In the heart of Romania, in Cluj-Napoca, an educational event called TNT or Training new Trainers was organised from the 7th to the 14th of December 2016, in collaboration with AEGEE-Academy. For this article, we talked to organisers Antonis Triantafyllakis (AEGEE-Cluj Napoca) and Marina Muşetescu (president of AEGEE-Cluj Napoca), trainers Antonis Triantafyllakis (The AEGEE-Academy) and Danny Memarpour (IFMSA-International Federation of Medical Students Associations) and participants Alejandra Piot (AEGEE-A Coruña), Anna Ziętkiewicz  (AEGEE-Wrocław) Petra Buruzs (AEGEE-Budapest), Markella Moraki and Melissa Carreres (AEGEE-Alicante). Cluj-Napoca really fascinated all of them.

The Training New Trainers (TNT) was an amazing event for young Europeans, through which they learned all the necessary qualities for holding a training in front of an audience. It fulfills the needs of our network: having good and highly motivated trainers who will help our members develop themselves and their skills.

The main aim of the event was to develop the necessary skills of the participants in order for them to be successful trainers in the future, proficient in using non-formal education methodologies to make their sessions memorable, fun and interactive. Since active participation is at the very core of non-formal education, organisers tried to involve the participants through learning-by-doing, one of the pillars of The Academy.

The organisers wanted to bring non-formal education in a students city like Cluj-Napoca, and it was also a good start for the newbies to see how it is to organise an AEGEE event.

In the streets of Cluj-Napoca

The sessions were meant to develop the skills of the participants, or better put, future trainers and some topics were: Non-Formal Education, Training Design and Delivery, Learning Styles, Group Dynamics, Public Speaking, Self Sense, Facilitation, Giving and Receiving Feedback and Evaluation.

Thanks to the help offered by the University of Babes-Bolyai, some meals were served in the canteen, while others (mostly traditional Romanian meals) were home-cooked by the organisers, new and old members of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca. On its side, AEGEE-Academy was responsible for the sessions, the educational part of the event.

At the University cafeteria

There were also some leisure activities like the city tour, a visit to “Samsara Teahouse” and a Medieval show with local dances and sword fights, although participants did not have a lot of free time.  “It was really nice to have two trainers from outside our AEGEE world; the trainers were there for us, whenever we needed them. The programme was full, the timetable was more or less  strict, but we were there to learn, so mostly we did not mind staying there till 2am and work” says Petra, from AEGEE-Budapest. Some words that can describe the session time, according to the participants, could be: inspiration, creativity, methodologies, brainstorming, sharing and “bullshiting”.

Medieval show

The highlights, also according to attendees, were various: the TNTx session,  to see themselves as trainers and reach their own limits, to handle their expectations and fears and share, give feedback, go with the flow.

Participants learnt a lot of new methods, techniques and theories as a trainer, new ways of approaching future students, to raise their creativity skills but also developed themselves as people. They fell in love with the concept of training, and they discovered that everyone of them has so many things to teach, in every type of learning and every aspect of life. They found a place where they can open their hearts and share their fears, thoughts, happiness.

The trainers were two AEGEE members from AEGEE-Academy, Antonis Triantafyllakis and Ioana Duca, and two from other NGOs, Danny Memarpour from IFMSA (The International Federation of Medical Students Associations) and Zeynep Bostan from EFPSA (European Federation of Psychology Students’ Associations).

Outside the University

The goal of the trainers was to equip the participants with enough knowledge, skills and attitudes for their future as trainers in non-formal education, but also to keep practicing, to learn from new co-Trainers and participants. According to Daniel and Antonis, the greatest thing about being a trainer is observing the self-development of others in real-time and feeling you are somehow contributing to that.

After TNT, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca adquired more active members. These kinds of events are perfect for newbies to understand what AEGEE is all about and how much you can learn -no matter if it is a soft skill or a hard one. Also they had the opportunity to experience a European event in their home town. As a specific outcome for the Romanian local, most of the organisers are now part of the core team for AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca’s Summer University 2017.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

The workload of the Comité Directeur can be demanding and they might need some extra help to do their duties. It can happen that open calls are sent out and willing and courageous people join the CD and work for our association. Maria Maris from AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca is one of them, working on communications since October. Her term was extended also for February and we took the occasion to ask her some questions. 

The AEGEEan: Please introduce yourself.
Maria: Hey, I am Maria from AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca (hearts, hearts, hearts) or you can also call me Dani, as the Civic Education Working Group does.

Why did you decide to apply for the position of CD assistant?
Last year I finished my bachelor’s studies and decided to take a gap year before my master’s. Until now, I would say it was an amazing idea, because I managed to invest a lot of time in things I enjoy, which means AEGEE too. At the end of summer I was looking at many possibilities of internships and decided to apply for the position of Communications Assistant for the CD. I think it was a great opportunity because the internship is in my field of studies and I was always curious to see how the CD life and experience are.

What was your experience before joining CD as an assistant?
My first experience with AEGEE was the Summer University organised by AEGEE-Istanbul and AEGEE-Skopje in 2014. Afterwards, I slowly started to get more active in AEGEE and last summer I also joined the CEWG.

What are your tasks?
Most of the time I try to help the Communication and Project Director Joanna Pankowska as much as possible. There are always so many things to be done, even very small details that sometimes take quite a while to be done. Mainly, I was taking care of a part of the communications, such as social media, and worked on the ECI-More Than Education. Even though I was just a communications assistant, in the CD, as an assistant, if you wish to also work for other projects or teams, you are free to do so.
Besides these everyday tasks, another task was to cook for the Christmas party that we hosted. What I really liked about it was the moment when all of the people in the house started to prepare for the party, decorating the house and signing carols. Those moments make you feel like home.

What does one typical day in your life in Brussels look like?
Maybe you would expect something super interesting… Sorry, it is quite monotone. You have to go to the office and work. The nice moments of the day are the ones when you take a break from work, go into the kitchen and become sort of a magician trying to cook something very quickly from what you have in the fridge or left-overs. Also, what I love about the CD is that I do not have to attend the board meetings, because they seem to take so long it looks like an eternity. As an assistant, I just have to go for the first 15 minutes, when we update each other on our work. The weekends are more exciting, actually. EU-bodies come for their live meetings and other visitors are in the house. One weekend, we had something like 40 people who entered the house.

Name one good thing in AEGEE and one bad thing.
The best thing are the people. I am so happy and grateful to have met amazing and interesting people in AEGEE.
One bad thing is Tim’s French. Tim, one of CD house renters, improve your French [she smiles, ed.].

Let’s play a game. Describe yourself by using adjectives that start with the letters that compose your name.
Mysterious
Agreeable
Responsible
Intelligent
Awesome

What is next for you?
In February I will be back in Brussels for another month as an assistant and in March I will start another internship in Berlin.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca proposed some local and international events during the year but their most successful one was a conference organised last May, shortly before Agora Bergamo. We collected some information about the topics discussed in the conference organised by the Romanian Antenna, whose Main organiser was Bianca Sabau. The content of this event was built by the Your Vision For Europe project team and the Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri.

The Franck Biancheri Award Conference “Borderless Europe: Blessing or Burden?” was held in Cluj-Napoca, in the heart of Transylvania (Romania), between the sixth and ninth of May 2016, gathering around sixty organisers and participants from all over Europe and beyond. The event counted on the collaboration of the Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri (AAFB), and its 45 participants made it highly “international” [Romania, twenty-one; Germany, ten; Italy, three; Macedonia, two; Hungary two; Croatia, two; Bulgaria, one; Pakistan, one; Nigeria, one; Greece, one; and the Netherlands, one].

Fifteen members of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca took care of the logistical aspects of the conference. Nine speakers shared their expertise and ideas during the panel discussions. Six delegates of the Your Vision For Europe project presented and delivered in Cluj-Napoca the content of the conference: Maarten De Groot, Aleksandra Mojsova, Leonie Riebesam, Tedi Martinescu, Cosmina Bisboaca and Roberto Orrù. Two members from the Comitè Directeur, Aleksandra Kluczka and Réka Salamon, coordinated and supervised the organisation of the conference, and Marie-Hélène Caillol, Marianne Ranke-Cormier and Georgeta Grama Moldovan were the representatives of the AAFB. The association financially supported the conference and shared the spiritual legacy of Franck Biancheri, the founder of AEGEE. As the Franck Biancheri Award 2016 was awarded to AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca, the conference was also an occasion to commemorate and discuss the life and cultural legacy of Franck Biancheri, who, during the 1980s, was a promoter of a transnational democratic Europe.

The meeting began with a presentation about Franck Biancheri’s life and decisive role for the birth of the ERASMUS Programme. Throughout his life, Franck strived for a more democratic and transnational Europe and, in 1988 and together with other AEGEE founding members, he created the first trans-European political party, called “Initiative pour une Démocratie Européenne” (IDE). Although formally dissolved after a few years, the spirit and ideas of IDE have been inherited by a new party founded by Franck and other fellows in 2005: the “Newropeans”. Today, Newropeans remains the only trans-European political party. Franck’s work and thoughts about the future of European governance and the role of Europe in the world continued with the creation of Europe2020, which afterwards became LEAP (Laboratoire européen d’Anticipation Politique).

The second part of the ceremony was dedicated to the history of AEGEE: from its birth in Paris on the 16th of April 1985, when it was still called EGEE, to when it changed its name to AEGEE in 1988, until the present. Its foundation started with the purpose of creating a platform, a forum for young Europeans to discuss about European matters, and where they could propose their ideas to both national and European institutions. In 1986, about fifty university antennae were present in Europe; today the AEGEE network is present in two-hundred cities, spread over forty countries in Europe, and counts 13,000 members.

During three days of workshops, panel discussions, and the screening of the “Great European Disaster Movie”, the participants discussed the current state of the European integration process, its political and moral crises, and how the EU is dealing with the current migration phenomenon. The major topic of the conference was “borders in Europe”; physical, socio-economic, cultural or political. This led to a debate regarding the current state of the Schengen agreement, the idea of a borderless Europe and how it can be transferred to social and institutional terms. Lastly, the participants proposed some solutions in order to break borders and stereotypes.

Participants of the conference were given the opportunity to help Maarten De Groot’s team measure the impact of the conference and the project. Participants were given a questionnaire before the start of the conference and another after its end, to see if their opinion had changed. Certain measures were repeated, giving the team the opportunity to check the changes brought about by their conference.

On  the 7^th of May, the Your Vision for Europe team and Aleksandra Kluczka held the workshop “Borderless Europe vs. Borders in Europe”. Having the complex, diverse notion of Europe and its borders, participants explored what Europe and the European Union mean for them, how they affect them personally and what it means to feel European in an interactive, non-committing manner. Furthermore, participants explored how the ideal of a borderless Europe materialised historically and which were the milestones of the European integration process, the most important moments of integration deepening and co-operation strengthening, and the moments of widening of the circle of member states.

This workshop was introductory and intended to actively engage participants in an accessible and informing way. The second one was called: “Our Image of Refugees: Change of Perspective?”, presented by Fabian Wagner (Federation of the Young European Greens) and Aleksandra Mojsova (YVfEU). During this workshop, participants and trainers critically explored the concept of a borderless Europe, and the different aspects it brings. Questioning the differences between experience and acquired information, they examined the process of how people’s attitudes are shaped and how this process is hugely influenced by the media. Very often, this leads to socio-cultural borders, most implicitly creating mental borders, unnoticeably shaping views for many people on multiculturalism, integration, social coexistence and social cohesion.

The next workshop, “Socio-Cultural Borders in Europe: the Borders That Define Us”, trainers Noemi Lowy (Democracy in Practice) and Roberto Orrù (YVfEU), started with a role-play game, in which the AEGEE members had to represent various political parties and associations of a fictitious multicultural city, such as a Muslim party, a youth association, a far-right party and many others. Together, they discussed and voted in favour or against the construction of a new mosque in the city.

By putting themselves in the shoes of “the other”, participants experienced different values, points of view and beliefs, after which they attempted to break socio-cultural borders and to challenge prejudices within the setting of a multicultural society. In the second part of the workshop, participants developed and shared ideas about the cultural, political, historical and geographical borders that define a social community and their positive and negative effects.

On the 8^th of May, the workshop “Issues Without Borders’ Petition: IWB for Refugees! Europe Needs New Legislation on Migration”, presented by Patricia Papuc (Issues Without Borders), was an open discussion about different aspects of the refugee crisis and the problems in the different countries the participants belonged to. Patricia Papuc gave a short introduction on the work of Issues Without Borders. Other aspects that were discussed are the practice of sanctions within the EU, their effectiveness and ideas for other methods that could control the actions of member states. The trainer talked briefly about the EU-Turkey deal as well as the quota system and whether or not the participants feel powerless about the refugee crisis. The general feeling was that the problem is so complex that citizens cannot do much, except for offering individual help to some refugees.

That same day, there was also the workshop: “Socio-Economic Borders in Europe and the Idea of a Universal Basic Income”, by Antonis Triantafyllakis (AEGEE Mobility Working Group), which dealt with the idea of a basic income. Countries like Finland and Switzerland, for example, are considering to implement this within a few years. The major focus of the discussion was employment. Most of the participants admitted that, when choosing their field of studies, they also considered their chances of getting a job after obtaining their degree. Furthermore, participants talked about the fact that automation is changing the labour market and the kind of skills that a job-seeker needs to have. One thing is certain: automation generates less jobs than before. At the end of the workshop, a comparison has been made between the welfare systems in the participants’ countries.

The first panel discussion was called “Europe in crisis, Schengen in suspension”, and the first topic was the crisis that EU faces today, not only politically but also morally. The factors that caused this crisis might be found in the EU’s democratic deficit and in the failure to implement fundamental EU values, such as respect for human dignity and human rights. This failure appears clearly through the way the EU is dealing with the refugee crisis. The second topic discussed was the Schengen agreement and whether this agreement is necessary for the success of the European project. The group concluded that there is a need to maintain Schengen, since it is one of the biggest achievement of the EU. Schengen gives us a sense of community, it helps the EU to stay united and to act as a global player in the international arena.

During the panel discussion, “A Leap of Faith – Utopian Thinking and Acting in 21st Century Europe”, perspectives were exchanged on how the future of the European project should look like. The panellists pointed out a number of developments that should give us reasons to be hopeful, such as the possibilities that the Internet gives everybody, the idea of a Europe-wide Universal Basic Income and the recent introduction of the European Citizens’ Initiative. The idea that was discussed most extensively was the role of cities as drivers of societal change: it is in cities that all relevant stakeholders are gathered in one place – universities, businesses, NGOs, local authorities and communities. Moreover, AEGEE is the living example that you do not need to be organised at a state level in order to have an effective co-operation at the European level. The idea of a world parliament of mayors was coined as an ideal that is not all that far-fetched, if one reads Benjamin Barber’s If Mayors Ruled the World and follows the initiatives he carried out. Afterwards, the participants enjoyed The Great European Disaster Movie, directed by Annalisa Piras.

In the “Europe for all, all for Europe!” session (World café), the team of Roberto Orrù focused on what everyone can do to influence politics and to have an impact on a more borderless Europe. In order to influence politics we have to be active citizens: that is to actively participate in youth organisations; get in contact with politicians and stakeholders, and invite them for conferences and discussions; sign petitions and protest in the streets. Other ways to affect politics are using online tools such as social media to spread new ideas and to connect with other people; organising conferences and help others to be active citizens themselves; improving our communication skills and being good ‘storytellers’.

Only through an effective communication, we can transmit our messages. In order to reach a more borderless Europe, the participants proposed to: organise international cultural exchanges; improve and allocate more financial resources for the Erasmus + programme; advocate for the expansion of the Schengen area and for less visa regulations; improve English language classes in schools and universities; and raise awareness, both through informal talks with friends and by undertaking symbolic actions such as occupying borders and checkpoints. In the second part of the workshop, five different groups focused on cultural, political, external and socio-economic-borders.

The main issue identified within the political borders is the European citizens’ disinterest toward European politics and their lack of representation (democratic deficit). A proposed solution could be a sort of direct e-democracy tool, an online application through which citizens can have their say about a specific topic or question proposed by the European Parliament. The main issue found in external borders relates to how EU is dealing with refugees. In order to raise awareness about the refugees’ situation and fight stereotypes, this group proposed to contact refugees, interview them and share their stories. This project could be called “Faces of Refugees”.

One group dealt with cultural borders; the traditions, lifestyles and stereotypes that apparently prevent different cultures to communicate with each other. In order to promote respect and tolerance toward other cultures, this group proposed that through youth associations, NGOs, schools and universities we can enhance and develop cultural exchange initiatives. These initiatives might be festivals, food tasting sessions, film-nights and post-screening discussions. A second group that examined cultural borders focused on tackling prejudice by organising cultural exchanges through schools, universities and within the Erasmus programme; increasing foreign language courses and offering evening classes; expanding freedom of movement; raising awareness about other cultures through social media; and enhancing the role of NGOs.

Socio-economic borders have been tackled in a more general and philosophical way, by trying to reach a situation of well-being, meant as a status in which people live their lives with dignity and safety. Citizens might be trained about social and economic issues in many ways: education through formal and non-formal sessions in schools or universities; visiting local and national authorities, working with them on social issues and publishing the results through social media.

The end of the conference was a great occasion to celebrate the 25th anniversary of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca with a gala, to which they invited everyone who helped them to grow. They were granted diplomas and celebrated the anniversary with cake and a party. Bianca Sabau, the main organiser of the Borderless Europe Conference, told us the new Board is preparing the activity plan for the following period, so we’d better stay tuned.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari.

This spring, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca is organising a thematic conference about the benefits and/or disadvantages of a Europe without borders. During the event, they will commemorate Franck Biancheri, the founder of AEGEE, and celebrate their 25th Anniversary. Bellow you can find more information about the event that will be organised in collaboration with Your Vision for EUrope Project.

The AEGEE congress in Paris, April 1985, was the result of Franck Biancheri and Philippe Micaelli’s hard work. Without their drive and initiative, we could not have experienced all the great things that AEGEE has to offer. Franck Biancheri was passionate about the things he believed in and, as a leader, he inspired many people, irreversibly changing the lives of thousands of students all over Europe.

In order to keep Franck Biancheri’s memory alive, AEGEE and the Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri (AAFB), created the Franck Biancheri Year Award, an event in which an AEGEE antenna honors his memory and remembers his contribution to the foundation of our organiation. This year, AAFB changed the name into Franck Biancheri Award.

Even though the award was given in order for an antenna to organise events during the whole year, in 2016 they changed the concept a bit, and in spring, when all nature comes back to life, one event will be organised by the winner local of the award.

AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca has the opportunity to collaborate with Your Vision for Europe Project to create this event, which will consist a three-day thematic conference “Borderless Europe: Blessing or Burden” in order for the ones to present how to explore the benefits and disadvantages of a borderless Europe. The event will take place between the 6th and 9th of May in the former European Youth Capital and is aiming to gather 50 participants interested in the life of the founder of AEGEE and in discovering the life of Cluj-Napoca, from all over Europe, as well as AEGEE members and non-AEGEE members.

The conference includes panel discussions, workshops and lectures on the following topics:

• Evolution of the European Community
• Schengen: Have Europe’s borders really disappeared?
• Understanding diversity
• A look from outside the European Union
• Expansion of the EU (2004) and what will happen to the Balkans or Turkey?
• How can EU citizens really understand the visa regulations?
• Opportunities for youth outside the Union

Being the first antenna in Romania and one of the first in Western Europe, this year on 9th May, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca will celebrate its 25th Anniversary that will also be part of the event.

For the organisers, the preparations for the event have already started and they are waiting for amazing people to spend beautiful days in their city, learn more about Europe’s external borders and Europe without borders, commemorate Franck Biancheri and celebrate their 25th Anniversary.

You can apply here.

Read more about the event here.

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

The dates 5-12 of March will remain in AEGEE history, as that was the exact week when the 10th  edition of Summer University Project School (SUPS) took place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the Youth European Capital of 2015. The organisers themselves set a perfect example from the very first day: participants were accommodated in a hostel in the center of the city, every day a three course meal was provided, participants had the chance to work in a big university room, to have a “party basement” for themselves and to enjoy a  professional city tour lead by Vlad Popescu (AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca). They also had the possibility to experience the result of the successful FR of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca, as one of their sponsors, SYKES, made a presentation for the participants and asked for future cooperation with AEGEE. Special thanks to Bia Sabau and Raluca Radu. A job well done!

And now, may I have your attention, please? It is time to introduce the trainers! On the stage appears Ksenia Lupanova, representing AEGEE-Moskwa. She is motivated, inspired and SUPSrised the participants with her knowledge on content management, risk assessment and PR. From the opposite side of the ring comes Ioana Duca, representing herself…and also the CD. While talking about the Action Agenda and showing the participants why exactly is she the Financial Director in the budget session, she also managed to raise awareness on a very important topic: green Summer Universities. Next, two trainers who cannot be introduced separately as they became more or less one during SUPS.

Antonis Triantafyllakis (AEGEE-Heraklio) and “Loud” Luca Lombardo (AEGEE-Torino), “the brothers from another mother”, do not only look alike, but speak alike, think alike and present alike – meaning: with lots of passion, energy and motivation. The topics of conflict, project, organisers and participants management, fund raising and presentation skills were not foreign to them, as well as the sensitive matter of how to adjust your Summer Uuniversity for the disabled.  And in between, coordinating every move they take, was Anna “Smailikova” Pykhtina, the training manager of SUPS 2015. Her smile lead the participants without any difficulties towards a better understanding of the concept of leadership and time management. Such a compatible and caring team of trainers has yet to be seen outside of SUPS!

If we proceed from the saying “sharing is caring”, the participants themselves were actually the most caring people of all – they were sharing knowledge, ideas, experience, points of view, culture, habits, food, drinks, beds… Everything was happening in a non-formal environment – during sessions people were sitting in a circle, speaking openly and without any concern, that they will be judged or interrupted.

People were always actively participating, even if sometimes it was hard, and were overcoming barriers with every step of the way. Sometimes a problem would appear – the mouse would stop working or the coffee would be over and it was just a pleasure to watch the team members cooperating and handling it so swiftly, that participants had actually fun with the situation.

The biggest and most useful training in SUPS was the case studies of course. Participants were divided into four teams, each representing a fictional AEGEE antenna with real characteristics of different parts of the world. Let’s take AEGEE-Palimera (sounds familiar?) for example, a big antenna, the city of which is situated at the Ionian Sea, has a lot of beaches, islands and an amazing students’ life. This antenna was an example for Mediterranean ones, with their typical trades and population. Among the tasks of the participants was to make a SU from scratch using every day the new knowledge they gathered during sessions. In the end they had to present their SU to new fictional members and in the local radio. That “little” exercise developed the participants’ people skills and team work as they had to learn to work together with people they barely knew.

After a long day of work, it is time for party! Organisers had a diverse social program prepared for the participants: karaoke night, club night, cheap-drinks-night, dancing-till-you-drop-night, European Night, games-in-the-basement-night and, sadly, in the end – white T-shirt party, aka good-bye-night. But, as you are all familiar, in AEGEE events there are always more than enough parties and social activities, so it is hard for something to leave an impression. Well, SUPS somehow managed to do even this.

Everyone was astonished by the creativity and thought put into the social part of the event. Next to the more or less mandatory gossip box, participants were asked to write letters to each other, which they could collect on the last day. The closing ceremony of the event was a blast (of tears) – trainers and organisers held speeches, exchanged presents, gave certificates,  played songs and made a lot of photos to remember. And last but definitely not least – The Elections, where all the “best” categories were voted.

And so, after a week full of learning, self-development and excitement, it all had to come to an end.  I will not speak about all the sad faces I saw on departure day or all the emptiness that remains after an event such as SUPS, because before it was even over, the space was full of promises for a reunion, people were discussing options when and where to meet again, which, in my humble opinion, is the best recognition of the awesomeness of Summer University Project School 2015.

Written by Lia Georgieva, AEGEE-Berlin

2015 will be the year of Cluj-Napoca, the city in the heart of Transylvania that has just become “European Youth Capital” of this year – and its AEGEE antenna will be involved in a very active way throughout this project, as Raluca Radu, President of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca, explains.

If you have been an AEGEE member for some time, you must have heard before about this city, as it is home to one of the most active AEGEE locals in the Network. Cluj-Napoca, the second major city in Romania, is just over 400 km away from the capital Bucharest, but also other European capitals such as Budapest or Belgrade. It is probably the biggest student city in Romania: out of a population of around 400,000 inhabitants, more than 60,000 of them are students, since it hosts several universities and academic centers.

It is therefore one of the cities with the most foreign students in Romania, which makes it a very dynamic and multicultural city – and, what’s more, local inhabitants are positive about it. According to a 2013 survey of the European Commission, 91% of people in Cluj-Napoca think that the presence of foreigners is good for the city.

But you might be wondering – what is exactly a European Youth Capital? It is an award given by the European Youth Forum (YFJ) every year to one European city, in order to show and strengthen its youth-related cultural, social and leisure aspects, and to foster the cooperation between European and local institutions. Since it was created, in 2009, these European Youth Capitals have launched several projects in terms of youth engagement and local participation in society – therefore, this means that Cluj-Napoca’s streets will be filled of projects, events and initiatives that will boost youth participation in the city’s cultural and social life.

“Share” and AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca’s involvement

Raluca Radu

In December 2012, Cluj-Napoca was selected as this year’s European Youth Capital by the YFJ. The candidature was driven by the ‘Share Federation’, which gathers 36 youth organisations from Cluj-Napoca. Representatives from each organsiation meet twice a month to discuss several aspects related to youth associative culture. This federation will be the one in charge of coordinating all the activities that will take place throughout the year. Therefore, it is no surprise that the theme of Cluj-Napoca’s Year as European Youth Capital is “share”: sharing cultural and inter-generational diversity, the culture and customs of the city and enhancing friendship and understanding between Europe’s young people.

Moreover, our antenna in the city contributed to Cluj-Napoca’s candidature from the very start: “AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca is one of the founding members of the Share Federation, so we wanted to be involved in this even before we knew the city was going to win this title”, explains Raluca Radu, President of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca. The involvement in the candidature started back in 2011, lead by the former president of the antenna, Anca Gliga, and was followed by Ioana Duca, current Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe and President of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca in 2012, who told The AEGEEan that she was in charge of collecting the signatures and letters of support to make the Share Federation happen and, as a result, Cluj-Napoca’s candidature as European Youth Capital.

AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca has lately been focused in organising European events, so there will be many lucky AEGEEans that will get to discover the brand new European Youth Capital with them, ranging from the Summer University Project School, from 5th to 12th March, to their Summer University in August. However, they also plan several local events: “we are organising a graffiti event, called GRAFFITIart Youth @ Cluj-Napoca 2015, in cooperation with a dear company of ours from Cluj-Napoca, and we want to involve not only our members, but the entire community. With this event, which will take place in May, we want to make the city more colorful and happier. Other that this, we also would like to cooperate with all the youth organisations from Cluj-Napoca in organising something big and nice!”. So stay tuned for what it is about to come!

A very youthful and cultural city

We asked Raluca about which places in the city she would recommend: “well, the city itself is full of culture and history. The medieval part of the city is simply great – it’s located two minutes away from the city centre, and when you get there, it’s like you are in a different world. But I will let you discover more when you come to Cluj-Napoca this year!”.

That’s how Cluj-Napoca welcomed 2015, in the city’s main square.

When you get to the city, one of the first things you will see is surely Matthias Corvinus on his horse in front of the Gothic style St.Michael’s Church, one of the most famous sights of Cluj-Napoca, located in the city’s main square, Piața Unirii (Union Square). In the past New Year’s Eve, the city got totally crowded by thousands of young people who celebrated the beginning of this promising year for the city.

Then, take a walk around the Heroes’ Avenue (Bulevardul Eroilor), one of the most vivid and colourful spots in the city. Get lost in its Central Park, which is absolutely every bit as beautiful as some of the most famous parks in Europe, with its windmills on the trunks, the cute and small bridges, the large lakes and sculptures. And make sure you don’t miss Cluj-Napoca’s fortress hill at night – the astonishing views and the city lights will surely amaze you.

Looking forward to getting to know the brand new European Youth Capital? For 2015, it is counted that there will be over 1,500 events and happenings in Cluj-Napoca throughout the year – you have no excuse to miss it! You have time until the end of the year, when Cluj-Napoca will pass the torch to Gəncə (Azerbaijan), the awarded European Youth Capital of 2016.

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

Originally planned in December in Cluj-Napoca, the Summer University Project School had to be postponed to March due to a lack of participants. Now, from the 5th to the 12th of March, the Romanian city will host 25 participants and trainers who are eager to share all their secrets about the Summer University project. Deadline for applications: 31th of January. 

Even though the abbreviation stands for Summer University Project School, it is actually the power source for the organisers of Summer Universities. For evelen years, this great school has educated AEGEEans to make them better organisers, helpers and even participants. As the project develops itself year by year changes and improvements are inevitable. Among the many highlights of this year are: GREEN SU, more Action Agenda ACTivities, inclusion of disabled people and extra award categories. As Outgoing Responsibles are the best allies of the project, their duties and importance are revised and strengthened as well.

Of course we don’t want to reveal all the secrets of the training by giving spoilers here, but we call it a quick trailer in order to attract the audience and provoke your curiosity. From PR strategies to budgeting, from managements to logistics, leadership, risk assessment; all blended in case studies – practical tasks in groups to show what kind of situations organisers can face during the SU. These are only some of the ACTions of the movie.

The director of the SUPS is Anna Pykhtina (but you can call her Smailikova), former SUCT PR responsible who will act as Trainer Manager of the Project School. “It was not a planned decision”, Anna says. “I was asked by the Academy if I was interested in doing this. Honestly, I wouldn’t apply as I never thought I can be a training manager, but I love challenges and now I’m super happy!”.  Although SUPS was moved from December to March, she still feels “excited to be the Training Manager of such a great event. As I saw the project from the inside, now I am willing to make it even better.” She won’t be alone, but she will be assisted by four valiant trainers.

Antonis Triantafyllakis (AEGEE-Heraklio and SUCT IT manager) is “extremely experienced and highly motivated” to use Anna’s words. He will explain everything about logistics, give examples of games and best team-building practices and teach how to deal with intercultural learning and how to work with disabled participants. Moreover, he will do the impossible: showing the participants how to make the “what is AEGEE?” session appealing even for veterans.  Luca Lombardo (AEGEE-Torino and member of the Audit Commission) is in charge of project and conflict management, fundraising and a mysterious and intriguing inspirational session. Another member from SUCT is Ksenia Lupanova (AEGEE-Moskva and Publication Responsible), who will explain how the SU project works and share her experience about risk assessment and Public Relations. Last but not least there is Ioana Duca, Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe, who will deal with budgeting, Action Agenda and Green Summer University.

The location of the event is still Cluj-Napoca. “Half of the inhabitants of Cluj-Napoca are student and it is the European Youth Capital of 2015. Also, our city has a rich cuisine like sarmale (cabbage filled with meat), mici, cozonac, mamaliga and countless others”, Bia Sabau, the main organiser, explains. Despite not being such a big local, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca is very active. “We are a just a hand-full group of members, but we are very active and energetic. Last year we organised a lot of events: Yvote convention, Network Meeting, a Summer University and many more”.

Asked for reasons to apply for SUPS Cluj-Napoca 2015, Anna said the first reason is that “ the sessions that will be delivered are useful not only for organising Summer University and not only for AEGEE as you will learn so many things and get not just theory, but seven days of practice!” The second reason has a lot to do with the past edition of SUPS in Izmir. “Four  out of four members of the newly elected Summer University Coordination Team first met there and gained knowledge which helped them to not only organise Summer Universities, but even apply for working on the European level!”

The Summer University Project School in Izmir in 2014 was unforgettable for a lot of participants. “I have to say that after the SUPS I felt like I had been in the dark for so many years”, Masi Njeshi from AEGEE-Tirane says. “After the event I felt stronger because the training sessions somehow showed me the right way to take what we needed for our SU.” It was also a spur to set the bar higher for local organisers. “Before SUPS I was thinking about how I can organise a picnic with my local member, after SUPS I understood that the time is right for an AGORA”, Göksan Kahraman from AEGEE- Izmir concludes.

For more information you can visit the SUPS facebook page or their website
or you can apply here.

Written by Suzan Dilara Tokac, SUCT PR responsible and Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia

Like every month, The AEGEEan elects a member who stand out for his or her contribution to our association. In October this person was Sabina Guja from AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca, rewarding her for being the Public Relations (PR) responsible of the Culture Working Group (CWG) and having been part of two proofreaders team (The AEGEEan and the Key to Europe), a job that is often not mentioned, but helps the associations publications to have a high standard of English.

The AEGEEan: Can you please introduce yourself? How long have you been in AEGEE and what is your European Level experience?

Sabina: I started in AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca in November 2011, after meeting Yvonne Antonović from AEGEE-Utrecht at a Youth in Action project in Serbia. She got me really curious about AEGEE and as soon as I got home, I contacted my local and that’s how it all started. For a while I was active on the local level (being main organizer for our pre-Agora Budapest event was my crowning achievement), and after that I moved on to the European level by being a member of the Culture Working Group, where I coordinated the Movie Library  and a few other smaller projects and finally became Public Relations responsible last autumn. Now I am living in Brno (Czech Republic) and I try to attend most of the meetings of AEGEE-Brno, but my heart stayed with Cluj-Napoca.

You are a proofreader for The AEGEEan and you were a proofreader for Key to Europe. What is the most difficult thing about being a proofreader?

I think the most difficult thing about being a proofreader is trying to hold on to a high standard, while also keeping the personal style of the author. I don’t think it’s any secret that not everybody has awesome English skills and of course we are very happy to have articles to proofread, but sometimes it can be really challenging trying to understand what the real meaning of a sentence is.

Proofreaders are always unnamed as they work “behind the curtains”. Do you have some fun facts concerning the task?

Well I can’t remember any specific details right now, but I can imagine it can be funny to watch me proofread, because a lot of times I will start talking to the walls and asking them what sentences mean… I’m not sure when they will be able to answer, but I am persistent.

You are Public Relations responsible for the CWG. What was the best initiative that you had in the Working Group?

I think my best initiative would be the cards CWG gives out at their stand at the Agora Fair and EPM (former EBM) Fair. We started at EBM Lublin, continued at Agora Patra and now are in the finalization process for Agora Cagliari. Here’s a sneak peak at what you can expect, and this is just one of our cards, so be sure to drop by our stand.

Weekly Newsletters are a helpful tools for members to be updated on the most recent happenings in the Network. The CWG made one to cover the Venice International Film Festival (VIFF). You said that it doesn’t happen very often. How did you feel in September?

When I sent the info about VIFF I wasn’t sure if it would be published or not, because my past experiences with the newsletter were not so great, but this time it happened! So, of course I was excited! The whole network could see we are active and more importantly read about VIFF from one of our own AEGEE members, not just from mass media.

You are in the board of CWG. Lately, we saw some discussions about the current status of Working Groups. What do you think about the topic, being actively involved in one of them?

I saw the discussions and I agree that there is a crisis in the Working Groups, if we can call it that. Having a lot of members, yet few active can be discouraging for a board. At the same time, we are talking here about volunteers, so forcing people to be active isn’t the option. I don’t think that criteria such as doing a certain amount of tasks would help, the desire to be active should come from within. I also think that, from a member of the board’s point of view, it’s much more fun and easier to work with people who want to do it, because the task actually speaks to them, rather than because they have to do it.

Agora Cagliari is approaching, can you give us some anticipations about Agora Fair or Cultural European Night?

Like I said, our cards will be there and you will get to meet some of our members and chat with them. Other than that let’s keep it a surprise.

What are your future plans?

I am not sure yet. My term as CWG board member is coming to an end, and I am not sure what my next step will be. What I know now is that I will remain both proofreader and CWG member for another year, but to what degree my involvement will be, remains to be seen.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia

The Comité Directeur still has one available place: Financial Director. Ioana Duca applied for this possition, currently being the interim Financial Director. She is a proud member of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca and always willing to discover more of the AEGEE mystery. Read the answers she gave to The AEGEEan to find out more about her!

The AEGEEan: Ioana, you started in AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca as secretary, then president, and now you are running for the position of Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe. Do you think your experiences in your local helped you?

Ioana: I started in 2010 and I was Secretary, President and Summer University (SU) Coordinator, and now I’m Board Advisor. All the experience and work in the board of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca helped me a lot to grow and to understand a lot of things. Even if I was never Treasurer in my board, I worked very close with all the treasurers, I helped them and supported them since I was Secretary. Moreover I was in contact with our accounter all the time, working with her and helping her, dealing with our finances. And of course all the experience with all the budgets for all our local events (SU, European Days of Languages, etc) and being Treasurer in several SUs helped me a lot.

How did the experience you gathered while being a CD assistant influence you?

Being CD assistant influenced me a lot. First, I was assistant for the archives in 2012 for two months. During this period I had the chance to be in Brussels, to understand how life as CD is and also to understand the history of AEGEE and all the processes better, as I was working with the archives. Since then I was thinking that if I will ever want to run for CD, I will probably choose the position of Financial Director, but it was to early for me, I needed to grow. My second experience as CD assistant was this year as Financial Intern, which is more close to finances. It helped me a lot to get more experience and to understand even better the work of Financial Director, dealing with budgets for several projects, reimbursements, reports, preparation for Agora etc. I was very lucky to have the experience of working with two CD teams and to see different people, different teams and different dynamics. Understanding the people and your team is as important as having enough experience for the position.

You are the interim Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe since August, so the position for the Financial Director was free before and during Agora Patra. Why didn’t you run back then?

As you can read in my candidature it was a problem of principles. After I started my term as Financial Intern, I got an internship. One of the most important things for me is to respect my commitments and promises, so I couldn’t run without solving this problem first. But I can say that during Agora Patra I was very sad because of the situation (people around me can confirm) and moreover I was sad that nobody ran for the position of Financial Director. After Agora Patra and during the open call for interim Financial Director, the situation with my internship was resolved so I was finally free to apply. I was very relieved!

Sometimes it is hard to find a candidate for the Financial Director position. Have you thought about any strategy or plan to find candidates for the next term?

It is true that it is hard to find a candidate for the Financial Director (FD) position, but I’m not planning to hunt people down to apply for this position. I don’t have any strategy as I don’t think this is the way, but I’m not saying that I don’t care if somebody is applying or not for this position. I care a lot and I will give all the necessary support to the people who will be interested to become FD. Maybe these people can come in Brussels for a few weeks before Agora Oviedo so they can see and understand the work of FD better, but I will not force people to run. One of the most important things is to be aware of the tasks and to want to do all these tasks and then you can learn a lot.

Do you still keep in touch with your local? Do they support you?

Of course I still keep in touch with my local. I’m very proud of my local and the people from my local. They are the reason that I am here, without them nothing of these would have  happened. In this moment I’m in the Advisory Board of my local, I’m still following everything that is happening and giving all the necessary support for all the events, recruitments or bureaucratic staff. Sometimes it is difficult to find time for this, but they know that I’m there for them anytime they need my help or my support. They support me a lot! And I want to make them proud of me as I’m proud of them!

How do you get along with the new CD and living in the same house with them?

The new CD is actually my 3^rd CD, so this is not a new experience for me. It is interesting and it is good that I had all these experiences with previous teams, it helped me a lot in some situations. The difference is that this is my CD and I’m not only an assistant anymore. I love my CD and I feel we are like a family, sharing all good and bad moments and not only those related with work and AEGEE, so like a true family. We are not perfect (as there is no perfection, no perfect family in this world and who is saying this, usually is hiding something or has no clue about real life), but we are growing together. And yes we are a family (it’s not just for the eyes of the world) as we are working together, we are sharing our thoughts, we are eating together, cleaning the house and supporting each other in good or bad moments (when we have some good news or results, or when we have stressful days before some deadlines). The most important thing is that we are together!

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

Luis Alvarado Martínez, former president of AEGEE-Europe 2012-14, is running for Vice President of the European Youth Forum. He discovered a lot through AEGEE and wants to discover even more through a bigger platform. The AEGEEan asked Luis some questions in order to find out if there is life after AEGEE.

The AEGEEan: It’s been a few months since you are no more the president of AEGEE-Europe. How did you feel leaving the House and everything after two years of intense hard work?

Luis Alvarado Martínez: Well, of course you feel a little sad when closing such an amazingly intense and such a passionate chapter in your life. Many memories or moments come to mind why it has been so worth it to live such an experience, and the great things you take with you after it. Now that I have had a little time to reflect, I am very happy and thankful for having been given such opportunity, and especially to have shared it with such a special group of people (each and every one of them in their own particular way). Then of course you have the feeling of calmness, no calls, no emails, and some time to think about yourself and future plans which is always nice. Last but not least you feel uncertain. Has my passing by AEGEE left a mark? Did we actually have an impact and change something? Have I contributed? What will happen with our work? All of the normal thoughts of an end of cycle, and which every Comité Directeur (CD) member has once he/ she finished his/her mandate. But having the great CD which we have coming after us, I can happily sleep at nights knowing that we have people who know how to get the job done.

What have you’ve been up to in the last months?

During the lasts months I have tried to spend as much time at home with my parents, my sister, my girlfriend and my friends back in the Canary Islands. Lots of quality time and recharging batteries in order to be able to come back to the fullest. Also from the end of August, I have started my Master’s Degree in the College of Europe, in the city of Bruges (Belgium), which is the oldest Institute for EU Postgraduate studies in Europe, established back in 1948, after the Second World War, in the famous Hague Congress together with the Council of Europe and the European Movement, and even before the European Union itself, by legendary personalities such as Winston Churchill, Salvador de Madariaga and Paul H. Spaak. So I am very happy to have this opportunity to learn from the very “foundational and federalist” European center in the continent. I am not the only AEGEEan this year. I think it is the perfect post AEGEE environment for all of us who truly believe in the united Europe that our organization supports, so I would recommend any AEGEEan interested to approach me in case they are interested.

Now you are running for Vice President of the European Youth Forum (YFJ). What made you take this decision?

After being more than two years involved in the different processes of the European Youth Forum, working on a daily basis with its other Member Organizations (MOs) on different projects, and trying to improve the lives of young people in Europe, I felt the confidence to make such a step. During the last months, we have been able to gather a lot of support and back-up in order to have a strong candidature, representing the interests not only of AEGEE but of many other organizations. We think we can help bring the platform to a whole new level, and we hope that with my experience and the support of everybody we will make it happen.

How did AEGEE influence you in the decision of running for Vice President of the YFJ?

As mentioned before, after a long period of constant work with the Forum’s reality, its projects and initiatives representing AEGEE, you realize how much potential the platform has. If you imagine the Forum like AEGEE, but much bigger, being a platform composed of almost 100 organizations like AEGEE, you can imagine how powerful the impact can be. Being in the CD and representing AEGEE on a daily basis allows you to learn, grow, develop and be in contact with different realities. Unlike in AEGEE, the Forum is composed of many different ideologies, beliefs, ways of working, expectations, which makes it even more diverse than AEGEE, and sometimes very hard finding compromises and agreements. I guess that’s also the challenge and the magic of the Forum. Seeing the positive impact which we could have in a platform like AEGEE, of course was a big motivator to run for the Board of Directors of a bigger platform with more strength and more resources and even more challenges. If we are able to harmonize our efforts in the Forum, we can be extremely influential in the EU institutions, the Council of Europe and in the United Nations.

Do you think that being the winner of the “Young European of the Year 2014” will bring you some benefits in order to become  the Vice President of the European Youth Forum?

Hopefully the recognition of “Young European” by the Schwarzkopf Foundation will be a good flagship in the elections, also showing how much AEGEE members are prepared in terms of skills, content and leadership, and how much having AEGEE as Vice President of the Forum could be a big added value to the platform.

You are a great example for AEGEE members and you will always have our support! Are you planning to still keep in touch with what happens in AEGEE, maybe taking part in some events?

Well those who know me, know very well what was my policy back then when I was in the Comité Directeur. I strongly believe that AEGEE’s leadership and strength lies in the youth, freshness, idealism, energy and certain level of nativity of its generations. So no, I will not be having an active involvement in the organization nor any official positions. I will of course come to Autumn Agora Cagliari to give our final report, and be around supporting the CD as much as possible, being a member of the Advisory Board, and available for members for whatever help and advice anybody might need. It will always be my pleasure to help AEGEE, in return for changing my life. But I believe that having older members (no matter how long their experience is) staying too long, and more than needed in the organization, covering positions, spotlight and taking active involvement in the internal “politics” of AEGEE, is very counterproductive and harmful. It is not healthy for the person itself (because it is also our responsibility to learn how to let go), nor for the organization. It is the young generation who must decide, dare to try things out and make their own mistakes. Older members and alumni, should be there to give advice and support whenever requested, and not when they think they should do so, and we should gather at the bar with mojitos remembering good old times. I will happily become member of Les Anciens d’AEGEE-Europe, our official alumni organization.

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca