Tekla with AEGEE-Milano Members

Tekla Day 4 and 5 – Milano (17th-18th February)

After parting again to continue my journey, my next stop was Milano for the evening after a rather short train ride from Torino. We spent a nice dinner together with some of the Board members and the active members of AEGEE-Milano, when we discussed several topics: first of all, how to manage a local next to having a full-time job, as the majority of the members and the Board are already working in a full-time position, and they organise their events and activities next to their jobs. Second, we also talked about the upcoming Summer University of AEGEE-Milano, with AEGEE-Bologna, AEGEE-Treviso, AEGEE-Pisa and AEGEE-Bari. It will be the first Summer University in Milano after a long time, thus providing an opportunity, but also a challenge at the same time for all the locals, as the SU will cover both the Northern and Southern part of Italy.

Milano by night

We also discussed how recruitment faces challenges in big international cities such as Milano, where there are many opportunities and huge competition regarding students’ organisations and NGOs – again we agreed that the power of people and having a friendly environment can keep the members within AEGEE. Last, but not least, I mentioned some opportunities for Erasmus+ and how the locals can use the programme for their activities.

The evening continued with a special night edition of the city tour in Milano where the guys showed me the city centre in a nutshell – it was a really special experience as I was able to get a less touristic view of the city and more the inhabitants’ perspective of the sights and the nightlife. The next day started with packing and departing as usual for the next stop, Brescia – but not before getting useful tips about how to cook pasta the best way [She smiles, ed.].

Zvonimir Day 5 – Firenze (17th of February)

Zvonimir with AEGEE-Firenze members

After very long travels to Leon and Torino, and after talks and activities with those locals, it is time for shorter travels. The third local  I visited was AEGEE-Firenze. Shortly after I arrived to the city, I met with Marella, president of AEGEE-Firenze. After a conversation with her and a city tour around the beautiful city of Firenze, we met with the rest of the members.

AEGEE-Firenze has around 100 members, but we discussed that not that many members of the local are active. Firstly, we started discussing potential solutions on how to tackle this problem and involve more people, because this is not something that is universal and that is not easy to implement.

Zvonimir with Marella

The local is doing quite a lot activities with Erasmus students in the University, such as parties, trips  and other local activities. In the group there were also Isidora and Nico, presidents of AEGEE-Beograd and AEGEE-Pisa, but two potential members of AEGEE-Firenze, too. We all shared our experiences: why we joined, what motivate us to work in AEGEE, and we manage to get two new members for AEGEE-Firenze. Guys, welcome in our big family!

Lastly, we concluded our meeting with a chat with Marella, Nico and Gabriele about the structure of AEGEE, antenna criteria, and how we can make our structure more flexible regarding decision-making and engaging for members, concerning Network Meetings, European Planning Meeting and Agoras. You can also check the interview with Marella and see what she has to say about AEGEE and what is her message for you!

The next local that I will visit is AEGEE-Bologna, so stay tuned for more information from them.

Written by Tekla Haydu and Zvonimir Canjuga, Comité Directeur

Spring Agora Bergamo starts on the 18^th of May this year, and its arrival is solemnly heralded by its many Facebook invites and by those of the Pre-Agora events. If you go to the Agora, you can go directly or you can go via one of the six Pre-Agora events (or just go to one of the six Pre-Agora events, no obligations). Regardless of which, the deadlines to apply for these six events are approaching soon, that’s why we, at the AEGEEan, have decided to make a list of all the six pre-events. This… is the road to the Agora.

Sail Forward

The Pre-Agora event that starts first is AEGEE-Genova’s “Sail Forward”, continuing from the 12^th until the 18^th of May. It is both the longest and most expensive of the Pre-Agora events, encompassing almost an entire week and costing €120. The event will take place in both the city of Genova itself, and Cinque Terre (Five Lands), a collection of five villages and tourist hotspot on rugged bit of coastal area on the Italian Riviera between Genova and La Spezia. “Sail Forward” is also perhaps the most sportive of the six pre-events, because the hills of Genova and especially Cinque Terre are perfect for hiking and exploration.

Deadline 29th of March. Application here and here.

Amusic Mi(lano)

AEGEE-Milano’s pre-event could be considered to be the most exclusive of the Pre-Agora events: it is one of the shortest (lasting only five days), the most expensive per day (€19,80 or €22,80, including the costs for the optional fee), together with “All EU need is Love” takes in the least amount of people (only 20), and the culturally most sophisticated (the programme includes, among which, a visit to at least one museum, as well as a live performance of classical music). As mentioned before, there is an optional fee to visit Como, on the shores of lake Como, which has an interesting connection with dictators. There was Julius Caesar, who, in the first century B.C., came, saw and decided that the settlement of Como should  move to its current location, and Benito Mussolini, who was captured and promptly executed on the northern banks of lake Como.

Deadline 3rd of April. Application here and here.

25 and Looking Forward!

Also starting on the 13^th of May is AEGEE-Firenze’s “25 and Looking Forward!”, a pre-event combined with a celebration of their twenty-fifth anniversary, which they promise will be “epic”. Part of this Pre-Agora event will be spent in a country house in the Tuscan hills, while the other part will be spent in the city of Florence itself. There will be a tour of the city, which is arguably most famous for its citizens like the artists, Donatello (1386-1466) and Botticelli (1445-1510), the writers, Dante (1265-1321) and Machiavelli (1469-1527), half of the De’ Medici family, and some people you might not even realise were born in Florence. These being explorer Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512), nurse Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), and fashion designer Guccio Gucci (1881-1953).

Deadline 30th of March. Application here and here.

All EU need is Love

As mentioned before, AEGEE-Verona’s All EU Need Is Love might contend with AEGEE-Milano’s “Amusic Mi(lano)” to be one of the most exclusive 2016 Pre-Agora events: both accept only 20 participants, and both last relatively short. That being said, AEGEE-Verona has one of the lowest fees of all the six Pre-Agora events. Its participants sleep in a gym, and, instead of museums and classical music, AEGEE-Verona offers workshops about Italian cooking, and language & gestures workshops. They also offer a trip to lake Garda (in between Verona and Bergamo), transportation to Bergamo that is included in the fee, and a city tour at night in a city (so nice) where Shakespeare set his plays thrice.

Deadline 5th of April. Application here and here.

Feel sLOVEnija

Another local that’s tying into the love motif is AEGEE-Ljubljana with their “feel sLOVEnija” Pre-Agora event. It is the only pre-event that does not take place in Italy, and it’s the only one that allows for up to thirty participants to enter. It has some similarities with “All EU need is Love”, in that both take place on the same dates (14-05 till 18-05), offer local drinks, delicious food, a visit to a stunning lake, and provide transportation to Bergamo that is included in the fee. AEGEE-Verona teaches you Italian gestures, whereas AEGEE-Ljubljana teaches you how to flirt in Slovenian. It just comes to show that love comes in many varieties.

Deadline 31st of March. Application here and here.

AAAB: Amazing AEGEEan Adventure Brixiæ

The final Pre-Agora event is AEGEE-Brescia’s “AAAB”, or “Amazing AEGEEan Adventure Brixiæ”, which sounds funny, because of the letter ‘B’ ends a series of ‘A’s, but also because the name of the city, Brescia, is written in Latin, Brixia. This may have something to do with the city’s rich historical heritage, which can be seen during this pre-event. ”AAAB” is also unique in that it’s the shortest of the six pre-events, lasting from Monday evening on the 16^th till Wednesday morning on the 18^th. It also has the cheapest overall fee, which is in part, because, like in Verona, you’ll sleep in a gym, and it’s the pre-event that is closest to the Agora itself.

Deadline 3rd of April. Application here and here.

So there you go… if you go, take a pick of your road to the Agora.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

The Autumn Agora in Cagliari is coming close, but the pre-events are even closer. AEGEE-Milano for example is ready for a group of 25 participants between the 24^th and 27^th of October, showing them their beautiful city under the name “Discover Me (Iano)!” The AEGEEan spoke to President Michela Marin and Vice-President Alexandra Vilcu to find out more about one of the stops you can make before the Agora.

Why did you decide to organize an Agora pre-event?

Because Milano is one of the main gateways in Italy for the people from across Europe and we supposed that a lot of AEGEEans would stop in our city to take the flight to Cagliari. Wouldn’t it be a great Agora preparation to spend some time with our antenna?

How many members are involved in this event, and how did they get involved?

There is a good mix of new and expert members who work together, and will do their best for a successful event. We started to talk about the event during the promotion of the Summer Universities, to make sure that AEGEE activities become a more concrete concept for the newbies who had not yet participated in any events. Some of them took part in a Summer University this summer and they came back contaminating all of the group with the typical enthusiasm derived by that experience.

You have room for 25 participants. Why did you decide on this number?

The number was chosen according to the availability of the hostel, but also to have the right number of people that can get to know each other in a few days.

What can your participants expect during the event?

As Milano is a city mostly famous for business and for being the economic capital of Italy, very few people know that it also has a cultural side. Therefore, we will let our participants discover the cultural treasures present in Milano. Apart from the “classical” sites, such as Duomo di Milano, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Palazzo Reale and Arco della Pace, we will also include museum visits, such as Castello Sforzesco, or the National Museum of Science and Technology, dedicated to the famous painter and scientist Leonardo da Vinci. And last but not least, culture in Italy is also about food, as well as culture in Milano is also about fashion. So, we want to show that side of Milano too, which is creative, beyond the apparent rigidity of business suits.

What will be included in your fee of 75 euro?

Accommodation in a hostel, two meals per day, tickets for public transport and museum entrance tickets.

What are your expectations of the event?

Although the number of days is quite small, we expect that the organizers team will be on their maximum potential, and that the participants will have a good time, and form strong friendships. In the applications that we received so far, which are quite high in number, we can see an interesting mix of nationalities, which is a great thing, because the more variety exists within the group, the bigger the likelihood for participants to learn about each others cultures.

Will participants get the chance to travel to the Agora together?

We leave the participants the choice to travel to Cagliari how they prefer, but of course we will give them all the necessary information required and the opportunity to stay in contact with each other, as well as with our members who will be going to the Agora.

The name of your event is “Discover Me (lano)”. Why did you go with this name?

The title has a double meaning: the first is literally about the discovery of Milano, our beautiful city, which is a city of business, but also a city of art, creativity and invention. The second is “discover me”, so it is about the discovery of the other people that we come into contact with during the event, their personalities and their cultures. Last but not least, I’m not sure if you remember, but last year we organized an event entitled “Look @ Me (lano)!” It is like in life: first you look, then you discover, and who knows what next year will bring. So, stay tuned!

Why should AEGEEans pick your event as their stop before the Agora?

Well, if what we have already said is not enough, we should add the fact that, although we may not be a very-very famous Antenna, compared to others, or considering the quantity of organized European events, we are really just a treasure of an antenna waiting to be… discovered. Our atmosphere is warm and cozy, and our main value within our group has always been friendship.

What do you expect of the Agora in Cagliari? 

This Agora is going to be a blast! We expect lots of participants in a beautiful setting, such as Sardegna. For us as an antenna, apart from already experienced members attending as delegates, we will also have promising fresh forces who will attend. And this means an extra boost of encouragement for them to become more active on the European level.

Want to apply? The event can be found here.

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen