OOPS! We Lviv it again! [Bears edition].

No REST in BuchaREST!

There is another Romanian Antenna that organises something before Agora Chisinau. The pre-event of AEGEE-Bucharest will take place in the Romanian capital from the 7th to the 10th of October. The participants, that will be selected for this pre-event, have to be prepared for mind-blowing activities; they will have a taste of Bucharest’s unique spirit(s), discovering the frantic city and learn the Romanian way of partying. The Romanian Antenna will provide: accommodation in a hostel, two meals per day, sightseeing, a city tour, Bucharest’s nightlife experience, and some surprises. The fee is fifty-five euros, and the optional fee is sixteen euros for travelling to Chișinău.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari.

Training for Trainers (T4T) was organised this spring by AEGEE-București and took place from 14th-20th March in București. If you did not have the chance to apply for the event, you can find out in this article what the organisers think of the whole event, what challenges they encountered and how they got along with the participants. We talked to the project coordinator, Bogdan Vișan and the assistant coordinator, Irina Matei. But, we also asked three of the participants, Eva Brieler, Matej Petrov and Francesca Russo to tell us more insights about this event and get a clear idea of how the project went. 

The AEGEEan: First of all, what is your overall impression of the project?

Bogdan & Irina: The project was approached with a degree of challenge from the team but with great responsibility from all. It was a collective effort all in all and could not have been done without the help and motivation of all the team members. On the other hand, there was the trainers’ team, who managed to get every participant involved in the program despite the tight schedule and few hours of sleep. I think everything ended up being great in every aspect and despite not being perfect I can say we remain grateful for this opportunity because we learned a lot from this experience. For the effort, understanding and commitment of all taking part in this amazing project, the overall impression is satisfaction and a little bit of childish joy.

What was the biggest challenge you encountered during the event?

The biggest challenge we encountered during the event was probably right after the trainers arrived in Bucharest and had a chance to talk about some of the matter we could not discuss over conventional communication channels. Having only one day remain until the start of the T4T, we realised that our programs were not syncronized. This meant that we had to change a lot of things last-minute, but, as always, we adapted and we pulled it through.

Also, another big challenge for the organising team happened the day when the participants had to deliver their presentations. At first, it seemed very hard, if not impossible to organise and complete the tasks for the whole day. Nevertheless, it was manageable, but the satisfaction we got from making this project a reality was important to us and to the members of AEGEE-București.

What could you have done differently?

It is almost impossible not to miss things during a project this big, especially when none of the team members ever experienced a T4T project. Considering this, we would have liked to have had a better communication with The Academy and with the trainers in order to get a better vision and structure of what we had to organise throughout the event.

What did you think of the participants?

Ever since the beginning, we were very excited to meet the participants. Having said this, during all our preparations and T4T meetings, all we thought about was how we could do everything so that they feel comfortable, learn everything they need to, eat right, get to know us, our city and also have some fun. According to their feedback, we managed to reach their expectations, and we are very glad we did so, because they were all extraordinary people, joyful and eager to learn. It was a good experience, both for them and for us. We miss them terribly, but we are sure we will meet again somewhere in Europe soon enough, maybe even at our “4 seasons TSU” which we are organising together with AEGEE-Chișinău.

Do you plan to organise a similar event next year?

T4T was indeed a successful project for our antenna and many of the organising team members were motivated to get involved in other local and international projects. Some of them are even planning to coordinate other projects in the future. So, brace yourselves, AEGEE-București has big plans for you!

Now we asked a few questions to three of the participants, Eva Brieler from AEGEE-Bamberg, Matej Petrov from AEGEE-Skopje and Francesca Russo from AEGEE-Padova about the event and what kind of impression it did leave them with.

What did you like the most about this event?

Eva: The people, everyone was so super nice and open. The overall atmosphere at the event was amazing and helped to get the most out of the sessions, too. It was so stimulating to see everyone develop and learn.

Matej: This event was a great combination of content and friendship. On one hand the content was something in which we, the participants, were very interested in, and on the other hand we got the chance to really get to know each other and develop great relationships. This possibility to learn something valuable and meet wonderful people at the same time was what I liked the most about this event.

Francesca: The case study! In fact, I learnt how to work with a co-trainer, learnt the theory and to produce games and activities to deliver the perfect training.

What was the structure and thematic of the training sessions? 

Eva: Trainings (theory and praxis). The thematic was how to be a trainer: Didactics, How to prepare/deliver/follow-up, tips and tricks.

Matej: The main theme of the whole training was teaching the participants to become trainers. This included developing the attitude of a trainer, as well as formats and ways to design trainings. The structure of the training session was basically learning by doing. This included representing some theory and then doing exercises to practice.

Francesca: All the sessions were done using the non-formal education, so they were with a part of theory and many interactive activities. They covered all the knowledge needed to deliver a training. So, there were for instance, the training style, the training delivering and our path as trainers. Then we had the case study: everyday a few hours to prepare our final training performance to be delivered for local students.

What did you think of the trainers? What about the organisers?

Eva: The trainers were all very competent in their fields. The content was delivered clearly and we had a lot of fun during the training, too. The trainers were very motivating and supportive. They made a good team!! The organisers were always very helpful and attentive. Whenever we needed something, they would make sure we got it. They were all very dedicated to the project.

Matej: Lovely, lovely people! Both the trainers and the organisers. My general impression is the following: the trainers were very competent and did an amazing job in organising all the sessions, it is even more impressive how they managed to accomplish this if you take the tight schedule in consideration. The content of the session was very broad, interesting, helpful and applicable. The organisers were some of the kindest people I have ever met, always attentive and ready to assist us for everything we needed. They were also very patient with us, sometimes we were a difficult group to control, so I am appreciating this very much.

Francesca: The trainers were prepared and rich in useful suggestions while organisers were always very kind and ready to help us.

How was the social program? What kind of parties did you have? 

Eva: The social program was a bit in the background as there were many training sessions. So we went to bars to have a drink. Of course, there was a European Night and a goodbye party with karaoke.

Matej: This was an event where the social program was not the priority, the focus was always more on the training sessions. However, it is my opinion that the organisers managed to organise great things for us to do after we have finished with all the sessions. We had the chance to see the night life of Bucharest by visiting local pubs, taste traditional Romanian food by visiting a local traditional restaurant, watching (and laughing about) a Romanian comedy movie, and singing in a local karaoke bar. As you can see, it was not bad at all. [he smiles]

Francesca: We did not have an intense social program, because we did have to be awake for the morning sessions and sometimes we did have some evening sessions, too. We had a traditional food night in a characteristic pub, a EU night, a karaoke night and a romanian movie night.

Do you plan to participate in a similar event next year?

Eva: I would like that. So far, I have no plans for next year, it seems too far away. But the event was really amazing, so I can only recommend taking part in it and I would love to be a part of something similar again, too.

Matej: As I mentioned, I love this combination of being able to learn something new for a topic which I am interested in and get to do it while meeting and hanging out with new, kind people. Having said this, I will definitely consider participating in a similar event.

Francesca: Hopefully, as a trainer!

Written by Gabriela Geană, AEGEE-București

AEGEE-București is organising the Training for Trainers (T4T) event from the 14th to the 20th of March  in Bucharest, Romania. If you wish to find out the definition of a “trainer”, what’s his/her role and how you can become one, sign up and you will discover it in seven amazing days in  Romanian style. Deadline for applications is the 7th of February. We spoke with the PR Responsible of the event, Bianca Crăciunescu, in order to give you some exciting information!

The AEGEEan: Hello, Bianca! You are preparing one important European event in your local. How is everything going?

Bianca: We took the challenge of organising an European event and, so far, things are going in the right direction. We wanted to prove that we can organise this important event, and all the members of our team are working hard in order to assure that both trainers and participants will have a great time here in Bucharest.

What is the concept of Training for Trainers?

Training for Trainers is about teaching the participants how they can deliver a good quality training. There will be six  days of specialized trainings and on the seventh day participants will become trainers themselves using what they have learned and facing their fear of public speaking. Besides the training, they will also learn a few things about Romanian culture.

What have you prepared for the participants during those seven days of action?

We want to help them understand better the importance of being a trainer, starting from answering a simple question such as “What is the role of a trainer?”, to a more advanced level, when they should deliver a training interacting constantly with the participants and adapting the level of difficulty to their knowledge. The trainers are preparing for them tips and tricks, content and challenges.

What will the trainings be about? Do you follow a specific theme?

The entire program and theme of T4T will be designed by The Academy. The participants will be given the necessary techniques, methods and tools so they can deliver training sessions on topics that matter for them, the AEGEE network and any other field of action.

Is AEGEE-București preparing the participants to “work all day, party all night?”

Of course! AEGEE-București is preparing an event in the AEGEE spirit.There will be sessions of trainings and workshops, but also time for fun, and the opportunity to meet the lovely and crazy Bucharest!

Is it the first time AEGEE-București organises Training for Trainers?

It is not the first time AEGEE-București organises Training for Trainers. We organized T4T by The Academy already in the past: it was in 2008 and the team of organisers are now Alumni. Now, in 2015, we will bring even more energy to you!

What are your expectations for the event?

I expect this edition of T4T will be unforgettable for the participants, for the trainers and for us, the organising team. I hope we will meet the expectations of the participants and we will also have a lot of fun working together. So, what are you waiting for? It’s training time!

Which are the values of your local, your pride and joy?

The values of our local are: responsibility, teamwork and intercultural communication. We love the fact that we have the opportunity to organise events for young people from other locals of AEGEE and we are proud of all of our members that are active and they call themselves “lifelong volunteers”.

Written by Gabriela Cioată, AEGEE-București

The Member of the Month of April is…Lavinia Manea from AEGEE-București! “Volunteerism is not just a word” according to Lavinia, and she proved that by being an active member, not only on the local level, but also on the European one and having key roles in the WDEE (Where Does Europe End) and Y Vote projects and working as Content Manager for the EBM Lublin.

The AEGEEan: Lavinia, you have been elected as the member of the month. Congratulations! Could you introduce yourself for those who don’t know you yet?
Lavinia:  I’m Lavinia Manea from AEGEE-București, and along the years I have been involved in different projects, mostly on European level: I worked three (wonderful) years for the Where Does Europe End (WDEE) project as External Relations responsible and trainer, I worked for EBM Lublin as Content Manager and currently I am finishing my tasks for the Y Vote project, for which I worked as part of the content team, as EU affairs “expert” and trainer.

The AEGEEan: When did you join AEGEE and, in particular, why?
Lavinia: I joined when I was 19, during my first university year, but in fact I found out about AEGEE while I was in high school. I was preparing to take the university admission exams when I discovered AEGEE. I liked the idea and I promised to myself that once a student in Bucharest, I would join this association. And so I did. At the beginning, what drove me towards this choice was mostly the idea of meeting new people and developing new skills. I was moving to Bucharest from the “province” and I was eager to expand my horizon outside the university environment as well. Little did I know how important AEGEE would become in my life.

The AEGEEan: You have done a great job as a trainer for the Y Vote. Why did you choose to be part of such an important project?
Lavinia: Well, this is an interesting story. When I graduated from my second master degree, I thought I would never become involved again in an important project, due to the lack of time that a job would have implied. Having graduated from what many consider to be a prestigious graduate institute, the logical “next step” would have been a job in Brussels or elsewhere, in a field related to international relations and/or diplomacy. But I like to do things differently and I’m not afraid to go “right”, when everyone else goes “left”, if this is the right thing for me. So when I considered my options, I realised that what I love most is working with people to promote values I believe in. I am a striver for a better world, and that always begins with us. So I did something that many considered insane: I put my career plans on hold for something less prestigious but richer in essence: travelling across Europe as a volunteer and inspiring young people to become a driving force for change in our society. I was often asked what did I do after graduating from the College of Europe, followed by how much (money) did I make. But as you know, in AEGEE we don’t make money, we make “people” and that is much more valuable in the long term. Human resources are our planet’a greatest asset if well-managed. We can either make or break everything.

Of course, none of this would have happened if I hadn’t believed in this project: in its necessity, its potential and in the people behind it. No achievement was ever the result of a one-man show. So knowing well my cause and believing in the people I worked with was essential. I cannot thank the Y Vote team members (including the Comite Directeur and the local organisers) enough for all their effort and enthusiasm.

The AEGEEan: Is there an AEGEE member in particular who has inspired you in your work? Why?
Lavinia: The are many people who inspired me and continue to do so. But if I should point to one person in particular, then I would mention Veronika Braun, former member of AEGEE Passau, and Y Vote 2009 PR Responsible. The reason I mentioned her has to do with timing more than anything else. I met her while I was attending my first Youth in Action event, in Rome and it happened to be a Y Vote convention. Her energy, her ambitions and the results of her work, triggered in me a strong wish to becomes active at European level. From that point on, I met many other inspiring people but that particular event was the beginning of everything for me. It would be unfair though, not to mention -if only briefly- my former WDEE team members Percin Imrek (AEGEE-Çanakkale), Thomas Leszke (AEGEE-Köln), Kasia Bitka (AEGEE-Kraków), Casper Wolf (AEGEE-Utrecht) and Juan Sordo (AEGEE-Oviedo) and of course, my (soon also former) Y Vote team members Ola Kluczka (AEGEE-Kraków), Léa Charlet (AEGEE-Paris) and Javier Mendoza (AEGEE-Tenerife). All these people taught me something valuable and I am grateful to them for that.

The AEGEEan: Are you currently working on any projects or initiatives belonging to AEGEE?
Lavinia: Yes I am, although they are mostly related to tying loose ends. I am finishing my last tasks related to the Y Vote project, working on the Position Paper resulted from the EBM and waiting for the results of an Erasmus+ application for the Europe in Exchange project. Should that be successful, I will work on organising a youth convention in Poznań, together with the other team members: Jorge Miguel (AEGEE-Valladolid), Cerem Çavdar (AEGEE-Ankara) and Sanja Zivanović (AEGEE-Zagreb).

The AEGEEan: What about your next plans both on the European and on the local level?
Lavinia: For the moment, apart from finishing my ongoing tasks, I do not have specific plans. I like to believe that when nothing is sure, everything is possible, therefore I keep my options open. If I believe I can bring added value to a certain initiative, I take the challenge. However, realistically speaking, the Y Vote project was the last important initiative I got involved in to this extent. Whatever may follow should be compatible with my working life as well. I am saying this because out of the past six months, three I spent travelling with AEGEE, working sometimes 18 hours a day together with my team mates. I am not complaining, of course. Nothing is better that working until exhaustion for what makes you happy. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity but it is time to step aside and let other young people take over. AEGEE represents a great opportunity for self-development and I hope as many people as possible take advantage of it. But while I have no certainties as to my future in AEGEE, one thing I can guarantee is that I will always support AEGEE as much as I can, throughout my career. Because AEGEE needs not only committed members but also committed alumni. And I hope that when they leave AEGEE, most of our prominent members remember that volunteerism is not something we do only when we are young and inexperienced. Volunteerism is something we all need to do once in a while, no matter how “busy” we become. Doing good things for reasons other than money or personal benefit is, in my opinion, the only way we can truly pretend to be creating a better Europe and a better world.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona 

For most of you Olimpia Parje’s (AEGEE-Bucureşti) name is already known, and her list of previous positions in AEGEE both on local and European level is quite outstanding. This time Olimpia is offering her help in Mediation Commission (MedCom) where she has put her candidature forward. Besides of reading the usual questions and answers in her candidature application, we asked her some more interesting questions.

The AEGEEan: Please, update The AEGEEan readers about your current life. What have you been doing since Agora Enschede both in AEGEE and your private life?

Olimpia: I finished my master degree in July, after which I went on an extensive two weeks trip through the Balkans where I saw a lot of nice places and met a lot of great friends (from Istanbul to Zadar and Ljubljana, through Sofia, Belgrade, Bar, Zagreb and last stop in Budapest) – my own kind of “ceremonial” trip of finishing a complete cycle of education. Shortly after I was helping out with the Travelling Summer University (TSU) of AEGEE-Ploieşti and AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca.

Just about a week later I got my first “real” job. I’m currently working at the Representation of the European Commission in Romania, doing some communication work and website administration.

This summer you stepped out of  Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) and Advocacy Team. Why is that?

Actually I didn’t step out of ACT or Advocacy Team. My term in ACT was over in August and I simply decided I wouldn’t go for another term as I wanted to do other things.

Regarding the Advocacy Team, nobody really stepped out, the activity simply got a bit slower after Agora Enschede and soon after the European Commission announced modifications to the proposals that we were mostly pleased with. So you could say the team reached its goal and that’s why it’s not so active anymore.

Why did you decide to apply for MedCom and why now? Did somebody in the current / previous teams motivate you (and who)?

After Agora Enschede I was looking around and trying to find my place again in AEGEE, see what else I can do and how I can be involved – as I don’t feel like I’ve had enough of it yet! – and the idea of MedCom came up in a casual conversation, though I can’t remember with whom exactly I was talking. There were quite some people in the end who were supporting me and trying to motivate me more to apply, especially when I was still undecided. The most enthusiastic advocate was definitely Ermanno Napolitano.

Could you give us one situation where you have acted as a mediator and that has helped to solve the issue?

There have been a few “opportunities” for this while I was working as a Network Commissioner. One particular situation comes to mind when there was a problem in one of my locals, where the board members were not getting along and it was damaging the local, so I stepped in and after talking to all sides, brought them together and devised a solution in the best interest of the local. The local has been doing much better after that, but I’d rather not mention which one it was.

Have you worked with other MedCom candidates before? What is your opinion about candidates?

It’s funny, it feels like I’ve worked with Ermanno Napolitano and Maurits Korse forever, even though we were never directly in one team working together. I guess it’s just a familiarity that the European level gives you. I’ve had a chance to work with them for bits and pieces, with Ermanno while he was in the Juridical Commission and Members Commission. Maurits was a great help with the locals’ map for the Key to Europe when I was its Editor-in-Chief.

But I have a feeling we’ll have great chemistry as a team and would work really well together. As they are both quite awesome people and with their experience in AEGEE, their personality and what I see as their biggest asset – their great involvement and caring for AEGEE – they will surely become great members of the Mediation Commission. They already have my full trust.

What else would you like to add?

I’m looking forward to our two very exciting Agorae in Budapest! And even though I hope there won’t be many instances when our help as a Mediation Commission is needed, I’ll be there to serve (and protect). Sorry, leftover NetCom spirit… (smiles)

Written by Anita Kalmane, AEGEE-Ogre