It is Network Meeting season again: Spring has sure brought them back! Five to be exact. And since we are sure you’d love to get to know more about them —if you’re half as curious as us, it’s a certainty ;)—, we bring them to you fellow aegeeans. Starting with one full of magic: NWM Castelló: Never Without Magic. Happening in Viver, Spain from the 14th to the 17th of April, it’s an event organised by La Nave Area (Tripu 14.2) and AEGEE-Castelló that sure will be the stuff of fairytales. 

Wanna know more about it? All your questions shall be answered below: 

Welcome organisers of the Network Meeting 2022 in Castelló. Can you quickly introduce yourself —and your antenna—, and tell us what the NWM you are hosting is going to focus on? 

Hello, hello! We are Castelló, an antenna located in the Mediterranean coast of Spain, with great weather and some of the best villages in Europe. We are very excited to present to you the event of the year, the NWM Castelló: Never Without Magic. As you may guess, it is all about magic, isn’t it? So be ready to introduce yourself into a world full of fantasy… But it is not all about fairy tales, since we want to see, from another perspective, the famous films we have all known since we were children. 

This event wouldn’t be possible without the work of our FANTASTIC team:

• Lorena Navarro (Main Organiser)
• Lore Aznar (treasurer)
• Oriol Sánchez, Alicia García and Roser Negre (Social program responsibles)
• Cristina Fábrega and Paula Ginés (Incomings)
• Carlos Pascual (Cooking responsible)
• Jorge Moreno (Advisor)

What made you say “yup, we’re organising a NWM”? 

We have been wanting to organise one for so many years and this, finally, is our year. We started to settle things up back in October and, since then, we are kicking it. As you know from the previous question, we are about ten people fully organising, and about five other people that will help during the event. 

You can’t imagine how excited and motivated we are to prepare a great and different NWM.

Are you taking special precautions because of the pandemic? 

For sure. We will ask for a COVID certificate and a negative pharmacy test before the event starts. During it, we will be very cautious about open spaces, ventilation, masks, and hydroalcoholic gel.

What would the ideal participant look like for you? 

Someone who is full of energy, ready to learn new things, who is funny, and wants to explore the incredible world of magic.

What can the participants expect to learn during the NWM? 

As every NWM, there is a more “formal” programme, in which participants will learn how to organise an event, strengthen their teamwork, and realise their abilities. We also want to approach the films we all know about heroes and fairy tales from a gender/LGBTQ+ perspective. We also have a social programme, full of surprises, magic, and fun.

Have you also planned social activities? 

Yes, of course. We have a lot of surprises prepared for all of you. We don’t want to give anything away but, if you love Disney, you won’t forget this event.

Can we get a little peak on the programm? 

To prepare a really enjoyable event we can’t share much information so you will have to imagine what is coming. See you soon! :)

If this sounds exciting, remember that you’re still on time for applying. 

Here is the link in myaegee: https://my.aegee.eu/events/nwm-castello-2022-never-without-magic

Network Meetings are an important part of AEGEE. They teach our members new skills and bring the network closer together. Our journalist Jovana took part in the NWM Zagreb and is telling us about her amazing experience. Are you getting curious about these events now? Then don’t worry: There are new NWM happening this spring, the applications are already open. So what are you waiting for? Go to MyAEGEE and apply!

On the 9th of December, I was graciously chosen to be one of the participants for Aegee-Zagreb’s NWM. This particular NWM taught us a lot about fundraising, recruiting new members and about AEGEE’s European Bodies, as well as introducing us to Zagreb’s  culture, history, and nightlife.

This being my first ever AEGEE experience outside my local, I had a lots of fun, and was not disappointed! The people I met were fantastic, and the organisers and facilitators were very informative and helpful. With me there was also a girl named Nanda from Aegee-Nijmegen, who was just as me  was new to this type of event. I had the opportunity to interview her and she had some pretty interesting things to say.

Jovana: “What did you think the NWM would be like? And has it met your expectations?”

Nanda: “I thought that it would have been more formal in the sense that we would get a lot of information.And in fact, I think that it was informal social wise talking with the others doing nice things such as a city tour and a pub crawl. So basically it was what I thought it would be which is nice. And it was better than expected!

J: “Which AEGEE event do you wanna go to next?”

N: “The Agora! I really want to go to that one because I like the formal part, because I study politics, and I think it would be nice, and I really like meeting a lot of new people! Also I would definitely either like to organise or participate in a SU!”

J: “Would you say the NWM taught you a lot?”

N: “Yesterday not so much, like about theory. However, I learned a lot from the other participants when they were sharing their experiences.Today yes, about fundraising. I didn’t know much about that… just a few basic things…and that is why today I learned a lot.”

I’m going to be honest and say my favourite workshop was the fundraising one, because it taught me how to provide my local with new sponsors. While having all these different workshops, a person would think that they might be boring and only focus on the learning part, but it was actually pretty fun since the team tried using energizers to make us pumped for every session. And then I wondered… is every NWM like this? Alexander from AEGEE-Kaiserslautern-Saarbrücken (already 5 NMWs under his belt), and the lovely facilitators Timo from AEGEE-Enschede, and Zoi from Aegee-Thessaloniki gave some interesting information.

J: “Has the NWM met your expectations?”

Alexander: “After a long period of not being able to do many events, it was nice seeing the live-NWMs get going again. NWM Zagreb was really fun and it definitely met my expectations.”

J: “Does this NWM compare to others you went to?”

A: “All the NWMs I have attended so far have been very different from each other. In terms of the number of participants as well as their focus and the distribution between the sessions and the social activities. The number of sessions in Zagreb was a bit less than usual, but it also left a lot of room for networking and conversations about what is going on in the network, for discussions about recent happenings as well as sharing experiences, and best practices from different locals.”

Next we have one of our wonderful facilitators Timo from Aegee-Enschede:

J: “Has it met your expectations?”

Timo: “Yes, this NWM has definitely met my expectations. I think a few of the most important pillars of a NWM are networking, sharing best practices and learning from each other in general to get a fresh perspective on AEGEE again. By finally being able to meet physically again, I have the feeling that many of the participants went home with a good dose of new energy to organise things for their AEGEE locals. Besides that, the sessions of the NWM gave a lot of space for sharing best practices and we touched on the topics that are important to most of the locals that were attending.”

J: “Does this NWM compare to others you went to?”

T: “I think there is one common truth about AEGEE events, and that is that even though every NWM follows the same main vision, it is still an event that can be really adapted to the current needs of the network. Looking at it from that way, this NWM definitely compares to the previous NWMs, but of course, because of the group of participants and the choice of sessions, it was a very unique experience again. As the group wasn’t too big, I think the general connection between all participants was also really good.”

And finally we have one of the organisers/facilitators Zoi Gavresi President and member of Aegee-Thessaloniki, speaking about his experiences during the NWM Zagreb:

J: “Has it met your expectations?”

Zoi: “I was part of the organising/facilitators team, so we tried to make our ideas and expectations come true, and I believe it worked out pretty well. The atmosphere was refreshing, there was a variety from newbie’s to very experienced members so at the same time an opportunity for reunions and meeting new people. Thus, a nice balance between the educational part and the fun aspect.”

J: “How does this NWM compare to the others you went to?

Z: “I’d say it’s rather unfair to compare online with offline events for obvious reasons, like technical problems or the chance to get to know each other better & even bond or explore a little a new city/culture. Personally, if I think about it as an overall picture, I’d say it was the best of the NWM I have attended, keeping in mind, though, that it was a great combination of different factors which one cannot have in the online ones. I’d only point out that during some sessions in particular people were less talkative than in the respective online version – maybe it’s easier to take the floor in front of a screen, maybe the less sleeping hours are to blame…”

While exploring Croatia’s beautiful capital, Zagreb, I learned a lot about their history and culture while also interacting with different people from all around Europe, which had always been something I had been looking forward to. We had fun evening activities such as the pub crawl, my favourite part was the Rakija bar of course, and even a karaoke party. But unfortunately due to corona we had to cut our time short, so I wondered whether or not these Aegee events were different pre-covid? Again Alexander, Timo and Zoi gave absolute satisfactory answers: 

Alexander: “Of course, especially for the organising local, the uncertainty has become much greater whether a planned event can take place due to the situation or even restrictions coming into force. However, we as AEGEE have to act flexibly to this and I am firmly convinced that, despite all precautionary measures, certain risks have to be accepted. These meetings and the exchange with other locals and fellow AEGEEans, are a very important part of what AEGEE is all about.”

Timo: “Of course in a practical way, some things concerning organising and executing the event are a bit more complicated and different than before, but in general the basic concepts around the functioning of a NWM didn’t change that much. For me it actually felt a bit like a flashback to pre-Covid times.”

Zoi:  “Circumstances change and we need to adapt to them. I believe the pandemic also offered some good input. In brief, more events could take place as the cost was significantly less or even zero, more people had the opportunity to participate as otherwise because of various reasons they might wouldn’t be able to attend an offline event instead. NWM in Zagreb was entirely offline, we chose not to follow the hybrid version as it would be complicated. My verdict is that people really enjoyed it and it was more than apparent that they missed the in person events. On the other hand, for the more introverted personalities maybe offline events are slightly more challenging at the beginning.”

Finally,this could not have been made possible without our organisers. They tried their hardest to provide us with great accommodation, great partying and fantastic learning experiences. One of the organisers, Juraj Persut, gave some wonderful statements:

J: Is this your first time organising a NWM?

Juraj Persut: From the perspective of a local, yes. We also organised one in 2019, but this is the first time I was a part of an organisation team. Every event has its own charm, and it is special in its own way, you can have everything prepared from previous years, and still every event will be completely different from others. It is never about an event, it’s always about the people.

J: Would you say that you had fun organising it or was it a bit stressful?

J.P: It was really stressful but we also had fun doing it and in the end, it felt really rewarding. 

J: Do you have anything to add to your fellow aegeeans?

J.P: Always follow the AEGEE spirit!

I would like to thank Aegee-Zagreb for the lovely experience, and new knowledge I have received during my stay, and also to the participants who I met, befriended and those who gave me a chance to ask them some questions.

See you somewhere in Europe!

Some weeks ago AEGEE-Debrecen organised a Network Meeting with a very small number of participants, but very interested in every activity proposed by the Hungarian Antenna. The Network Commissioner Alin Georgescu and the local students’ organisation “Zerophobia” have been fundamental for the success of this event.

THE AEGEEan: Let’s begin by giving us a little information about your Antenna. Who is AEGEE-Debrecen, how many members does it have and how old is it?

AEGEE-Debrecen Board: The foundation of AEGEE-Debrecen started in 1990, and we officially became an antenna in 1992, so we are one of the oldest antennae in Central-Eastern Europe. Our antenna has been continuously operating since then, and we organised many local and international events (Network Meetings, Summer Universities, conferences) in these twenty-five years. In the past few years we had 30-40 members, and fortunately nearly ten active members this year. Our antenna was always maintained primarily by the students of the University of Debrecen, which has been attracting many youngsters from our region, and recently from all over the world as well. The title of our Network Meeting was “NWM Debrecen – The phoenix rises again”, referring to the symbol of our city – the phoenix, and because we want the revival of AEGEE-Debrecen after the relative quiet of the past two years.

Was this the first time you organised a Network Meeting in your local? And if not, when did you organise the first one and what new did you plan to bring new to this NWM?

AEGEE-Debrecen organised several Network Meetings, I know of three at least, with this year’s meeting. But the last one took place in 2010, so it was time to organise one again [he smiles]. The new thing was a successful collaboration with a local students’ organisation consisting of Hungarian and foreign students here in Debrecen. They are called “Zerophobia” and they fight against xenophobia with different activities. They also delivered a session about the importance and power of communication and words themselves. It was a great success, every participant liked it very much.

Could you present us the core team behind this NWM?

Practically all of our active members were involved in the organisation, everybody helped where they could. So I don’t want to highlight anybody, maybe just our president, Evelin Király. Apart from organising, getting venues for sessions, food, etc, she always motivated us to move on with the organisation process, and make sure our participants never get bored or tired during the programmes.

What was the main theme of this NWM? 

The main theme was to learn how to get new members to your antenna, and how to make them active, but there were also discussions about current problems and the future of AEGEE, and the opportunities our organisation can offer. There were a lot of constructive, open discussions about these important questions. Thanks to our NetCommie, Alin Georgescu, for the good content.

Were there also thematic parties? If yes, what kind of thematic parties?

There weren’t thematic parties this time, but I saw our participants were satisfied with the pub crawling and the European Night [he smiles].

How many participants did you accept?

To be honest, there were only ten applications despite the hard promotion, but all of them were good. At the end five participants attended the event officially, but there were also some participants from Hungary, from AEGEE-Budapest, and from our university. It was a small NWM, but the feedback was very positive, and I have also experienced in AEGEE that sometimes smaller events are the better.

Which was the easiest way for participants to reach Debrecen?

Debrecen is easily accessible from Budapest, it takes only two hours by train. Our city also directly available by plane from some European cities. So I can say getting to here is not an issue.

Did you give the participants a city tour or an optional trip?

Yes, we gave them a city tour. Introducing our city to the participants was important for us, so we inserted the city tour to the middle of the official programme. I think it is important in order to build a good event. As an organiser you have to be aware of it, even in a busy NWM.

Tell us something interesting about Debrecen that few people know. 

I would like to tell about the flower carnival which takes place every year in Debrecen, on the 20th of August, on Hungary’s national holiday. On that day, fifteen big cars totally covered and overdecorated with flowers go around the city, once in the morning, and once in the evening. Several music bands, dance groups, and other creatures accompany them in this crazy event, and of course it is finished with a big firework performance. If you want to attend, just call us. You are always welcome here in Debrecen.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

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

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

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

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

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

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

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

I never thought I would just sit on my computer and start writing about an AEGEE event, but here I am. Having one of the best events of my AEGEE life, I felt that I need to share my thoughts and feelings about this event to appreciate both organisers and trainers’ efforts with the whole network.

Before the event, organisers did their best and found a place –a place with real beds– to accommodate for more than 60 people, which seems almost impossible considering the city’s population and size. The event was located in Berriz, a small town near Bilbao, in a ‘plaza’ where we could sleep, eat, have workshops and party at the same time! I can say that it was really efficient because we did not have to move anywhere but downstairs.

During the event, it was hard to see the organisers except for coffee breaks, as all of them were working like bees! A group of organisers were preparing the food for us, while the others were getting prepared for the coffee breaks and god knows what else. During meals, we were eating the food that was prepared by local organisers and everything was delicious. Starting with the salad, we had a meal for both meat-eaters and vegetarians, followed by dessert and fruit! I could see that the organisers had a really good fundraising strategy, as they served a lot of things such as cold drinks (coke, Redbull, etc..) for free.

Most importantly, AEGEE-Bilbao managed to integrate the new members with the other members, motivating them to get to know AEGEE and its ‘charms’. All of the new members were totally motivated as both organisers and participants, and I can assure that they will become beloved AEGEEans for the next years.
When it comes to praising trainers, I can easily say they did a great job! As I have mentioned during the evolutions, I was not expecting workshops to be so comprehensive and instructive, as most of the times I was faced with weakly-constructed workshops in AEGEE. However, this event changed my views for good. The trainers encouraged people to join European bodies, analysing our skills and experiences, filling our gaps about AEGEE-Europe and its bodies.

We had a great insight of Civic Education, Conflict Management(#DramaManagement), Role of Netcom, Future of AEGEE, Equal Rights, Migration IG, Youth Mobility WG and other things I cannot recall at the moment. The sessions were really informative for both new and old members. As we worked on proposals, we had many discussions on different topics which we kept discussing in the following days -even though the event was over-, and we actually learnt something to put in practice!

I am writing this article as special thanks to all organisers and trainers, wishing them much more AEGEEan years with a lot of change.

Oh, and one more thing: TİPİ TAPA TİPİ TAPA KOR Rİ KA!

Written by İlknur Demir, AEGEE-Ankara

Spring is right in front of us and Spring Network Meetings follow closely. The Network is once again presented with ten amazing opportunities to grow stronger together, create fruitful alliances and share best practices. Here you can find AEGEE-Bamberg, AEGEE-Gdansk, AEGEE-Novi Sad, AEGEE-Torino and AEGEE-Yerevan. For the previous five, click here. 

NWM Bamberg: We’ll be Royals [upgrade yourself]!

Royals – Lorde AEGEE-Bamberg

And we’ll never be royals.

It don’t run in our blood,

That kind of lux just ain’t is for us.

We crave a different royal kind of buzz.

Let me be your ruler, you can call me Queen  Sir Heinrich II

And baby I’ll rule (I’ll rule, I’ll rule, I’ll rule)

Let me live that fantasy.

My AEGEE friends,

Your majesty Sir Heinrich II invites his imperial followership to an accolade and induction of his most faithful supporters to receive a knighthood in his beautiful city of residence, Bamberg!

“Upgrade yourself by attending this gathering of 25 members of the noble AEGEE-family that will take place between the 20th and 23rd of April. You will not only be offered inspiring workshops, discussion panels and debates in a royal city flair, but plenty of extras that will constitute the royal flair of this event!”

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/735094903322354/

NWM Gdansk: The Greatest ones Do Now! 

Yo, did you miss Agora? The event when dozens of people have a time of their lives? If the answer is “yes”, or “maybe”, or even “no”, just think for a while if you want to improve yourself and learn something essential by the beautiful Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea, huh, doesn’t it sound exciting? NWM Gdansk is your best option! Or at least, organisers think so! Now imagine: 100 amazing AEGEEans will come together to discover different areas, share their ideas and present themselves! Fantastic trainers from AEGEE and BEST! It is going to be something new, stunning, fabulous, something that AEGEE has not seen before… Well, there are a lot of catchy phrases, so to check all of them out – just apply until the 6th of March! It is your occasion to be the Greatest! #GDN

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/632077763643140/

NWM Novi Sad: European by birth. AEGEEan by choice. In Novi Sad on purpouse. 

The second largest city of Serbia, the industrial and financial center often considered as the co-capital of Belgrade, the European Capital of culture of 2021, European Youth Capital for 2019, the Youthful musical city where the Best Major European award-winning festival EXIT happens ever since 2000- the new era of a new age and… is there more? Oh, there is more. YOU can add more by getting more! And if you are thinking “When would be the right time to go? Does Spring 2017 seem like a good time?”, it is certainly the right time! Visit the Balkans, especially if for the first time. Afterwards, you will always want to come back. Right next to the warm and welcoming spirit of the city together with a lot of rich cultural learning, the total catch is simply to come and see- new FA, AEGEE (huge!) achievements: we know how and where, we know why, we are just missing with whom. Networking and strengthening, blending the joint visions into common missions, it is all about getting better. Acknowledge your European self and… Get to learn, get to lead!

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/209560836180310/

NWM Torino: Not a Waste of Money! 

AEGEE-Torino is a crazy antenna and their events always have to be huuuge. That is why we decided to have 60 participants in our NWM. The sessions are going to be held in an amazing location in the middle of a park, a few minutes away from the main square and on the Po river bank. The programme will be fun and interactive, the social programme will be tremendous (participants will have the opportunity to take part in the famous “use your tongue” aperitif) and it will be also the best season to visit our great city. It is going to be absolutely fantastic and you are going to pay for it (but we promise it will be No Waste of Money). Save the dates!

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1835333460083036/

NWM Yerevan: HAY power! 

NWM Yerevan: HAY power. You are probably wondering what does these 3 letters mean. Sorry, but I am not going to tell you that right now. All I can say is that if you come to Yerevan in May 2017 you will not regret it. Intensive sessions during the afternoon, national dances and music in the evening, an international team and hospitable local organisers, delicious cuisine and a wonderful city, a place for discussion and motivation to be born. Forget about borders in your head and distance on the map. Come and get inspired!

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1439540256344976/

This is part two of a two-parts article. For part one, click here.

Written by the Network Commission of AEGEE-Europe

Spring is right in front of us, and Spring Network Meetings follow closely. The Network is once again presented with ten amazing opportunities to grow stronger together, create fruitful alliances and share best practices. Here you can find the first five: AEGEE-Debrecen, AEGEE-Thessaloniki, AEGEE-Bilbao, AEGEE-Heidelberg and AEGEE-Nijmegen. For the following five, click here.

NWM Debrecen: The phoenix rises again

When it comes to AEGEE, sometimes it is like a double-edged sword. You have the benefit of experiencing and getting into the democratic process, assume responsibilities and make yourself heard at the European level. At the same time, there is a threat of people coming and going all the time, AEGEE represents just a few years of their lives for most of the members. This pilgrimage can sometimes affect the balance of an antenna or even the whole Network; some other times it could also create better leaders and the feeling of being part of this legacy could motivate people even more. AEGEE-Debrecen is no less than this, a few motivated members that will “rise again” and make their voices heard. We will tackle together all these issues and find real solutions for our locals and the Network. How can you get more inspired, if not in a place where inspired people are working and living? Come to discover the capital and the second biggest city in Hungary, its cuisine and its biggest treasure: the great AEGEEans living there!

Facebook event here.

NWM Thessaloniki: Find your thess-aurus
Are you an AEGEEan and you would like to know more about our organisation? Do you wish to gain knowledge and develop your skills in combination with meeting with more than 30 people from all over Europe? Do you want to join a journey to explore AEGEE and yourself? Then the NWM Thessaloniki: Find your thess-aurus is the right event for you! Join us in the beautiful Greek city of Thessaloniki and explore your potential and the AEGEE spirit (except the mattresses and the sleeping bags, we will have real beds!). A team of trainers will help you find your thess-aurus, so do not wait anymore! See you in Thessaloniki!

Facebook event here.

NWM Bilbao: The North is Worth a Meeting

For the second time in six years, AEGEE-Bilbao is proud to invite you all to the NWM: The North is Worth a Meeting. On the second weekend of April, 52 young AEGEEans will gather in Berriz for one of the greatest AEGEE events: a Network Meeting! During three days, invaded by the AEGEE spirit, all the beloved participants will have a great time in a traditional cosy village, being surrounded by lovely nature and learning about the Basque language and the culture. We are going to focus on the needs of the locals: what they want to learn and improve, what they want to share. Also, we can count on some special help to make the wishes of our participants come true.
If you want to discover what is going on in Bilbao, do not miss this opportunity!

Facebook event here.

NWM Heidelberg: Breaking the ice with Friedrich

Breaking the ice with Friedrich is your best opportunity to discover the most romantic city in Germany. Spend the whole weekend with 50 other AEGEEans sharing ideas and opinions and enjoying the best AEGEEan atmosphere. We even have a whole afternoon full of games and opportunities to discover the area! We are not saying that it will be the best NWM of the season but…. well, yes, we can say that! You will not regret joining us! A really participative NWM where you can have a say about the sessions beforehand! Do not let the others tell you about it, be part of NWM Heidelberg!

Facebook event here.

NWM Nijmegen: Bridges across Europe

Nijmegen is the oldest city in the Netherlands, yet it is full of young people, including many AEGEEans. The best part of this Network Meeting will be the variation. The programme contains thematic sessions including a conference about equal rights, as well as organisational sessions provided by at least five different people. You will receive a bike for the whole duration of the event, allowing you to get plenty of fresh air during the day, while you crawl from pub to pub in the night!

Facebook event here.

This is part one of a two-parts article. More NWMs are coming soon.

Written by the Network Commission of AEGEE-Europe

From the 24th till the 27th of November, AEGEE-Aachen is hosting a Network Meeting (NWM). They will have a panel discussion within the context of Brexit, an education in cooperation talk, two days in the Eifel Mountains and a Christmas Party in November. To know more about this fantastic NWM, we interviewed Leonie Riebesam of AEGEE-Aachen

The AEGEEan: What is the focus of your NWM and how does it relate to the title?

Leonie: The topic is cooperation on different levels, e.g. within an AEGEE local or board, but also with the municipality, the university or other partners. A more special part of it is that we are organising a panel discussion about cooperation in Europe for our participants and other students in Aachen on the first day.

Can you tell us more about your schedule?

When the participants arrive on Thursday and come back from the city tour, we start with a nice opening ceremony with some speakers and art performances. Afterwards we will have a panel discussion on the topic “Hurry up Europe! Time for new cooperations”. The next two and a half days will be full of interesting sessions and awesome parties.

What are the objectives of the NWM?

Since cooperation is the theme of our NWM, we want to gather many ideas and experiences on cooperation with different entities, so that our participants can start working on the implementation when they get back. Of course, it’s a NWM, so there will be room to share experiences and knowledge, and get to know the other participants and their locals. And last, but definitely not least: have an awesome weekend full of fun!

What can you tell us about  the place where it will be?

Since it’s hard to find a place to sleep in Aachen, we decided to book a house outside of Aachen. It’s in the Eifel Mountains, directly next to a lake and perfect for team building during the NWM.  Plus, we have real beds there!

How big is the organising team and who is in it?

We started with only four people, but now we are seven. Damien Latacz, whom you might know as President of MedCom, is our Main Organiser. Other than that our President and two other board members are organisers. Also Lucia from Summer University Coordination Team (SUCT) and a new member have started helping the participants as incoming responsibles.

Who would be the ideal participant for your NWM?

A cooperative one [she winks, ed.]

What was one of the biggest challenges that you faced in organising this NWM?

Probably the biggest challenges will arise in the week before the NWM, so we can’t say yet. Until now, the most difficult part was getting interesting speakers for our panel discussion. But we managed it! Now it’s time to coordinate them to be sure that the discussion itself is interesting and that our participants can learn a lot from it. That also brings its load of challenges, but don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed!

Tips and tricks for future organisers?

For a NWM find a good topic that will give you the main direction for your plan. That way you can focus your effort because you know what to achieve for your participants. Start planning early and making a to-do list with an integrated timeline is a good way to keep an overview of your whole project. And don’t forget, that the main ingredient for success is communication!

Is there something that you would like to add?

If you missed the deadline to apply to our NWM, don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of other chances to visit the polar bears!

Written by Violeta Croitoru, AEGEE-Iași

As we speak, another NWM has just rounded up in Catalunya (Catalonia), from the 10th until the 13th of November. To be more precise, it happened near Barcelona. The local is 30 years old and it has hosted several events, such as NWMs and even an Agora. We asked some questions to Katy Sánchez, PR and Vicepresident of AEGEE-Barcelona, and to Melissa Carreres Candela, the soon-to-be former Network commissioner of the area, informally known as, ‘La Nave’.  

NWM Barcelona cover pic

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to apply for hosting the NWM?

Katy: We were thinking about applying to host the NWM when the Spring NWM application was launched. However, we had other plans in mind for those months and we decided to apply for hosting the Autumn NWM instead. All the locals from our area distribution (La Nave) supported us and that was a big motivation to finally apply for it [she smiles].

Board of AEGEE-Barcelona 2015/2016

Who is in the core team?

There are fifteen organisers. Néstor Saura is the main organiser of the NWM; among the team, you can find the current board of AEGEE-Barcelona, some members of the future one (we had elections on Saturday, 4th November) and a new generation of motivated members that were involved in the organisation from the very first moment.

Did you apply for any funds or did you get any help from the University?

Yes, we applied for a grant offered by the university and for another one offered by the local government. Recently, we have got super good news that we received the money! Also, we are working hard on fundraising.

Members of AEGEE-Barcelona from all generations on our 30th Anniversary

What is special about AEGEE-Barcelona and the city of Barcelona?

I think that what makes AEGEE-Barcelona great is that we are a group of friends. This group of friends is slowly growing, turning us into a big family of motivated members who want to achieve great things, and the NWM is the first step to it [she smiles].

What could we say about Barcelona? It is a big cosmopolitan city that has a lot to offer: mountains, sea, culture, art or gastronomy. Anyway, we have to mention that the NWM does not take place in Barcelona itself, but in a nearby city (Vilanova i la Geltrú) where we have booked a countryside house for the 90 people that are attending the NWM (including participants, organisers and the content team).

AEGEE-Barcelona & AEGEE-Thessaloniki (our Twin Antenna) wearing our T-Shirts

What is in store for the participants (facilities, meals, social programme)?

As I have mentioned above, the NWM is taking place in a countryside house where all of us are together. In this video you can see how it looks! For the social programme, we have prepared three thematic parties: an Animal Party, an American College Party (beer pong competition included) and a European Night on the last night.

How many participants are you hosting?

Melissa: We offered 60 vacancies for the participants, but because we had too many applications (more than 150), and due to the fact that the accommodation is big enough, we decided to increase the maximum amount of participants a little bit. So, finally, 90 AEGEEans are taking part in the event: 73 participants, 14 organisers, one member of the CD, two subcommies and I.

Members of AEGEE-Barcelona celebrating the #AEGEEDay.

What will be presented during the sessions?

We have a very diverse programme, several participants who are involved at a European level, and of course we are going to “use them” properly! There will be the compulsory NWM sessions: State of the Network, SWOT analysis, Sharing best practices, also others such as the Civic Education and Youth Mobility sessions, and last but not least, a session delivered by the ACTies.

Furthermore, to increase the quality of the event, we are having three training sessions: HR, KT and how to do a presentation. Therefore, I think we will learn a lot.

Local Organisers

Who will be providing the trainings?

We have a lot of content facilitators. Apart from Tekla Hajdu from Comité Directeur and my subcom team, Laura Pérez and Julian Ródenas there are:

• Ioanna Gympaki (AEGEE-Athina): She will talk about Your Vision For Europe.
•  Kristina Reshetova (AEGEE-Moskva): She is the current NetCom and she will contribute by explaining the different NetCom projects. Moreover, as a member of Youth Mobility, she will talk about mobility as well.
• Alejandra Piot Pérez-Abadín (AEGEE-A Coruña): Former President of her antennna and newly elected NetCom, she will deliver a Human Resourses WS and contribute to Sharing best practices session.
• Pablo Hernández Rodríguez (AEGEE-Alicante): AEGEE member since 2010. His experience includes management of European and local projects and coordination of policy and advocacy actions. He will facilitate MY-WAY’s session by giving an insight on how to use an entrepreneurial mindset to carry out your dreamt projects.
  

  Netcom and Subcom Team, la Tripulacion 8.1

• Juragis Garcia Perez (AEGEE-Tenerife): Board member of his antenna and also member of ACT. He and Borja will try to motivate us to be more ACTive in AEGEE and contribute to the Strategic plan.
• Asier Rodríguez (AEGEE-Bilbao): Former Treasurer and current HR responsible of his antenna. As a member of Youth Mobility, Asier together with Kristina will talk about mobility.
• Borja Torres Fuentes (AEGEE-Bilbao): President of his antenna and member of ACT. He will deliver an ACT session in collaboration with Juragis.
• María Ballesteros Melero (AEGEE-Madrid):  She will deliver the Civic Education + Gender Equality session and the European Citizens’ Initiative session together with Tekla.

Netcom, Subcommies and organisers

Why did you choose Barcelona as hosting local?

Well, actually, I had no applications from other locals to host a NWM during the autumn period, but knowing that Barcelona was planning to apply, made me really happy. I was sure that their project would be very good, and actually it was!

AEGEE-Barcelona is a great antenna that is growing a lot and takes part in a lot of activities. It is also known as the “unstoppable” antenna. They have just turned 30 and they have great plans in mind for the upcoming year. I have to keep it a secret, but stay tuned, because they will surprise us for sure!

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

Up in the north-western part of Europe, there is AEGEE-Manchester, one of the few locals in the UK and one of the youngest in the network. From the 4th to the 7th of November, the English local will host the Autumn Network Meeting (NWM) called “Reconnecting Europe”. We asked the Network Commissioner, Pablo Palazón, and the Main Organiser, Bryn French, some questions to find our more about this meeting. 

 

Pablo Palazón

Who will be the trainers?