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

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

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

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

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

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

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

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

During the Network Status Update at Autumn Agora Chisinau, Network Director Tekla Hajdu, gave everyone during the plenary some good news: a new city joined the AEGEE-Network: Málaga. Situated on the Costa del Sol in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia in Spain, it is one of the oldest cities in the world, founded as Malaka by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC. We asked some questions to two of the founders, Natalia Torres and Rafael Adrián Garcia Martin, after their participation at NWM Barcelona.

Natalia and Adri

The AEGEEan: What’s the story behind the contact in Málaga?

Natalia: We were just two young people interesting in travelling cheap and meeting other people from all over Europe. So we went to the Summer University (SU) in Bulgaria. There, we realized that AEGEE was much more, and we loved it. So we decided that we wanted a local in our lovely city. In fact, three weeks later I went to the event of University for Youth Development in Mollina (Málaga), which was tremendously inspiring, and this just reaffirmed that our decision of creating a local in Málaga was great.

How did you discover AEGEE?

Adrián: A friend of mine from the university told me in class what AEGEE was and all the possibilities that this organisation offered to students. Then I told Natalia and it seemed to us a really interesting way of discovering Europe cheaply. Our priority was just that, and we kept in mind the idea of taking part in a Summer University. But once we discovered what AEGEE actually was, it impacted us and we decided to create a local in Málaga.

How is your local doing so far?

Adrián: We are somehow shocked and surprised of the quick growth of our contact of AEGEE-Europe in Málaga. Since we received the university support, we started to give informative sessions, which have been a success, having more than 20 applicants on the intranet and almost 40 people interested in joining the association. At the moment, we are finishing the statutes in order to accomplish all the requirement for being upgraded to contact-antenna, keeping in mind our objective for being an antenna in a mid-term period.

What makes you, as a contact, unique from any of the other student organisations in Málaga?

Adrián: Even thought there are nearly 100 young organisations in the university, only a few of them have an international scope. We feel unique in the sense that not being an official association yet, we have received the university support really quick, letting us to communicate with the student community and offering us all the help that we need. Besides, the contact of AEGEE-Europe in Málaga is in partnership with the Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs of the University of Málaga. We cooperate to organise events and communicating them to all the students. We are different from the rest of the associations, because we can offer all kinds of events, giving all the students the possibility of travelling abroad and enhancing competences in our courses.

What are your future plans?

Natalia: We are already planning a Local Training Course (LTC) in December, so new members can know each other and we are looking forward to organise an event about gender equality in collaboration with our university. In our planning report, we have also emphasised the possibility of organising and exchange with another local. But our real objective is achieving the status of antenna as soon as possible.

Describe your local in three words.

Natalia: Potential, enthusiastic, energetic

Malaga Mirador

Describe your city. What is the most special thing about it?

Adrián: Málaga is just wonderful: 300 sunny days per year, calm beaches, and a lively nightlife (and of course fresh barbecue sardines, our typical dish). The most special thing about Málaga in our opinion is its people. Los Boquerones, [The Anchovies, ed.] is how they nicknamed us. We are kind, charming, lovely and likable people. You are all invited to Málaga, you have to visit it [He smiles, ed].

Written By Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

Announced just few days before Spring Agora Bergamo, we have a new member in the AEGEE Network: the contact of AEGEE-Europe in Vigo, Spain. All the members of the current board lived far from the Galician city and belonged to other locals, but now that they are back in the city, they decided to refound an antenna there. We asked some questions to the board, which consists on Judith Sandin, president; Flavio Junio, vice president and PR responsible; Marcos Lois, secretary; and Silvia Muñoz, treasurer.

The AEGEEan: When and how was your contact established? Was there already a local that was eventually deleted?

Judith: We started having meetings and working on it in February. We sent a request to become a contact in March, and we were finally admitted a couple of days before the Agora Bergamo. There was an AEGEE-Vigo in the 90s, and we have been in contact with its last president. We sent him an email without any hope he would reply, but he did. It was a large email full of details and explanations about how they worked, why did they “close” it and how the Agora and the SU worked on that time. When I how happy he was because of the idea to have AEGEE back in Vigo, I couldn’t believe it. Now we have each other’s number and from time to time we talk about AEGEE.

Why did you decide to create a contact in Vigo?

Flavio: The idea was on the founders since a long time ago. People from different antennae were thinking about founding a local in Vigo, we were all planning about it but the idea came up when one of us decided to text to all the interested people have a meeting in a bar. We did not know each other but the first contact was incredible. We all had had the same dreams for a long time and when we met that day, we realized we were a really good team: all experienced in our own areas and ready to develop our dream.

Silvia: There is no just one person who decided to refound AEGEE-Vigo; all the founders (Marcos, Judith, Flavio, Kateryna, Noelia, Alejandra and me) we were already active members in other antennae. However, living away from your local sometimes makes it difficult to get as involved in its activities as you would wish. It was that mutual feeling what encouraged us to start this adventure.

Who is in the board? How many people do you have already?

We have the following people in the board: Judith Sandin, president; Flavio Junio, vice president and PR responsible; Marcos Lois, secretary; and Silvia Muñoz, treasurer.

After only three months we have 27 members already, practically all of them newbies, hungry to know AEGEE by wrapping their spirit, meet other members and share experiences!

What did you achieve so far?

Judith: We got to gather almost 27 members, become a family and introduce AEGEE in their daily lives and mentality, which is really gratifying. During this summer we have sent our members to the fantastic Summer Universities and now in our meetings we clearly see how motivated they have came back and how many things they are willing to do.

What are your future plans?

Judith: The biggest plans are never said … but we can say that now we are preparing a LTC full of surprises, organising talks at the university and many meetings with our members. Hopefully we will also sign the Convention d’Adhésion in Chisinau, where at least 8 of our members are planning to go.

Describe your local in three words.

Motivated, familiar & wild.

Describe your city. What is the most special thing about it?

Silvia: Vigo, known as the “Gateway to the Atlantic,” is the largest city in northeastern Spain. Have you still not visited the beaches of Vigo? They will surprise you. Its beaches have fine white sand and clear water. Eating in Vigo is like diving into a sea of unique flavours. Its gastronomy is much more than a gourmet experience or an opportunity to taste the best seafood from the Vigo estuary at affordable prices, it’s a true ritual. The urban area of Vigo is built over a hill-fort (O Castro). If you’re interested in archaeology, the lower slope of the mountain has acastreño (Celtic) site where you see what life was like in Vigo between the third and first centuries BC. Nowadays this hill with a fortress is one of the preferred spots for people to take a walk in Vigo, because of its beautiful gardens, open spaces, fonts and also the privileged views. Based around the original fishermen’s houses the cobbled streets, bustling port atmosphere… make it a small treasure. Vigo is also a short train ride away from Portugal and Santiago de Compostela, the third most important pilgrimage in Christendom.

Marcos: Those who want to visit us here in Vigo will be surprised by the hospitality of the people, always ready to make your visit such an incredible experience. The second reason is the food, forget everything you expect when you visit Spain. There is no place here for paella, this is the land of the best seafood in the world, the wine, the meat….. so come here to taste it and discover our rich gastronomy. The third one is our paradise, the Cíes Islands with “the best beach in the world” as it was called by The Guardian newspaper. These islands are part of a National Park and if you visit our city you have to take a ferry and spend a day there, you will remember it forever.

What are you waiting for?? Stay tuned to our next events to visit us in paradise.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

We have got a new Contact in town; its name is Muğla, in western Turkey near the island of Rhodes. Its board is a well collected group of highly motivated students with the drive to make Muğla into all that it can possibly be. The AEGEEan had a talk with Müge Güner, the founder of Muğla, and got to hear this fantastic story:

Volkan, Merve, and Müge

The AEGEEan: Could you introduce yourself and your contact?

Müge: My name is Müge Güner and I study at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University. My major is Political Science and International Relations. My nine other friends; Merve, Hüseyin, Volkan, Yunus Emre, Yeliz, Nuriye, Erol, Ömer Faruk and Tufan are in the Faculty of Economics And Administrative Sciences like me, but they study at different departments. One other friend of ours, Eda, studies Nursing.

Merve and I are the oldest members, because, while I was building my team, I wanted younger friends who will have enough time to learn and teach about AEGEE. I mentioned AEGEE first to Merve and she wanted to be a part of it, therefore she quit her association to make more time for AEGEE. Then I invited two of my friends whom I really trust, Yunus Emre and Hüseyin, to be my co-workers and they introduced Tufan, Eda and Ömer to me.

After that, I found Yeliz and Nuriye, I mean I met them on purpose during the career days at the University. They are both working for the Career Community -I noticed them because of the uniform they were wearing- but they were not in the board of directors. This was a good thing for me, because I could make my move to include them into my board. I went to them, we had a small talk about the event, how bad and useless it was for the youngsters who came to the lecture hall to listen to the speakers and how it could be better. Then we exchanged numbers and I invited them to a few social activities, which some of my friends and I organised to make a bond of friendship.

Top: Tufan and Eda; Bottom: Ömer Faruk and Erol

Meanwhile, I met Erol, during an activity which was organised by Youth Center to put youngsters and old people in the senior centre together. We were going to watch a movie and spend time with them, so we went to Youth Center early to make preparations. Erol was the only one among all those people, who was not playing with his phone and I thought I found a potential friend who has not become a Robocop yet.

Volkan was the last person who joined us, because the birdies told me that he was going to take part in a different project and his hands would be full of work. I did not tell him about AEGEE earlier, which was a mistake, because when he finally found out what we were up to, he did not even have a second thought about joining us!

How did you get to know about AEGEE?

I first heard of AEGEE in 2013 when I was in the prep-class. A two-day workshop called Developing Job for Youngsters and Employment was organised at the university, and the founding chairman of AEGEE-Eskişehir, Onur Metin, was one of the trainers. Başak Uslu, another trainer, was also from AEGEE. At that time, I wanted to join AEGEE, but there was no local in Muğla and I did not have enough courage and motivation to found one as a freshman, I guess. Besides, I was one of the board of directors of International Relations and Strategical Researches Community at school and did not have enough time to take another responsibility, but being a part of AEGEE was on my mind since then.

Why did you decide to found Muğla?

Last autumn, I decided to leave the school community, because I realised I wanted to do something different. It was not for me anymore so I handed in my resignation. After a while, I decided to found an AEGEE local one night when I was in bed, and then I could not sleep, because of the excitement, so I started to research how I could do it. I texted other locals on Facebook and asked them if they could help me with the process. Taha Korhan Salan from AEGEE-Hatay replied to me first and he was always there for me whenever I needed help with anything. Now he is our twin president.

Have you already hosted events or activities?

We have been announced as a contact in July and have not hosted any events or activities yet, but we have some future plans of course. First of all, we need to learn more about AEGEE and join LTCs, meet other locals and learn from their experiences. Therefore, we will try to learn and promote AEGEE at University this autumn.

Top: Yunus Emre and Hüseyin; Bottom: Yeliz and Nuriye

What makes you, as a contact, unique from any of the other student organisations in Muğla?

Firstly, I can say that I honestly have the most unique team, because they are like my family members rather than a board and we are very proud of being a part of AEGEE. It is a whole new level of vision for us. Some of my board members and I have been in other student organisations and we all preferred AEGEE amongst them, because unfortunately, student organisations are being restricted by school management. They do not have enough opportunities and a space to express themselves freely. And, according to our experiences, there is always a competition between the board of directors which is not a good thing in a place where there must be cooperation and tolerance. We think we have a bigger objective and we are all motivated, young people and ready to do whatever it takes to make at least a small change together, to make the world a better place.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

We are proud to announce that we have established a new contact of AEGEE-Europe in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Vinnytsia is a city situated in the Western Centre of Ukraine, the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. The city exists since the Middle Ages and it is now known for its industrial centre, particularly for the Roshen company and the headquarters of the Ukrainian Air Force. We talked with Oleksandr from the newly-formed contact in Vinnytsia to tell us more about the tourist attractions and the story behind this new contact in Vinnytsia.

Oleksandr is a student in the sixth year at Vinnytsia Institute of Trade and Economics, the Department of Management. He is also a member of the Students’ Parliament of Vinnytsia Region, where he is responsible for development of international cooperation.

“Our city is considered the “European capital” of Ukraine, and of course we have a lot of foreign students here”, he says. But when he started work in the Parliament, it appeared that they had “only a few international organisations”, the best of which, “AIESEC and BEST are well-functioning”, he further adds. When asked about his story, Oleksandr told us that he had heard about AEGEE before and he knew that it will enable him to discover a lot of great opportunities, as this was also the reason for initiating the creation of a new contact in Vinnytsia.

Moreover, he told us about their future plans for the newly created contact. Being at the moment only “a small team of three people”, all of which are members of the Parliament, their future plans include organising a Local Training Course (LTC) in their city to recruit new members, inviting “our friends from AEGEE-Kyïv, and also members from other locals.”

At the end of the interview we asked Oleksandr to tell us a few things about the city of Vinnytsia that would make us want to visit it, and he said that considering the fact that Vinnytsia is considered the “European capital” of Urkaine, “it’s the place where Ukrainian traditions and European tolerance meet. We don’t have a big city, but it is beautiful with its own spirit. And, of course, we have here the biggest floating fountain in Europe”, he concludes.

Written by Gabriela Geană, AEGEE-București

Back in April, a new contact was created in Gaziantep, in Turkey. The city is rich in history and has both a traditional and modern look. The AEGEEan talk to  Tuğba Abacı, Secretary and External Relations Responsible of the contact antenna, in order to learn more about their story.

The AEGEEan: What’s the story behind the contact antenna in Gaziantep?

Tuğba: Gaziantep is very big city and there are a lot of students, but not enough NGOs. Actually I asked myself: “What can I do in this town?” And I started to do some research on the internet. I found AEGEE  and I started to search about it in detail but I saw that there was no AEGEE antenna in Gaziantep. Then I found other antennae and I became a member. I think that the best way to communicate with other countries is to share our culture with them. I want to have more opportunities as a student and I want a better future in order to reach all the people. We started to negotiate with AEGEE because of all these reasons. We created this contact antenna in our own way and we are very happy with it.

How is your local doing so far?

We are always working because our dream is to be the best local. We had many meetings, we organised a party and we talked about the future a lot of times and we do have plans. In addition, we talked with the others local’s board members. We are meeting new people and we are telling them about AEGEE. So we did some extra efforts for the contact in Gaziantep and we hope to have a nice future.

Are you planning to organise a Summer University?

We appreciate the Summer University as a project, it’s a very successful one. Therefore we do want to organise a Summer University maybe next year. We want to do at in the earliest, because Gaziantep University is suitable for a Summer University.

How do you see the future projects, that you are so close to Syria and there is still a conflict?

There is still an ongoing battle in Syria. What will happen in the future to the region? This is not very clear. Turkey and Syria are neighboring countries and Gaziantep is one of the citiest nearest to the Syrian border. Refugees who come to our country are part of the city now and they live in a camp open for them. Of course there are exceptions.

Our city is tidy, quiet, comfortable. People are happy, safe and peaceful. We are trying to help those living in camps and people from the urban area as much as we can. The city grew, cultural diversity and trade further increased. The state has allocated a huge budget for these refugees and is looking out for them.

If we look at the situation in terms of projects, Gaziantep is a very normal city and the projects will have their normal course. We like this city.

What are your plans as a future antenna?

We will go to the Agora because it is very important for a local to participate and in the nearest future we want to be antenna. Actually, we’ll do many activities in the meantime. For example, recruiting new members, meetings, talks about AEGEE, projects.

Final thoughts. Do you think that the contact will survive, considering the history of the local?

I hope that this contact will grow and it will bring together different people. This city needs an AEGEE antenna, I do believe this. Therefore, the contact in Gaziantep will grow and more than that, it will become a big family.

We wish them all the best of luck!

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

Canterbury is ready to make its entrance in the AEGEE’s Network. Here the story of the new Contact since the first steps, told by Emily Zerling, one of the founders.

The AEGEEan: Please, introduce yourself.

Emily: My name is Emily Zerling. I’m 20 years old. I’m from Paris in France. As the daughter of a French father and an English mother, I feel very European myself. I’m a student in my second year studying at the University of Kent (Canterbury) doing a five-year course in Politics and International Relations in partnership with one of France’s “Grandes Ecoles” called Sciences Po Lille. At the end of these five years, I will have spent two years in Canterbury and three years in Lille and I will receive a double degree. I would like to work if possible in the European Union institutions.

How did you hear about AEGEE?

I first heard about AEGEE last year when I was studying in Lille. I was one of AEGEE-Lille’s first members and coordinated the society’s communication and advertising through its Facebook and Twitter pages.

Why did you decide to create your own Antenna?

I really enjoyed being part of AEGEE-Lille, so I wanted to continue the AEGEE experience in Canterbury by creating my own. With some friends, we decided to create a new contact based at the University of Kent where we all study. The University of Kent describes itself as the UK’s European university but there wasn’t any European society we could join so we decided to set up an AEGEE on campus.

The main motivation and the main reason why me and my team decided to create a contact of AEGEE Europe in Canterbury was to raise awareness about the EU in the UK and challenge preconceived ideas, especially the rise of Euroscepticism which the UK is facing at the moment. We are therefore mainly addressed towards British students who take an interest in European projects.

Was it difficult to start?

It wasn’t easy at the beginning because we first had to get the university’s approval which took quite a long time. But once, we had their approval, everything went quite quickly. Experienced AEGEE members also helped us to get everything started so it wasn’t too difficult.

How many people are currently involved?

For the moment, six people are involved full time and all come from different European countries, but we aim to target many more members in the following weeks.

Do you get any support from other AEGEE-locals?

We don’t but we are going to try to establish a contact very soon with all the other UK AEGEE-locals.

Is there something you need?

We need to find as much members as possible who are interested in helping us setting up our contact.

How would you describe Canterbury?

Canterbury is the ideal place for setting up AEGEE because it will provide our antenna with many opportunities such as the fact that the city is well connected to other important European cities like London, Lille, Paris and Brussels. The town is also a very popular tourist destination and a historical city with a wealthy legacy.

The city is full of students who come from all over England and from all over Europe and the rest of the world. It appears to be a very dynamic town with an important student life with many bars, clubs and events for all occasions. Kent Union, the University of Kent’s student organisation, looks after more than 200 societies and gives each and every society the possibility to develop itself, providing them with facilities and equipment.

What are your plans for the new Contact?

Our plans are to organise many events, conferences at the University of Kent where we could discuss European issues with students studying in Canterbury. We would like to put in place many debates where we could invite British MEPS or MPS to talk to students about European issues, objectives and especially engage a discussion about a burning issue at the moment which is the UK’s tricky relationship with the European Union. During the following year, we intend to run a campaign called “UK stay in the EU” if the EU referendum was to take place.

Are you already organising something?

Our first project will be to take part and support an Election Observation Mission focusing on the 2015 General Elections in the UK, that will be held in Canterbury in May.

How do you imagine your Contact in a year?

We hope that in a year’s time, we will have been able to expand greatly and many UK students will have joined us and taken part in our European projects.

Written by Karina A. Silivas, AEGEE-Udine

Just a few weeks ago, Split, the second largest city in Croatia, was added to the network as a new contact. Next to AEGEE-Zagreb and AEGEE-Zadar, it is now the third part of the network in Croatia. The AEGEEan talked to founder and President Teo Šarić about the contact’s cooperations, events, and future plans.

For Teo Šarić, president of the contact, Split is more than just a random addition: “With a population of more than 200 000 people and around 25 000 university students Split has the potential to become an active and productive antenna!” Teo, who was already active in AEGEE-Zadar before, was one of the founders of the contact. Together with his board members he has been working on fulfilling their plan to become an official antenna.

By now, the contact in Split has around 25 members from all fields of studies like arts and design to IT, law and management. But of course, they want to attract even more new members. There was already one meeting in Split which was open for public and they also started a cooperation with „info-zona“, one of the biggest organisations in Dalmatia. Moreover, members of the contact were to hear via radio since they gave interviews for several radio stations. Finally, they also printed flyers to give away to interested people. In the end, their PR strategies seem to work well, especially because of the highly motivated members and their friends who are willing to help, too. „People from Split are really interested in AEGEE and I just know that in the future we will be an excellent AEGEE-antenna“, Teo says.

Another plus point for the contact is their cooperation with the rector and pro-rectors of the University of Split for which the AEGEEans are really thankful. By now, they even got their own office to work in by the student council. Also, AEGEE-Zadar cooperates with the new contact in Split, as well as some other locals from the region or even further away. Just recently, AEGEE-Amsterdam let the contact know that they were interested in an exchange.

And that is only one thing that people from Split have in mind for their upcoming time. First of all, Teo hopes to sign the Convention d’Adhésion as soon as possible to become a contact antenna. Then, there are already some ideas for local and international events to be put in motion. For sure, they will organise a Summer University (SU) next year to prove what a great culture Split has to offer. Moreover, there is already one specific idea. “Maybe we’ll organise an international event around (the 6th of) June, when it’s time for the Pride parade in Split. It will be a thematic event since the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) situation in Croatia is not great”, Teo explains.

Finally, Teo concludes: “We are very excited to contribute and to be a part of organising new, interesting and meaningful projects and events on a regional level but also on a European level.”

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

AEGEE is growing in the United Kingdom and most recently three girls each came up with the idea of starting a contact in Newcastle upon Tyne. Through the Network Commission they got together and started working on the paper works to become an antenna. The AEGEEan interviewed Laura Ferras, Laura Bennett and Helen Dryden about the life in Newcastle upon Tyne and their experience with AEGEE so far, as well as their plans for the future.

The AEGEEan: What is your background? Where are you from, how old are you and what do you study?

Laura Ferras: I am a PhD student in Biology, 24 years old. I come from France, Nancy.

Helen Dryden: I’m Helen Dryden and I study Chemical Engineering at Newcastle University. I am originally from Reading which is near London, so it was very different and exciting to move to Newcastle as it is so far away. I am almost 21 so it won’t be long until I have completed my degree but I really want to stay in the area. The North East has a really strong sense of community and everyone is very friendly.

Laura Bennett: I’m Laura (Bennett, since we have two on our team!), I’m 22, in my second year studying BSc Zoology at Newcastle University and I’m originally from Newcastle too.

Photo courtesy of markus spiske, Flikr.

Where did you get to know AEGEE?

Helen Dryden: I have always loved travelling and was planning my next trip abroad when my sister mentioned that she had been on a summer university with AEGEE. I thought it was a great price and brilliant way to make friends. I went, thinking it was a group holiday away, but I learnt all about the organisation and their values and was inspired to help create a contact.

Laura Ferras: I discovered AEGEE in Lyon. I joined AEGEE because I wanted to attend a Summer University (SU) in Cagliari.

Why did you want to start your own antenna?

Laura Ferras: I have loved being a member of AEGEE and meeting young people from all over Europe and I would like to share the AEGEE spirit here where I am living.

Helen Dryden: I made so many good friends during the Summer University and met people from countries I didn’t know much about like my friend Maria from Belarus, I would like to visit her sometime in the future. I know many people who would be interested in being involved if they knew about AEGEE.

Laura Bennett: I got to know about AEGEE when it was recommended to me by a friend. I worked together with the current president of AEGEE-London, Connor Russell, to run an exchange trip while we were both at college before university. A few years later when Connor discovered AEGEE himself in London he told me how it involved a lot of the opportunities we’d been so interested in exploring while at college. Since I was at university at Newcastle now, and there was no local contact or antenna, I thought it was a good opportunity to really get involved and introduce the organisation to other students in the area. A few emails back and forth with the Network Commissioner Maria Arends and I found out I wasn’t the only person who thought Newcastle needed a contact!

Picture courtesy of dun_deagh, Flikr.

How has the start-up been? Did you spread the word about AEGEE in Newcastle already? 

Helen Dryden: After contacting the Network Commission, I found that there were two other students who were keen to create the contact with me. I don’t think I would have been able to do it alone so I was so pleased. It has taken three months to sort out all the paper work as our university has strict rules on insurance but we have persevered and it has been worth it.

Laura Ferras: So far I just started. I met Helen and Laura in December. They are the ones that did all the paper work to make this possible. I am currently doing a secondment in Durham but I will be back to Newcastle mid February.

Laura Bennett: We’re still in early days with getting the word out and we’re using university events like the Refreshers’ Fair, which showcases university societies to interested students, to spread the word about what we’re doing and why AEGEE is a great thing for students in the city.

How is your relation to the university?

Laura Bennett: We’re set up as a society with Newcastle University, which means we can take advantage of the facilities they have and promote ourselves to the students with the university. We’re hoping not too far in the future we can encourage another society forming at the city’s other university, Northumbria University, and get the word out to as many people as possible.

Picture courtesy of hakzelf, Flikr.

Did you already attend any AEGEE events?

Laura Ferras: Yes I did. And I wish we will have one soon here in Newcastle. As far as I remember I attended one AGORA, one EBM (I know we say EPM now but when I did mine it was an EBM), three SUs, a Regional Training Course and a Local Training Course in Toulouse, which was my first event in AEGEE.

Helen Dryden: I attended TSU-Open Your Mind which was based in Slovakia and the Ukraine. I would really like to go back to the Ukraine so I am keen to save up and go to the Autumn Agora in Kiev.

How is the student life in Newcastle?

Laura Ferras: I moved to the UK in September but so far I am doing a secondment in Durham so I spent only few times in Newcastle. The only thing I can tell is that there are a lot of societies and the night life is very intense.

Helen Dryden: There are three universities in this city so there are students everywhere! It is extremely common to join a society and so through that, living in student halls and meeting people on your course it creates a really close community.

Is volunteering popular in your city? 

Laura Bennett: Student life in Newcastle is very lively and there’s a reputation for us being a party city, and it’s likely we’ll be having at least one pub crawl meet and greet for members and interested people in the near future. We do also have a big cultural atmosphere and volunteering is a very popular activity among students for the experience it gives.

Helen Dryden: The RAG society (Raising and Giving) is particularly popular among students. It involves raising money for the local community through a magazine and events throughout the year, however there is also one week dedicated to RAG where more students are encouraged to join and collect money on the main shopping streets in teams.

How is life in general in Newcastle? What is special about the city?

Laura Bennett: I think what’s special about Newcastle for me is that, like other cities, it has its own specific and rich identity. Famously we’re the origin of the Newcastle Brown Ale, and every year we host the Great North Run, which is always a great opportunity for fund raising and community spirit. But Newcastle’s a brilliant city for having a long existing significance in many different aspects of culture. We have a proud history in theatre, sciences, music and sport. We even have our own dialect, Geordie! Which as a native I’m happy to demonstrate for anyone visiting.

Laura Ferras: Compared to other cities in the UK life is not really expensive, there are a lot of cultural events, people are very friendly but I can tell that their accent is hard to understand sometimes. As I said the night life is quite good and Newcastle is famous for that but what I really like in Newcastle is the diversity, you can meet people from all over the world here.

Helen Dryden: There is also a lot of beautiful scenery to visit in the North East. Newcastle is very close to the coast and there are many parts of Hadrian’s wall which runs through the city.

What plans do you have for AEGEE in your city? 

Laura Bennett: As a new contact we’re very much looking forward to a regular and varied social calendar for our members. We have plans for local events with students in the area such as trips to the cinema and theatre, as well as debates and nights where we explore cultures across Europe. Newcastle as a city also has some great festivals throughout the year we’d like to participate in.

Helen Dryden: Yes, and then gradually work our way towards Network Meetings and eventually a Summer University.

Picture courtesy of Tim J Keegan, Flikr

Will you be able to attend any Agora, EPM or NWM this Spring?

Laura Ferras: I will try to attend the next Agora, but I have to say that my PhD is taking all my time.

Helen Dryden: I unfortunately can’t attend this Spring due to university work but I plan on attending the Autumn Agora in Kiev. I almost went this summer but my plans changed which I really regret.

Laura Bennett: In the end, we’re definitely planning to represent ourselves at an event in the near future, we just need to get together over our university timetables and work out when that will be.

How is the topic of eurosceptism? Does it affect your plans for the antenna?

Helen Dryden: I believe this is the perfect time for Newcastle to be a contact as our generation will become more open to being part of the EU by having more communication with other nations. In the near future there will most likely be a vote for whether to stay in the EU so the society will remind people of the positive aspects of being part of the EU.

Laura Ferras: If the referendum about Britain’s membership of the European Union takes place, it will probably be part of our plans to do different conferences about the EU at the University.

Laura Bennett: Exactly! Eurosceptism is a huge topic in the UK at the moment and doubly so in our region here in the North East, where the financial difficulties of the public have been linked by some political parties to our national involvement in the European Union. I’m personally very interested in these politics and we’d love to explore them if it’s something interesting to our members.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza

Recently more and more contacts have been set up in the United Kingdom. After Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne already joined the AEGEE family, it was announced in February that there was another addition in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. We spoke to Joona Juntunen to find out more about the newest contact!

From left to right: Michela (Italy), Julieth (Venezuela), Carlota (Portugal),
Sára (Czech Republic), Joona (Finland) & Michaela (Czech Republic)

The AEGEEan: How did you know about AEGEE-Europe?

Joona: Each of us got to know about AEGEE slightly differently. I heard about it first from my cousin who is an active member in AEGEE-Helsinki. Michela has already been part of AEGEE in her home city in Italy. And many of course have just now heard about it the first time.

What made you decide to start a contact?

I’ve been previously active in Youth in Action projects of the European Union. For example, last year I was doing European Voluntary Service in Germany. So I was already quite used to taking part in European projects and wanted to continue that after coming to study here in Aberdeen. After hearing about AEGEE, I felt that I had to seize the opportunity. Also I believe that AEGEE can have a positive impact on young people’s attitudes towards Europe here in Britain, which is quite important especially if the referendum on Brexit (a referendum on the British membership of the European Union, promised to take place in 2017, ed.) will take place. Founding a contact is really quite easy. Just being curious, open-minded and willing to take action is enough.

How many people are currently involved?

Around ten people attended the first meeting, from which around five are really active and engaged. Of course we intend to make this number much bigger in the future. It will be challenging to involve local students. So far most of us are from outside the UK.

What are your plans for the upcoming year?

In the long term we hope to establish ourselves as an antenna and organise international events and perhaps Summer Universities. Before that we’d also like to organise a bigger discussion/debate on Europe and the UK in cooperation with other societies. In the short term we are planning some promotional events to get people interested in taking part in international events. As an example we are planning to organise a pub quiz about Europe in a couple of weeks.

How will you promote yourself amongst students?

So far it has been just telling friends and posting something on Facebook. In the future we will use our contacts at other societies and organise publicity events to attract more attention. Also we want to connect with the other university in Aberdeen.

Do you get any support from other AEGEE-locals?

I have been in contact with people active in the contact in Manchester as well as members of AEGEE-Helsinki. This has been fruitful because as a new contact we are starting from zero. Hearing about others’ experiences can help a lot in the beginning. I hope the cooperation will grow in the future!

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen