Last December, AEGEE-Amsterdam and AEGEE-Beograd organised the event “Home is where the Heart is – Erasmus+ exchange 2017”. For this reason, they were chosen as the ACTive Local of the Month. We spoke to Amy Treuren, European Affairs Officer of AEGEE-Amsterdam, and Isidora Braljinac, President of AEGEE-Beograd, to find out more!

ACT: Which emotions did you have when you discovered that your local was chosen as ACTive Local of December?

Amy Treuren, AEGEE-Amsterdam: We were of course really happy to hear this amazing news! Thanks a lot! We were also very surprised because we absolutely did not expect to become ACTive Local of the Month.

Isidora/AEGEE-Beograd: We said: “Finally!”, but it is not like we expected it. Anyhow, very grateful and happy. 

Could you tell us little bit more about your event? (Home is where the Heart is – Erasmus+ exchange 2017). How many participants did you have, who applied, programme, goal, etc.

Amy: The goal of the event was to make the participants get in contact with another culture and country and learn about it, to learn about their own culture and country and what this means for themselves and for others. We also wanted to remove prejudices and stereotyping, create intercultural dialogue and create awareness about and stimulate European values. The participants developed different kind of skills, like organisational skills, working in a team, language skills, open-mindedness, confidence etc. We had 20 participants in total,  12 from AEGEE-Beograd and 8 from AEGEE-Amsterdam. Both groups already made a short movie in which every participant and group leader introduces themselves for the other group. During the programme we got to know each others’ culture and country. We did a boat trip, went to a museum, visited the participants’ parents, met and played soccer with refugees, did street interviews, had a European Night. The programme was very varied. The Erasmus+ exchange was co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

Why did you decide to apply for grant and organise that event?
Amy: Our local applies every year for an Erasmus+ grant. Most of the times our application gets rejected, like the 3 years before. So it was quite a surprise for us that our application got accepted.

Isidora: We wanted to try something different and when AEGEE-Amsterdam asked us if we want to be their partner – that was it. 

Could you tell us all steps you did to apply for grant? Did you have any problems?

Amy Treuren: Last year Iris van den Oord, our previous European Affairs Responsibe, applied for the grant. Unfortunately there were too many applications and this one got rejected. We received feedback on the application. We received the advice not to apply for the deadline of the 4th of October, because the chance that the application would be accepted was really small. They only had a small part of the budget left. We decided to still do it and to improve the application of the previous year, this time with extra feedback. I went to a training in Spain to learn about Erasmus+ and how to write an application. I learnt a lot there and this is the result! Close before the deadline our previous partner for the project did not reply anymore and we had to look for another partner. Luckily we found AEGEE-Beograd and they are a great partner.

How do you inform your members about the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

Amy: We tell our new members during the introductory period about the Action Agenda and Strategic Plan. Only this is very short, because there is not enough attention for this by our members (unfortunately). Sometimes we share things on our Facebook page so people who are interested can read it. And also we send a European Newsletter to our members every month. Our members can also read about it on our website.

Isidora: We always do a short introduction about it to every new member, from time to time discuss it at our meetings and encourage them to ask us about everything that is not clear to them.

Do you have any activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

Amy: Every year we organise new ones. Last summer our Summer University was related to the focus area Civic Education. Our Cultural Committee organises a couple of lectures every year, with sometimes themes related to the Action Agenda, like gender equality.

Isidora: This year we are cooperating with ACT for our Summer University and we are planning an LTC. Last year we organised a NWM, which included multiple topics related to the Action Agenda and Strategic Plan. Also, there are many other small things in other events we organise. 

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

AEGEE is fun, but it also has its powerful side! 

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

Think about what you would like to organise and about what your members are interested in. Do not think too difficult and be creative.

Can you tell us a bit more about your local? (Founded in, members, active members, committees you have, etc.)

AEGEE-Amsterdam was founded on 26th of March 1986. Since then it has grown to become the biggest AEGEE local with around 550 members, 200 are of them active. We have around 24 committees varying from a party committee to a cultural committee and from a European committee to a social drink committee. There are too many to name them all. Every Tuesday we have our social drink, every week we have activities and we have a couple of trips throughout the year, like two hitchhiking trips, a skiing trip, exchanges, a European members’ weekend and many more. We organise many local activities during the year. We are always happy to welcome you and show you around in Amsterdam so do not hesitate to contact us!

AEGEE-Beograd was founded on the 12th of November 1995. Right now we have 70 members including around 20 active members with FR and PR teams. We are a mostly girls’ antenna and we tend to show that girls can manage to do anything they want. We are all good friends, which makes us an even better team. Come to Belgrade, meet us, you will not regret it!

Characterise your local in one sentence.

AEGEE-Amsterdam: Breaking borders with AEGEE-Amsterdam at local and European level with the help of parties, activities and trips.

AEGEE-Beograd: The best things are in small packages.

Written by Elena Efremova, behalf of Action Agenda Committee

LGBT+ is still a controversial topic, even if in the last decade the society developed. People are talking about it, but they still discriminate someone on their gender identity or sexual orientation. AEGEE-Amsterdam is organising an event in January with the topic of LGBT+. We asked one of the organisers, Romy Cartiere, some questions about the lovely event they are preparing.

The AEGEEan: Tell us a little bit about the event.

Romy Cartiere: Hi there! AEGEE-Amsterdam is organising and hosting the event “Whatever Floats Your Rainboat” from the 23rd to the 27th of January. The event takes place in different parts of the city, as the activities are scattered all over. Continuous factor is the boat we are sleeping on every night, with real, comfortable beds!

Our local has a special committee, the EventCie, consisting of six lovely people that organise a thematic event in the winter every single year. The topic of the event is often related to one of the Focus Areas. This year it will relate to the newly adopted Focus Area “Equal Rights”!

Why “Whatever Floats Your Rainboat”?

Well, it is like having to explain a bad joke, but alright, I will talk you through our creative process! We chose the topic LGBT+ and then we were looking for a title that would reflect the topic in a not too obvious way. As our participants will be staying on a boat we thought that “boat” should be incorporated as well. Then our board responsible said, “Isn’t whatever floats your boat a saying?”. We were immediately very fond of this expression, because we stand for a society in which someone’s gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation is no longer a ground for discrimination, but would instead be met with a friendly “whatever floats your boat!”. When our chairperson uttered “rainboat” – which sounds like rainbow – our title was born.

What is the topic of the event?

The topic is LGBT+, which is, as ever, still a pressing issue. Discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation still exists in an overwhelming amount within Europe, even in countries where it is not expected. That results in these topics not being discussed within our society, which leads to youth growing up without an idea of the issues that play a part within the LGBT+ community. Ignorance can lead to the dehumanisation of certain minorities, which is a dangerous development. Transgenders for instance have a much higher chance of being assaulted and even murdered for being who they are. A human rights issue we cannot look away from!

What are you looking for in a future participant?

We are looking for a varied crowd! We are very happy to welcome those who do not have the chance or are not stimulated in their home country to discuss LGBT+ rights. However, participants who are already involved in the topic are much appreciated too. During AEGEE events you can learn from each other as well! Our thematic activities are set up in such a way that they are interesting for both newbies and experts.

And last but not least, we want you to mingle, even if you are not single! We expect of course that our participants are open to befriend with each other during the event, and knowing AEGEEans, that should be no problem!

We already selected over 25 participants, which means that there are only a few more spots left!

What activities have you prepared for this event?

Apart from the thematic activities, which include among others a Genderbread workshop and a tour through the very valuable, rich and unique LGBT collection of IHLIA (International Homo/Lesbian Information center and Archive), we have prepared a bunch of activities that will leave you just a bit more Holland loving at the end of the event. We will show you our city the Dutch way. Prepare for tongue twisting, bitterbal eating, nail pooping madness! Do not worry, you will discover that these are descriptions of very fun activities [she smiles, ed].

What do you think that people should get after this event?

Over 30 new friends, a lot to talk about at home, newly learned means of transport, some knowledge in a not so useful language, fun ideas for games at home, a deeper understanding of the issues faced by the LGBT+ community, and of course a big boost of AEGEE SPIRIT.

How and where can people apply?

The main open call has ended, but we have a few places left for those who apply first (given that you write a decent application). We thus encourage everyone who is interested to apply as soon as possible!

Apply through Intranet here AND this Google form.

For updates, visit our facebook event .

Do you have any future events planned regarding the topic of LGBT+?

Not at the moment, but our cultural committee, the CultCie, is soon organising a discussion evening about Gender Equality!

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

Two days ago, we published an article (embed link to article) about the latest LGBT+ event by AEGEE-Utrecht, and today we proudly present to you an interview with one of the organisers of the next LGBT+ event! It will take place in Amsterdam from the 23th till the 27th of January 2017. Here to tell us more about it is Romy Cartiere, one of the organisers!

Romy Cartiere, AEGEE-Amsterdam

The AEGEEan: Hi Romy! You are one of the organisers of the second LGBT+ themed event in the Netherlands! Awesome! What motivated you and your local to organise such a themed event?

Romy: Hi! Well, LGBT+ issues in Europe have gained an increasing interest within AEGEE over the past few months with the creation of an Interest Group, ambitions to start a project and to even incorporate LGBT+ rights as a topic in one of the new Focus Areas! But, first of all, we think it is an interesting and important topic, and Amsterdam is a nice environment for such an event. Not so much because of the LGBT nightlife and social events, but also because several LGBT orientated organisations are active here who could help us with the thematic part of the event.

Did AEGEE-Amsterdam do anything on the topic of LGBT+ discussion before?

Yes! Shortly before I became a member, there was an event with an LGBT theme ,and also our Cultural Committee organised a discussion evening about LGBT that happened maybe over one or two years ago. And we just had a transgender themed party about two weeks ago during our introductory period!

Which activities can the participants expect?

Of course the participants will see lots of Amsterdam during the city tour, a red light district tour, a bike ride etc. There will be Dutch-themed activities, and of course a social programme that will blow your socks off (more info on the Facebook page of the event).

Then, apart from this Amsterdam/Dutch madness, there will also be slightly more serious activities regarding the topic of LGBT+. We are still working on this thematic part, but we are striving for interactive activities that stimulate the understanding of LGBT+ issues in Europe. This will range from a workshop about transgenderism, to visiting an LGBT+ orientated student organisation.

We are also thinking of incorporating the LGBT+ theme into the ‘discover Amsterdam’ part a bit. We can, for instance, do this by telling about the transgender prostitutes of Amsterdam during the red light district tour, or by passing the homomonument during the city tour. Also, if the participants are interested in visiting a gay bar, that could be arranged!

For who are you organising this event?

It goes without saying that everyone is welcome at this event. However, this event is organised with a certain thought in mind. We understand that the LGBT+ topic can be quite a taboo in Europe, even in countries in which it is not expected. This results in the fact that these topics are not being discussed within our society, which leads to young people growing up without an idea of the issues that play a part within the LGBT+ community, or even knowing what LGBT+ stands for. Do you, for instance, know that in the + part of LGBT+ there are also asexual and intersex persons? Or that pansexual is also a sexual orientation? We would like to give the opportunity to those who grew up in an environment of restrictions to discover more about gender identity and sexual orientation in a step-by-step way.

What is the importance of this event for AEGEE?

As I mentioned, LGBT+ issues in Europe have gained increasing interest within AEGEE, and not without reason. Discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation still exists in an overwhelming amount within Europe, not only on a societal level, but also on the governmental one. In order for AEGEE to contribute to the debate in a meaningful way, it is of importance that our own members are familiar with the situation and with the community that is experiencing these problems.

Why should people apply for this event?

This event is perfect for everyone! We ensure that you will have a great time in Amsterdam and that you will make friends for life during these five days. No matter if you are a total new in the field of gay rights or the biggest LGBT+ rights activist, we will make sure that you won’t leave this event before saying ‘I hadn’t thought about that!’

So challenge yourself and apply!

Thank you!

Find the link to the Facebook event here and the intranet page here. 

By Mireille Voorendt, AEGEE-Utrecht

From the 21th of July to the 5th of August, 24 crazy participants were ready for a new adventure: discovering the “other side” of the Netherlands by joining the Travelling Summer University (TSU) of  Utrecht, Delft & Amsterdam: Discover Your New Partner in Crime. During these two weeks everyone found their partners, worked together on several tasks and got to experience the real Dutch culture.

The adventure started in Utrecht: the city that hosted the start of the Tour the France. The city was discovered firstly by following the Trajectum Lumen: a city tour passing by different light artworks in the city centre.  However, a different side of Utrecht could be experienced through the Underground Tour. In this tour an ex-homeless/addicted person told his life story while showing the places in the city where he lived and slept. The tour was not finished, because there was a possibility to see the ancient city in the DomUnder tour discovering the ancient ruins of the old city of Utrecht. By canoeing through the channels and climbing the Domtower, the city of Utrecht was discovered from all different views.

But there was more to discover than just the city. In a Dutch course the participants got an opportunity to improve their Dutch skills and practice their typical Dutch G (Gezellig!). With the help of these language skills the Crazy 88 was easy: 88 crazy challenges in which the participants could show their crazy and criminal side. Asking a stranger to marry them or ordering oysters at McDonalds, nothing was too much for the amazing participants. Also the trade game was a big success: the participants had to trade a tea bag for something of more value. Many people were surprised by the helpfulness to participate in the games stating: “This would be impossible in my country”. More Dutch experiences were given by typical Dutch dishes, a lecture on criminality in the Netherlands by a professor of criminology and typical Dutch games in the park.

After five fun days in Utrecht it was time to go to the next destination: Delft. And what better way to travel through the country than by hitchhiking? Although for many people it was their first experience with this way to travel, everyone arrived safely with nice stories to the university campus of Delft.

Here the participants had to face another Dutch experience: rain in summer. However, this didn’t stop anyone from enjoying the programme in Delft to the fullest. While discovering the beauty of Delft, people began to find their partners in crime and the group became closer and closer. In the days that followed a lot of games and activities took place. From being tied up to a partner, to pretending to be an airplane, everybody was in for anything. With the energy provided from tosties (grilled cheese sandwiches which are eaten a lot by Dutch students) the groups of participants tried their best to win the challenges and be their best at everything.

A trip to the political capital of the Netherlands was also on the programme. The Hague was popular and the rain decided to stop. This motivated some brave people to take this opportunity to swim in the sea when the beach near the Hague (Scheveningen) was visited. Others watched while drinking hot chocolate with their sweaters on. What a difference. After this little trip, the European Night was on the programme. Everybody put a lot of effort in cooking delicious food, teaching the toasting habits and motivating people into tasting their national dishes.  The night became one big party, the morning a little less. But despite the hangover, people worked hard to produce the best smoothie in a real smoothie competition. Strengthened by the power of the tosti some really delicious beauties were produced. The last night a real moonlight cinema was organised which meant being cozy in the sleeping bag while watching a movie in the open air.

After the relaxed times in Delft, everyone hitchhiked to the next and most famous location: Amsterdam. During the days in Amsterdam the participants got to see a different side of Amsterdam than most tourists do. The days in Amsterdam started of with a city tour which, besides the famous sights, showed locations of recent topics like the student revolutions and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). People were very impressed by the big rainbow flag which was hanging from a church, something that says a lot about the attitude towards LGBT people in the Netherlands. The whole city was full of rainbows for one important reason: the Gay pride. After some introduction and workshops on the topic, a nice sunny afternoon was spend at the Canal Parade, where different organisations showed their support for LGBT people in a boat parade. Although for some people it was kind of out of their comfort zone, it was a great party.

Amsterdam as its seen by its inhabitants was also shown in a tour of a local brewery, a red light district tour and a pub-crawl through the Jordaan, the old part of the city. Between the different pubs, there were several challenges which had to be completed. So once again the teams got ready for selfies with public toilets, sharing of clothes etc. Luckily by this time the group was close enough to not care about this.  Furthermore the weather had decided to be good for a change, so there was also time for chilling at the city beach.

The last night ended perfectly with a boat ride through the channels of Amsterdam. And what do you do when no music is allowed? Exactly,  – you sing yourself! All countries presented a famous song: a perfect way to finish a perfect Summer University.

For the organisers and participants one important goal was achieved: the real Dutch culture was discovered. The last night ended with a lot of smiles and tears: we all found a lot of new partners, but not only in crime.

Written by Diede Oudenampsen, AEGEE-Utrecht

It is often said that the Member of the Month should be someone who “moved mountains” in our association, but there are several ways to contribute to it. Also, it is often said that there are no active people during our statutory events and boredom spreads through delegates and envoys. Our Member of the Month of March is Maarten de Groot from AEGEE-Amsterdam, who showed in the past three statutory meetings (Agora Asturias included) that it is possible to step on stage and have your voice heard.

The AEGEEan: Please, introduce yourself: who you are, your hobbies etc.
Maarten: Hey, my name is Maarten de Groot, I am 24 years old and I study (primarily political) philosophy in Amsterdam. I grew up in the east of the Netherlands, in a place called Hengelo. I like to do sports: running, cycling and sailing mostly. Moreover, I like to talk with people, ranging from casual conversations with customers of the fruit stalls at the market I’ve worked at part-time for almost 8 years, to meetings with strangers, to at times heated discussions with friends. I feel like I’ve managed to combine these two “hobbies” by making long distance cycling trips through Europe. It is a great way to explore both the diversity and the interconnectedness of our continent, in terms of its landscapes as well as the cultural mentalities and living conditions of its peoples. I also like a good party, by the way.

When, why and how you did you join AEGEE?
I joined AEGEE in September 2013. I had just moved to Amsterdam for my masters, and I more or less accidentally bumped into an AEGEEan. He seemed like a nice guy and invited me for an open social drink of AEGEE. Although, initially, I had no intention to join a student association, the social drink persuaded me that it was indeed an easy way to get to know some people in Amsterdam, so I saw no reason not to give it a try. In other words, I joined because I felt I could leave at any moment, without any harm, but right now I realize it’s a fraud: once you’re in, there’s no way back.

You were elected as Member of the Month, how do you feel?
I feel greatly honored, especially because my contribution to the European level of AEGEE is clearly rather limited up until now.

You were nominated because of your active participation during both Agora Cagliari and EPM Burgos. Why are you so involved?
Part of the reason is that I have harbored an interest in the European project since my time at high school, during which I participated in a couple of Model European Parliament conferences. Over the years, I have only become more intrigued by the question of the future of democracy, and more particularly the question of transnational, European democracy. The two statutory meeting that I attended so far have challenged me to translate some of the (rather abstract) ideas about ‘Europe’ that I have gathered over the years, into communicable form and to relate them to our student association. The other part of the reason is that, once I get excited about, and feel committed to something, I tend to get absorbed by it. I’m afraid that’s what happened.

Most of the time the participation in statutory meetings is limited to ratifying things and some sporadic questions. How important is it, in your view, to have active participation during Agorae and EPMs?
In my view, the main merit of AEGEE is that it brings students from all over Europe into contact with one another. The primary purpose of statutory events, in turn, is that it allows these people to come together and to exchange viewpoints on topics that matter to them, in ways that are respectful of each others differences, and to ensure that the institutional structure of AEGEE is such that it accommodates for this. In such a context, participation will thrive, but only as a welcome side-effect.

From a delegate perspective, why do you think one should be active and ask questions during the Agora/EPM?
First of all, if you are actively participating during the plenary sessions of these events, your chances of falling asleep drop significantly. Secondly, I think it is just way more fun: (you feel like) you’re part of the process, rather than a mere bystander. Lastly, it is a great learning experience, a balancing act: on the one hand it challenges you to get yourself heard in front of a large and diverse audience, but at the same time you try to be respectful towards others, to leave sufficient room for them, and to be aware of your own limitations.

If you could do something to enhance the participation, what would it be?
The most important condition for active participation, I would say, is to create a safe environment in which people feel free to speak up. However, this is easier said than done, especially within groups as diverse as ours during. Dutch, for example, are known for their direct style of communication, which may come across as offensive to others. Although I have neither the will nor the capacity to change the Dutch mentality, an enhanced self-awareness nonetheless allows you to be self-critical, and consequently, to adjust your style, if only by trial and error.

In Agora Cagliari you asked for 8 minutes to discuss within the delegation of your local, the motion on allowing for an exception to the rule of having a minimum of 6 weeks in between statutory events in the case of EPM Burgos and Agora Asturias. What was your idea behind this request?
The motion had been presented, questions had been asked and a general discussion had taken place for a while. Although I had a general idea about how this motion was going to be voted upon, and how I felt about it, I nevertheless felt the need to discuss it briefly with my fellow delegates before the actual vote. For I believe that it is important to have a moment at which you actively say, with your delegation “we’re going to vote such and such”. Without having such a moment, the voting can turn into something that somewhat passively overcomes you as a delegation, whereby every delegate may have made up his or her mind individually, but there’s no proper moment to turn this into a collective act.

Last but not least, let’s do a small game. Explain you and your personality using the letters that compose your name.
M from Meticulous
A from Ambitious
A from Adventurous
R from Responsible
T from Tenacious (sometimes a pain in the neck)
E from Engaged (in the social sense)
N from Nonconformist
[for the R and the N I’ve picked the same ones as last month’s member, Ruben: thanks for the suggestions!]

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia

In December, we elected the first ACTive Local of the Month, which was AEGEE-Heraklio for their event about the human rights situation of deaf people. This month, AEGEE-Amsterdam was elected for their contribution to the Focus Area of Spreading Europtimism with an evening about Europe under the name of ‘Me, myself and Europe’. Time to speak to them to find out more!

First of all, can you tell us a bit more about your local?

AEGEE-Amsterdam was founded in 1986. Currently we have the 29^th board called ‘Aurora’ running the local. We are very active in and around Amsterdam. Every Tuesday, the whole year long, we have our social drink in a private bar in the center of Amsterdam. Besides that, we have a very busy year schedule. On average we have one activity per week (besides the social drink). The responsible board member and its committee organise activities. The five board members have to coordinate the 14 local committees (IT, Magazine, Party, PR, Introduction, Cooking, Ski, Formal Ball, Paparazzi, Social Drink, Culture, Sailing, Application Committee and Commercial Team). Besides all the things we offer our members on the local level we also have six European committees that organise everything from hitchhiking trips to exchanges and of course a summer university! Popular activities during the year are introduction camp (180 members attended), winter sport vacation (100 members), Formal Ball (120 members) and a European weekend trip to a random city (100 members).

Which activity did you organise in December?

We organised an evening about Europe in cooperation with ISN-Amsterdam and SIB-Amsterdam (both internationally oriented student associations). The evening was called ‘Me, myself and Europe’ and we invited three guest speakers. Mark Schalekamp, a writer that travels to all the capital cities of the EU, Arjen Berkvens, the director of the Foundation Max van der Stoel, which supports emerging democracies of countries in which civil liberties are under pressure and Niesco Dubbelboer, a political scientist at the University of Amsterdam and director of Agora Europe! We closed the evening with some radical statements, which made for a good discussion between the guest speakers and the audience.

How did you decide on this activity?

We wanted to organise an evening together with a different student organization. SIB and ISN have their office in the same building, so it was easy to make the connection. Europe was a theme that was on our to-do list. We want to let our members see Europe from different points of view, not just the political way.

What was the result of your activity?

We had around 50 people attending the event. It was really nice to corporate with different student associations and we learned a lot. Each association has a different way of operating and also their members differ a lot from ours. To see the three together was a really interesting format.

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan planned?

We have an event coming up in February called: ‘AEGEE-Amsterdam: Yes, we care!’ That week we’ll sleep on a boat together with our participants. It’s going to be an environmental conscious week! We’ll do all sorts of fun stuff in Amsterdam but besides all the ‘normal’ touristic activities we’re also going to do a recycling workshop, visit the Salvation Army and have dinner in a waste conscious restaurant! You can find more information here.

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

It’s an easy way to activate your own members. You can learn a lot, and more important, just have fun!

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

Start early with brainstorming and contacting guest speakers. Once everything is falling into place, start your campaign and make sure that every member knows about it! It’s also important that you organise something that is close to the interests of your members.

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Amsterdam is often seen as the city of perdition, the land of drugs and prostitutes. But Amsterdam is definitely not only that, so between the 16th and the 20th of February, AEGEE-Amsterdam will show thirty AEGEE-members another side of their city, devoided of prejudice with a green and caring side. We got a sneak peak as we spoke with Maxime Nelissen, AEGEE-Amsterdam’s Vice-President and External Affairs Officer.

The AEGEEan: Your event “Yes we care!” is on the way. What is the main concept?

Maxime: The main concept revolves around sustainability. We want to show the participants that we should care more about our living ways. We can help the environment by separating waste, keeping track of our food etc. Each individual can make big differences for our society with little actions and we want our participants to realize that.

What should participants expect?

Participants can expect a couple of workshops to show them how to help the environment and the ones in need (a recycling workshop, a little visit to a shelter, eating in a restaurant that works with food which would be thrown away if not bought). Of course, we will also do typical Dutch stuff and have loads of fun, for example going ice-skating, visiting the social drinks of AEGEE-Amsterdam and going out in the amazing never-sleeping side of Amsterdam.

The title is “Yes we care!” can you explain the reasons behind it?

The title is “Yes we care!” in reference to “Yes we can!” [President of U.S. Barack Obama’s motto during his first presidential campaign, ed.], to show that we are able to make a difference with little actions. The caring side of Amsterdam that we want to show is thus named in the title.

In your FB event you asked some questions: What can you do for society and how? What issues are important nowadays? According to AEGEE-Amsterdam, what are the answers?

According to AEGEE-Amsterdam you can help society by thinking a little bit more about your actions. You can avoid food-waste, there will be a documentary night about this when we will be watching the documentary “Cowspiracy”, help the ones in need around you by donating clothes you might never wear again and even avoid polluting the environment by recycling. It is all about the little actions. This is what we really want to come through to our participants, so that these actions will be followed to their hometowns.

According to you, Amsterdam is known to be the city of prostitutes and drugs. Tell us three things that will make people change their minds.

Amsterdam has many ‘green’ companies which really care about the environment and keep inventing new concepts to make Amsterdam a better place (such as the restaurant where we will be eating, they have won a prize for their innovating concept), the caring people (of course there are drugproblems but there are also shelters for the homeless amongst them to help them) and the openmindedness of the people of Amsterdam! We are very open towards everybody, everybody is accepted the way they are. We will be showing this by going out in a gaybar one night.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia

Our SU is the story of two countries, two organising groups, two girls who at first brought two very different locals together and an amazing group of explorers from all over Europe.

Once upon a time, two girls from locals not too far away from each other in Germany and the Netherlands met during a SU as participants. As the time came to start planning for the Summer Universities in 2014, these two girls (one from AEGEE-Amsterdam and the other one from AEGEE-Osnabrück) decided to give it a shot to organize a SU together with their locals. At the first glance two very different antennae were facing each other and no one really knew if such a Summer University project was a good idea. On one side, there was the very big local of AEGEE-Amsterdam and on the other side there was AEGEE-Osnabrück, a way smaller local with a very different structure. On one side Amsterdam – a cosmopolitan city where everyone dreams to go to once in their lifetime and on the other side Osnabrück – a small city that even Germans have to search on the map sometimes if they want to go there to be inspired by its lively young culture and beautiful surroundings.

Still, the two locals decided to give it a try and formed an alliance – after all the distance between Amsterdam and Osnabrück is only 250 km. In the following months, the two teams got to know each other on European events and in several Skype meetings. There was a regular update of the progress in the local planning process and everyone was getting more and more excited that this SU would not stay a dream but would become reality. At the beginning of August the time was finally there to start the SU (S)Urban Explorers 2014.

The organisers were all very excited and waiting for the participants to arrive in Osnabrück. They finally wanted to meet all the (S)Urban Explorers, ready to explore, dream and discover their German-Dutch summer in both cities. The accomodation was ready with a gossip wall, the whole programme on the wall, one whole room only with drinks, an individually installed kitchen in what used to be an empty room, the equipment for many games and much more.

As the name states, the goal of the SU was to explore and to experience different urban  and outdoor adventures in both Germany and the Netherlands in many ways. And explorers we really were!

During the first week in Osnabrück, the accommodation was an old military base in the suburb of the city – the perfect place to experience the surroundings and the beautiful landscape of Northern Germany and to be together with the group day and night. We were ready to bring the AEGEE spirit to all the AEGEE people, become a group of  explorers formed by organisers and participants and to go climbing, canoeing and hiking in the picturesque landscape around Osnabrück!

For sure everyone not only had to explore the city and the landscape, but also their own limits. How little one can sleep while still having full energy day and night was one of the challenges from the very first day with a programme planned in a detailed way from early  morning till late at night.

Osnabrück is the city of the famous “Peace of Westphalia” in northwest Germany. It was approved in the townhall of the city and it’s the place where we started the first day, after the welcome day with icebreaking games, with a welcome reception and a guided tour of the townhall. Even the radio was there to report about the SU! Furthermore in Osnabrück not only a lifestyle-tour and a crazy rally were part of the program, but also a guided tour by a nightwatchman to explore the dark past and the underground of the city was included.

In a salsa lesson we could see how much a body can really shake, during the excursion to Bremen everyone had the chance to try all kinds of beer in the famous Beck’s brewery and see how this drink that cheers us all up is really made and in the language course the explorers of all language levels trained their risible muscles during funny games and explored that it is not impossible to pronunce difficult words or sing drinking songs as a beginner.

With all different kinds of food like German bread or the menu of the university canteen we tried to keep up the energy  so the explorers also had enough power for the workshop about “Spreading Europtimism” that lasted longer than expected, because the AEGEEans from all over Europe had so many stories to share in this interactive environment. But real explorers never stay inside for too long and so the garden of the castle or a nearby  lake were the spots for group activities and energizers when we were not at university or the accomodation. Outstanding was indeed the canoeing during which many participants jumped in the river to refresh on a warm sunny day but also performed the Dutch dance “Hoofd, Schouders, Knie en Teen” on their small canoes and no one fell in the water – what an amazing moment.

During the climbing park in a forest we were all exploring our limits many meters above the ground between the trees for several hours. One of the best ways to really rely on your climbing partner and create a great group spirit. There was so much more going on also in many challenges of the day, but this can only be experienced and explored in person. The last night in Osnabrück, after many party and club nights, was a party of the 20s and so a real journey in time and a fancy night after so many outdoor experiences.

After over a week, it was time to say goodbye to the the city of peace: Osnabruck. Week two of our awesome experience started! We decided to kick off with a fine AEGEE-Amsterdam tradition; hitchhiking! A lot of people were a little hesitative at first but soon explored the long stretched highways of Germany and the Netherlands from the comfortable backseat of the car owners who were more than happy to take them along. By the end of the day every single participant and organizer had arrived safely and well in Amsterdam (fortunately for group spirit).

Time to get the party started at AEGEE-Amsterdam’s weekly social drink. After a slow start, the people loosened up and transformed into real nightlife explorers in the cosmopolitan city of Amsterdam. One crazy week was going on after, filled with scavenger hunts, photo frenzy’s, BBQ’s, city tours, a workshop about nationalism by Dr. Krisztina Lajosi which created many discussions about questions like the following: When is a flag a sign of nationalism and when is it not?

We all  had the chance to party hard in a gay club and a former church,  enjoy big parks in the city or take part in a tour on the canals in the beautiful capital of the Netherlands while the rain never got us down. You cannot imagine how much fun it was to go on a bike tour with everyone in a city where there are more bikes than inhabitants or to see the unique and world famous red light district all together by night.

A  language course, a workshop in impro-theater and much more brought the group closer together  even though we stayed with private hosts and not in a group accommodation in Amsterdam. Last but not least everyone could party one last time at the ‘goodbye party’ after over two weeks of little sleep and full power exploring in the cities and outdoors.  Here and there one could always see someone sleeping in the bus, the workshop or even  a bar or a club, but all in all every S(U)urban Explorer reached the personal limits the best possible way with lots of energy and fun. The last night is always one of the best but at the same time worst parts of a Summer University. It’s sad to see all those great people leave but you’re also unbelievably happy to have met them and to have organised such a time for everyone. The curtain closed on our (S)Urban Exploring adventure. But definitely not for good… See you all somewhere in Europe soon again. And we still have all the private letters written for each other after the arrival back home. A wonderful memory, a wonderful journey!

Written by Lise-Lotte Albers, AEGEE-Amsterdam

It has been repeated over and over again that it is very important to prepare delegates, visitors and envoys for the statutory events. It is essential to go through proposals and candidatures before flying to the Agora destination and The AEGEEan interviewed different antennae that prepare meetings for that particular purpose.

In Budapest members who want to be delegates have to write a motivation letter in order to apply for the position, they have to present themselves in front of the assembly where votes are cast by other members. As for visitors, the board creates the list according to a policy which says board members should be first, then mid-level leaders, active members and others. AEGEE-Leiden also selects delegates in a local Agora where candidates present themselves and then the members vote. The procedure of selecting visitors is also similar to what happens in Budapest “We select visitors by first promoting the Agora among our members: telling what it is all about, why it is important and a great experience. When people apply to become a visitor, the board goes through the applications and looks at the motivations. Based on their motivation, the board decides in which order the visitors will be put,” Sandrine Lafay from AEGEE-Leiden tells The AEGEEan.

As for the preparations, many antennae such as AEGEE-Groningen, AEGEE-Enschede and AEGEE-Amsterdam, AEGEE-Budapest before the Agora always have a so called Agora night where they simulate the Agora with most of its sessions and also present the proposals and candidates in order to find out the members’ opinions about the decisions the delegates have to make. “Of course during our simulation we don’t only vote in favor and against the proposals, but we try to talk about them. This way the delegates can later ask the questions which came up in the Prytania sessions. The result of the Agora Night is always recorded and the delegates should keep to those!” AEGEE-Leiden also hosts a Pre Agora meeting discussing all proposals and candidatures “We think it’s very important because delegates need to represent the local as a whole. The Pre Agora Meeting is the moment to discuss with all active members about what we think, so we can come up with a voting advice that represents the opinion of AEGEE-Leiden. To make sure that everyone’s well prepared at the Pre Agora Meeting, we distribute the proposal and candidature booklets among our members so they can read everything and form their own opinion before we start the Pre Agora Meeting. Moreover, we assign the different proposals and different candidatures to small groups of people that will present them at the Pre Agora Meeting, to make sure that even those who haven’t done the reading know what the proposal is about. During the Pre Agora Meeting we present and discuss about each proposal and candidature one by one and write down the arguments and voting advice for our delegates,” Sandrine says.

Clearly it is not only important to prepare the delegates but also the visitors so they have information about what is happening at what they are attending. AEGEE-Alicante told The AEGEEan how they focus on this matter “It is important to prepare not only delegates, but also visitors, so they can follow the discussion representing the antenna and understand why they are there. If we know that there will be newbies in the meeting, we explain what an Agora is, and then, we proceed to talk about candidatures and proposals and discuss all of it to reach a consensus so that they vote and act on behalf of AEGEE-Alicante as a whole rather than their individual opinion.”

There are different ways to help the members of the antennae financially in taking part in the statutory events. Whereas Budapest reimburses the fee to board members, delegates and honorary members, AEGEE-Amsterdam and AEGEE-Utrecht focuses on the travel costs. Where AEGEE-Utrecht reimburses 1/3 of the travel cost for their delegates, AEGEE-Amsterdam has a more complex system. Delegates get 50% of the travel costs reimbursed (till the maximum amount of €100), but first they have to make a little review about the Agora. The same goes for visitors who can get 25% of the travel costs reimbursed (till maximum amount of €50). AEGEE-Enschede implemented this year a 25 € reimbursement to the delegates. The AEGEEan also talked with AEGEE-Groningen about the same topic and the secretary Josine Rawee said “Normally we don’t, but when we cannot find enough delegates because the travel costs are too high, we sometimes give them reimbursement”.

The AEGEEan is also preparing delegates and visitors for the Agora having published interviews with candidates, organizers, explanations of proposals and more. Erika Bettin is the editor of the People’s section and says “This year I’m following the Agora preparation even more closely because I’m the Editor of the People section in The AEGEEan. For who doesn’t now, the People section hosts all the interviews given from candidates. Being a delegate myself, after reading all the applications, I wanted to ask a lot of questions to the candidates. During the Agora, usually, you see an endless line of people asking for questions that may or may not be answered. By doing the interviews, The AEGEEanis is giving everyone a chance to have a clearer overview. Personally, I was quite surprised to see how few people sent questions through our form. This is an important occasion to get to know the candidates better.”

Hopefully next time before Agora Cagliari there will be more questions submitted for the candidates and envoys, delegates and visitors can all be prepared in an even better way for the statutory event.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza

Four or five times a year all Dutch speaking locals and their Network Commissioner (NetCommie) gather for a collective meeting called the Nedertop. The reason for this gathering is a mystery for the rest of the AEGEE-network. Until today, because this article will give you all the ins and outs about this Dutch meeting!

The exact date of establishment is unknown, but Diederik Smit (honorary member of AEGEE-Leiden) remembers it started as a secretive, forbidden meeting, where text messages were used to reveal the location. Dutch locals have always been very close, so the idea to get together and have a meeting probably stems from this bond. Having a national level isn’t something that AEGEE-Europe strives for, since it wants to operate without a national level, so the Nedertop wasn’t received well. At first the Comité Directeur also feared that the locals were in fact making decisions about votings during the Agorae, but after they had visited a Nedertop they saw the potential and were enthusiastic too. From that moment on the Nedertop was opened to all Dutch speaking locals instead of just Dutch locals.

As already mentioned, all Dutch speaking locals are welcome at a Nedertop, which refers to the AEGEE-locals from Amsterdam, Brussels, Delft, Enschede, Eindhoven, Groningen, Leuven, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Tilburg and Utrecht. Together, these locals discuss potential issues they have (for example finding new boardmembers), Network Meetings, updates about each local with their plans and activities and the boardmembers share tips they might have for each other (for example in the process of finding new board- or active members). Votings for the Agorae are not discussed, but the successful implementation of the accepted proposals or motions in the locals is discussed. The Network Commissioner of the region (currently Dominique Lenssen) also gives updates on what he or she has been doing in the past couple of months, but can not be held accountable for her activities since this can only be done during an Agora.

Last year the participating locals also became a member of the NJR (Dutch Youth Council), to represent AEGEE on a national level. Because AEGEE as an association does not have a national level, a representative is elected that speaks on behalf of the AEGEE-locals. Next to that, the locals try to use their large amount of members to search for collective fundraising. The fundraising team together tries to provide fundraising options for all Dutch speaking locals like mailings or advertisements. In the past they have worked together with ‘Working at the EU’ for example, which would post banners on all locals websites and send out regular mailings in exchange for an extra payment to the locals.

The Nedertop isn’t only about serious business though! Last year the first Fun Event was organized: a weekend without thematic activities, but providing the opportunity to make friends with members from other Dutch speaking locals. Friendship often forms a good base for a successful collaboration, therefore, the Nedertop tries to connect members of Dutch speaking locals in both a formal and informal way.

The Nedertop locals also created a website, where all the Dutchspeaking locals can be found and a short explanation about AEGEE-Europe is given. This website can be found here.

Written by Svenja Van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen