Although AEGEE-Gdansk is a very small Antenna with very young members, the Polish Local got nominated as Local of the Month of March because they organised their first NWM, also followed by national mass media. Read this interview to the President Wiktoria Rajek and to Yevheniia Pavlenko and find out how you can prepare a perfect LTC in your Antenna.

THE AEGEEan: Congratulations, you were nominated as Local of the Month of March! Introduce yourselves, please, and tell us your AEGEE-Gdansk story. How did it start? Can you tell us a bit more about your local?

Wiktoria Rajek and Yevheniia Pavlenko: Big thanks for the nomination! We still cannot believe it. We are from AEGEE-Gdańsk, a small antenna with around eleven active members now. The majority of our board were new members, we did not know each other, did not know the structure of AEGEE, did not have any experience, and did not even have many more members (besides the board) [they laugh]. But it did not stop us from doing great things! We were motivated to develop ourselves, recruit new people, and to get into all of this!

How did you come to idea to organise a NWM and managed to succeed in it?

It was a hard decision for our local, because at that moment we had only new members and a new board without any experience in organising events. At the same time Agata (one of our members) was organising a Local Training Course, Daria was organising a charity project called “Helpers’ generation” for potential future donors of bone marrow, which lasted one week (we are very proud to announce that we have registered one hundred-eighty potential donors), and Marta was responsible for the recruitment process at that time. So as you see, it was a really busy time for us, but we thought that if we had not tried, we would not have gotten any knowledge and remained as inexperienced as we were before. Thank God, we (Wiktoria and Yevheniia) decided to undertake coordination of the whole process of organising NWM. And we can say for sure that it was one of the best decisions than we have ever made.

What are you working on at the moment?                                                     

At this very moment, we are just after elections. Our candidates for future board members have great plans to thrive our local. They would like to organise a European event (not only one), so stay tuned, follow our fanpage on FB, and maybe in the nearest future you can apply for them!

Did Polish TV follow your NWM? Which has been the feedback about that?

Yes! Thanks to Dorota, who was PR Responsible of the NWM, besides many articles, radio and, of course, usual promotion of the event, we went a step further and she managed to invite a big Polish television. They made a short material not only about the event, but also about AEGEE in general. We think it was great in terms of PR, and it really helped to make AEGEE visible in our city. The feedback was really good! Participants were happy and a little bit shocked [they laugh] at the beginning, and for some of us it was the first time when we were interviewed. It was for sure an unbelievable experience.

Can you tell us the secret to prepare a perfect LTC?

In our opinion the key to the successful LTC is very simple. Firstly, you have to place yourself as a contestant and determine your expectations of the workshops. For example, what do you want to find out, what is the problem for you with entering into a labour market. Then find trainers, and describe them your vision. You can devise some theme for LTC and prepare workshops connected with one subject then. During that step, take care of the promotion of your event – it is very important for two reasons, because you are not only promoting the workshops, but also your antenna. We are still shocked about how our LTCs get around one hundred applications. It only shows the keen demand for self-development of young people in Gdańsk. And last but not least: remember that it is impossible to do it on your own – the strong team is the key!

How did it feel to find out that you were nominated?                                                                           

Ooooh [they laugh]… It happened during the closing ceremony of NWM, Stas Mahula, our Network Commissioner, and Maarten de Groot from CD recorded a short video and officially nominated us with the support of all one hundred participants. Needless to say, it was a very touching moment. There were a lot of other locals which organised NWMs this year, and were active, but AEGEEans decided to nominate Gdańsk as a local of March. For us it means that all our efforts were not in vain, and everything we did had and still has a big impact on the members’ development. After our NWM some of the participants joined even the European working groups, such as PRC. It is our best accomplishment, to know that our event actually motivated somebody to strive for more.

What is your motto? Can you describe your local in one sentence?

“Size doesn’t matter” or “nothing is impossible”, hard to choose. We like both and we think they suit the character of our local. This event and every other which we organised at that exact moment taught us one thing which we would like to share with you – if you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don’t, you will find an excuse.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

Spring is right in front of us and Spring Network Meetings follow closely. The Network is once again presented with ten amazing opportunities to grow stronger together, create fruitful alliances and share best practices. Here you can find AEGEE-Bamberg, AEGEE-Gdansk, AEGEE-Novi Sad, AEGEE-Torino and AEGEE-Yerevan. For the previous five, click here. 

NWM Bamberg: We’ll be Royals [upgrade yourself]!

Royals – Lorde AEGEE-Bamberg

And we’ll never be royals.

It don’t run in our blood,

That kind of lux just ain’t is for us.

We crave a different royal kind of buzz.

Let me be your ruler, you can call me Queen  Sir Heinrich II

And baby I’ll rule (I’ll rule, I’ll rule, I’ll rule)

Let me live that fantasy.

My AEGEE friends,

Your majesty Sir Heinrich II invites his imperial followership to an accolade and induction of his most faithful supporters to receive a knighthood in his beautiful city of residence, Bamberg!

“Upgrade yourself by attending this gathering of 25 members of the noble AEGEE-family that will take place between the 20th and 23rd of April. You will not only be offered inspiring workshops, discussion panels and debates in a royal city flair, but plenty of extras that will constitute the royal flair of this event!”

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/735094903322354/

NWM Gdansk: The Greatest ones Do Now! 

Yo, did you miss Agora? The event when dozens of people have a time of their lives? If the answer is “yes”, or “maybe”, or even “no”, just think for a while if you want to improve yourself and learn something essential by the beautiful Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea, huh, doesn’t it sound exciting? NWM Gdansk is your best option! Or at least, organisers think so! Now imagine: 100 amazing AEGEEans will come together to discover different areas, share their ideas and present themselves! Fantastic trainers from AEGEE and BEST! It is going to be something new, stunning, fabulous, something that AEGEE has not seen before… Well, there are a lot of catchy phrases, so to check all of them out – just apply until the 6th of March! It is your occasion to be the Greatest! #GDN

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/632077763643140/

NWM Novi Sad: European by birth. AEGEEan by choice. In Novi Sad on purpouse. 

The second largest city of Serbia, the industrial and financial center often considered as the co-capital of Belgrade, the European Capital of culture of 2021, European Youth Capital for 2019, the Youthful musical city where the Best Major European award-winning festival EXIT happens ever since 2000- the new era of a new age and… is there more? Oh, there is more. YOU can add more by getting more! And if you are thinking “When would be the right time to go? Does Spring 2017 seem like a good time?”, it is certainly the right time! Visit the Balkans, especially if for the first time. Afterwards, you will always want to come back. Right next to the warm and welcoming spirit of the city together with a lot of rich cultural learning, the total catch is simply to come and see- new FA, AEGEE (huge!) achievements: we know how and where, we know why, we are just missing with whom. Networking and strengthening, blending the joint visions into common missions, it is all about getting better. Acknowledge your European self and… Get to learn, get to lead!

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/209560836180310/

NWM Torino: Not a Waste of Money! 

AEGEE-Torino is a crazy antenna and their events always have to be huuuge. That is why we decided to have 60 participants in our NWM. The sessions are going to be held in an amazing location in the middle of a park, a few minutes away from the main square and on the Po river bank. The programme will be fun and interactive, the social programme will be tremendous (participants will have the opportunity to take part in the famous “use your tongue” aperitif) and it will be also the best season to visit our great city. It is going to be absolutely fantastic and you are going to pay for it (but we promise it will be No Waste of Money). Save the dates!

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1835333460083036/

NWM Yerevan: HAY power! 

NWM Yerevan: HAY power. You are probably wondering what does these 3 letters mean. Sorry, but I am not going to tell you that right now. All I can say is that if you come to Yerevan in May 2017 you will not regret it. Intensive sessions during the afternoon, national dances and music in the evening, an international team and hospitable local organisers, delicious cuisine and a wonderful city, a place for discussion and motivation to be born. Forget about borders in your head and distance on the map. Come and get inspired!

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1439540256344976/

This is part two of a two-parts article. For part one, click here.

Written by the Network Commission of AEGEE-Europe

Many AEGEE-events take place at the end of the year to celebrate the last and welcome the upcoming new year. One of the already well-known events takes place in Gdańsk every year, this time under the motto “Oscar Party”. The AEGEEan spoke to the main organisers of this event and even an Oscar-winning participant and found out a lot about how to celebrate New Year’s Eve in the most stylish fashion – AEGEE-style!

“Class, splendor and elegance” is written in the booklet that AEGEE-Gdańsk prepared for the participants of one of the biggest New Year’s Events within AEGEE. That is what they offered the almost 150 guests and it was, at the same time, what they expected from them. Fancy dresses were wished for and suits, ties and shiny shoes were a must if one wanted to step on the red carpet that AEGEE-Gdańsk laid out in the night of the 31^st December.

It was June 2014 when a main organiser for the event was chosen and by July, the preparations started. At least thirty people were involved in these preparations during the following six months.
During the New Years Event (NYE) itself, 24 organisers, including helpers from AEGEE-Gliwice, AEGEE-Wrocław, AEGEE-Katowice and AEGEE-Warszawa, helped to make this event unforgettable. “We worked well together because we are one big AEGEE-family”, Lisa Zeltinger, vice organiser, tells us. “We know each other well and so everything went smoothly. Our team around Dominika Calińska was filled with AEGEE-spirit!”

Since everything was under the motto of an Oscar party, participants had the chance to see a well-decorated gym with self-made posters of famous Oscar-dresses, “AEGEEWOOD”-banners and lots of mirrors which were to be used for a lot of tie-binding. And already during the first night, many participants dressed up and men had to spend time in front of these mirrors to get their ties to look good. During the evening, participants were asked to bring masks to the club and it was rather interesting to see around 150 masked and dressed-up people going by train to the party location. The party itself was a great success, but only went on until 2.30 a.m. so that people could save some energy for the next day.

The 31^st of December began with a breakfast followed by a city tour. While doing so, the Oscar theme was put into practice and in teams, the participants had to fulfill certain Oscar-related tasks. After some free time, everyone had an early dinner so there was enough time to dress up! And the result was quite amazing. From the always fashionable little black dress to floor-length evening dresses in shining colors, everything could be seen, just as on the real red carpet.

But before the whole group left for the party, it was time for the actual award show. The organisers had the idea of an Oscar Party when they thought about an opportunity for participants to spend New Year’s Eve in a unique and elegant atmosphere. Shortly after came the idea of movie contest, in which all the participants could take part by uploading short self-made videos.

Around twelve participants of the event took part in this contest and sent in videos for one of the three main categories “Best Oscar Gala Parody”, “Best Love Story” and “The Most Spectacular Flag Stealing”. Nevertheless, they had more than one chance to win a trophy as Alfio Bonaccorsi from AEGEE-Catania proves, who came back home with two (!) Oscars. “My video was called ‘The Waterpunch‘ and it is inspired by the movie ‘Jackass 3’”, Alfio tells us. It won the prize in the category “The Most Spectacular Flag Stealing” and tells the nice story of a girl (played by Ambra Tabbì) who wants to steal Alfio’s flag, but is too short to do so. She finally succeeds by sneaking up on him from behind, splashing a cup of water in his face on the one side and then punching him with a boxing glove from the other side. What then appears to be good acting in terms of portraying pain, is actually real pain! “It did hurt!”, Alfio says. “Ambra, the star of the video, is one of the sweetest persons on earth and the longest part of the shooting session was convincing her to hit me properly, since she didn’t want to do it”. But when she was finally convinced, she gave her best! This led to a splendid few extra seconds of filming material in which an unhappy-looking Alfio says that he hopes to win an Oscar now. In the end he won two, since this extra scene got him an Oscar for the category “Behind the Scenes”, one of the three extra categories!

Other awards of the evening went to Matteo Oldani from AEGEE-Milano for “Oscar Party for Party!!!” (Best Oscar Gala Parody) and Roman Poluden from AEGEE-Grodno for “Best Love Story Ever” (Best Love Story). An Oscar for the category “Second Plan Master” went to Yauhen Yuntsevich, AEGEE-Grodno, for “Adventures pie with potatoes in a supermarket“. The final of the six Oscars was voted upon by the audience already on the arrival day. And the Oscar in the very important category “Best AEGEE-Spirit” went to… Yigitcan Ucar from AEGEE-Istanbul for his sweet movie “Cookie Love“.

After all of this award-giving, celebrating the winners and taking pictures, the party could start! All participants went to a club (with a red carpet at the entrance, of course) and could celebrate the last hours of the old year in the most stylish way. Golden balloons, pictures of stars and starlets and again an “AEGEEWOOD” banner were perfect for the atmosphere! And when it was finally midnight, everyone around had the perfect chance to get a New Year’s Kiss from a real (AEGEE) celebrity as – of course – everyone was a celebrity that night!

All in all, the event was a huge success as countless pictures on Facebook prove. But besides a good organisation and very fancy parties, the biggest success for Lisa was that “it was really nice to hear from some people that after our event they felt the spirit and that they decided to become more active AEGEEans”. Anna Bokhmat for example, a girl famous for never being seen without her selfie stick, had never been on an AEGEE-event before. She was amazed: “It was my first Aegee event and I really liked it! Never met so many people, who are into traveling and making international friends!”

AEGEE-Gdańsk is happy with the result and conclusively wants to thank the helpers who came to Gdańsk and worked hard with them for this event and also the participants for visiting their beautiful city and being awesome AEGEEans. Hopefully, there will be another NYE in Gdańsk in 2015, but “so far it is our little secret… But don’t worry, one day you will find out. News about our NYE will get loud as always”, Lisa says.

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

Pictures by AEGEE-Gdańsk and Anna Bokhmat

]]> ../../../2014/08/12/mixing-fun-sports-and-raising-awareness-the-aegee-bike-week/ Tue, 12 Aug 2014 12:40:22 +0000 ../../../?p=25019 As part of the new action called GO GREEN, organized by the Environmental Working Group (EnWG), several locals all over Europe took part in the AEGEE Bike Week. The AEGEEan spoke to Elise Bessieres (AEGEE-Brussel/Bruxelles), HR responsible of the EnWG and therefore one of the initiators of the Bike Week, to find out more about the story behind this event and… Read more →

As part of the new action called GO GREEN, organized by the Environmental Working Group (EnWG), several locals all over Europe took part in the AEGEE Bike Week. The AEGEEan spoke to Elise Bessieres (AEGEE-Brussel/Bruxelles), HR responsible of the EnWG and therefore one of the initiators of the Bike Week, to find out more about the story behind this event and the specific actions performed by the antennae.

The main goal was easy: to raise awareness of sustainable methods of urban transportation. And, in the best case, to combine it with sports and fun for the locals, of course. Instead of giving long speeches about the disadvantages of travelling by car, AEGEEans were therefore asked by the EnWG to set a good example and hop on their bikes.

The time frame was set for the end of June, a month in which the focus within GO GREEN was set on green transportation anyway. It fitted perfectly, being “an easy and fun activity during summer, where a lot of people are outside and travel”, Elise tells us. To activate more members, especially taking into consideration that June is quite often in the middle of the exams period, the AEGEE Bike Week actually lasted for two week, giving the locals more time to organize their activities.

In general, the locals were quite free in their choices concerning what exactly they were going to organize. Ideas given by the EnWG ranged from smaller events just for the members of the locals to bigger events that might even involve the public. Encouraging members to use their bikes to go to university, bike trips to nice landscapes, exchanges with other antennae by bicycle or “free rent AEGEE bikes”, meaning that locals offer people the possibility to rent their bikes for free instead of driving, were just some of the inspirations given by the EnWG. As long as the events centered around this sustainable method of traveling, everything was allowed and new ideas were welcome!

In the end, many locals indeed became quite creative. For instance, AEGEE-Kastoria co-organized a bicycle trip around lake Orestiada on 15th of June together with other voluntary groups to raise awareness of violence against women. Many other locals arranged trips with their members and a lot of pictures of cycling AEGEEans popped up on social media within the last weeks. The precise number of participating antennae is not known, but every single event surely earns the Network’s respect.

All in all, the AEGEE Bike Week was quite a success, Elise tells us. “Especially because we organized a picture competition. It was a nice way to also promote the locals who participated as we posted their pictures on Facebook”. These photos are the best proof to show that promoting a sustainable way of transportation does not have to be boring, but can offer lots of fun.

It is not definite yet if the AEGEE Bike Week will become an annual event, but Elise assures us that the current board of the EnWG will definitely suggest the idea to renew the event during every summer to the next board.

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

The locals that cooperated: AEGEE-Bakı, AEGEE-Bologna, AEGEE-Gdansk, AEGEE-Gliwice, AEGEE-Kastoria

 

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Not so long ago the Elections Observation Project (EOP) of AEGEE, which aims at training potential election observers and creating a sufficient capacity within AEGEE for international election observation missions, brought forward the initiative to be more involved in the recent European Parliament elections besides voting. This involvement in the elections got translated in becoming a volunteer, member of the pooling station commission, or in any other way being a part of the organisational process of the European elections. Hence, several AEGEE members were taken by this idea and now would like to reflect on their experience and share it with the whole network.

Gratitude from the Central Election Commission of Latvia for volunteering at the EP2014

I was a volunteer at the election station in Riga on the 24^thof May. Despite the wonderful weather which made that Saturday very tempting for paying a visit to the beach, I spent the entire day in the polling station meeting Latvians who decided to do their civic duty and vote on Latvia’s representation in the EU for the upcoming five years. Checking voters’ passports and IDs, making necessary notes in the voters’ list, welcoming the media and observers of the overall election process were among my responsibilities. The highlight of her day probably was meeting one of the most prominent voters – the former president of Latvia – Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga. According to my observations she spent quite a long time in the voting booth carefully scrutinising candidate lists. Mrs Freiberga had a substantial input in the country’s accession to the EU, therefore the former president must have been very cautious choosing eight Latvian faces that will soon be seen in the next European Parliament. Another positive observation suggests that youth, middle-age and elderly people’s participation in the elections was more or less equal in that particular polling station. I also met several confused and puzzled first-time voters, as well as few non-Latvian EU voters who confidently came to do what they are entitled to. Overall, the turnout in the polling station I was volunteering in was one of the highest in Riga (and actually slightly beat the EU average).

Tomasz Kowalski voting

By the end of the election-day, I also counted ballot papers and followed the electronic vote counting procedure, which allowed me and my colleagues from the election commission to finish the day earlier than it would have been in the case of manual vote counting. After the elections I must admits that working 7 am-11 pm was exhausting, but the experience was certainly worth it. Next time, for the Parliamentary elections taking place in October I will try to become a member of the polling station commission.

Tomasz Kowalski (AEGEE-Gdańsk) was the chairman of the election commission in a tiny Polish district. Being in such a responsible position he was in charge of various tasks: managing a team of six people, handling bureaucratic issues and filling in the papers, taking care of the overall voting process, as well as managing the vote counting procedure and reporting election results to the City Council. It was 2am when Tomasz took a sigh of relief, when his working day was finally over. According to Tomasz’ observations, youth participation in the elections was terribly low in his district.  “Sometimes I feel that only older people feel the need to vote, younger people don’t care about such things at all. It is really sad. Personally I’m in favour of a compulsory voting system, but Poles are not prepared for this”, he said.  Therefore, he thinks that Poles still need to learn the rights and responsibilities democracy brings.

Youth after casting vote for EP2014 in Riga, Latvia

Sadly, Tomasz had to admit that it looked like his co-citizens do not appreciate the fact that Poland has been independent and free for nearly 25 years and it has made an enormous step forward since then. “I hope that one day we will reach the normal voting attendance.”

In Germany, seven AEGEEans, as well as non-AEGEEans, were involved in the election process in Koln. For instance, Sophie Schwab (not a member of AEGEE) was quite disappointed by her experience, since she only counted envelopes and ballot papers, therefore she did not feel the real civic spirit of democratic participation. For others it must have been a different experience – various lessons learnt and conclusions made.

The EOP is proud of our members’ commitment for the European elections 2014 regardless of the level and outcomes of their involvement. The project will continue strengthening its efforts in engaging AEGEE members in election processes since we already saw the success of our endeavors.

Written by Diana Ondža, AEGEE-Riga

Klaudia Brzywcy, member of AEGEE-Gdańsk since November 2013, was elected Member of the Month of May. Crazy about healthy lifestyle, she is studying Dietetics and Nutrition at the Medical University of Gdańsk, transforming her hobby in a future job. Also passionate about sport, cooking, cinema and fashion, she organized a Health4Youth day event in Gdańsk attended by almost 150 participants.

The AEGEEan: Why and how did you joined AEGEE?
Klaudia: I just moved in Gdańsk from my hometown Tczew and I finally had some more time (without spending 3 hours a day on a train) to use my energy creatively. I always liked some additional activities and I yearned for it during my studies, especially because students organizations just don’t have appeal at Medical Uni. I never gave up so I had to find another option. I met once some AEGEEans accidentally, and they informed me about the organization. I decided to try and here I am.

The AEGEEan: What is AEGEE for you?
Klaudia: AEGEE is a possibility for prosperity [she laugh]. I can be open-minded, I’ve learned a lot and I’m still learning. AEGEE gave me a chance to challenge myself and I really appreciate it, cause right now I know that I can do much more than I expected. And the most important thing: I met there really amazing people and I enjoy spending time with them, at the party or working- it doesn’t matter.

The AEGEEan: You were nominated because of your dedication to organizing a Health4Youth day event in Gdansk. What was it about?
Klaudia: The event was kind of open education for students in three different cities (Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot). We involved professional lecturers and prepared conferences about healthy lifestyle, sport and nutrition. I was very proud that we could offer our participants not only knowledge, but also additional activities (all of them were for free) like tasty meal from slow food restaurant BIOWAY and professional Body Composition Test. Our guests were very excited. It turned out  to be a huge success and we were able to attract over 140 participants.

The AEGEEan: You were able to find a lot of patronage for this event. How did you manage?
Klaudia: How did I managed? I wasn’t alone. I built an extra motivated, hard working and incredibly positive team- those people  helped me a lot. I have to mention here the FR responsible, Agata Kolenda, and the PR-responsible, Małgosia Więcław. The girls worked incredibly hard and convinced patrons and sponsors to support us.

The AEGEEan: What are your tips for other AEGEE members to organize events? What have you learned organizing this project?
Klaudia: My tip, what I find most important for organizing AEGEEan events is: find something you love, something that really interests you and that’s the perfect topic for your event. When you believe that something matters and you are enthusiastic, you can easily “infect”  other people with your passion and work with a smile. I’ve lerned many usefull things during the preparation of the H4Y event.

From this experience I’ve learned a lot: how to manage people, how  to negotiate with them, how to organize time, how many coffees you can drink maximally. But I also lerned a lot of things about myself. Right now I can see that I can really cope well with stress and I love the thrill of emotions when you have to figure out something right now. The lesson is: when I want, I can! And one more tip: Never drink more than seven coffees!

The AEGEEan: How did you keep people motivate to work on the project? But more important, how did you keep yourself motivated?
Klaudia: I was very, very enthusiastic, that’s why I had no problem with motivation. Healthy nutrition is my hobby and my future job. I believe I can help people with my education and I find it truly important. In addition I received a lot of good energy from my team. That was the best kick into action. A good manager, in order to motivate people, should work hard. To give an example, I have good memory and I use it to remind every task to everyone everyday.

 The AEGEEan: What are your next projects?
Klaudia: That’s a hard question! I don’t know yet, but I think that soon AEGEE-Gdańsk will be one of the healthiest locals in AEGEE. Keep your eyes open, I think that Health4Youtht will visit Gdańsk again.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia

It is time for The AEGEEan’s Choice Awards again! From March 10th until April 10th you can let us know who your favorites are in categories like Best Video, Most Original Mascot, Most Impressive Roll Call and, of course, Most Effective Recruitment. For the last category of Most Effective Recruitment, The AEGEEan has found five nominees, namely: AEGEE-Budapest, AEGEE-Gdańsk, AEGEE-Moskva, AEGEE-Kyiv and AEGEE-Amsterdam. In this article we will tell you all you need to know about how these locals recruited new members and why they should win.

AEGEE-Budapest

The AEGEEan: How did you recruit new members last year?

We usually use the same tools to get members every year. We try to put as much effort into promotion as possible and try to grab as many different opportunities for places to appear as we can. In the beginning of the school year, most universities have freshmen’s camps, many of which we try to attend and present our association. Then whenever we organize a training, workshop, meeting or anything that might be worth to hear about for outsiders, we promote them on posters and school newsletters. We also try to appear in university press and there usually is an AEGEE info-desk at the school corridors during the promotion period.

One of the biggest local events we organize every semester is the AEGEE-Budapest Freshmen’s Camp. We start promoting it weeks before it starts with different tools and we hold “Info nights” at universities where we give a 30-45 minute presentation about what we do and which possibilities AEGEE offers for newcomers. These camps usually host 70-100 people – new and old members as well. It is two to three days long and offers more “formal” activities (such as workshops and presentations about AEGEE) and informal ones (such as city rallies, games and party). The people are usually put into groups and there is some kind of competition for a prize among them – that leads to even stronger bonds and great team spirit in the groups. Check out the video from our fresh camps last spring and last autumn.

We also try to appear on other platforms. One of the great opportunities Budapest has are job and mobility fairs. There are plenty of them during the autumn and spring period, and they usually host an “international corner” where organizations like AEGEE have the possibility to introduce themselves, collect email addresses etc. We also try to appear at more and more summer music festivals (Sziget and others), because they usually provide places for NGO’s as well, and many young people visit them. These promotion opportunities all help us gain new members, but the most important one is the camp because it is a relatively big event and provides the freshmen with the opportunity to get to know not only the organization, but its active members as well.

The AEGEEan: How did you get the idea for these actions?

We at AEGEE-Budapest believe that aside from international possibilities and European values, it is the local community that keeps members active in the organization. Because of this, these camps are great – the new people do not only learn about AEGEE, but also build friendships and connections that may just as well keep them here as the work itself.

The AEGEEan: How many new members did you get with your recruitment action?

Every semester we gain about 30-40 new members though these activities. Most of the people who stay active were introduced to AEGEE through the Fresmen’s Camps.

The AEGEEan: Do you have any recruitment tips for other AEGEE locals?

Camps and excursions are great because of the team building opportunities and also, being “locked up” together with new people leaves no other option but to socialize and talk and hopefully ask – and that eventually may lead to active membership. Also job fairs and festivals are great opportunities! We don’t know about how they work in other cities, but in Budapest they are definitely welcoming towards student NGO’s and it makes us able to reach tens and hundreds of people per day.

The AEGEEan: Why should your local win the Most Effective Recruitment award?

We work really hard and constantly look for and work on new possibilities to reach new people. Being one of the biggest antennae helps, but it doesn’t automatically stay that way – we have to do something every day in order to keep our human resources the way it is at the moment. Great new people come but just as easily go if we don’t prove them that this is an organization worthy for their attention.

Find AEGEE-Budapest’s Facebook page here.

AEGEE-Gdańsk

The AEGEEan: How did you recruit new members last year?

We’ve made posters and leaflets, which were distributed to the universities and other schools before the applications were opened. Then there was a huge promotion on Facebook (because it’s the fastest source of information) and we used word-of-mouth marketing between our friends, who told their friends about is. It worked really well! The spring recruiting of AEGEE-Gdańsk in 2013 was very “mysterious”. In many places at universities black and white flyers appeared. On one side were the words “Nie podnoś mnie” (which means “Do not pick me.”). On the other side there was a text saying that we congratulated their courage and that is a beginning. There was instructions about what to do later. People should go to the webpage niepodnosmnie.pl (which means “do not pick me”). There they had to enter a secret code number given on the flyer. After entering the code, the website redirected people to the application form. These flyers attracted the attention of many people.

The AEGEEan: How did you get the idea for this action?

The idea for this action came up during our Public Relations WG meeting. We wanted to do something different and not obvious, that would highlight us from the other organisations in Tricity (the area of  Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot in Poland), so we brainstormed and then…BAM! Someone proposed to make mysterious leaflets, only with the words “don’t pick me”, no logo, nothing that could connect us visually with this leaflet. The idea was accepted immediately and everybody enjoyed it, so we settled on colors (white words on a black background), printed hundreds of our amazing leaflets and you know the rest of our recruitment story.

The AEGEEan: How many new members did you get with your recruitment action?

We got 30 new members during the spring recruitment and 37 during the fall recruitment. We had more applications, but we decided to choose only the best, people with motivation and power to act.

The AEGEEan: Do you have any recruitment tips for other locals?

We can’t share our secrets! :) Just kidding. Dears, stay opened and cheerful everywhere, you would be surprised at who’s watching and listening. It can be a potential AEGEEan, so don’t waste any chance to show people how awesome we are. Also you have to treat candidates individually on interviews, sometimes it’s really hard for someone to show his personality on the first meeting. You have to help them, encourage them to do it. If you do, you will get great members, developing themselves every day and there’s nothing better than watching it and being proud of them! Finally, the most important tip: show your spirit to people, talk about your experiences in AEGEE, meet with AEGEEans – they will come to you sooner than you expect and say the magic words ” I want to be one of you!” . Believe us. :)

The AEGEEan: Why should your local win the Most Effective Recruitment award?

We truly believe that the last year was one of the most important in the whole AEGEE-Gdańsk history. Why? Because in January 2013 we could still count the amount of active members on two hands. Now, 14 months later, we have over 50 active members and this amount is still rising, and we are more known in the Tricity than ever. We are proud to have them in our AEGEE community and this award would be an award for them, for their work and engagement. As you can see, for example on the statutory events, AEGEE-Gdańsk is now more powerful than ever!

Find AEGEE-Gdańsk’s Facebookpage here.

AEGEE-Moskva

The AEGEEan: How did you recruit new members last year?

For AEGEE-Moskva the best period to recruit new members are early autumn and, obviously, spring. Last year we recruited during both times; in spring with presentations in different youth organizations and universities and in autumn we went to the birthday party of our partner, High School of Economy, which was also during a holiday. It was in the park, with stands and good weather, so we prepared some materials, like letters, posters, pictures and of course our AEGEE-spirit :) We made an energizer, small quiz about Europe and provided information about AEGEE and projects for the upcoming year. We also put videos from SU’s and events on the TV screen. And in the end: a photo session with some people and AEGEE-letters.

The AEGEEan: How did you get the idea for this action?

During a team brainstorm. I prepared the letters 1,5 year ago for some pictures to promote our presentations. Right now we are doing letters in different colors – for Visual Identity purpose ;)

The AEGEEan: How many new members did you get with your recruitment action?

We got around 50 people who gave us their contact information, so we could provide them with information. Around ten members joined us on our meeting, and some of them joined AEGEE instantly.

The AEGEEan: Do you have any recruitment tips for other AEGEE locals?

Be creative. Never think only in boring way of just presentations. With each action show your spirit, show how cool you are and obviously they will want to join you. Use big letters, huge flyers, wave with AEGEE-spirit and always be positive. And don’t forget to remind them, that the application period will close on the 23rd of April :D.

The AEGEEan: Why should your local win the Most Effective Recruitment award?

In my opinion it wasn’t the most effective, because we didn’t get enough members in the end (you know, sky is the limit), but I think we made it interesting. And more creative recruitment actions are coming this season!

Find AEGEE-Moskva’s Facebookpage here.

AEGEE-Kyiv

The AEGEEan: How did you recruit new members last year?

We recruit many new members every year and are working in few different ways for it: presentations in universities, meetings for newcomers, social activities which are open also for non-AEGEE members, becoming info-partners on youth forums and trainings and so on. This year’s board created a special event – “Fridays with AEGEE-Kyiv”, which is organized twice a month in one of the most popular youth bars, called Fazenda. This is not a party, but a social meeting, where we invite new and old members so that they can communicate. Of course, one or two board members are also there. Usually we start around 8 pm when there are not so many people in the bar and we easily can answer all questions in a non-formal atmosphere. In the end we usually finish around late night or early morning :) What’s more, usually we have more people who want to join AEGEE because we meet them in this bar. We always have our new stickers and maps, so it’s a good PR. We had an idea to organize  “Mafia with AEGEE-Mafia” where we invited our oldies and people who were not members of AEGEE yet to play and talk to people who already are in AEGEE. But due to protests in Ukraine we postponed this event to the end of Spring.

The AEGEEan: How did you get the idea for these actions?

We are keeping good traditions from previous boards. And we also had an idea from our PR-Responsible Anna Pykhtina, who actually loves the bar where we usually gather. In AEGEE-Kyiv we are not only previous-current board – we are real friends, so we meet really often. Seeing that usually it’s around 15 people, Anna suggested to make an official event. And now we already had six Fridays with AEGEE-Kyiv and got so many new and excited members!

The AEGEEan: How many new members did you get with your recruitment action?

Around 60 each year and we are proud of it!

The AEGEEan: Do you have any recruitment tips for other AEGEE locals?

We liked the idea of AEGEE-Zaragoza who meet every Friday. We wanted to do something more, to create the platform for meeting new interesting people in the same place at the same time. So when an AEGEEan doesn’t know where to go and he doesn’t have a company to join – he can easily find someone at this meeting!

The AEGEEan: Why should your local win the Most Effective Recruitment award?

AEGEE-Kyiv is still one of the biggest locals, despite the fact that we didn’t have so many local events and couldn’t host European ones due to the protests. Nevertheless, we changed our strategy offering our new and old members, people who want to join AEGEE, the opportunity to talk and discuss anything they want. AEGEE-Kyiv created not just a recruitment tool, but a very effective and needed platform for communication in these times.

Find AEGEE-Kyiv’s Facebookpage here.

AEGEE-Amsterdam 

Sadly we were not able to get in contact with AEGEE-Amsterdam about their recruitment. Find their Facebookpage here.

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen

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

To start off, why is your nickname Hape?

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

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

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

Which summer universities did you visit?

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

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

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

Any favorite SU among the ones you visited?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What do you do in AEGEE apart from SUCT?

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

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

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

Written by Olga Volovyk, AEGEE-Kyiv