Tekla Hadju, former Network Director of the Comité Directeur, after eight Agorae as active member, wants to be still involved in the European level so that she presented her candidature as Chairperson/Vice-Chairperson  of the Agora. She is aware of the responsibilities of the position and she expresses some ideas about how to improve the organisation of the Agora. We interviewed her about her candidature and her programme.

The AEGEEan: Tekla, what would you like people to know about you?

Tekla: Hello dear AEGEEans, I am Tekla from AEGEE-Budapest, and an active member of AEGEE for a while. Like many other AEGEEans, I enjoy travelling to the fullest, meeting new people and challenging myself to learn something new. I also like reading, animals (especially horses and dogs), games, spending times with friends and, of course, having fun.

What is your history with AEGEE?

I have been a member for five years and I have been active both locally and in European Bodies: I was PR Responsible and Vice-President for External Relations in AEGEE-Budapest, I was Network Commissioner between Agora Cagliari and Agora Kyiv, Vice-Speaker of Network Commission between Agora Asturias and Agora Kyiv, Network Commission Assistant between Agora Kyiv and Agora Bergamo, and last year I was Network Director in the 54th Comité Directeur.

What is it that you like the most about AEGEE?

For me, AEGEE’s core are the members: they are coming from many different cultures and backgrounds, but the same goals and the AEGEE-spirit link us together. I also like the many opportunities for attending AEGEE events, and amongst them Agora is one of my favourites due to making important decisions, but also for learning something new, reuniting or meeting with people, and of course for all the excitement that happens during an Agora.

What made you want to become the (Vice-)Chairperson of the Agora/EPM?

Agorae have played an important role in my AEGEE-life, and the Chairperson/Vice-Chairperson position is the one I was interested in pursuing after my CD life. My motivation also comes from the reason that I find the well-being of the Network and the members very important, and I feel like this is the position where I can contribute with my experience and my knowledge which I have gained not just from my former positions, but also with the 8 Agorae I have attended so far (Catania will be my 9^th).

What do you think are the Chairperson responsibilities for Agora?

The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are mainly responsible for the facilitation of the Agora: they are the final responsibles for setting up the agenda, making sure that the most important things are brought forward, coordinating the event on spot, taking into consideration many factors (timing, logistics, requests, etc.) and most importantly they should be objective and give enough possibilities for all sides to express their opinions both during the preparation process (selection processes, creating the agenda) and during the event itself (timing, speaking rights, opening and closing the question lines, announcements, statements, etc.).

Chairing the Agora means a lot of work before the Agora, with a long term planning and a lot of last minute changes. How much time do you think you will be able to dedicate to your position if you will be elected?

I already have some experience from the Drafting part of the EPM on how to put together the agenda, and as Chair Team jobshadower now I have an estimation of how much time and effort is required for these tasks for the Agora. I would not like to give concrete numbers, but so far I was showing high level of responsibility towards my tasks, and I will make sure that I will dedicate enough time for these tasks from my daily life.

How much time would you dedicate in making online preparatory sessions for all delegates? It looks really difficult, if just for the high number of Antennas.

Because of the different availability of people, first of all I would like to collect the needs of the locals and the delegates regarding what they would like to focus on for Agora preparation, including their availability for online preparations. In order to make a good balance of preparation but not taking too much time from them, at first I would say three or four meetings would be scheduled, and I would collect the feedback after Agora Kraków for improving the system. I would like to issue more supporting booklets and materials for delegates (not just the Agora for Dummies), which can be helping also those who will not be able to attend the meetings. I would also have ideas to collaborate with the HRC’s Agora Mentorship project for the preparations, but I would first discuss the idea with them.

How would you improve the organisation of the Agora?

What is usually taking more time than expected is technical problems – with the selection of IT of the Agora and using the previous experience of Local Organisers, former Chair Teams and the IT director I would explore possibilities on how to reduce the amount of technical problems during the plenaries. I would also bring back timers for candidatures and AEGEE presentations in order to keep the timing more effective, and to remind them to stay within their allocated time. Of course the organisation can be improved by putting together a suitable agenda, which depends mostly on the collaboration between Chair Team, CD, Local Organisers and JC (and of course on the needs of participants). For this, I would like to maintain a close cooperation with these Bodies. Last, but not least, my aim would be to increase the level of participation, which could be solved again by putting together a suitable agenda.

What themes would you propose for the next Agora in order to get involved more visitors?

First of all, I would consult with Local Organisers and CD regarding this topic, as Local Organisers would know which projects could be interesting for their city (and for possible sponsors), and CD is the Body that is aware of the hot topics in the European agenda (for possible grants). Personally, I would be happy to see a V4 related-theme for Agora Kraków, as this would not just be fitting for possible (financial) support, but also there have not been many events recently on this topic within AEGEE, but as I said this also needs to be consulted with different actors.

Why should people vote for you in particular?

I am a hard-working and reliable person who is always very dedicated towards the position taken. I believe that my motivation and experience make me a good candidate, and I am able to work well within teams both as a team leader and as a team player. Last, but not least, I would still like to see AEGEE as a place for finding out what people like to do the most, and I would like the Agora to be this place for many people.

Questions from the Network

During NWMs 2014/2015, as a trainer you seemed quite impatient when participants did not engage in sessions much, didn’t show up or came late. On Agora, this behavior is maxed out – and people won’t be respectful. Will you be able to deal with this?

Since 2015 I have put more efforts in improving my training methods, and I think I have developed them more to deal with this part as well, but it is true that I do value attention and showing up in time for sessions. I will of course remind people to pay attention, but my main focus will be on the smooth functioning of the event, which will be prioritised over other matters.

Due to open calls after open calls, people that apply on time for the Agora suffer and get their acceptance very late. Every time I apply on time I feel cheated, as I have to wait for weeks and weeks to finally know if I can buy flights. Do you plan to favor people that apply on time, finally?

Personally, I would look for possibilities to have different timing and selection of participants according to application time, but this part has to be agreed together also with the other Chairperson/Vice-Chairperson and the Local organisers as well, so I would consult with them and of course with the other Bodies that are involved in the Agora process.

Until now, the programme of the Agora has been in a way that one slot is for AR, one for PM, one for Updates etc. This makes it impossible to listen to all ARs, for example. Do you consider changing the system to make it possible for a person to see all ARs or all PMs etc, depending on interest?

This particular topic has been always in focus by participants of the Agora. It highly depends on the logistics of the event, the requests of locals and European Bodies towards changing the agenda and of course by CIA what is needed to be placed in a Prytanium, and how many parallel sessions can take place, but I would consider checking which improvements could be made in order to allow people participate in more programmes.

In case the Agora will end up to be like Enschede – AKA with some Greek drama people, slurs, backstabbing and offense towards candidates and personal revenges – how would you react to this and which decisions would you make?

I would like to make sure that every side has a possibility to express their opinion, however, I would like to make sure that the boundaries between being opposing or being personal are respected at Agora. The Chair Team has the right to warn people for unacceptable behaviour and in the worst case to take actions against them (such as expulsion from the Agora, which is regulated by the Policy on Banning People in CIA); in the worst case I would be willing to use them.

You can read her full candidature here.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

She started her adventure with AEGEE in 2013 through Summer Universities, then actively participating in her antenna, AEGEE-Budapest. She was in her local board for two times, attended almost every local event and currently she is a member of the Mediation Commission. Recently, she was also main organiser of the conference “Education for the Present, Democracy for the Future”. She is Petra Buruzs, and she is our Member of the Month of April, with her work before and during her last – at least this is what she said – Agora being recognised with this nomination.

The AEGEEan: Can you tell us a few things about yourself?

Petra: I am Petra, from Budapest, and I do love my city but lately you can find me there, if Budapest is hosting an event. I love to organise, or coordinate or help and discover Budapest with participants but I am also addicted to travelling and I am aware of it. Nowadays I am still writing my thesis about AEGEE, and organising Erasmus+ projects.

When did you join AEGEE? Which projects do you work for?

Considering the fact that I kind of grew up in the voluntary and youth work field, it was just a matter of the time when I would be an AEGEE member. The magic moment came in 2013, when I met with Agnes Deme who was organising the SU in Budapest and after it I just went with the flow. My path in AEGEE was step by step: I started with active participation, later on HR mid-leader, then Vice-President of Internal Relations and Secretary as a board member, so basically I was there at almost all the local events and projects. Later on I started to open up more towards the European level as Sub-Com, and lived with the CD54 as CD assistant. Currently I am still a member of the Mediation Commission.

What kind of activities do you usually do in the Mediation Commission?

You cannot specify it, but there are several activities, according to the local’s need. For sure you have to be there and give suggestions, advice, NDAs and sometimes concrete decisions. In my term I would love to create a template which clarifies to members the difference between the advisory and the official cases.

What is your feedback as Main Organiser of the conference “Education for the Present- Democracy for the Future”?

That it was an honour to organise it; the Franck Biancheri award gave the huge opportunity to our local and the Network to organise, cooperate and participate to the conference. To experience that incredible amount of trust from the Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri was already a huge excitement and to find out the learning points of the co-operation was also a nice experience. So I can just suggest to locals to apply for next year!

Can you tell us something about the content of the “AEGEE Alumni event- Back to Budapest”? Which was the aim of this event?

The aim was to gather three generations of AEGEEans and provide a safe space for sharing experiences, memories, points of view and to realise again and again that we can still learn from the past and implement it in future, in terms of structure, motivations, multicultural environment, and creative  co-operational ways as well. Also the General Assembly of the Les Anciens took place and celebrated the years of success that we already left behind us.

Tell me the thing you like the most in AEGEE and why. 

Unconditional trust. – In the way that you have that playground under your feet, you can find several AEGEEans for support if it is needed but at the same time you can realise your crazy ideas and feel the seriousness, even if you are open up for sponsors and externals. In the way that if you would like to visit a city and you are searching for a host, we are able to trust blindly and give our house key to a person, of whom I only know he or she is also an AEGEE member. In the way that after twenty years you could hear a story with perfect details, like it just happened yesterday, and our connections (or babies) keep us together, in touch, in friendship or relationships. In the way that personal conflict might happen, but you still say that you are or you were an AEGEE member and it is a lifelong learning experience. In the way that you know if there is an AEGEE sticker, that place will be cool even if it is on another continent.

Which skills did you develop in AEGEE?

Let me list up with some example:

– Creativity – To create a song together with AEGEE-Budapest for Heidelberg who just stole our flag (during EPM 2017) or drawing flip-charts with closed eyes according to some instruction (during TNT Cluj 2016) or explain to a very strickt russian train conductor that you have a ticket, but you just cannot prove it, because your friend Balint Caesar, who is still not there two minutes before the departure time, has it (during NWM-Moscow 2016);

– Problem solving skills – The police came for a one-by-one check up, since during the European Night we were too loud (during Barcelona-Utrecht-Budapest Exchange 2015) or the canoe flipped over in the middle of the Velence lake and also the police came to rescue our participants (during Funtastic4 Summer University 2016);

– General IT skills – design trainings in Budapest, use of several communication channels (like Slack and Telegram) and during my secretary work with Intranet, supporting the members of my antenna from the background;

– Selective listening – During every event when you are an organiser;

– Communication – Internal and external as well, even if you are little and your voice is really quiet.

And I believe that there are many other skills I have not even realised yet.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari 

From the 21st to the 23rd of April, AEGEE-Budapest hosted the conference “Education for the present, Democracy for the future”, which was the winner of the Franck Biancheri Award 2017. The event was organised together with Europe on Track and the Civic Education Working Group, with the support of the Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri. We talked to Álvaro González Pérez, one of the participants, to get to know more about it. 

The AEGEEan: Why did AEGEE-Budapest decide to organise the conference? Which where the highlights of the event?

Álvaro: AEGEE-Budapest had been dreaming of organising another big thematic event since their popular Agora in 2012, so the opportunity to help bringing to life such an important conference as  “Education for the Present, Democracy for the Future” was something they did not want to miss. Furthermore, and as the participants of the conference had the opportunity to learn in detail, civic education and democracy are two topics very much discussed currently in Hungary.

Regarding the highlights, there are way too many for me to mention all of them, but on a personal level I would underline on one hand the fact that the conference fired the starting gun for the arch-popular Europe on Track 4 (since both teams departed from Budapest), and on the other one the lecture given by a Hungarian university professor and activist, Marie Heller, on the current political and educational situation in Hungary, which gave us the foreign visitors a greatly enriching and enlightening local perspective.

Did they collaborate or had a partnership with other organisations?

The content of the conference has been organised by the Europe on Track Project and the Civic Education Working Group, which did an amazing job. I cannot avoid mentioning the incredible job that María Ballesteros Melero did, who was close to being omnipresent.

Regarding the collaborations, the “Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri” (AAFB) supported the conference with its experienced speakers and trainers during the whole duration of the event, and the Central European University (CEU) provided us with the necessary space and material.

How many organisers were involved in the organisation of the conference? 

There was a content team led by María Ballesteros, and formed by Maria Maris, Nicola Guida, Sofia Lobakina, and Balint Toronyai. The sessions were given by several members of the AAFB, the Comité Directeur and the CEWG, as well as by several guests that are a part of the Hungarian civil society, such as the a forementioned professor or a high school student involved in early activism. The organisational side was handled by AEGEE-Budapest and Petra Buruzs as main organiser, who made an amazing job and could not have made our stay in Budapest more comfortable and enjoyable.

Can you tell us something about the programme?

As shown by the name of the conference, the core of the conference was civic education in Europe, and the whole programme was based on this topic, whereas the first day the sessions were more based on the legacy of Franck Biancheri, regarding his life and his more than relevant role in AEGEE. In this sense, both of these elements were combined in a way that we dealt with the past, present and future of AEGEE and Europe, with interesting workshops dealing with diverse topics such as the current state of civic education in Europe, the role of civil society in the shaping of active and responsible citizens or the possibility of the democratisation of the Eurozone. The dynamism of the conference made it impossible to get bored: we had several parallel sessions that we could choose depending on what we felt like would fit us the most, as well as a World Café.

Is there something that we did not ask that you would like to share?

Especially remarkable is the fact that the place where the conference was held, the CEU, is currently in danger of being closed by the Hungarian government, because of several reasons dealing directly with the topic of civic education. For this reason, not only this university was suitable for us from a practical point of view, but also from a symbolic one.

Finally, I want to underline once again how enriching the lecture by Marie Heller on education and politics in Hungary was, not only for me, but for numerous participants. Even though the results of the evaluation are not out yet, I am convinced it will be close to the top of the best evaluated sessions, and it will come with no surprise:  getting to know the culture, society and politics of a certain place in that very place and by locals with expertise on the topic gives an unmatchable and an extremely educational insight.

Written by Paola Letizia Murru, AEGEE-Cagliari

After several successful events, including a Network Meeting (NWM) two years ago and three Agoras (in 2012, 1995 and 1991), AEGEE-Budapest is organising with a very experienced core team and the collaboration of the Civic Education Working Group, the Franck Biancheri Award, which will also serve as the opening event of the Europe on Track project. In this article the Board of AEGEE-Budapest gives us some information about this event which will be held at the end of April 2017.

The AEGEEan: Please, present your local!

AEGEE-Budapest: Our history started in the Nineties, when AEGEE-Budapest was founded like a pioneer as the first local of AEGEE-Europe on the Eastern side of the Iron Curtain. Since its formation, it hosted prestigious events, like the Agora in 1991, which was a conference with 600 participants. This was repeated four years later, and for the third time in 2012, when AEGEE-Budapest organised one of the biggest Agoras since the foundation of AEGEE.

AEGEE-Budapest is one of the most popular students’ associations in the capital. It provides exchanges, thematic trainings, conferences, summer universities and countless different types of events for its members. Nowadays, we have around 200 members, 50 of them actively contributing to the work of the local. They come from different fields of study like economics, engineering, computer science, sociology and some of them are even already graduated students.

To highlight some events our local hosted, in 2014 AEGEE-Budapest organised a Network Meeting with 42 participants where the main topic was Spreading Europtimism. One year later, in 2015, we hosted the IFISO (Informal Forum for International Student Organisations), where students’ organisations from all over Europe were represented. In 2016, AEGEE-Budapest launched a new project called Get Involved! which aimed at discussing some of the current happenings in Europe. For now all the conferences organised within this project explored the topic of migration towards Europe, including the Hungarian perspective and the role of Turkey in Europe after the military coup and the governmental answer to it.

To activate its members, AEGEE-Budapest has now three working groups, namely: Human Resources (HR), Public Relations (PR) and Fundraising (FR). These WGs help a lot to improve the quality of the events we organise.

Why did you decide to apply for the Franck Biancheri Award?

Since Autumn Agora Budapest 2012, we had the dream to organise a prestigious and professional event where the content was aimed at addressing the current situation in Europe, cooperating with several AEGEE Bodies to highlight its values. We were thinking about applying last year, but we had some doubts whether we could apply for the award with an outstanding application or not. In fact, our motto would be a quote from Star Wars: “Do or do not, there is no try”.

When Europe on Track (EoT) and Civic Education Working Group (CEWG) approached us in 2016 with the basic idea of a conference which would be reflecting on the past, debating on the present, envisioning a different future, we understood that we could be able to win the award with this application.

Who is in the core team?

In the core team there are those members who already contributed to fill in the application. After the positive result from the Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri, we involved more people with different backgrounds and experiences to achieve the highest possible level of cooperation among us. The core team members from AEGEE-Budaperst are: Petra Buruzs, Bernadett Mészáros, Ákos Glaub and Bálint Caesar. As for the cooperation with the AEGEE Bodies, we have Nicola Guida and María Ballesteros Melero from Europe on Track, Bálint Toronyai from Civic Education Working Group and Maria-Daniela Maris from More than Education.

Can you give us a sneak peek of what you are preparing?

A three-day conference will be held in Budapest at the end of April. During the conference we will discuss the role of Civic Education, analyse the real meaning of democracy and how we can face the raising of populism in Europe. All these topics are highly associated with the ideas of  Franck’s legacy and his work. This is also reflected by the title of the conference, which is ‘Education for the present, Democracy for the future’. The event will be also the opening of the fourth edition of the Europe on Track project, and their ambassadors will commence their journey from Budapest this time.

Furthermore, AEGEE-Budapest has an own middle-term, local project called Get Involved!. The project was launched in 2016, and aims at focusing on the current happenings and issues in Europe. We are organising more forums and discussions in the near future covering three main relevant topics. Among others, we will examine the relevance of a common currency (a.k.a. Euro), analise the threat of the populism in Europe and finally how did Hungary benefit on different levels from the EU membership.

What were you doing when the CD delivered the news and how did you feel about it?

After submitting the application, we were really excited. All of us were waiting for the final result with fingers crossed – we really felt pain keeping our fingers crossed for so long. We were checking and refreshing our e-mails quite often, until finally we received the highly anticipated e-mail from the Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri announcing that we won the award. All of us were really happy and ‘celebrating’ it in the Facebook chat group with a lot of champagne stickers and smileys.

A few days later, we had a skype meetig with the core team, when we discussed the most important steps ahead of us. Some weeks later, we also had a skype meeting with the members of AAFB and Comité Directeur. They are really supporting us with everything!

Did you already collaborate with Civic Education Working Group and Europe on Track project?

Last year, Budapest was one of the stops of the third edition of Europe on Track. We organised an event where we screened a Hungarian movie and the ambassadors of EoT also held a workshop for the members of AEGEE-Budapest. One of our members, Bálint Toronyai, is also part of the Civic Education Working Group and this definitely proved to be a huge help during the application process. While preparing the application, we had weekly skype meetings, hangouts, rapid commenting at the shared documents, where we discussed our ideas and made it real together.

How can we reach Budapest? What has Budapest to offer?

Well, it is easy to reach Budapest. Our capital is located in the middle of Europe and it has several connections with other European cities. Liszt Ferenc International Airport is one of the biggest in the region with more than 10 million passengers per year, it has connections with almost 100 destinations and 120 flights per day. International trains connect Budapest with several German cities and with every neighbouring countries. Express trains operate every two hours from Wien, Munich, Bratislava, Prague, etc. International bus companies operate several cheap lines from different cities all over Europe. When the application period will be open, we will publish a document explaining how members can get to Budapest from all over Europe.

And why is it worth visiting Budapest? The capital of Hungary is divided into the hilly Buda on the western bank of the Danube, with its narrow streets and greener environment, and the more residential and flat Pest on the opposite side.

Budapest is famous for its historical sites, like the almost 800 years-old Buda Castle District, where you can visit Buda Castle, Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion. An astonishing view from the hilly Buda is guaranteed! On the opposite side you can see the Hungarian parliament, which is the third biggest parliamentary building in the world, St. Stephen’s Basilica, which is the largest church in Budapest, and the Main Synagogue, the second largest synagogue in the world. At the end of the Andrássy Avenue, Heroes Square closes the Unesco World Heritage area.

Hungary, and also Budapest, is famous for its spas, like Széchenyi, Gellért or Turkish. Nowadays Budapest is also leading the nightlife in Europe. Several tourist, in fact, come to Budapest to discover the pubs, bars, clubs, festivals and concerts scattered all around the city.

If you want to stay updated about the event, visit the website.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

Tekla Hajdu, a 24-years-old Hungarian student of Leadership Management, is one of the candidates for a position as Member of the Comité Directeur. She joined AEGEE-Budapest almost four years ago becoming their PR responsible and then Vice President. She got elected as Network Commissioner during Autumn Agora Cagliari and chosen as NetCom Assistant from Agora Kyïv until now. Preferred task? Network Director but not only…

The AEGEEan: Many people already heard your name: former PR responsible and Vice President of a big local, former Network Commissioner and Vice Speaker of the team, currently NetCom Assistant. Now you are running to become our new Network Director or, if needed, Communications Director. Why would you prefer to cover the first one? What motivations lie behind that preferred task?

Tekla: I applied as a Member of the Comité Directeur, where there are no fixed positions, but of course we can have preferences about the tasks that we would like to cover. My European Bodies experience as former Network Commissioner and Vice Speaker mostly covers tasks connected with the position of Network Director. I am currently also a member of the NetCom team, where I really enjoy the work and the initiatives of the team, so further supporting them and the newly elected Network Commissioners is the main motivation that encouraged me to apply. Also, I have now a deeper understanding of the problems and challenges the Network is facing, and together with the Network Commissioners, I would like to continue working on the projects. However, due to not having fixed positions I would also be open to accepting other tasks, if the team requires me to do, and my local level experience and educational background allows me to take over some Communication tasks as well.

As mentioned before, you covered several task related positions and your deep NetCom experience must be a good starting point for this new possible adventure. What do you think you achieved during your NetCom term? What did you achieve during your NetCom assistant  experience?

I honestly think that I developed a lot during my NetCom term, as the position is challenging, but very rewarding: I started as a person with a lot of enthusiasm, but with less general knowledge about what the locals are facing, and I have ended my term as a member of a team who is always thinking about new ways how to improve the work of locals with many initiatives and successful projects – I am glad that I could be a part of such an awesome team like ours was. I think my biggest personal achievement, during my term, is that my former locals have started to regain their trust in the Network Commission and their assigned Network Commissioner. In this part of the Network there were many resignations and changes, and I was the first one after a long time to fulfill my term and provide continuous support for the locals. My experience as NetCom Assistant rather deepened my knowledge in the overall situation of the Network, and my focus is more directed to the internal work of the Network Commission, of the current NetCom team, so my biggest achievement in this period is rather learning how to support them and with what tasks I can ease the enormous amount of work that is facing Network Commissioners, as working with the locals is only one (but very important) part of NetCom work.

One of the most immediate task you would take care of is our Network Development. There are different ways of development, probably the most taken paths have been found new locals or strengthen the existing ones. In your program you looked more oriented in opening new ones. Is this the best path at this moment for AEGEE?

Actually, opening new locals is the third pillar of my programme. My first and most important initiative would be to evaluate how the Network’s current situation is, as within the Commission we have certain knowledge and information regarding how we see it, but it would be also important to know the Networks’ input regarding their roles and their perception of the current situation of the Network. The NetCom team has already started to take initiatives towards this (come to our Progress Meeting at the Agora where we are going to talk about the current situation and number of members plus active membership in AEGEE). I would like to continue with this direction and make a research out of the information I can get with the survey I plan to launch together with the NetCommies. I would also like to look for more opportunities to support current locals with looking for other ways of financial support and improving the Internal education within AEGEE. But to answer your question, I believe that especially in the recent political atmosphere and situations that we are facing it is important to welcome people who would like to join our organisation with open arms and give more support to Contacts to be able to become Contact Antennae (and later Antennae).

In case you will find yourself in opening a new antenna, do you have any previous experience? What are in your opinion the problems a new contact or you and the Netcom can face?

During my term with my SubCommissioners we have started to map the possible locations and finding interested people to found a new contact, but at the end we did not reach any concrete outcome by founding a new local. However, due to the preparations we have made I am well aware of the process that a person has to go through when founding a new local, and I have been part of the Pro-active local founding NetCom project where we were looking for ways to actively support opening new contacts, so I believe that with the knowledge transfer received in case I get elected I will be able to participate with sufficient knowledge and experience. Also a lot depends on the founding team’s enthusiasm and former AEGEE knowledge when they decide to open a new contact in a city within Europe. In my opinion, the biggest problems are lack of support from the University at the early stage for getting new members for the contact, and local regulations regarding the Statues and the operation of the contact– in some part of the Network legal environment and regulations are still a problem for even Antennae and Contact Antennae as well. If the Network Director, the Network Commissioners and other bodies and locals of AEGEE can provide support for contacts to overcome these problems, I think they can develop faster and tackle these challenges.

Some time ago the NetCom and CD faced some problems about using logos and AEGEE related names for contacts, that was banned. Will you be strict or do you think something should be changed in this procedure?

I think that recently there is an improvement in this field: contacts are now provided a toolkit that contains not just information, but also visual elements that they are allowed to use thanks to the collaboration with PRC. The key factor here is informing the contacts: in some cases they are not entirely aware of the elements of AEGEE they are allowed to use (such as logo, and AEGEE- name), but we should definitely watch over this carefully and remind them what is correct and what should not be followed. In general I would like to be rather strict about this, but it depends on the situation, and the NetCommies’ (and other European Bodies’) input about the status of the case is also quite influential, so I would consult with the relevant European Bodies in each case to be sure in making the best decisions.

One of the biggest problems of a Network Director is the definition of its role and it got frequently confused with the NetCom Speaker. Are you going to better define what is your role maybe with the Network Commission in order to work better during the year? Or maybe it is possible to find a balance without creating new rules and definitions?

I personally think that the Network Director should be also part of the NetCom team, not just the CD member appointed for Network Development and communicating CD decisions to the locals. However, Network Commission is an individual body, and the Speaker team is the one who is responsible for managing the Team. Therefore, I believe that the Network Director’s role should be rather an observer regarding internal decisions of the NetCom and a link between NetCom (and the locals) and CD to provide the interest of the Network to CD decisions and get information, but also to give information and the necessary materials to the NetCom and the locals (so to have this link for both ways). In my opinion new rules are not necessary to set in case this agreement is made at the beginning of the term and respected throughout the collaboration.

Talking about Antenna Criteria: the number has increased in the last years. Are the locals respecting them or are they struggling? Are you going to be strict or flexible about their fulfillment?

Due to my Non Disclosure Agreement, I cannot fully answer this question – what I can tell is that in general I would say the locals are trying to respect them with their available resources and capabilities. I am in favour of pursuing the locals to fulfill most of them, but, if the exception request is viable, I am of course going to grant it.

Since the Local Training Courses (LTC) are now Antenna Criterion, as Network Director how will you encourage local in organising them? Will you solicit the Financial Director to grant more money to locals in need of trainers or funding?

In my opinion, organising an LTC can help the local educate their members, train new trainers and develop the local activities of the antennae, contact antennae and contacts. They are already used as recruitment tools in some locals, others consider them as an educational tool for members, while some of the locals have just started to put emphasis on organising them. However, apart from being an Antennae Criteria, I would try to provide financial help (to see a way to give financial support to LTCs as well, not just to Regional Training Courses (RTC)) and giving more support for how to hold trainings (as sometimes this is the biggest problems for locals) with improving the current internal education guidelines for LTCs in collaboration with the Academy and other European Bodies (such as videos, suggested session outlines, etc.).

How do you plan to bring Action Agenda closer to the Network initiatives?

How I see it currently is that some locals who are interested in/well-educated in the Action Agenda are contributing a lot to it with many events, others have even problems with grasping the concept of it. The key again, in my opinion, is information and education, and with a strong collaboration with Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) I think this can be improved – also relying on the locals’ input and giving the chance of changing a field, if the Network does not find it viable.

What do you think about the current Network Meetings (NWM) situation? Should its definition be modified again or do you think too much standardisation can also be dangerous in such a beautiful and multi-coloured network?

With the former and current team, we have already worked on reforming NWMs in terms of content and organising, and I believe that we are going in the right way, but I think the definition since Agora-Cagliari does not need to be changed much as it is quite clear and distinguishable from other events (such as RTCs). I think that in regards of NWMs the most important should be always the locals’ needs: there should be some sessions which would be the same in other NWMs as well, but the program should always adapt to the participants’ needs regarding sessions.

There are five candidates but only four positions as members of the Comite Directeur. It means at least one of you will be out: why should our readers vote for you?

Because I am a reliable and a hard-working person who strives for the best to achieve in her work, and has sufficient experience in the organisation’s functioning, how to lead a team and how to be a good team player. Also I would like to see AEGEE as a wonderful place for finding what you like to do most, and I am willing to devote my energy to make this dream come true for others as well.

QUESTIONS FROM READERS:

How quick do you answer e-mails?

Usually within 24 hours due to being used to NetCom policy and the internal policy we used in our Board in Budapest, and when I’m abroad or less available, I try to check them as much as I can and respond if super urgent (depending on wifi connection). In general I try to be as available as I can in many communication channels.

If you could only make one big change in AEGEE’s current state, what would you want it to be and how would you contribute to it in the position you are running for?

I would try to bring the members and the European Bodies closer. I really liked the period when the CD was able to visit the locals personally, I feel like that currently the European Bodies are sometimes further away from the locals then ideal, and I would really like to have this approach back to the Network. I would try to have more occasions for European Bodies to meet with locals, not just mostly Network Meetings and Statutory events such as case study trips or providing financial opportunities for organising international teams to be able to meet face-to-face more often, not just virtually.

From your own experience, you know that NetCom is a huge amount of work. If you’re elected as Network Director (ND), what ideas do you have to improve the cooperation between ND and NetCom?

In general due to being aware of the workload a NetCom is facing, I would try to have the cooperation as supportive as possible depending on the Network Commission’s request. I also think that appointing Assistants for coordinating the internal work of the Network Commission helps to ease this workload (in our case it worked well). I have some other suggestions as well, but I think this is a topic which should be discussed with the Network Commission first before coming up with more concrete ideas.

In your candidature we can read a lot about researching, evaluations, etc. Don’t you think that we already had enough about this kind of reporting and control during the last years? Why should the Network again be handled in this bureaucratic way? Is it the solution or the cause of our issues?

I think that for my plans my research would be necessary to make in order to get an objective overview of the Network’s current status and to make statistics that have not been done for a while. I believe that in order to keep objectivity and be able to rely on data and facts, not just assumptions, sometimes we need tools that are more strict and reporting. I would try not to do too much controlling as we also have to respect that we are volunteers and contributing to many things out of our own interests, but there are some things where you can only get input by using more bureaucratic tools or sticking to the rules.

You can read her full candidature here. 

Written by Mattia Abis, AEGEE-Cagliari

AEGEEans are used to working online sending an insanely high amount of mails per day, but this work, especially if done by boards, sometimes needs to be done in a cosy office where everything can be stored. We decided to take a tour to AEGEE-Budapest, AEGEE-Cagliari, AEGEE-Enschede and AEGEE-Verona offices, discovering that not every local has one.

AEGEE-Budapest office

AEGEE-Budapest got its current office five years ago and it is shared with another organisation. Peter Sczigel, President of AEGEE-Budapest, said: “It’s small but cosy. It’s located in the Corvinus University of Budapest, where the majority of our members are from. Inside we have lockers, computers, comfy couches and a lot of memorabilia”. AEGEE-Budapest organised three Agoras, Autumn Agora 1991, Autumn Agora 1995 and Autumn Agora 2012 and they still have some stuff from those times, things they are proud of. Of course, they meet with members outside of the office too. “We often meet with our members in bars next to our uni. We have regular social drinks and other events there.” concluded Peter.

AEGEE-Cagliari office

Another that organised an Agora some years ago is AEGEE-Cagliari. The Italian insular local has been in the current office for ten/fifteen years. “It is located in our university, at the Economy department.” said Francesca Zorcolo, President of the local. “We got everything we need in order to work for AEGEE and to receive members or potential ones. Every year the current board add something to the office, as picture collages, t-shirts from their summer university, etc”. Endless days of working in the same enviroment can be extremely tiring, but it can also create some lovely memories as Francesca confirmed: “I think that one of the best memory is when we worked for the Agora and the meeting lasted so long that we had to have dinner with pizza at the office. We were not less than ten and we were really really tired, but still happy and excited”. The walls of an office can be small, so AEGEE-Cagliari tries to find new places for their members’ meeting, going to the beach too.

AEGEE-Enschede office

AEGEE-Enschede is probably the only local owning a pub, the famous Asterion. Right above it, the Dutch local has their office, located in a building called De Pakkerij right in the city center, shared with other three student associations. They have a room where the board usually work with a big table in the middle of the room and five desks with computers for the board members. Next to it they have a meeting room where their committees and external partners are welcomed. There is also a place to chill with few computers for members to work and join the board for lunch or tea or coffee.

Wietske Jousma, President and European Affairs of AEGEE-Enschede, said that “The best feature we have  in our office is our chandelier which was bought by a committee years ago and all this time it has been hanging from our ceiling. However, the previous board thought it was so ugly that they replaced it. One of the members of the committee who bought it insisted it should be back in our office, so we decided this year to give it a new place in the office. Most of the fake diamonds have fallen off the chandelier, but it doesn’t matter. It is back where it belongs!”.

AEGEE-Verona meeting

Not every local is lucky to have an office. This is the case of AEGEE-Verona, located in the north-east of Italy. Refounded in 2013, they hope to have one very soon, meanwhile they meet in a downtown bar called Caffé&Pistacchio. Sara Bottacini, treasurer of AEGEE-Verona, said “It has a basement where we can have some privacy and silence. We have been meeting there since January 2015. It’s nice, there are some sofas and armchairs and it’s located near the university area”. They also meet in university’s classrooms or common areas such as the garden of the canteen. Not having an office also means that they cannot keep memorabilia or AEGEE documents in a common place, but they divide it among the board members.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

Writing a Thesis about AEGEE is becoming a real trend. This shows once again how our network represents an important source of information and inspiration for its members. Today we are meeting Tekla Hajdu (AEGEE-Budapest), Vice-speaker of the Network Commission, who has written a Thesis about AEGEE-Budapest.

The AEGEEan: Could you tell us a bit about you?

Tekla Hajdu: I am Tekla Hajdu from lovely Budapest (smiles). Currently I am doing my Master in Leadership & Management, and I am quite an active AEGEEan as Network Commissioner.

Since when are you officially an ‘AEGEEan’ and why did you join our network?

I am officially a member since October 2012, and I joined because I had a classmate in one of my university classes who told me a lot of interesting stories about AEGEE. At the end, I was so convinced that I decided to check out this organisation myself. And after my first LTC, I was sure that I would like to belong here (smiles).

You wrote a thesis about AEGEE-Budapest. How did you come up with this idea?

As my second major was Business Administration and Management, I wanted to write about a certain organisational situation, analyse the results and draw the conclusions. At first I thought about going for a business enterprise, but in the end, I decided to switch and go with the examination of my local.

What about the main topic you focused on?

My main topic was the structural change of AEGEE-Budapest after Agora Budapest. We had a change in the structure of the Board in 2013: before, the Board consisted of eight people, then the Board at that time with the approval of the Local Agora decreased it to five. The goal was to create middle-level responsible positions to remove the operative task forces from the board, so that they can focus on the strategy and have a more balanced division of labour between the members. In my thesis, I examined the effects of the change and I added some possible fields for development based on the interviews and management literature.

What kind of materials and/or methods did you use to develop your work?

Instead of quantitative methods, I decided to focus on the qualitative aspect of the situation, and used in-depth interviewing. I interviewed several people who were in charge of the structural change or effected by it afterwards – Kristóf Papp, former president of AEGEE-Budapest; Luca Gallyas, the president of AEGEE-Budapest in Autumn 2014, and Beáta Matuszka, former Network and Human Resources Director.

Which were the premises and the results you expected from your thesis?

My biggest expectation was the necessity of the change in the structure, and the development in the career path in my local since that time (my thesis was written in October 2014, and the structural change came into effect from May 2013).

Were your expectations fulfilled?

Yes, most of them were fulfilled, but there were still some interesting conclusions at the end. In general, it was definitely a successful change: now Budapest is more project-oriented, efficient, transparent, plus the mid-level leaders have a „career path”.

Would you suggest to other AEGEEans to write a thesis about our network?

Yes, definitely! If you have chosen a topic that is connected to AEGEE somehow and you feel like it is worth going with it, then do not hestitate. Also, keep in mind that some topics are better processed with qualitative methods – they might look more complex and time consuming, but you can learn more about the subject by digging to the depths.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic, AEGEE-Verona

The Network Meeting (NWM) of AEGEE-Budapest took place from 4th  to 7th December 2014.  The event was for everyone, young and old, experienced and new, who had the motivation to go further with AEGEE. Have you heard about it? Have you been there? Today Anita Ruszcsák (Vice-President for External Relations) and Tekla Hajdu (Network Commissioner) are going to tell us what happened!

The AEGEEan: Why did you apply to host the NWM?

Anita: For a long time, AEGEE-Budapest was planning to host an international event for the whole Network. As there hadn’t been a Network Meeting in Budapest for a while, that’s why we decided to give it a try.

How did the organisation of the event go?

Tekla: The core team consisted of eight members: four main organisers, the President, the Treasurer, the Vice-President for External Relations and the Network Commission Assistant for the area. After I was elected as Network Commissioner, I was worked in the core team both as the responsible Board member for the event (Vice-President) and as Netcommie for the area. Apart from the core team, around 25 helpers were involved with smaller tasks. The organisation of the event started as soon as we were informed the event was accepted, and did not stop until the evaluation of the NWM. We had a mailing list for the core team for quick and efficient communication, and personal meetings once a week.

What was the event about?

As a Network Meeting, the main purpose of the event was sharing best practices, getting to know more about AEGEE and strengthening the cooperation between locals. During our NWM, participants were able to learn about how European Bodies work, grasp the concept of the “golden circle” in public relations, get to know the basic rules of fundraising, how to apply for an Erasmus+ fund, and much more.

How were the days of the event organised?

The event lasted for four days, and for each day an appointed main organiser was responsible for that particular day. Every day the participants could broaden their knowledge in several sessions and they could finish the day with some real Budapest parties. The special city tour at the Christmas market and the iconic European Night were of course in the programme.

One of the questions on the application format was “What is your motivation to apply to this NWM”. Did you receive any interesting answers? Can you give an example?

Some applicants were trying to impress us with their Hungarian knowledge, but the most remarkable one was from a Polish participant who cited a whole paragraph from a Hungarian – Polish saying in Hungarian.

Which was the funniest moment of the event?

One of the participants had a very interesting way of getting to the airport, but he arrived back home safe and sound.

Did anything go wrong?

Every event has ups and downs, but we managed to solve everything that came up, so nothing went wrong.

Was it worth it? Why?

Yes, it was worth every minute! We received a lot of positive feedback from participants at the end of the event.

How would you describe AEGEE-Budapest?

AEGEE-Budapest is one of the biggest locals in the Network: we currently have around 200 members. We will celebrate our 25th anniversary in May and so far, we have organised many international events and exchanges. I would say our antenna is special because you can find everything here from thematic events, to pub crawls, from PR Working Group to Sports Committee. Of course, each board has its own priorities, but in general, we offer really diverse programmes.

Comparing AEGEE-Budapest of “yesterday”and AEGEE-Budapest of “today”, what has changed?

We had a change in the structure of the Board in 2013: before, the board consisted of eight people and then we decreased it to five. The goal was to create a mid-level, to remove the operative tasks force from the board, so that they can focus on the strategy and have a more balanced division of labour between the members. It was definitely a successful change: now we are more project-oriented, efficient, transparent, plus the mid-level leaders have a „carrier path”.

What is the best thing you have ever done?

I would say the Autumn Agora Budapest 2012. Should I explain?

What about the future plans of your antenna?

We would like to engage more and more young people and make them active and committed to AEGEE. We also plan to organise the most amazing travel Summer University in the history of Summer Universities together with AEGEE-Kraków.

Complete the sentence: If you think about AEGEE, you think about…

Opportunities!

Written by Karina A. Silivas, AEGEE-Udine

After the resignation of the newly elected Network Commissioner Balázs Kovács (AEGEE-Debrecen), an Open Call for an assistant was issued. Out of the applications, the Network Commission chose Brigitta Puskás from AEGEE-Budapest. The AEGEEan talked to her to find out more about her motivation and plans. 

The AEGEEan: Please, introduce yourself. How long have you been in AEGEE? What is your AEGEE experience?

Brigitta: I am 21 years old and this spring I finished my 3rd year at my university in Budapest, where I study International Business. Ever since I remember, I loved international things, especially meeting people living in other countries. I can thank my membership of AEGEE to one of my best friends in the University, Zsófi Lehota, who told me about her fabulous Summer University (SU) with all these different foreign people. Obviously, I was fascinated by the mere idea, so I joined and went to my first SU to Russia and Ukraine in 2012. After that there was no stopping: I joined the organising team of Agora Budapest and after that, I wanted to get more active, so I took up some smaller tasks. The first big challenge was being main coordinator of last years SU in Budapest together with Luca Gallyas. It was an Summer Course + with the theme of photography and Hungarian culture and I am very proud of the outcome. Then, I was Budapest’s delegate in Zaragoza. That and the NWM in Vienna gave me a push to become board member – I have been Vice-President for External Relations at AEGEE-Budapest from January untill August. This position is responsible for international events, PR and external communication, EVS and other foreign opportunities.

Why did you decide to apply for the position Netcom Assistant?

Now that my term as a board member has ended, I found myself in this uncomfortable situation where I have all this motivation in me and no path to move further on a local level. In the past two years, I have seen and learnt a lot, built relationships with people from all over the Network, and I feel that I have a general idea of the problems in the region, so I would like to help by solving them step by step.

What are your expectations for working with the team?

I am really looking forward to working together with the team! I don’t know all of them personally, but they seem like a nice team and so far, they have been very nice to me. I am aware that we will be facing a dynamic and intense period full of deadlines because of the Agora but I hope that it will all go well and I can slowly get involved with everything. I am also very glad for the two subcommies Mitsaki and Eva who I “inherited” from Arsenis, I hope that we will have a nice 2 months together.

You will be NetCom assistant until Autumn Agora Cagliari, what are your plans for the area?

To tell the truth, I have hundreds of ideas, but when it comes to what could be done – the problem is mainly time: locals in the area are often left without an active communication with the Netcom and we need to resume it quickly, the time left until Cagliari, and also, my time, which is limited. So, the first thing will be getting in contact with the locals and trying to get a general overview on what’s going on in each local, then, start collecting reports and then prepations for the Agora.

However, if you ask me what is really missing in this area, in my opinion, it is active communication between different locals. This results in them working almost completely separately from each other and this way, also from the Network. I think that this is very harmful for the whole of the Network and we definitely should start working on this, the sooner the better.

How will you prepare your locals for the upcoming Agora?

I think that my main priority has to be fulfilling the antenna criteria and meanwhile reminding the locals to proceed with the general Agora preparation procedure (such as a local Agora for choosing delegates, Agora preparation nights, etc.) as well as remindig them of the closing deadlines regarding the Action Agenda.

In one year, the area you will cover had four differents NetCommies or NetCom Assistants (including you). Do you plan to run for NetCom in Cagliari to give some stability?

This is a question I unfortunately cannot give a reply to just yet. It mostly depends on the amount of time I will have this semester, because I am starting an internship soon which will probably be a full-time job. If I cannot dedicate enough time to my NetCom duties as a result of this, I will not apply, because I think that would mean more harm than use. But I also find it extremely important for this area to finally get a motivated person who can take care of them on the long run.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia