina 2017- organiser & trainer, Cagliari 2017- helper). Ioannina-Cagliari, 2-2 [she laughs]. I have covered pretty much every position available in a Summer University project and I am really thankful for the experience of getting to know this amazing AEGEE spirit. Other than this though, I have gained a series of competences and skills, such as project management, public speaking and communication, risk assessment, delivering sessions, leadership, FR, being the ever happy reader of the gossip box, cooking for fifty people [she laughs], etc. But above all, I would put teamwork. A SU is a teamwork project, from whichever point you may see it, and I consider this my most valuable gain from it.

Your application is very focused on content. Do you have any idea on how to develop a fundraising strategy for SUs?

My application is mainly focused on content, because my primary interest in SUCT is Content Manager. In my years in AEGEE I have mostly worked on this direction on the local and European level. In my local, AEGEE-Ioannina, I have been working as main organiser or organiser for events, meetings, presentations being mainly responsible for the content. I believe that content is what builds the basis on which every activity can be further developed. As for the European level, I have been a member of The AEGEEan for almost a year now and I have gained experience on communicating with various people across the Network for interviews, writing interviews and getting involved with a wide range of subjects that concern AEGEE. Lastly, since Agora Enschede I have been a SubCommie to NetCom Spyros Papadatos (on the field of Thematic Events). I think that quality should be a priority when it comes to a project like Summer University, and I am in the position to offer this quality as Content Manager with my knowledge and experience.

Despite this, being a main organiser twice (“Our Big Fat Greek Winter University”, on behalf of my antenna, and NWM-Ioannina), I also have experience on Budgeting and Corporate Fundraising, which is the strategy that we mainly follow in AEGEE-Ioannina. Therefore, I have realised that, on the field of Corporate Fundraising, it is easier for a company to offer funds to a contentful event or project that means to have an impact. This is the reason why I am insisting that much on content and I am running for the position of Fundraiser as well.

If I am going to be elected, I would like mostly to collaborate with CIRC, the European Body responsible for this. My aim is to bring locals closer to an actual assistance on fundraising, other than providing them only with models, that sometimes can be proven unrealistic or difficult to be adopted. I feel very challenged to achieve this composition between Fundraiser and Content Manager, even if I believe deeply that fundraising for SUCT is the product of teamwork among all SUCTies.

Do you have previous experience in fundraising for associations? As Main Organiser of the upcoming Autumn NWM Ioannina 2017 (main organiser) and “My Big Fat Greek” Winter University 2017 (main organiser for AEGEE-Ioannina), did you use some sort of fundraising strategy (i.e. for goods, gadgets, funds or grants)?

The experience I have on Fundraising is mainly focused, as I have said, on Corporate Fundraising. In AEGEE-Ioannina we mostly follow this strategy because it is more realistic on its goals and more suitable to the current economic situation in Greece. For the upcoming NWM-Ioannina, for which I am the main coordinator, I have chosen this strategy, in collaboration with the Fundraising Director of AEGEE-Ioannina, asking for goods that cover all requirements (meals, logistics, transportation expenses, etc.) of a four days event as NWM is. As for Institutional Fundraising, during “Winter University” we managed to make some steps by contacting and establishing a potentially fruitful relationship with the Municipality of Ioannina.

What would you like to organise for the event for celebrating the 30th anniversary of Summer University Project and why?

Summer University is the biggest and longest running project in AEGEE. As this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary, I believe it should be honoured with a celebration that will recognise and pay its respects to all organisers, participants, SUCTies and every person that has contributed to it. I have two ideas right now in my mind. The first proposal would be an exhibition with the history, photos and memoirs from all year’s of Summer University Project in next Agora. My second thought would be to contact The AEGEEan’s Editor-In-Chief and begin a new section, which will be dedicated to the 30th anniversary. Of course though, if I am going to be elected, I would like to cooperate with current SUCT and CD about the work that has already be done and the aspirations that they both have on the anniversary.

Questions from the Network

During the SUs we ask organisers with no previous experience on how to deliver a session to deliver workshops. Could you elaborate on how you would like to develop the booklet with interactive ways for delivering the compulsory sessions?

I share the same concern about what you are refering to. I have participated in four SUs (and many other events) and if I have to be honest, I have rarely seen organisers or participants enjoying or getting the most out of the knowledge they are being provided with. This is from where I got my idea about the booklet of interactive ways to deliver a session. I would like to mostly work with SUpporters and European Bodies for creating and publishing it.

In extent, I would like to hold an open call for the Network, so that people with relevant experience on delivering sessions in both formal or interactive way can share their knowledge or experience. This booklet is going to involve specific guidelines and examples on how to deliver a workshop (compulsory or of any other subject). Having participated in Erasmus+ projects, which develop in a large scale this system, I have witnessed that non-formal education can be more efficient than traditional ways of knowledge transfer.

Other than this, I am of the opinion that an organiser who has never delivered a session will find it easier to adapt an interactive way to their personality, enrich it with their own experience and therefore, be able to hold the workshop successfully. Make it theirs! Professional trainers or even experienced ones are not always a solution for every local, and besides this everybody starts from somewhere. Moreover, such sessions can be held at any time and any place, which is a big advantage to the overall result. This booklet will be available before SUs and even explained and introduced in the SUPS.

In your programme you refer to a forum/session in the SUs that will aim to provoke discussion on everyday issues. What exactly are you aiming with this?

Thank you for making this question to me, as this is one of the most challenging aspects of my programme. The idea begins from the Open Space that already exists in NWMs. I have participated in two NWMs (Cagliari 2016 and Thessaloniki 2017) and I have been inspired the most during this specific session. This is the reason why I would like to see it implemented in a SU.

SU is the most successful and recognisable project in AEGEE, which attracts hundreds of participants every year. Therefore, I think it is fit to have a forum/session that matches the ever moving world we are living in. The current political, social and economical situation in Europe provokes a sense of instability among every citizen, let alone young people like us. The very successful title of last year’s EPM, “Populism: Europe Under Siege”, describes in the best way possible the reality we are living. In this forum/session young people (participants and organisers) will have the space to express their thoughts and fears regarding AEGEE and beyond AEGEE issues. For me this is a form of public discussion and communication.

Other than compulsory workshops on what AEGEE is and the Focus Areas, we need to listen to the voice of our Network. My aim is to achieve a wider integration to society’s issues and to prepare young people to face the challenges of our era. Finally… IDEAS. Ideas that will lead to future projects/groups in AEGEE and will transfer these problematics from theory to practice. Summer University inspires us all and I believe it is the right place for such a forum/session (whichever the name) to exist.

What do you hope to achieve through the collaboration with European bodies and external partners?

I can only sum it up in two words. Rich content. Through a close collaboration between European bodies and external partners, locals can have an efficient assistance on finding and establishing the core, the basis, around which they can organise their SU. As an organiser, I know that it can be proven difficult to come up with an idea about a SU.

As a potential Content Manager, I would like to help this become easier and also, taking it one step further, support and motivate locals to get out of their comfort zone and create a SU that will challenge them. Moreover, locals can also cooperate with European bodies by asking trainers on that specific theme they choose as content. Content is not to be feared by organisers or participants. It can offer a solid structure to the SU and help with all aspects (FR,PR, etc.). It can be implemented in various ways and have different forms that will appeal on organisers and participants.

We do not share all of the same interest, but we need to make our own the project we are organising. I am very willing to help locals through this process and achieve a wide range of Summer Universities for every interest.

You said in your application that you want to keep SUpporters and activate them more. Do you have programme for that? What exactly and how they can support you? In our opinion, why right now SUpporters are not so active?

I am absolutely in favour of the idea of SUpporters, as I can see a good potential in it. Even if I have not been part of SUpporters this year, I have been informed about the advantages and disadvantages regarding the team and I believe that it was mainly the lack of a certain delegation of tasks, that has prevented SUpporters from working on their full possibilities. This is the reason I would like to establish a more concrete format and activate SUpporters further. Specifically, my intention is to reorganise the team and delegate positions for SUpporters. Through this I would like to achieve creating a team around each SUCTie, which will work close with them on reference to their various and particular responsibilities.

You can read her full candidature here.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

During Agora, there can be many scary words going around if you are there for the first time – especially if you are a delegate. Don’t worry, the Chair Team is here for the rescue! In this article, all types of voting will be explained alongside what we will specifically vote on at Agora Catania, so you can come a bit more prepared.

Ratifying by acclamation

This is the most simple way of ratification, which is simply done by clapping. It is used for ratifying a decision or action. In case there are objections, it is possible to ask for indicative voting.

What we’ll ratify at Agora Catania:

• Ratification of Elisa Tabbi as Vice-Chairperson of the Agora
• Ratification of the Agenda of Agora Catania
• Ratification of minutes Agora Chisinau
• Ratification of minutes Agora Enschede
• Ratification of the Advisory Board of AEGEE-Europe
• Ratification of Liaison Officers
• Ratification of Europe on Track 5 project
• Ratification of the extension of Election Observation Project
• Ratification of the change of the status of The AEGEEan from project to Committee
• Ratification of to-be upgraded Contacts’ Activity Plan
• Ratification of Network Status Update Agora Catania
• Ratification of host local Autumn Agora 2018

Indicative voting

This is the type of voting which requires the red and green ballots that the Juridical Commission is giving out to delegates when they register at their table. Indicative voting is used in case the Chair Team (or the proposers) would like to get the opinion of the Plenary or Prytanium about a proposal or other matters, or delegates and envoys can request this method first in case they have an objection towards a ratification. In the case of indicative voting, delegates are asked to express their opinion by showing the green or the red ballot (the question and the meaning of the ballots will be explained beforehand). In case the results are not clear or if a delegate/envoy asks for other types of voting, the Chair Team will either move the voting online or will continue with a roll call.

Roll Call

This is the ultimate type of voting, when the decision is binding towards the Agora. On the request of the Chair Team or delegates/envoys, the Chair will ask every local to cast the number of votes they have one by one. Delegates can vote in favour, against or abstention in their case. The Juridical Commission is telling the delegates the number of votes they have (which is regulated by the CIA based on the number of members a local has) during registration, and they are checking on spot whether the number of votes cast are correct in case of a roll call. A roll call vote should be cast in the following way:

• AEGEE-Local number 1, 3 in favour, 1 against, 2 abstentions
• AEGEE-Local number 2, 1 in favour

As a roll call takes significant amount of time, it is usually used as a last resort, and in the recent Agorae, whenever it’s possible the votings are moved online.

Voting by ballots

This type of voting is used to vote on the candidatures. Each antenna’s delegates receive as many ballots as the number of votes they have from the Juridical Commission during the registration at their table. The ballot papers are color-coded for each position for easier vote-counting. During the voting session, delegates need to mark the candidates (with an x or +) that they would like to cast their votes on, or leave them blank in case they do not wish to cast their vote. The Juridical Commission will explain the voting process for each position.

What positions we’ll vote on at Agora Catania:

• Chairperson/Vice-Chairperson of the Agora (2 places)
• Member of Audit Commission (3 places)
• Member of Mediation Commission (4 places)
• Member of Network Commission (5 places)
• Member of Summer University Coordination Team (4 places)

Online voting

This type of voting is used for voting on plans, reports, topics, documents, proposals and motions (which include any topic that has been decided to be moved for online voting). The following list is subject to online voting:

What topics we’ll vote on online at Agora Catania:

• Activity Plan of Comité Directeur 2017-2018
• Activity Report of Comité Directeur 2016-2017 (including report of travels made and the expenses)
• Financial Report of AEGEE-Europe 2016-2017
• Proposed budget of AEGEE-Europe 2017-2018
• Proposals (8)
• Policy Paper on ECI
• Topic for the next European Planning Meeting Yerevan 2018
• Activity Plan of Working Groups 2017-2018
• Activity Report of Working Groups 2016-2017
• Final Action Agenda fulfillment 2016-2017
• Strategic Plan fulfillment 2014-2017

The results of online voting should be considered binding.

We hope that with this article we could give you a bit of help for understanding the procedures of the Agora! In case you have any questions or doubts, don’t hesitate to ask us before Agora at chair@aegee.org, or at the HRC help desk during the Agora!

Written by Tekla Hajdu, Chair Team jobshadower

Are you feeling excited about Autumn Agora Catania 2017? It is happening sooner then we think, but in order for everyone to have a great experience, there is still work to be done. The Chair Team is one of the awesome teams that is bringing their contribution to the Agora, and we asked them some questions so we could find out more about them.

The AEGEEan: Tell us about yourselves.

Chair Team: We are the Chair Team, and we are responsible of the content part of the Agora. In our term we set various open calls (participants, workshops, job shadowers, secretary assistants, etc.), we select participants, and we draft the Agenda. After months of working behind the scene, then we will spend three or four days during the Agora itself moderating the discussion and leading the sessions. Not only this, we have a person in charge of the IT, for presentations and videos, and a Secretary of the Agora with the essential role to take minutes. We are not alone in this and a strict collaboration with Local Organisers, Comité Directeur and Juridical Commission is in place. Our team is composed as following: Erika from AEGEE-Verona is the Chairperson, Elisa from AEGEE-Catania is the Interim Vice-Chairperson, Elena from AEGEE-Grodno is the secretary of the Agora and Jani from AEGEE-Maribor is the IT responsible.

Erika: Elisa is a very calm person and this balances perfectly other personalities in our team. Her approach and her juridical knowledge is an asset that is very precious when it comes to all the procedures of Agora, but it has already proved to be useful in the internal decisions of the Chair Team. Moreover, she promised me to find a boyfriend for me (and Jani can testify), so this is a plus. [she winks, ed]

Elisa: Elena is an amazing person, well prepared and full of energy! She has a lot of experience in Agora as she actively took part in ACT and she is a very sweet girl!

Elena: Jani is a real IT guy. When we get emails full of technical stuff,  he is the only one who can understand what is written inside. Without him, Agora would never happen!

Jani: Erika is a really hardworking person. When she decides to do something, she will put all her efforts to accomplish it. Many people don’t like her, but that is in human nature – they envy those who are better. She seems hard, but she is really a fair person. As a true Italian, she likes to cook and no food is better than hers (and Italian) – that’s why she is our Mama. One sentence to describe her: “I have no prejudices, I hate everyone equally”. [He laughs, ed.]

How do you see this term as a team? What do you want to achieve or change?

Erika: As a team, our personalities are starting to blend. In one way or another we worked together already for Agora Enschede, therefore now it is a matter of starting to build a working relationship in order to be perfectly in sync in Catania. For sure, we still are the blue-eyed Chair Team, and Jani will be renamed Ejani to have all four of us a five-letters name starting with E. We started to work as a team only at the end of June, and at the end of September we will already be in front of the Agora. Two months, with all the administration going on also, are not much to create a proper strategy for change or improvements. Moreover, now we are too early in the preparation to see what we can change in Catania, but some ideas are already on the plate. For sure we are working hard to improve our communication channels, introducing more and more infographics thanks to Elena’s VI approved touch. We will also tighten the relationship we have with the Human Resource Committee after the amazing Agora mentorship in Enschede.

Elena: As you can notice, we don’t have much time for preparations. But as all of us already were connected with Agora management in the Past, I am sure we will do the best. As Erika said already, we want to bring more info about how Agora works for the people that applied: this means more pictures, iconographics and Skypes. Agora is the most important place in AEGEE for our decision-making process and people who participate should have enough knowledge. We will put more efforts to help delegates, and all the other participants, to be more prepared.

Elisa: As Erika said, we are a good team! I worked side by side with Erika and Jani during Agora Enschede, even though I was working from the JC side; Although I’ve never worked with Elena before, she is a very organised and well prepared person, and there is never lack of cohesion inside the team. Moreover, we are going to appeal the Agora Audience with our eyes! However, let’s stay serious! The work in the Chair Team requires many hours, selecting participants, selecting workshops, answering questions, but it’s a stimulating job. We are working hard to give people the sensation to be an active part of the Agora, making iconographic (thanks to the work of Elena) and improving the communication from our side. We don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable towards the Agora, that’s also why we support the great job of the Agora Mentorship Project.

What are your expectations regarding Agora Catania?

Elisa: We have seen a huge number of applications for this Agora, so many people willing to participate to the most important meeting of our organisation. Many newbies have shown curiosity towards this event: I hope that this Agora can be an inspiration for people, above all the new ones, that are the future of our organisation. Of course, I wish that they will participate actively to all the Agora contents, that are always a growth opportunity inside our association.

Elena: Many content discussions with fruitful outcome! And, of course, that everybody will be on Plenaries and Prytania instead of the beach (#dreams).

Erika, you have the experience from Spring Agora Enschede in the Chair Team, how do you think that this will help you at one of the biggest Agora?

Every Agora is different from the previous one because all the variables (Chair Team, participants, locations, items to be discussed, candidates and proposals) change, therefore it is very hard to predict what will come next. Agora Enschede was definitely a good starting point. I had the opportunity to apply all the knowledge I acquired in the past years of the organisation and learn what the Chair should do more in depth, especially when it comes to actual chairing. In Catania my role will be different, I will be Chairperson, which is a whole new responsibility – albeit the work from Chair and Vice-Chair is not very different. I hope to be more relaxed, have more fun and learn from the little mistakes I made in Enschede.

Elisa, why Chair Team and not something else? And why Interim Vice-Chairperson?

I like the concept of the Agora itself. And having the opportunity to be the Vice-Chairperson in my city, chairing meetings, being (somehow) the soul of the Agora, it’s a big honour, if not a dream. Why Interim? Well, I was a JC commissioner at the time of the candidatures for Chairperson/Vice-Chairperson of the Agora, and the work with JC was still heavy at that time; I didn’t want to overcharge myself, risking to leave the work with JC without the proper conclusion and doing the work of Vice-Chairperson not in the owed manner. But when Erika sent the open call for Interim Vice-Chairperson, I felt it was my occasion to coronate my dream of leaving AEGEE with one of the most honorable task in AEGEE: being the Vice-Chairperson of the Agora, our main meeting, our parliament, where the most important decisions are taken; the work with the JC during the open call was a bit less heavy, as the Agora was passed and the CIA 28.1 was almost completed. What to say…I cannot imagine something better!

Elena, why did you choose to apply for Secretary of the Agora?

Minutes are a very important historical document, it’s a golden key to the knowledge from the past. People come to organisation and leave, but minutes as other documents stay here for us. The job of Secretary of the Agora is very often not recognised while that person is a keeper of current knowledge for the future generations. As a historian, I can’t miss that chance to be a keeper of AEGEE history. [she smiles, ed.]

That position is one of the most challenging for me, but I enjoyed taking minutes during a prytanium on Agora Enschede where I was a secretary assistant. So, maybe it is a challenge for myself. [she smiles, ed.] Moreover, as I adore to spend free time reading Agora minutes from the past, it’s a special pleasure to know that one of them is written by yourself.

And yes, when everybody has already forgotten about Agora, I will still be listening to speeches.

Jani, what are your fears regarding Autumn Agora Catania as the IT Responsible of the Chair Team?

From my experience from the previous Agora I would say the biggest fears are accessing OpenSlides and playing (too) big videos in OpenSlides. But we are working on these problems, we already found some solutions.

You can follow them here.

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj Napoca

Spring Agora Enschede was over not long ago, but Autumn Agora Catania is approaching very fast and there is just one thing between being an applicant and a participant: the application.

The first thing to know is: who is going to read your applications? The Chair Team, in cooperation with the Comité Directeur, is the one in charge of selecting participants. And in case you are wondering, yes, the Chair Team will read ALL your motivation letters. Despite the fact that in the team we speak more or less a dozen languages, and ironically two of us are Italian, all your motivation letters should not be in the language of the hosting local of the Agora. The working language of our General Assembly is English, therefore while writing your application remember to use English, and English only. Do not worry if your written English is not the best, as long as you will be able to put a sentence in the right order subject + verb + complement(s), we will definitely understand you.

What to write in it? The application system is helping a bit by giving some outline questions that can help you in drafting the text.

1. Why do you want to participate in this Agora?

2. What do you know about the Agora?

3. How can you contribute to this Agora?

4. What is your AEGEE experience?

5. Since when are you an AEGEE member?

You don’t necessarily have to answer in that order. For example, you can start by describing the highlights of your AEGEE experience and when you joined AEGEE. If you are a new member and you did not have a chance to be active in your local, explain what are your expectations towards the association and the Agora. When asked to explain what you know about the Agora, do not write “enough to attend” or copy and paste what the CIA says about it. What does even mean “enough”? Each Agora is different, so try to go more in depth and describe what Agora means and is to you, what the General Assembly is for AEGEE.

What if you never attend an Agora? Don’t worry, usually up to half of the participants are at their first statutory event. Here you can write how you discovered about Agora, what do you expect the Agora to be. You can also talk with more experienced members, your local boards or even the Network Commissioners and ask what our General Assembly looks like, thus having a better picture of it. Don’t write that you never been to Agora and that’s all, but show that, even if at your first experience, you are eager to learn and participate.

How you can contribute to this Agora is a subjective questions, but in this field you can specify if you are thinking to hold a workshop or a progress meeting, if you are thinking to present something in the plenary, if you would like to help other delegates or visitors with your knowledge or even if you want to run for an elective position. After answering all these questions, why you want to attend the Agora will come easily. And no, getting fatter with heavenly delicious Sicilian food will not be considered a good motivation, even thought we all know that Local organisers are working hard to have the best food possible [Of course, no pressure on you here! she winks, ed.].

Don’t leave it empty, don’t type random words or don’t put just smiles on it. Especially empty applications mean automatical rejection if you are a visitor. Even if you are most likely to be accepted – if you are a delegate or member of a European body – writing a good motivation letter is always a plus. Definitely, it would be perfect to state at least the body you are representing or what you are going to do during the Agora.

What you SHOULD NOT write on it. Avoid having the desire to visit Sicily as your only motivation to go to the Agora. You can book some days before or after the Statutory Event will take place to do that. Don’t say that you will go to the beach instead of attending plenaries, don’t use as your main engine coming to Catania with the intention of meeting friends, discovering a new culture or being a party animal. Those things are nice, but they are not in line with the purpose of our statutory events.

Locals’ boards are important too. They have the faculty of creating a ranking for visitors and assign the participant type (when it is not decided by the local agora) and to leave comments. In this cases, the best thing to do is to be honest. Do not copy and paste the motivation letter of other applicants from your local, but also do not copy and paste board comments for every single member who applied, especially if you do not make an effort to at least change their gender. If you think that several people are promising and more or less equally good, change the words you use for each one of them, personalise your comment. Indeed it is true that boards do not know all the members personally, especially with big locals. In case this happens, and you do not know the applicants, then find a moment to talk with them in order to understand better their motivation to go to the Agora. Locals’ Boards are important also to prepare a bit members who are coming to the Agora. Treat our General Assembly as a Summer University when it comes to the applications. How much effort do we put in making sure that all the members who applied for a SU have a solid motivation letter? Then, try to check also what members of your locals are writing for the Agora. It’s a good way to have all the applicants coming from your local accepted, and an occasion to prepare them already for the event to be.

You can apply for Autumn Agora Catania till the 21st of July here. Locals’ Boards can set a participant type and add board comments until the 25th of July using this link.

For any questions, you can reach the Chair Team here or send an email at chair@aegee.org

Written by Erika Bettin, Chairwoman of Autumn Agora Catania 2017

It’s the closing plenary of Spring Agora Enschede 2017 and the next Spring Agora hosting local has been announced: it is AEGEE-Kraków! We reached out to them and spoke to Magdalena Barwinek, current president of the Polish local, to ask them more about their reaction to the good news and some sneak peeks. 

The AEGEEan: Why did you apply to host Spring Agora 2018?

Autumn Network Meeting 2015 in Kraków

Magdalena: Our local has lately become more and more interested in the topic of European citizenship, so that we have opened up to the international events of AEGEE. Since the moment when 40 members of AEGEE-Kraków attended the Spring Agora Bergamo 2016 (what was the biggest delegation in the history), the idea of organising Agora in Kraków started to go around in the heads of the most experienced members. The topic of hosting the biggest AEGEE event has been present in our local since I remember, but nobody had been brave enough to discuss this issue in detail and to research our logistical potential. Finally, the departing 2016/2017 board made the decision of Open space on the topic of hosting the Agora. Within few hours of discussion, we took into consideration all the pros and cons and the result was surprising. All the 37 members that gathered voted ‘for’, nobody hold off, nobody was against. This result confirmed the Board’s belief, that hosting Agora was a secret dream of all our members.

How did you react when you first heard the news that you were accepted?

With the members who had the input into writing the application form, we have the conversation on Facebook. I remember how excited we were the day before the announcement. “The day” someone woke me up half an hour before the news was supposed to come with the information that the e-mail from CD had been already sent to me. I logged in right away, but there was nothing new, so I started to refresh the page every few seconds, whereas the other people were waiting impatiently on the Facebook conversation. As I finally received the messaged, I shared it immediately with the possible core team and the reactions were more than adorable. People started to shout at their lectures, at work, walking on the street… The witnesses of these reactions could have possibly thought that we are crazy, but this is the quintessence of how badly we wanted to organise Agora!

How would you describe AEGEE-Krakow?

40 AEGEE-Kraków members at Spring Agora Bergamo 2016

AEGEE-Kraków specialises in non-formal education. We annually organise around five local projects related to developing soft and hard skills. One of the most recognisable projects is Free Language Conversations – each semester we give students the opportunity to learn a foreign language on a chosen level, free of charge. The tutors are either philology students, foreigners or any other people who speak a certain language fluently, willing to share their knowledge and gain experience at the same time. Twice a year we organise LTCs, that provide our potential new members with the knowledge about project management. Then, they get the chance to broaden their knowledge at our Management Training Course, the second level of LTC. Mentioning the other projects would take too much space, so anybody who is interested in our local activities – I recommend following our fanpage on Facebook. What I want to add about AEGEE-Kraków is that we are always trying to find a balance between hard work on the projects and the social factor of being AEGEEans. Therefore we often organise trips together to integrate or members, we keep on searching for common activities and we are very open to all kinds of exchanges with other locals. What I really love in our antenna is the Facebook group called ‘SNAP’, which aim is to post your ideas for funny and odd activities. The other members have to make up a quick decision if they want to be your companion. For instance, If I’d had an idea to hitchhike towards Berlin after our General Meeting, I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have to wait more than a few minutes to find several people backing up this idea.

Who will be in the core team of Spring Agora Krakow?

AEGEE-Kraków loves hitchhiking! This time 21 members used this way of transportation to reach Triest in Italy.

As I mentioned before, there is already a group of people who were involved into the preparation of our application form and possibly they will be the members of the core team as well. If it comes to the main coordinator, as the board of AEGEE-Kraków we decided that all our members should have a real influence on this choice. So we announced an open call for this position and the coordinator will be chosen by the Plenary Assembly a few days after Agora. Having regard to the high rank of this event, we came to the common conclusion that this is the most legitimate way to select the leader. Who exactly will take the key positons in the core team is up to the future coordinator – the board will not interfere with her/his decisions. Nevertheless, we have been observing the predispositions of our members, both the experienced and the new, ambitious ones, so that we will be always ready to suggest the candidacies if the coordinator wishes to.

Does AEGEE-Kraków have any past experience in organising an event similar to the Agora?

AEGEE-Kraków has never organised an event as big as Agora, but we succeeded in preparing smaller, international events. In November 2015 we hosted 150 participants of Autumn Network Meeting – Awaken The Dragon. In April 2016 we were responsible for the logistics of 2^nd Youth 2 Youth Summit, the international conference for 100 participants related to the topics of corruption, lack of transparency and accountability and their implications on our lives. We also organised smaller events, as the AEGEE Eastern Partnership Youth Convention in 2015 and Y Vote Convention in 2014.

What do you have in mind for the facilities and the programme?

Current President, Magdalena Barwinek and ex-President, initiator of Spring Agora Kraków, Karolina Lapczyk.

Our aim is to find a place for assemblies at walking distance from the gym, very close to the city centre. We would like to use the public or private transportation as little as possible to let the participants explore the city – walking is the best way to discover the charme of the old streets in Krakow. As I attended few international events of AEGEE, I realized that there are few factors (beyond the substantive value) according to which the participants evaluate the event in general. They expect to eat well, to take a warm shower without standing in a long line and to have a steady access to the sockets and WiFi. The organisers have to bear in mind that if they do not provide the participants with those basics conveniences, even when the content is fine, people will not be fully satisfied. So we will do our best to find the proper facilities that suit these requirements.

What will be your biggest challenges in hosting the Agora?

The biggest challenge will not be organising Agora itself, but planning the activity of our whole local for the period of preparation to this big-scale event. The key to make AEGEE-Kraków still exist after Agora is to preserve the smaller, local projects and let them function within the whole “Agora preparation” period. The challenge therefore will be to divide the workforces wisely between the big, time-consuming project and the smaller, local ones. Thus, we keep in mind that an intensified recruitment process needs to be implemented in order to increase the number of our active members.

What makes Kraków attractive to visit?

Mariacki Church.

Around 20% of the people living in Cracow are students, what makes the city lively 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The historical city centre comes from the XIII century and was successfully developed within the following centuries, so that we can see a variety of architectural examples in one place. One of the most significant ones are Mariacki Church – gothic basilique in the north-eastern corner of the Main Square, Sukiennice – the Cloth Hall in the heart of the square that replaced the wooden market stalls in XIV century and the Wawel Castle, a residence of Polish kings by the Vistula river. Those examples are the absolute must-see, but there are lot more wonderful places to explore. For this reason we recommend to commit to at least one extra day beyond the official timeframe of Agora to explore the city. With a clear conscience we can assure you that in Krakow you can find everything you would expect from the hosting city of Agora – beautiful architecture, friendly people and exciting nightlife without spending a fortune! Moreover, our city is easily accessible from lots of European cities, so there is nothing more to add apart inviting you all to Spring Agora Kraków 2018! You can all feel more than welcome!

Written by Federica Soro, AEGEE-Cagliari and Maria Zwartkruis, AEGEE-Utrecht