The city of Brno, Czech Republic, lies in the very heart of Central Europe. It was at one point home to Napoleon Bonaparte, Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics; and is now home of a small, but very active, AEGEE local. Because European interconnectedness is kind of our favourite thing at the AEGEEan, we decided to interview the PR Group of AEGEE-Brno and see what they have to say.

The AEGEEan: Could you tell us something about yourself?

Tereza (PR Group AEGEE-Brno): We are the PR working group of AEGEE-Brno, which we established one and half years ago. We are responsible for the promotion of our great antenna and we will try to convince you that if you don’t know us yet, you will want to meet us in the near future. Maybe on our Summer University 2016, focused on team cooperation.

Could you tell us something about your local (and its history)?

AEGEE-Brno was founded relatively early in 1993, but it ceased to function due to lack of members.  Nevertheless, the idea of running AEGEE- Brno came again to a group of student, who in 2007 attended one of the events organised by AEGEE – Model of European Union.

Today, we have more than 60 members and around 15 – 20 of them are active. The active members meet every Tuesday in a café.

What’s the most amazing or memorable event AEGEE-Brno ever organised?

It is not easy to say, because every event is, in some way, amazing and memorable. Among the most memorable, we would like to mention the conference “EaP countries on the way to EU integration” in cooperation with the Eastern Partnership Project in 2012,  as well as the  Network Meeting, which AEGEE-BRNO held last spring, which was a memorable and extraordinary experience for us (and for sure for the participants as well), because it was something that doesn’t take place in Brno every day.

Could you tell us something about the events that AEGEE-Brno is organising this year?

I can say that there will be an SU for sure again, and this year it will focus on group dynamics.

But before the SU, we would also like to organise some smaller events for our local members, but also for the public! We are planning to hold another International Dinner (which is basically the concept of European night with local foreigners, not just AEGEE members). Except that, there will also be some public lectures, an LTC for our local members and much more. [she smiles]

For the past five years, AEGEE-BRNO has organised Summer Universities that focussed on trainings, personal development, and also on adventurous components. Does AEGEE-Brno also host similar events for its members throughout the year?

Yes, we do. It is our long-term plan to focus more on trainings and personal development and that is the reason why our last three SUs had professional workshops with practical games. But we have also done some pretty funny and adventurous stuff like sleeping outside in the forest just under the sky, hiking, and many active games outside. And this is the spirit we are trying to keep in our antenna during the whole year.

Even though Brno lies in the Czech Republic, AEGEE-Wien (Austria) and AEGEE-Bratislava (Slovakia) are somewhat closer to your local. Do you organise more events with them, other Czech-speaking AEGEE locals, or neither?

We meet together with AEGEE-Praha and AEGEE-Bratislava regularly at the event called ‘Czechoslovak weekend’, where we plan some activities together and share the knowledge. It is organised around the 17th of November – the anniversary of the Velvet revolution (fall of communism in CSR). We also meet with these antennae just to hang out on Christmas markets etc.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Lenka Stancelová from AEGEE-Bratislava said about her: “She has lots of great ideas, and the great thing is that she makes them true as well. She is always full of energy, actually I have never met such an energetic person with such a great attitude!” and in June we decided to reward it with the Member of the Month Award. Jana Vedlová from AEGEE-Brno was the main organiser of their NWM – FRaise Your Spirits! that took place from the 30th of April to the 3rd of May.
The AEGEEan: Jana, you are the Member of the Month. How does it sound like? Would you voted for yourself if you could? Why?

Jana: It sounds good, though I am surprised, because I don’t feel like I have contributed to the network massively. But of course it makes me happy that somebody noticed our activity and that I helped to make us more visible! I believe we are doing great as antenna, we estabilished our aims and goals and we are trying to fulfil them through content events like Network Meetings or SUs focused on self-development.

Who is Jana Vedlova? Tell us something about your life.

Jana Védlová is a 26 year old Czech. She has studied Management of Culture at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. She joined AEGEE in April 2011 and fell in love with this great organisation.

She travels a lot and works in an international bar called The Immigrant, she spent one semester studying in Athens, Greece, and another six months working for former AEGEE-Cagliari members in Apply Consulting company (both Erasmus programmes) and participates in many Erasmus+ projects… She is not really looking for a serious boring office job.

And who is just Jana? We want to know you better, so what is your personality, your way to live and to see the world?

Tough one…isn’t it hard to speak about your own personality? I can only say the way I see life and the world is not the way my parents want me to see it. I love new cultures, countries, AEGEE and AEGEE friends and my dog. I am a language freak. I can’t stay too long in one place. So now I am looking for a way to be able to travel all my life and make money at the same time.

What is your experience in AEGEE?

As I mentioned before I joined AEGEE in 2011 and after my first Summer University in 2011 organised by AEGEE-Salerno I immediately became active. I organised some SUs, two NWMs, many local events, I was part of Cultural Working Group where I helped with one project called Cultural Calendar and I participated in loads of different content and fun events, where I met great friends and inspiring people. As all the active members I took part in many Agorae. Being active for almost five years is a long time, the time of my life, and helped me in many ways. I am truly happy that I happened to be introduced to this great youth culture.

One of the reasons you have been nominated MoM is because you did an amazing job at the NMW in Brno. Can you tell us about it?

I wouldn’t say it was only me who did an amazing job, I believe it was all of us! First of all my organisers team: Lucie Ostrá, Petra Védlová and Tereza Mikšíková, very good friends, responsible people and experienced in organising diverse AEGEE-Brno events. We had already done loads of things together, therefore I’m not saying this NWM was a piece of cake, but we definitely knew how to do it already. Secondly our Network Commissioner Tekla Hajdu did a great job preparing the content and outcome and of course all the trainers that took part prepared great sessions.

And what can I say about the NWM? It was held in May, called Fraise Your Spirits, we had 24 participants from different parts of Europe. I would say it was great, lot of new and older members, lot of sharing, interesting input and some workshops were new for me as well. We tried to do our best, I believe we delivered a successful Network Meeting. On the other hand you can never make everybody happy, but you can always try cause there is always space for improvement!

What are your future plans?

My future plans…hmm, as I said, I love travelling and exploring the world, I think I will continue doing that. Next months are bit uncertain, I’m probably going to spend some time in Groningen, Netherlands and in June I am going to Canada for one year! So my AEGEE life is over for now and new adventures are ahead of me. My ideal plan for now would be Canada, a three month trip in USA and then continue to South America… crisscrossing the continent.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona and Karina A. Silivas, AEGEE-Udine

From Thursday 30^th April till Sunday 3^rd May another Spring Network Meeting (NWM) will take place in the second biggest city of the Czech Republic, Brno. This Network Meeting is open to 25 active AEGEEans, eager to learn more about Fundraising and Public Relations. Jana Védlová, main organiser, tells us more!

The AEGEEan: Can you tell us a bit more about AEGEE-Brno?
Jana: AEGEE-Brno was founded in 2007 on 21st March. Recently we celebrated our 8th birthday. Our antenna doesn’t belong to the huge ones, but hopefully to the active ones. We have around 60 members from which around 20 are active. This is for us quite an achievement.

What is the main reason for your local to organise this Network Meeting?

There are several reasons for us. First of all, our team grew bigger in the past few years and we have lots of new active members, who have never organised or experienced such an international event. Also it is already two years and a half since we have organised a European event, different from a Summer University. We were looking at possibilities and doubted between organising a Regional Training Course or Network Meeting and in the end we have decided to organise a Network Meeting.

What is the main topic of your Network Meeting?

The main topic of our NWM is Fundraising and PR of antennae. But of course, we will also have loads of other super interesting sessions that are supporting the Action Agenda of AEGEE. Besides, we are preparing a cool social program, but I will tell more about it later.

Why is this NWM interesting for the network?

We believe that every antenna in the network has some kind of problems with fundraising, finding resources, sponsors etc. That’s why we find this topic very relevant and important and we believe that bringing knowledge about this issue will help our network a lot. There will be sessions about communication with partners, Erasmus+ opportunities, Public Relations, plus many other sessions about hot AEGEE topics! Moreover, everything will take place in the capital of Moravian region. Brno is not as famous as Prague, but it is definitely a must see city. It is the second biggest city in Czech Republic and the centre of innovation and justice. It is a city with lots of students and full of bars and cafés. Also Brno has some buildings with beautiful architecture from the Art Nouveau and Functionalism era.

Who will join you from the Comité Directeur?

Antonija Parat, Secretary General of AEGEE-Europe, will join our Network Meeting.

Who do you have on your organising team?

We have a core team with four organisers: Tereza Mikšíková, Lucie Ostrá, Petra Védlová and me, Jana Védlová, as the main organiser. We will have a couple of helpers, although we hope most of our active members will participate as well!

How is the cooperation with your Network Commission team going?

Great! One of the organisers, who happens to be my sister, Petra Védlová, is also a SubCommie, so it’s good to have somebody from the NetCom in our team. Especially the communication with our Network Comissioner Tekla Hajdu is very easy-going. She is planning to visit us soon to discuss some matters in person as well, so I can say that we have established good relations. Hopefully it will continue in this direction and lead to successful NWM!

Why should people apply for your NWM?

Because simply it will be a great event! Our dear participants will have a chance to tackle all the important issues that are being now discussed in AEGEE, they can share best practices from their local reality, will gain new knowledge about fundraising and sponsorship opportunities, communication, good PR, etc. They will meet great active AEGEEans, make new friends, and that’s always inspiring. We promise they will learn and develop their skills as much as they will have fun!

Do you have any plans for a social program?

Of coooourse! We have prepared some traditional AEGEE stuff, ice-breaking games, a European night in a very special industrial place and some other activities that I won’t reveal now, because we want to keep it as a surprise. Of course, we are preparing a cool social program, an interesting city tour and our participants will have a chance to try delicious Czech beer and wine and experience the local culture and hopefully also sunny weather.

Ivan Bielik is now a member of the Comité Directeur. Is he still committed to your local?

Well, I believe he is quite busy working for AEGEE. There is a lot to do, since the Comité Directeur is preparing the EPM and AgorAsturias and 30th anniversary celebration. So that mostly occupies him, but we are still in good contact with him. He came to Brno to celebrate New Year’s Eve with us and he helps us and gives us advice anytime he can and we do the same for him. He’s a good friend and we are looking forward to have him back in Brno anytime he can.

What are other plans for your local? Do you have other big events coming up?

This year we are rather active in our local and international activities. We have created a new concept of local event based on European night, called International Dinner, which will happen for the fourth time since September 2014, on the 18th of April. Like every year, we are organising a Summer University in July, this time about self-development and leadership. It’s called Awake Your Inner Lion, Become a Leader! So don’t forget to apply, because it will be something to look forward to!

Written by Wietske Jousma, AEGEE-Enschede

AEGEE-Brno, the Local of the Month for September, became quite the topic after their famous Summer University (SU), named “Out of the box”. The AEGEEan talked to Tereza Mikšíková, board member and one of the SU organizers, to also introduce the organizers’ point of view and to find out what other activities AEGEE-Brno carries out. Read on to learn what future plans they have up their sleeves and if you will have the chance to attend a similar SU next year. 

AEGEE-Brno has been active since 2007 although it officially had been founded in 1993 already. What is the history behind AEGEE-Brno?

Tereza: AEGEE-Brno was indeed established in 1993 already, but because of the lack of new members, activities were interrupted till March 2007, when a group of students from Social Studies of Masaryk University visited the Model European Union organized by AEGEE and started to think about being active again. AEGEE-Brno was established again on 19 March 2007 and has been active ever since.
What can you tell us about your members?

We currently have almost 60 members with about 15 active members participating regularly in our projects. We are meeting every Tuesday to discuss our activities, but we often meet in our free time as well, because we just really like each other and we enjoy our time together.

You organized a very successful Summer University (SU) named “Out of the box! Can you handle it?“. What was it about and what did you have to do with your participants to get them out of their boxes?

Firstly, many thanks to Ivan Bielik (former president of AEGEE-Brno and now member of the Comité Directeur) who came up with the idea of this topic. From the first moment on, he believed that self-development could be an interesting topic for a SU. We were concentrating on Time/Stress Management, Public Speaking, Critical Thinking and Teambuilding.

We prepared interactive workshops with interesting people and different activities on various places: from a toilet paper game, outside dinner cooking, trips, European Night on a train station to a rope center or interesting presentations.
We gave our participants the space and the opportunity to get “out of the box” and we are happy they took the chance to use it for themselves.

The feedback concerning your SU is very impressive: an article about it made it into the SU of the Week section and many nominations for AEGEE-Brno as Local of the Month came from enthusiastic participants. What made this event so special?

This event was so special because of our participants! All of them were just amazing, very enthusiastic about every workshop or program we wanted to do, very disciplined and always on time. It was unexpected and basically shocking for us. We loved their attitude and all of those things together moved the whole SU onto a different level.

We already had the chance to read about the SU from a participant’s point of view. What was the most special moment of your Summer University from the organizers’ perspective?

It is really difficult to choose just one special moment. The whole SU was one amazing moment for us and it is impossible to separate it into smaller pieces. Because of such dedication from our participants, we had a chance to enjoy everything with them and develop ourselves as well.
Did you have any troubles during the organization of the SU? How did you overcome them?

Actually, we have faced some troubles with a quite low budget or lack of organizers present in Brno before the SU, but if there is anything we can do really well in AEGEE-Brno, it is improvising with a big smile on our faces. So before the SU started, we have managed to organize everything and to start as prepared as we wanted to be after all.

Do you already have plans concerning next year’s SU? Will AEGEEans have a second chance to apply for something similar to “Out of the box” or will you rather try something new?

We are now discussing the concept for the next summer, but nothing is decided yet. However, for sure we will want to do something a little bit different again, so keep checking our program.
What kind of other events does AEGEE-Brno organize?

Traditionally, AEGEE-Brno is organizing a SU, but also other activities. During the year, we are doing regular meetings, but also informal meetings for our active and new members. We are always enjoying our LTCs (Local Training Courses), birthday parties and visits of other antennae. We have also decided to resume with Czechoslovak weekends on November, where we can exchange our knowledge with AEGEE-Prague, AEGEE-Pilsen and AEGEE-Bratislava.
What are your plans for the near future?

The closest future for us is in terms of preparation for the next year. We have decided to spend a whole weekend on a cottage in the countryside together to discuss what we want to do next year and how. It will be our Out of the Box time and also a chance to have some teambuilding and fun outside of the city together.
Is there anything you would like to add?

We would like to thank our amazing participants and all the people who constantly support us. We are thankful that so many great people are coming to Brno all the time, our doors are always open to you.
P.S.: If you want to read something about our SU, find an amazing article from Silvija Peric, one of our lovely participants this year.

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

Do you know any local that has done an outstanding job this past month? Remember that you can nominate them to become the upcoming Local of the Month! Read more about it under the following link.

My story will begin slightly differently than other Summer University stories. I have been an AEGEE member for over 2.5 years and despite being very active in the association and participating and organizing different events, I had never attended any Summer University. Up until now. I have just returned from the most amazing event I have ever been to, both in AEGEE and out – AEGEE-Brno’s SU “Out of the box! Can you handle it?”.

After having spent three weeks on the Croatian coast, I returned to Zagreb and immediately had to start re-packing and washing my clothes. One sleepless night later, I got on the 6am bus for Vienna. In Vienna, I switched buses and got on a Student Agency Yellow Bus that took me to Brno. Traveling with that bus seemed like traveling by plane – you get free coffee/tea/hot chocolate, the seats are comfy and you have your own TV where you can watch movies, TV shows and listen to music. For me, the journey started almost perfectly. I say almost because I almost missed my bus to Brno, but luckily, I arrived one minute before the departure. I arrived in Brno around 6pm and joined others in the Mamut Pub for a beer (some beers?); typical Czech way of relaxing and spending the free time (and I like it!).

I will mostly remember the first day for the “balloon game”. We were divided into smaller teams and each person had to smash a balloon against one chosen team-mate’s body (e.g. jumping on someone’s lap or pressing it onto another person’s chest). It was both challenging and funny to do it with still unknown people, but it was a great ice-breaking game.

The next morning we left Brno and went to the Moravian Karst for a team-building weekend. After some relaxing time by a pond and some lunch, the fun began. Each team had to exchange a toilet paper for something of a bigger value and find its way to Vilémovice where the gym was located. The organizers took care that it didn’t become too easy for us – each member had an obstacle; we were walking blindfolded, with our hands and legs tight and were not allowed to talk or use our phones or maps. Although my (Pink) team was the fastest, for all of us the winners were the Green team, who exchanged the toilet paper for a bottle of Martini. Tired, sweaty and hungry, we looked forward to the dinner and showers, but there were still some surprises left. We got a task to compete in preparing the best traditional Czech goulash. It was a great team-building activity and it made our dinner even better and tastier since we had prepared it with love. We ended the day with midnight forest orientation games.

The next day, we went hiking and we visited the amazing cave complex Punkevní jeskyně and the Macocha Abyss. In the afternoon we had the AEGEE introduction held by Ivan Bielik, from the Comité Directeur. Even though I had already heard it hundreds of times and held it myself, this was the best and the most inspiring I have heard so far and would like to thank him for inspiring us and spreading the AEGEE spirit.

We returned to Brno on Monday, and after the city tour we had a great workshop about intercultural dialogue. One of the parts was a game where our partner had to guess the given sentence in our language which we were trying to explain by a pantomime. It was a hard task to understand Estonian, but with a small help, in the end I guessed every sentence correctly. Later that night we had a pub crawl and despite the rain we managed to fulfill all the tasks. I’d like to thank my team-mates who helped me with the beer drinking. Without you, I would have probably never finished the pub crawl!

Another day arrived. After visiting the Technical Museum and spending most of the time playing at the interactive part, we had a workshop on time management. There I had learned that I can understand Slovak language pretty well. There is always one thing that triggers the best inside jokes and I believe we used what we learned there pretty well!

Anyone who ever participated in any AEGEE event knows how it feels like after the European Night. Especially when the first thing you have in the morning is a workshop. Organizers made it very interactive and interesting, and after a huge cup of black coffee, I had no problem with following and improving my critical thinking. Later that day we went to the rope center. Even though I was not able to participate, due to my injury, I’m very proud of everyone who was able to pass the heavy elements and finished the climb despite the heavy rain. I soothed my sorrow later that evening during the wine tasting.

Slowly the SU started coming to an end. On Thursday morning there was a city rally. For those who don’t know what it is, it is an interactive game to gain a better insight of the city. Each team gets their tasks that consist of finding some places and taking a photo there, finding some stories about the city or names of important things there and many more. Few hours later, after a lot of walking, many crazy photos and selfies we were ready for the lunch in one of the best pubs in Brno – The Immigrant. Later that day, although tired from the party, we went to a public speaking workshop. I think I am saying in the name of all of us that four hours past in what seemed like a second. Everyone got the chance to perform and practice their public speaking skills and we all wanted to speak and learn more. In the evening we had a movie night and a discussion about a documentary film “Český sen“(Eng. Czech Dream) that documents the largest consumer hoax the Czech Republic has ever seen.

The Sun rose again and it was time for the picnic at the Brno Dam Lake. Even though the weather was changing rapidly from sunny and warm to cloudy and rainy, we had a great and relaxing day which was followed by the trip to Veveří Castle. A perfect day that ended with a great party.

The last day before the departure – Saturday. The last workshop of the SU – critical thinking and implementation of everything learned. The last lunch with new friends. I would say the last beer, but it wasn’t the last one. After discovering different types of beer, it was a time to try them. Many thanks to Petra Védlová who taught us everything that needs to be known about the beer and especially, how to pour a tap beer properly. And then, slowly and without realizing, the time for the Farewell party came. Last laughs. Last talks. Last drinks. Last dances. Last time with the amazing people I met in Brno. We didn’t want to end the night and fun so we waited until the first rays of the Sun appeared. It was time to leave. To go back home and to say goodbye to the people who became my family.

Goodbyes are never easy. You never know if it means forever or until the next time we see each other. I do hope it’s the latter. To the outstanding people I met in Brno, both participants and organizers, I’d like to thank for making this event so amazing and making me think out of the box. We became a small, but happy family and I hope this text, all pictures and selfies we made together and your memories will remind you of the marvelous time we had. Goodbye! Or should I say: “Until we see each other next time!”

Written by  Silvija Perić, AEGEE-Zagreb

Photos courtesy of Silvija Perić, AEGEE-Zagreb; Matej Ducár, AEGEE-Brno; Sandra Dvořanová, AEGEE-Brno; and Martina Tuhá, AEGEE-Brno

Domenico Villano joined AEGEE-Napoli on the 12th of April and only two days later he attended his first European event: the EAP Conference in Brno.

Nicola Guida from AEGEE-Napoli took the chance to interview Domenico about his first event and how it was.

Nicola: Domenico, most AEGEE members start their experience in the Network with a Summer University that is usually considered a less intensive event than thematic ones, what do you think about this? Was the conference you attended in Brno a good start in your opinion?

As you say I’m quite a new member so I actually don’t know what does it mean to attend a Summer University. However this experience was stunning: I had a great time with participants, coming also from other YNGOs. Organizers were really lovely and I felt like home. The conference wasn’t boring at all, instead was a great occasion to discuss and share opinions with people, each of them with a different and interesting background.

According to your words it seems you really enjoyed the event, but we are curious to know what did you expect from it and why you decided to join only some days before its start.

Actually it was the right occasion at the right time: firstly I study Russian language and I’m really interested in the democratic processes in ex-USSR countries so I thought it was a really good chance to deepen my knowledge about these topics by discussing them directly with citizens of those places.

Then, even though I had only one day to find a cheap way to get to Brno, the low fee and the travel reimbursement made the trip really affordable.

Last but not least I had some free days and I wanted to spend them fruitfully and after coming back I’m happy to say it was really worth it!

So, let’s get a deeper look inside the conference: what did you discuss about? Which were in your opinion the most interesting and stimulating topics?

The conference focused on international relations between the Foreign Office of the EU and the partner members of EaP (Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). We had round table discussions about the political, social and economical situation of those countries and how EU supports the development of Human Rights, fair competition market and the establishment of a visa-free area. It was not a typical frontal lecture, but a non-formal creative discussion (key element of Youth In Action projects) during which every participant had the chance to have their say, sharing their knowledge and heat the debate up.

In my opinion the best part of the conference was the simulation of the process of creating, developing and filling the application for a Youth in Action EaP project. We did it really seriously and who knows, maybe some of those ideas will become reality one day!

Ok, I think you made us understand really well that the thematic part of the event was great, now let’s talk about location and social programme: what are your impressions of Czech Republic and in particular of Brno? Was it your first time there?

Actually I’ve already been in Prague with some friends two years ago and I really enjoyed it, but I’ve been really happy to come to this country again and get the chance to see Moravia and its biggest city, Brno, in the heart of Europe. We had a great time drinking the best beer in the world and tasting particular food, so different from the Italian cuisine I am so used to. There was especially a fantastic atmosphere one night that we spent in the garden of the Spilberk castle!!

What about parties then and above all, how was your first European night?

Unfortunately it’s a bit difficult to recall that night but I really suggest you to try Moldavian wine and Georgian cognac (even if the most famous one is the Armenian).

Howewer we had parties in beatiful clubs every night, dancing till 4 am with my Georgian friends.

The greatest experience was to dance in underwear in a swimming pool inside a club with my crazy Spaniards!

 Is there anything else you would like to add?

Sure! I’d like to thank my dear friend and current secretary of AEGEE-Napoli Nicola Guida who made me know about AEGEE and pushed me to apply for this wonderful event! I want also to thank all the organisers, trainers (Armenak in particular) and all the beatiful people I met in Brno and I really hope to see again! გამარჯობა!

Written by Nicola Guida, AEGEE-Napoli

And there you are. You do not really know anyone of the thirty-something people surrounding you, but they all have the same excited looks on their faces, because they, too, are far from home. This will be your family for the coming two weeks, and you like the idea.

“Czech Mission: Possible” hosted a huge variety of Europeans, with origins ranging from tropical places like Las Palmas to eastern cities like Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine. We signed up to experience some adventurous activities that we would not likely find in our home countries. It was generally expected by the participants that in a Travel Summer University in Czech Republic this would come down to: hiking, rafting, culture and a good look at the City of One Hundred Towers (which is Prague’s nickname). We should have known that this was only partially right.

After the ice-breaking games, a nice tour of the city of Brno (which included a bizarre descent into a so-called “bone cellar”, where human bones and skulls are used to build – seriously –  walls and sculptures) and a very nuts European Night to which every participant had brought more liquor than food, everybody realised that the group was crazy. Who was this Spanish señorita, teaching us a Flamenco dance that includes “take the apple – bite the apple – and throw it away with passion”? Or this Greek girl, who is not interested in politics and does not care about anyone’s opinion about the Greek economy? Or the Dutch guy, unbuttoning in the hallway for free? Our hugely celebrated gossip wall had a lot to endure that night.

Really surprising to most people, however, were the advantages of brewing beer in your own country and refusing to join the euro. Beer in Czech Republic will cost you on average 30 crowns, which is about 1,20 euro, and they come in 0,5 litres. But this is not your common Heineken, we’re talking some of the finest beers in this part of the globe here. It is considered normal to take one for lunch and some for dinner. Of course, none of us was so arrogant as to ignore this lovely tradition. And for some reason, this gave an unexpected twist to the Summer University…

The nutrition was badly needed, though, as the program was murderously tightly planned (no possibility of Spanish time, or even AEGEE-time, just German efficiency please), and we managed to kart, do a survival course, have a first-aid course, learn the basics of Czech, and even have a small party every now and then. It was amazing to see how easily people bonded and amused themselves by teasing each other. There was one interesting hype that involved imitating a turtle with your hands whenever a conversation or situation got too awkward – but even more fascinating perhaps were the awkward turkey and awkward chicken. You had to see it to believe it.

After having visited Znojmo and a lovely wine-cellar there, we continued to Vyšší Brod for the highlight of our Summer University: the rafting. Sleeping was in tents and tepees along the way, eating at campfires while singing along with a guitar, and there was burning sun in the day and rumbling thunder every night. It may sound a little dangerous, and perhaps that was why we were given a whole day to cross a parcours that should normally take four hours. Anyway, we learned to sing like sailors, bump into other boats like sailors, steal drinks from other boats like sailors, and oh, occasionally even sail like sailors.

Group spirit was high when we arrived in Český Krumlov, also known as the most beautiful city in Czech Republic. It was here that we wandered through Medieval-style streets, feeling like troubadours or artists, sipping cocktails and dropping our jaws at the musicians on the street, the houses built hundreds of years ago and the Czech art that was for exposure in every street.

A lot was learned about the very basis of Czech culture when the group arrived in the wonderful city of Plzeň, where the first beer was brewed. We visited the beer brewery of Pilsner Urquell, and were approaching the end of our trip. We had a “C for Czech”-party: wear some clothes that start with the letter “C”. One German, one Dutch, and one Spanish dude decided that it was the right moment to look “colourful” and donned themselves some pink masks (“This is not gay at all. It is just three guys in pink masks.”), somebody was found in a “cape” and there were some smart people attending the party as “couple”. By this time, after about one and a half week of hiking, studying new cultures and dancing, we were exhausted. We had taken a thousand group pictures, eaten stuff that we had never expected to eat and gotten close to people within days that back home would have taken us months to get to know. The one thing that made us all not go to bed, that kept us going for the last city rally, the last party, the last beer, was the group. You just did not want to leave it, as they were such great people, and our time was limited.

When Prague finally happened, we spent a lovely day there visiting some of the highlights and partying to sixties, seventies and eighties music for the last time. People got sick on this last day, and we were not sure whether it was caused by the food they had eaten or just by the aching feeling in our stomachs that we all felt when our Ukranian hero was the first to leave. The following days were extra heavy when some of our brilliant organisers took off, then half the group, and then more people every day. One Spanish die-hard guy had decided to stick around longer, and was the only one to enjoy the wonderful feeling of being able to take a group picture without having to shout it around ten times: he could simply take the camera and point it at himself.

But the feeling that stuck with me in the airplane back home was not sadness. It was the sheer pleasure of having made friends all through Europe, having gained first-person information about complicated topics like the financial problems in Spain and Greece, having seen the differences in culture between Germany and Azerbaijan up close (and realising there is actually more similarity than difference) and having experienced a holiday like locals would, not like tourists. We had the time of our life. The end of one thing, the beginning of something else. We were, as Tina Turner put it on the last night in Prague, simply the best.

Miss you all, guys!

Written by L.B., AEGEE-Amsterdam

The pictures used in the article are courtesy of Annychka Antypchuk

Maybe you have heard the name of AEGEE-Brno in connection with Summer Universities (SU), New Year events, Spring Universities or local events, but in any case in connection with fun. However, in April they took the challenge to organise the first Network Meeting (NWM) in their and in Czech history, showing that they are able to organise serious events, too! They have been and can be an example for locals who are stuck on the same path. This is why The AEGEEan selected them as “Local of the Month”!

What was special in this Network Meeting?

There are several answers. Anna Koyovych from AEGEE-Kyiv, one of the participants, expresses her viewpoint like this: “NWM Brno was well organised, with interesting and useful thematic workshop blocks. I really liked that NWM Brno was for already experienced members, so we did not have to start all the discussions from the beginning and from the basics of AEGEE. Also, it was a good thing that the NWM was based on discussions, not only on the trainers speaking, we had the opportunity to express our visions, to share our ideas with others. We had the opportunity to present our antenna, to tell about our activities and to get to know more about others. The atmosphere was really friendly and we felt free to talk about topics we are interested in.”

Communication 2.0

The fact that the NWM had a website was also peculiar for such a short event.

Veronika Gombárová, President of AEGEE-Brno, explains that the idea of having a website came from their Network Commissioner (NetCommie) Pavel Zbornik, but all active members cooperated on the final look of that website, supporting Michal Veselý, the IT responsible, who was also in charge of the website.

The website was very helpful both for the team and the participants; the lattest could find all needed information in one place, while the antenna benefited in terms of marketing. In fact, “it was a lot easier to make the event more visible thanks to sharing the link to the webpage, where everyone could find the main info, rather than to write long messages which not everyone has time to read,” adds Veronika. The result was 26 happy participants from 9 different countries, to which we should add Beáta Matuszka, Guillermo Garcìa Tabarés and Pavel Zbornik, who were there as trainers.

Fun and learning mission: possible!

The program included, apart from a “standard” workshop like Human Resources and the musts-of-the-year Erasmus for All and Action Agenda Implementation, an explanation of the proposal for the upcoming Agora and an original workshop on ice breaking games and team building activities for SUs.

In fact, Summer University is a regular event which AEGEE-Brno organizes every year and every time with one or more antennae. Veronika provides more details about their partners: once the other two Czech antennae (AEGEE-Praha and AEGEE-Plzen), once AEGEE-Bratislava and last year AEGEE-Budapest for the SU called AEGEE of Empires, which won the award for the most creative title of an AEGEE event.

“This year our partner is again one of the Czech antennae, AEGEE-Plzen. Together we make “Czech Mission: Possible!” where first aid and survival courses will be the main focus. We also want to fill our SU with sports and adventure (like kart racing, paintball and rafting). Every year, the SU is the most important and biggest event in AEGEE-Brno, so we try hard to make everything perfect.”, explains Veronika. And thanks to the ice breaking games workshop from the Network Meeting, they will also have a successful kick-off for the event!

Local organisers were not the only ones to appreciate these practical activities. Anna, the interviewed participant, tells us: “I can long talk about our activities in the workshops, but I will only say that I left NWM Brno with a new portion of motivation and knowledge, and I wish to keep on working in AEGEE and to bring to my local new ideas which popped into my head during this NWM.”

Long-lasting relations and future perspectives

If the reader is not yet convinced about the potential of this antenna, he should read the opinion of Nadia Schneider from AEGEE-Berlin, who participated in their New Year’s Event some time ago, but still remembers that “Their team is great! Even though their antenna is not among the biggest, the organisation of the whole event was at the highest level – all parts of the social program were well combined, so the participants were neither tired from it, nor bored because of too much free time. Everyone from AEGEE-Brno was at our disposal, to provide all possible assistance with our questions or issues at any time. All this would not have been possible, I think, without them being a real family as they are! They are all close friends, but at the same time they always welcome anyone who wants to join their team!”.

Are you convinced enough? Then you can join one of their future activities! In fact, they are planning to organise other serious events, such as European Schools, as well. Further future goals are to continue cooperating with the local university, to improve fundraising, to expand the number of members, especially active ones, and to start regular Local Training Courses. “We haven’t organised any so far, but it is really important to educate our members about AEGEE and all the possibilities it offers. I feel like right now, with the members we have at the moment, it is the time for us to do big things!”. These are the last considerations of Veronika, before congratulating her and her teammates for the amazing job they have done and thanking them.

The AEGEEan praises this spirit and wishes AEGEE-Brno to realise all their future goals!

Written by Martina Zanero, AEGEE-Torino

Attention: If you think you know an antenna, which deserves to be honoured as “Local of the Month”, send an email with the locals’ name and the reason for nominating to aegeean@aegee.org.