LeaderSHIP NWM Bratislava 2016 – ‘Lead your crew on Danube’ is the name of a network meeting, organised by the only Slovak-speaking-antenna in April 2016. As the name suggests, the NWM focused on soft-skills related to leadership and their application in practice, either within AEGEE or in professional life.

“AEGEE-Bratislava is a small antenna with modest experience in organising international events,” said the president Miška Kliská. “However, the NWM showed us that with a small team of motivated members & good leadership, everything is possible.”

The NWM organised by AEGEE-Bratislava took place on 21- 24 April 2016 in the Slovak capital on the Danube, towered by the castle and the famous UFO Bridge. Workshops and all daily activities were held in a cafe bar with good facilities for organising small conferences and with a friendly staff. Lunches were solved via a catering company, thus the organisers saved time on logistics. Practically, the participants only left the location in the evening, to go back to the hostel and to get ready for the party. Hostel Possonium, located just five minutes from the train station, also served for the pre-party. Although it is not the main goal of the NWMs, small parties such as city game, navy party or the European Night brought were welcomed contributions.

The focus of the NWM was leadership, which was covered in a separate lecture, when the participants brainstormed ideas about what makes a good leader. Many of them contributed with clever ideas, suitable for further shaping; this is the goal of such events. To put ideas in practice, cooperate with others, but also be exposed to the opposite point of view. All agreed that being a leader also includes a human aspect and communication; not only getting things done.
On Saturday, a panel discussion took place where a group of successful young professionals from different walks of business shared their knowledge and experience. Basically, experiences and skills from AEGEE can be used in professional life; you just have to find the way. For example, communication and language skills are always useful, as well as the HR skills or fundraising for NGOs. Fundraising and planning were covered in workshops on Friday morning, where guys from the NETCOM shared some of the best practices in order to develop their locals.

During sightseeing we discovered the funny statues in the city centre and the stories beneath the biggest historical buildings and the UFO bridge – the monument of communist architecture. European Night started late but it was worth waiting for. Some of the participants come to Bratislava regularly and I hope that after this event they will be joined by others who enjoyed the academic and also AEGEE spirit in Bratislava.

Written by Erik Redli, AEGEE-Bratislava

When will the NWM take place?

We have tried to choose the best convenient dates for our NWM, and we are waiting for all of you from the 21st till the 24th of April 2016.

Which will be the focus of your NWM?

The topic of our NWM is Leadership in NGOs. As we all know, there are a lot of people from students’ organisations, such as AEGEE, who built their careers and businesses also on the basis of what they learnt in these organisations. We are very honoured to invite these people to tell us more about how they became who they are at present, and how their participation in the above mentioned organisations changed their way of thinking and their whole lives. During our NWM, participants will have a chance to learn essential leadership skills and by practicing them, they will prepare for the future challenges.

Can you tell us something regarding the social programme of the NWM?

The social programme of our NWM is closely connected with its name. We will link the programme with activities related to the Danube, like Navy party on the boat and other surprises. There will also be a city-tour made as a treasure hunt and much more to be excited about.

Who will be part of the organisation team? How many people are going to help with the NWM as organisers?

Even though AEGEE-Bratislava is a very small antenna, we have enough motivated people who are full of ideas and determination. Overall, you will meet about ten people from the core team, and each of them will be there for you, if you need anything or have any questions. I have to say that we are more than a team, we are a family of friends, and this is our secret of success. Of course, you will meet the bigger team but they will only join for some parts of the event. Be sure to have a chance to talk to our speakers who are our respected old members, the creators of our organisation who made AEGEE-Bratislava as we see it now.

Do you have any local municipality or university support?

Although it is a small old town to be a capital city, it has a lot of highlights to see. Statues are located all around the old town, and everyone takes pictures of them. One of the most beloved activities by locals and guests is to saunter in the center at night. The whole city is splendidly lit up and at some point, sometimes surprisingly, you feel like the whole city is asleep. Slovak cuisine might be a little heavy, but it is also very tasty. All the atmosphere is framed with good restaurants, cafes, music, architecture, beautiful views and it is such a good feeling to walk around. If you have never visited this charming city before, it is the perfect occasion to do so.

Why should people come to Bratislava?

There are many cities in Europe, but only some of them have a unique atmosphere that you will never forget. Bratislava, I strongly believe, is one of them. Slovakia is also known for having some of the most beautiful girls in the world (girls, don’t worry, we have handsome guys as well!), being relatively cheap, and having great places for the day and night life!

Is it easy to access your city?

I would say it is easier than easy. We have our airport in Bratislava and one hour away there is the airport of Vienna. We are really in the center of a lot of big cities with good connections to our city. You can easily reach us by buses, trains, blablacar or even hitchhiking (my friends say it works well in Slovakia). The transportation prices are really cheap. For example, you can travel from Vienna to Bratislava for only one euro by bus every day.

What are the future plans of AEGEE-Bratislava?

AEGEE-Bratislava is always preparing some good stuff for you so when you pass by, just stop to hang out with us. We will be also organising an amazing pre-event of Agora Bergamo with AEGEE-Wien and in the summer, we will have the Summer University organised together with three other antennae: AEGEE-Budapest, AEGEE-Praha, and AEGEE-Wien. Don’t forget to apply! We are waiting for you! 

You can find the Facebook event here and apply here and here.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari.

AEGEE has been one of the first Pan-European associations that supported Youth Mobility in order to empower students and young people in Europe to take an active role in society. ”After the attacks in Paris, Europe increased the level of controls, mostly on the borders,” says Afredo Sellitti, Policy Officer on Youth Mobility, which might cause some problems with travelling. However, work and residence permits were not affected”.

One of the main characteristics of AEGEE people is that they travel a lot; sometimes they just hit the road without planning. Now they will have to plan their trips better as the additional vigilance of the European governments might hide unexpected obstacles.

Walking the streets of Paris in the evening, you could feel the atmosphere of harmony and love, well described in the works of Hemingway or captured in romantic Hollywood movies. Now, some people might even have problems with travelling to Paris and if they arrive, they will be disappointed by the ‘Geist’ of terrorism.

According to Alfredo, the additional border controls should not have significant impact on AEGEE and its projects unless the Schengen Area gets suspended, which will bring back the passport and visa procedures. ”However, this is a remote scenario and highly unlikely to happen,” says Alfredo.

Most of the countries adopted tighter security measures and Slovakia was no exception. According to Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is known in Europe for refusing migration quota, uncontrolled migration is an unprecedented risk for the country. Indeed, in most cases, they are just pro-form that disturbs the daily routine of foreigners living in Slovakia.  A young man from Iran interviewed by a newspaper said he was checked three times a day. People coming from Ukraine reported long visa procedures with plenty of paper work.

“The security of Slovakia’s citizens must be a top priority before any other rights”, said the prime minister. However, usually when some rights are given to one group of people, the rights of another people might be in danger. Many people would like to use the freedom to travel in order to gain new experience and skills. However, sometimes they find out at the station that trains are not in service due to security threats, which happened a few months ago in Budapest.

Do not say the word ‘bomb’ at the airport

Some measures can put people into stressful situations. Press release from Bratislava airport advised the passengers not to say words like “bomb” aloud around the terminal building as it might raise suspicion, even emergency. Lucia from AEGEE-Bratislava was flying from Bratislava to Brussels on the 15th of November and almost missed her flight because the traditional fast-track security check was replaced by tight control.  Also, trains from Germany to Belgium and France had several hours of delays, she confirmed, which caused delays in her work schedule.

The security was tightened after the attacks in Paris on Friday, 13th of November that killed 130 people. “Residents in Paris were shocked, but after about three days, everything got back to normal”, says Daria from AEGEE-Kyïv, who left Paris shortly before the attacks.  Her friends had a trip to Paris planned one week after the attacks and they went regardless of the warnings.  It proves that AEGEEans are more daring and tolerant than ordinary people. Lucia said that there is no point in worrying: “Either the security forces will act in time or we should at least hope that it won’t hit me or my relatives”.

Maybe it is a little bit careless approach, but the fact is that the only terrorist convicted in Slovakia was a man who exploded a bomb in front of a McDonalds in Košice, eastern Slovakia, a few years ago. On the other hand, we should look further than our fence. In other countries, the situation is a little bit different. Places like Paris and Brussels are more ‘in the limelight’. Therefore, we all should contribute to the collective security.

Catharsis of Europe

The  situation in Europe is different from ten years ago. It is becoming a continent of ideologies and people who seek opportunities to encourage the public in order to reach their goals. It is the issue of terrorist propaganda spreading over the internet that brings danger, not migration.

According to French Ministry of Immigration (2010), the five countries, UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany cater for 80% of migration flow to Europe and recently Germany welcomed the millionth migrant this year. The main reasons behind migration are economic, family reunion and study. This trend is expected to continue, which can have negative impact on Europe’s economy and culture. Therefore, some governments agreed on cuts.

”According to the recent happenings, people of Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt might face the biggest problems with travelling to Europe as these countries lie close to the southern European borders,” said Alfredo.

Under the new rules that were adopted in response to the attacks in Paris, courts will be able to order detention of a terrorist suspect and prolong the detention period. However, the terrorist tactics do not focus on attacking individuals but spreading fear and the feeling of hopelessness in the whole society. Therefore, the situation calls for redefinition of security in Europe, which might affect our comfort, especially with travelling and work permits.

A group of international students in Bratislava said that they did not experience any difficulties when getting to Slovakia. However, prior to arrival, they had to go through visa application process, and the security check at the airport was a bit longer.  Little delay is a cheap price if we look at what is at stake. Nevertheless, we should respect the rules and hope that the disturbing responsibility of customs procedures and identity checks will come to an end.

Written by Erik Redli, AEGEE-Bratislava

Travelling Summer University was organized by AEGEE-Bratislava and AEGEE-Lviv on the break of July and August 2014. It started in Bratislava on Thursday, when the participants arrived to the gym where we slept. About half of them gathered for the Slovak language workshop. Instead of the survival phrases, everyone was interested in pick-up lines & dirty words. Boys, remember: “Máš pekné oči.“ (Your eyes are beautiful) and girls, save money by: „tento pán to všetko zaplatí“ (this gentleman pays for all). In the evening, the President of AEGEE-Bratislava, Lucia, officially opened the SU and we also celebrated the 22th birthday of the only Slovak antenna with a cake.

On Friday morning there were some workshops about AEGEE and the European Union and then in the afternoon we did bungee jumping. A navy party followed on a boat anchored on the Danube River. Saturday morning was devoted to a city tour with a guide who knew the history of every single palace on the Michalska Street. Many participants were went for coffee, but everyone was ready to taste the honey wine in a small shop in between the souvenir shops and the Slovak restaurants. Later Erik & Juro took us to the castle. The way was quite unusual, but they claim that it was in order to show us the typical communist bus station under the bridge. From the castle, we went to the beach by the Danube River. It was a good opportunity to play volleyball, enjoy drinks or see the participants in swimsuits, which could be helpful at the traffic light party in the evening.

Actually, traffic light party is an interesting psychological game. In the end, the desire and impressions beat the colour of the t-shirts. A game with the ice cubes breaks the ice, and this is how we met Elvis Campolungo from Siena. Next morning, the bus to High Tatras was full of sleepy people. We hoped that the fresh air in the mountains would wake us up. We made a stop at the Demänovská ice cave. It was almost like the ice bar the previous night, but less ice and no free shots.

First night in Poprad started with a  pub crawl. Participants, divided into 6 teams, had to find directions to 6 bars and in each of them perform a task. Final task was a tequila body shot from AEGEE-Bratislava bodies. This is the Slovak hospitality.

Poprad is a gate to High Tatras – Slovakia’s biggest mountains. AEGEE people departed from civilization in the last village and enjoyed the walk in raw nature. In popular culture, we can label Tatras as the birthplace of Tatra Tea, Tatranky-wafers filled with nut cream- and Tatran – a small brewery.

I did not count the nationalities, but the ‘tables’ at the European Night of TSU Bratislava 2014 lasted over 90 min. The night started with a folk dance by some local guys (you can even see it on the Regional TV from Poprad).

Slovak organizers introduced typical products, including the sheep cheese product bryndza, and several variants of Tatra Tea, ranging from 17 to 72 degrees. Table was topped by Borovička, the revenge of Mother Nature, as Juro from AEGEE-Bratislava told us. The participants from Ukraine followed with their vodka – horilka that tastes always the same, just the adventures are always different. Also, they taught us a dance. I am sorry not to mention all the presentations as I really could not capture all, despite the fact that I was still sober. Best participant Mika was silent while introducing his Finish drink. In contrast, Italian ‘pasta guys’ sung the national anthem like Squadra Azzurra before an international match and educated us on some typical gestures. Diego from Mexico explained the difference between the Mexican and Spanish tortillas and offered tequila, but without salt, lemon and belly buttons. From Giu Di Lu we learned that gulash is really international food because it reminds him of Chinese cuisine.  Around midnight, the party relocated into a gym because AEGEE people are full of energy and even if it looks like that they sleep, they are just getting ready for another party.

On Tuesday, after chilling in the Aqua park, we went for dinner, where we were served traditional Slovak dish ‘bryndzové halušky’. After that, we headed for a private party, which turned out little bit wild. From Wednesday I would like to mention the workshop on culture. For everyone, culture means something different: toast with peanut butter and jam, dinner at 6pm, sweet pasta. Interesting, how simple issues develop into serious talk about national stereotypes and similarities. As Erwin Groot, a participant from the  Netherlands said: ‘Spending time with open minded people from all around Europe creates a bonding within the SU group that feels like family. Because of this family feeling, the moments of being in the hostel or bus or just walking through the city, are just as nice as the moments you are having parties, city rally’s, watching castles, exploring the Tatra mountains, jumping of bridges (with rope). And even though it feels like a year goes by, by being open minded towards everyone, you build friendships in Europe that last many years after.’

Massage workshop followed and in the afternoon I met some guys (and ice bears) looking for massage oil in the supermarket. In the afternoon we played city rally, the first prize went to the Smurfs team. At the closing party, we were writing on t-shirts till 2am, when part of the participants left for Ukraine. And when I read the words of Oksana Konyk, I regret that I did not join them. She also mentions an incredible and a little bit crazy AEGEE family ready for any adventure in romantic and charming Lviv. Besides sightseeing, museums, castles and the awaited tunnel of love,theye had different workshops. The most memorable were varenyky and motanka ones.

It was really a great time with great people. So see you again somewhere in Lviv! Although both parts of TSU are formally over, it still goes on in our open minds, hearts and in the Facebook group. Hope that no one will forget how good it is to meet somebody to #lol.

Written by Erik Redli, AEGEE-Bratislava (with the help of  Oksana Konyk, AEGEE-Lviv and Erwin Groot )

Photos: from the photos posted in the participant’s group.

Here is the daily coverage of TSU Bratislava in Tweets.

This video captures the best moments.

It is time for The AEGEEan’s Choice Awards again! From March 10th until March 31st you can let us know who are your favorites in categories such as Best Video, Most Active Working Group, Most Impressive Roll Call and, of course, Most Creative Merchandise. For the last category, The AEGEEan has found five nominees, namely: AEGEE-Bratislava, AEGEE-Bergamo, AEGEE-Warszawa, AEGEE-Zaragoza and the Comité Directeur. Here you will get an insight into the inspiration behind it.

AEGEE-Europe’s Popular Blue Hoodie

First of all, the popular AEGEE-Europe hoodie. The AEGEEan spoke with Pavel Zbornik from the Comité Directeur about the inspiration for it. “I wanted to show in one symbol the diversity of AEGEE in a way every AEGEE member will easy connect with – the names of the locals. I personally really like the A symbol and remembered the t-shirt of AEGEE-Krakow and put it all together.” The sweatshirt was chosen due to the advantage of it being more visible and with AEGEE merchandising it is aimed to build an image of the organization, promote it and make it visible. “By wearing the AEGEE sweatshirt it shows I’m a member of AEGEE and I’m proud of it” Pavel says. Of course there is also the obvious fact that during an Autumn Agora sometimes it is cold and the hoodie can be a way to keep the participants warm. During Agora Zaragoza more than 100 hoodies were sold making it possible to see many blue spots from the stage during the plenary. The main challenge when designing, was the time pressure from other Comité Directeur members and trying to fit all locals into the shape which unfortunately was not achieved. However, the new visual identity made it all easier. “The Visual Identity makes designing much easier: You choose the color which you want to use and you can also choose an element, add text and you are done. I’m not the most skilled designer and with the Visual Identity I was able to make a simple design, which I believe looks good,” Pavel says. It is still under discussion whether it will also be sold during Agora Patra as it will be quite warm. “If we decide in favor, the unsold hoodies will be shipped to Patra and we plan to offer pre-order by asking participants if they want to buy one, to see if we still have enough,” Pavel concludes.

AEGEE-Bergamo’s Flight Ticket’s Promotion

Also AEGEE-Bergamo’s popular SU promotion flight tickets are the reason for the antenna being nominated for The AEGEEan’s Choice Awards. Amongst many promotion methods, the antenna used articles in local newspapers, posts on social networks, leaflets and the mentioned flight tickets. First, AEGEE-Bergamo had a brainstorming session on the issue with the whole group and then Silvia Cannarozzi finalized the project. They were inspired by creative communication campaigns led by famous brands, such as these, and decided to transform a bus stop with a plastic panel so that it seemed like an airport departures indicator. The central bus stop would then become an “airport”, so there was a need of stewards, pilots and flight tickets. However, in the first year the project had to be postponed due to the bad weather.

Then, last year they carried on the project by going outside the different buildings of the University of Bergamo dressed up as pilots and stewards, handing leaflets for the students, before going to the transformed bus stop in the city center continuing promotion with flyers and asking people where to go. In the end 20 members of the antenna applied last year for Summer Universities and AEGEE-Bergamo does not only work hard on gaining many members for the SUs but also have a rich planning for the whole year where they involve them with Erasmus activities and keep the whole antenna up to date about different AEGEE events. This year the very useful promotional tool will be used again: “That was a wonderful experience which allowed us to meet a lot of people, interested in travelling and getting information about AEGEE. Also, acting like stewards  and pilots was very funny for us. Last, but not least… we still have a lot of flyers left,” the president of AEGEE-Bergamo Laura Iaciofano tells The AEGEEan.

AEGEE-Bratislava’s t-shirt – single, taken, or… AEGEE?

AEGEE-Bratislava is nominated for their creative t-shirt. The idea is from their current advisory board member, Andrej Choma , who came up with it during a social meeting. He was checking the status of relationship on Facebook but there wasn’t the right option for him, until he realized that the missing piece was AEGEE. Then the actual t-shirts were designed by Andrej and the President, Lucia Gavulova. They chose the color according to Facebook’s identity. There are already many T-shirts running across the whole Europe, but if you are interested in buying one, AEGEE-Bratislava still have some left in their office. Now AEGEE-Bratislava has a new creation because since February they have been wearing their new jumpers with “Partyslava” design, so far made just for board members, but the plan is to make them available to others as well. Besides that AEGEE-Bratislava is working on their new promo-video, which is meant for presentations at universities to recruit more (active) students into AEGEE and of course they are also concentrating a lot on organizing their Summer University.

AEGEE-Warszawa’s Charity Calendar

AEGEE-Warszawa is nominated for their charity calendar. The idea came two years ago, when one of the working groups wanted to make a project which supports charities and integrate the members of the antennae at the same time making a calendar the perfect solution. The coordinators of AEGEE Charity Calendar 2014 were Justyna Michałek and Aneta Wróbel – extremely motivated fresh members of AEGEE-Warszawa. From the beginning they were putting a lot of effort into this project. They decided to support Warsaw Children Hospice by giving total income from the Calendars sale. The main aim was to do something good for Christmas, because it is a moment of the year when you have time to think about others and their needs and you want to share. The inauguration of the calendar took place during their AEGEE Christmas Eve, when people had the opportunity to support children from the Hospice. After the success in 2013 and 2014 the antenna will for sure repeat the project as it does not only support charity but also integrate the members. The idea is to increase the amount of calendars each year to make this activity more and more effective.

The locations are part of the most important or famous places in the capital city. “We wanted to present Warsaw and its charm. This is a city with very long and interesting historical and cultural background. On the one hand you can find here a beautiful old town, idyllic parks with lakes and fountains or take a romantic walk near the river bank. On the other, you can watch the panorama with skyscrapers, participate in an incredible nightlife, go to a snack bar which serves typical polish food 24/7, visit a modern art gallery and alternative cafes. With this calendar we wanted to show the spirit of the city and invite all the AEGEEans to visit us,” Emilia Sadowska tells to The AEGEEan.

Currently there are a lot of ongoing projects in AEGEE-Warszawa. Starting from internal initiatives like Me, AEGEE & Europe project (connected with EU), a month course of workshops from soft skills, a sport project about healthy lifestyle, healthy food picnic, AEGEE-Warszawa birthday, Local Training Course, Scrabble Competition, recruitment, ending with international projects such as the Europe On Track event in April, EurStory Meeting in May, Summer University in July. All in all keeping the members busy.

AEGEE-Zaragoza’s Cup full of AEGEE Spirits!

The decision to make a cup was by the Agora Zaragoza main team’s way to continue with the idea of taking care of the environment and avoiding dangerous bottles inside Palacio de Congresos. Furthermore, it was an idea to make fundraising which is really necessary for an Agora. The AEGEEan spoke with Jonathan Del Castillo Gil about his design of the ZarAgora cup. He refers to himself as the slowest designer in the world and say that “I am like a crossbow… slow but precise”. Even though it might not be the most complicated design, for Jonathan it was crazy since designing many things for the Agora at the same time. Working with a million different concepts, modifications, new concepts, new needs of the organization, and requests of the Public Relation Committee, all in all dealing with diversion and bureaucracy at the same time.

The final product was an idea he had had in mind for long time for merchandising. “In AEGEE I’ve designed about everything and a cup seemed like a beautiful challenge to me now that I collect them… In my phone I always have an app to write down ideas, make lists and this was one of the ideas that I have appointed since three years ago. I have always liked the European Night like the moment where each participant of an event show with pride their traditions. For me this is a previous moment since there you learn about other countries, what is important for them, their taste, their sound, their soul.”

The design has two messages. It was inspired by the mayor of Madrid, who speaks horrible English and in an international presentation she said the phrase “A relaxing cup of Café con Leche” which became viral on the internet quickly. Jonathan adopted this idea to AEGEE and our famous AEGEE Spirit slogan, afterwards adding a “s” and then leading to the Relaxing cup of AEGEE Spirits. “Compiling the list was an authentic problem because there was not one single place on the internet with a complete list. So my great friend Serio Cristobal helped me from India and afterwards I added some that aren’t official distilled liquors like champagne and beer. I also added a tribute to the famous shots of the bar where AEGEE-Zaragoza always celebrate their parties, Manolo la nuit: Cucaracha, Manolos, Kaláshnikov… I should publically apologize that due to all the stress I forgot to include the official drink of two places in Europe where I have many friends: Chacha of Georgia and Cider of Asturias.  ¡La Sidra de Asturias!”. All the organizers had a million tasks to do so Jonathan decided to keep the design a secret until the end. “I like designing things and reveal them by surprise in the group of work in order to create a great environment. It was a lot of fun seeing the reactions of everybody,” he says. 1050 cups were produced so there were enough for the participants and as gifts to the collaboration and promoters of the Agora. Now after 12 years in AEGEE thus making a tear fall from his eye, Jonathan says now it is time for the new generation of AEGEE-Zaragoza to take over and come up with innovate designs.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza

The date of the Czechoslovakian AEGEE weekend coincided with the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and it had a rich program focused on PR and closer cooperation between the antennae. Situated in the middle of the Czech Republic, in the Morava region, it resembled the scenery from the old Czech comedies and also reminded of the Czech hospitality.

The whole Czechoslovakian Weekend ended on the 17th of November which is important for both countries twofold. In November 1939, Nazis in Prague killed nine students who participated in the demonstrations against the German occupation. On this very day in November 1989, students joined the protests that resulted in the Velvet Revolution. That’s why I started from the end, to point out the historical background of the Czechoslovakian weekend for students.

Indeed, students do not hesitate to join any gathering in order to avoid school. Sometimes, such events can make history. Participating in organised and meaningful extracurricular activities develops the skills school would never provide. AEGEE events are aware of this learning and try to focus on the soft skills and social networking.

The program of the Czechoslovakian Weekend was aimed at the working of AEGEE antennae in terms of fundraising, effective recruitment and inter-antennae cooperation. It was organized by AEGEE-Brno and held in the small village of Sklené. The participants from Prague, Plzeň and the only Slovak antenna, Bratislava, arrived on Friday afternoon; it was already dark when our car with Bratislava mark parked at the tourist sleepover at the end of the village.

The first evening was full of sharing impressions and adventures from the recent events, stories that are sometimes hard to believe, like who missed his plane or what kind of accommodation did the Spanish provide. AEGEE-Brno provided a dinner, hot tea and home baked ginger cake. Later at night, we played some ice-breaking games.

Next morning, after the breakfast and a short energizer, when we had to follow dance moves of a hypo and a dog on the screen, we got down to some more serious business. Each antenna presented their agenda, focusing on what they achieved and what they plan for the future. Presentations preceded brainstorming about the future plans, possible cooperation and sharing ideas. The beer festival in Plzeň – home of the Pilsner beer, sounds good. Some proposals on fundraising were also made; we will try to address particular organisations, hope that DANONE would not put us off with yogurts.

During the lunch break, most of the people decided to visit nearby Zelená Hora. There is a baroque church with unique, star-shaped architectonic design. It is included in the UNESCO heritage list. About four, we gathered again for a lecture on social media and their effectiveness for AEGEE. It addressed advertising options on the social platform, mailing boxes and advice on what to avoid on the social media. Did you know that your status is put into attention of only 16% of your Facebook friends due to the system settings? Lecture was followed by discussion and ideas, once again about fundraising and promotion.

After the dinner, the antennae participated in a quiz about our countries. We found out that an average Czech drinks about 160 liters of beer a year and there are 3 international airports in Slovakia. Karaoke followed, the winner was a mix team from AEGEE-Praha and AEGEE-Plzeň with their performance of the “Duck tales” theme song. After karaoke, someone brought in the lemons and we enjoyed a few drinks and friendly debates, for example on what is the difference between a debate and a discussion. Music played all night and some people kept dancing until 6 a.m.

On Sunday morning, the organizers, summed up the whole event and reminded us to leave our rooms empty and tidy. Full of new experience, friends and with a shortage of sleep, the participants set out on their way home. Big THANK YOU to the organizers and participants and hope to see you all (and even more) at the next year’s Czechoslovakian Weekend.

Written by Erik Redli (AEGEE-Bratislava)

The AEGEEan is proud to present our new Member of the Month from AEGEE-Berlin, Hans-Peter Bretz. You may know him by his nickname Hape. Elected for the Summer University Coordination Team (SUCT) at Agora-Budapest, he has been trying something new this year and dedicated most of his summer to it. Travelling between summer universities, meeting new people and observing how all of the work SUCT went the year before turned out in practice. The AEGEEan just could not resist from learning more.

To start off, why is your nickname Hape?

In German people sometimes have double names, which is different from just having two names: they are supposed to be used together. Instead of always saying the full name, they are often abbreviated, e.g. Karl-Heinz to Kalle, or, in my case Hans-Peter to Ha-pe or simply Hape. My name is also completely out of fashion, I have never met someone with the same name who was younger than fifty. Even though Hans sounds like the most German name, most Germans do not really get “Hape” either. But there is a famous comedian called Hape Kerkeling, so they usually ask something like “You mean like Hape Kerkeling? Wait, is he also called Hans-Peter??”

What have you been doing this summer for AEGEE? We heard you were traveling quite a bit

That is true, the SUCT got some Interrail tickets to visit Summer Universities, so I took a three week long trip from Berlin on to the East and visited eight Summer Universities (SU).

Which summer universities did you visit?

I was at the SUs of AEGEE-Praha, AEGEE-Wroclaw/Opole/Lviv, AEGEE-Poznan/Gdansk/Torun, AEGEE-Warszawa/Riga, AEGEE-Krakow/Berlin, AEGEE-Katowice/Bratislava, AEGEE-Debrecen/Sibiu and finally AEGEE-Cluj Napoca.

What were you looking for in the SUs and what were you checking?

The main idea was to look at the programmes and how they realised them, and also to get some feedback by the organisers on our work and communication. Of course it is hard to tell if 100% of a programme is done when you are there for only a few days. But you can get a good impression of how the organisers work and also some feedback from the participants. By the way, it was quite funny how my presence was perceived by the participants at different SUs. At the beginning of my trip, I was at an SU where the group had already had some time to form and bond. When I sat down with some of them between programme points to enjoy a beer and some small talk and asked a general question about the SU to break the ice, they just smiled and made jokes how they would not let me spy on the organisers. At other times, some participants would see me as some sort of complaint box for every little thing they did not like about their SU. For me, it was also very interesting to see how the organisers prepared their SU, what different approaches they took, how they interacted with their group and how the general experience was influenced by the team of organisers, but also by the participants. Often, SUs are said to have their own atmosphere, and I wanted to see where that comes from.

Any favorite SU among the ones you visited?

Before my trip, I was afraid that 2-3 days at each SU would not be long enough to get a good impression. Later I was a bit surprised how much more you get out of a few days if you try to have an open and active mind and pay attention to details instead of just being part of the masses at an event. Still, the impression of a particular SU also depended on the parts of the programme I could take part in. In Prague, I arrived just in time for the city rally, whereas my day in Poznan was the relaxing day in between other days filled with programme (both were very nice, by the way). On a more personal level, the last SU of my trip, in Cluj Napoca, was great. My first SU and AEGEE event was the same SU, 3 years earlier, and it was still done by the same core team. I met some of the old organisers and even a participant again, and also I saw some participants from AEGEE-Berlin there. You could see how having so much experience in a team helps with all the little things in a Summer University. But I also want to thank all the other organizers who hosted me, managed to squeeze me in their planning and put so much effort in their event.

Did you end up going to any SU just for fun? That means, not as a representative of the SUCT but as participant?

I did not have enough vacation to go as participant, so I did not even think about at which one I could apply for.

We have heard you did your part for the Key 2 Europe (K2E) as well. What exactly did you do for it?

As in the last two years, I was part of the research and  statistics team. But other than last year, I did not have time to join the Concept Development Meeting, so my work was mostly to scan through the lists of events and to look for anything particularly interesting or fitting the themes of the K2E.

What are your plans for the Agora? Are you coming and what are your goals for it?

I will be there, and if there happen to be any discussions where I can participate, I will.

How is the SUCT in general feeling about this year’s SU season? Satisfied?

For all of us except Costas Deltouzos, it was the first time that we got this much insight into the project. We tried some new things like the SU maps, which I think, on average, were received positively, the thematic sessions, and the learning objectives, for which we have to wait for the evaluation. We also got the highest number of applicants in the last few years, so I think all in all we can be satisfied with the SU season.

What do you do in AEGEE apart from SUCT?

For the last year, the work with SUCT consumed most of my AEGEE work time and sadly I could not go to more events than the two Agorae. I do not have any position in my Antenna in Berlin, but we are a small local and if there’s anything to do, I help and participate as much as possible.

Planning to stay in SUCT next year as well or some other big plans ahead?

At several points in the last year, I was thinking about running for a second term, but my PhD study will only get more demanding during the next two years and I would like to focus on that.

Written by Olga Volovyk, AEGEE-Kyiv