“Discrimination0”, the project organised by AEGEE-Lviv, AEGEE-Dresden and AEGEE-Moskva has already come to its end. The project consisted of two parts which took place in Ukraine and Germany in the format of youth exchange. The main goal of the event – promoting tolerance and unity for building a society free of any kind of discrimination and stereotypes.

The first part took place in Lviv on October 2nd-7th. During the week, every day was very different from the others and very intensive. The first day of the project was devoted to finding the definition of discrimination and discussing some controversial points about it. Then we talked about the discrimination of disabled people and got acquainted with the international sign language. We also had a day devoted to gender discrimination and meeting with representatives of the League of Women’s Rights Protection “Harmony of the Equal”. They shared with us some important information about gender discrimination in Ukraine and the ways it can be revealed. We also learned some legal aspects of this problem. As Lviv is considered to be one of the oldest and the most beautiful cities of Europe, our organisers also included an excursion part to the programme. So, we had a city tour with an amazing guide who let us in on the city secrets and a trip around three old castles situated in the Lviv region. It is also worth mentioning the informal part of the project – communication, games to know each other, evening walks and parties!

The second part of the “Discrimination0” project took part in Dresden from the 17th to the 22nd of November. Due to our amazing organisers, the second part was mostly focused on the themes that weren’t discussed before. So, we had a reflection workshop with a long conversation on privileges in society and empathy towards other people. We tried to understand the phenomenon of PEGIDA, to find out the real ways to react against discrimination, to develop a civil courage and understand the main problems of the muslim community. A gender issue was also present in our discussions, but not in a way we were used to; an exhibition, “The boringly normal man”, dedicated to masculinity made us think about this social construct. What does it mean – being a man in the XXI century? Which problems are men usually faced with? Now almost everybody agrees we must fight against gender inequality, but without understanding the nature of femininity and masculinity it would not be possible.

“Discrimination0” has come to its end. To sum up, the Dresden part differs from the Lviv one on its topics and on the questions we were trying to solve. But that’s the most important thing! Two countries having a different background and different experiences uniting against the mutual problem, trying to learn from each other and to understand each other. Reacting against discrimination is very important, but the first and the main thing our action can start with is a feeling of empathy towards somebody and understanding of the situation. We strongly believe that “Discrimination0” had an impact on the participants and they will feel now informed and empowered enough to make a difference in their society and stand for values as diversity, trust and understanding. We want to thank the foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” (EVZ), the Federal Foreign Office and the Robert Bosch Stiftung for making this project possible!

Written by AEGEE-Lviv

AEGEE-Moskva is mainly known in the AEGEE world for its SU “Transsiberian Dream”, but the Russian antenna held a very successfull NYE. Moreover, the new board gave us a positive feedback of their last NWM, and this local has very active members also at the European level of AEGEE. Enjoy this interview.  

The AEGEEan: Present your local.

AEGEE-Moskva Board: AEGEE-Moskva is the biggest Russian local, and it was founded in 1991. Recently we celebrated the 25th anniversary of our beloved local. We have a pretty rich history and for already twenty-five years we have been offering amazing opportunities to visit Russia for members of European locals.

Every year we organise a lot of different events and we are always glad to show our wonderful city and country. We have two big international events during the year. One of those is the legendary Travel Summer University “Transsiberian Dream”. During more than two weeks, 35 participants cover 6000 km through almost ¾ of all Russia. This year will be the 9th of this amazing journey. Another one is the New Year Event “Capital Cities”. We are making this event together with AEGEE-Kyiv and last winter was its 3rd edition.

You recently organised your NYE event. How did it go?

It was amazing! It was a mixture of braveness, craziness and AEGEE-spirit! Almost a new team of organisers in Moscow and in Kyiv, awesome group of participants, some of them are really dinosaurs and for some people, it was the first AEGEE-event. The programme was not changed a lot in comparison with the previous one; it was just improved according to the feedbacks. The New Year was celebrated in Moscow with a true Russian tradition: with champagne, red caviar and “Russian” salad. We listened to the president’s speech and chime of the Kremlin.

There was also Ded Moroz (Russian Santa) and Snegurochka (his grand-daughter) who gave a present to the bravest participants. In Moscow, we did ice-skating, city-tours, Tretyakov gallery quest, metro-tour, Moscow State University tour, Izmailovskiy Kremlin. Then, we crossed the border by train. In Kyiv, there were lots of different city-tours, a city-quest, II World War museum, snowboarding, Vareniki workshop and sauna. In both countries, we did language and folk dance workshops and also thematic parties.

Did you attract new members in the fair for freshmen organised by your partner university? How did you manage to become more recognisable?

Sure we do! Every year in autumn our partner university organises a big event in the central park of Moscow. This is an amazing youth festival which attracts thousands of students and most of our new members join the organisation because they have seen us there. Also, it is a very good opportunity to contact other students organisations and make new partners and friends.

As for recognizability: first of all, we turned to a single style in social networks and Internet. This is the single style for any post and article about us and from us. That makes people understand that we represent a big organisation. Also, we increase the number of info-partners and universities where we can spread information about us and our events.

Can you give us feedback about the NWM you held in December? Did you collaborate with “Your Vision for Europe” and “BEST” projects?

The NWM went really great and smoothly. We could not have done it without the greatest team of organisers, their motivation and fire in their hearts. And, of course, without our beloved Netcommie, Kristina Reshetova. The participants were great, participated in all sessions and seemed to love our NWM – and that makes us really happy and proud! Yes, we collaborated with “Your Vision for Europe” project and NGO “BEST”. They provided us with wonderful sessions which were interesting and really helpful!

Are you already selecting the core team of your next SU?

Yes! We are doing this since 2015. It was a really great experience and it enhances the quality of our SU. Every year for our SU, the organisers of previous years choose the coordinator and core-team. And last year it brought amazing results. Transsiberian Dream took the 5th place in the rank of Summer Universities. We were extremely happy! So we are waiting for new achievements from this year’s organisers.

Did you vote for a new board? Who are the board members? Tell us something about them.

Our new board was elected at the beginning of November, so it is not so new. Current board-members consist of pretty old and new members of the local. Some of them joined the organisation a couple of years ago, some less than a year ago. However, all of them are very creative, motivated and full of futuristic plans. Old and new members complete each other and that helps us to make interesting ideas real.

Are there any members who are active also aside from your local events? Can you tell us something about them?

Yes, we have members in European bodies: Kristina Reshetova – Network Commissioner and Youth Mobility WG; Maria Smirnova – Policy Officer in Youth Mobility WG; Maria Kochkina – Audit Comission and Events Quality Assurance Commitee (E.Q.A.C); Katty Cherednichenko – Events Quality Assurance Commitee (E.Q.A.C); Anna Kuprickova – Faces of Europe (part of project “Your Vision for Europe”); Tatiana Rodina and Daria Lovkova – Editors in last Key to Europe.

What are the future plans of your Local?

We have a lot of crazy ideas but plans are more realistic than dreams and thoughts. So the first one is to grow more AEGEE-educated members in our local. The second one is to become a more recognisable local in AEGEE. The third one is to prepare our local and AEGEE in general for Transsiberian Dream vol. 10. Also, we are working on some other cool things!

What makes AEGEE-Moskva special?

Our local gathers people from almost all parts of Russia. And this multi-nationality brings pretty interesting and crazy ideas. We are organising one of our most difficult projects and partying all nights long. We are the biggest antenna in the biggest country. Yes, we are on the side of EU and sometimes it is hard to put practice into some projects and events but our passports are full of visas. So that is why our members are everywhere.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

Last June, AEGEE-Moskva organised The Soft Skill School, where everyone could learn more about conflict management, time management, event management and public speaking.  Events were directly connected to the Action Agenda. For this reason, they were chosen as the ACTive Local of the Month. We spoke to Ekaterina Popova, the main coordinator of The Soft Skill School, to find out more!

ACT: Congratulations! Which emotions did you experience when you got to know that AEGEE-Moskva was chosen as ACTive local of June?

Ekaterina: We are incredibly happy! It is the first time we were nominated, so we are very proud and excited!

Can you tell us a bit more about your local? (Founded in, members, active members, committees you have, etc.)

AEGEE-Moskva was founded in 1991, we now have around 115 members and around 20 of them are active. We have two active working groups – Fundraising and PR. We also have many various local activities, we plan to organise something for the European Day of Languages, our antenna’s Birthday Party (we will turn 25 this year!) and we are currently preparing for Local Agora and of course the NWM in Moscow!

Why did you decide to organise these activities?

That was just a pop-up idea of our coordinator, Ekaterina Popova: why not organise a special course with workshops on soft skills? There have been several requests from our members on such workshops, so we decided to unite them in one event! The core idea was to deliver this missing knowledge to our members and other youngsters and help them become more successful.

What was the result of your activity?

The opinions on the Soft Skills School were extremely positive: almost everyone found sessions and information useful for them, they also said it was very entertaining [she smiles]. However, the number of participants was pretty low due to summer and exam period.

Nevertheless, we are already planning the second edition, which is going to be even more interesting and awesome! We are also thinking about cooperation with The Academy.

How do you inform your members about the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

First of all, we always include these topics in every presentation for new members. We tell them not only about our mission, but also about the Action Agenda and Focus Areas and ways to achieve them. We also inform our members about open calls for the positions and projects where they can help to develop these areas.

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda or the Strategic Plan?

We have quite a lot of them. Just for example, we used to have a month for a particular Focus Area, in which active members provided sessions on this theme.

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda or the Strategic Plan?

Because it helps to move in the direction of changing society. It is a tool to make activities of AEGEE more structured and consolidate the efforts of different locals. AEGEE has common goals and we need to act together in order to have visible impact.

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

Be creative and do not be afraid of crazy ideas [she smiles] And make a great and trustful team – it is the basement for any event or project!

Written by the Action Agenda Coordination Committee

Around the beginning of the new year, AEGEE-Izmir organised a postcrossing project with their twin antennae AEGEE-Moskva. Even though at the time there was political tension between the two countries, the project turned out to be a huge success, involving members of both locals in a cultural exchange. As a reward, they were chosen as the ACTive Local of the Month. We spoke to Julide Acıkara, Secretary General of the Turkish local, to find out more!

ACT: Congratulations! ​As we would like to get to know this month’s winner, could you tell us a bit more about your local?
Julide: AEGEE-Izmir was founded in 1997. We have established a consistently growing association, about which we couldn’t be more happy! The last term, we had around 100 new members, which is a big growth compared to years before. We organise weekly meetings and we have working groups where topics likes Civic Education are discussed. Besides that, we also have two different conversation clubs (English and German) and a lot of other projects. In the past, we organised an Agora in 2005, a European Boards Meeting (EBM, now EPM) in 2012 and the Summer University Project School (SUPS) in 2014. Our Agora received the best Agora award! We believe that going abroad and being active should be amongst all of the young peoples’ goals.

How would you describe your local to others?
Our local is a local which is full of energy, speaks from the heart and is open to change. We are not perfect, but we do our best anyway. Our events are a mix of both hot and cold; they are complete opposites, but they are actually very similar and inseparable at the same time!

You have organised a postcrossing project between Russia and Turkey. Can you tell us more about your project?
As some of you may already know, AEGEE-Moskva is our twin local. Because of that, we are in contact with them on a regular basis. With the new year upcoming, we thought it would be the perfect time to give our members the chance to get together. The postcards were amazing by the way! Even though there may be political conflicts right now between Turkey and Russia, this does not mean that our hearts are not one.

Why did you decide to organise this project?
Isn’t writing to one another the best and easiest way to really connect? In a time where everything is done online and through text messaging, it is nice to prepare a project where we can go back to the old times and reflect on our traditional ways, by having something we can hold on to.

Do you plan to continue with your project?
The concept of postcrossing on its own is a wonderful project, but the aim of this project is to have members of two different locals come together and get to know one another. The project may seem small and simple at the moment, but wait and see what it will become in the near-future.

Why do you think the Action Agenda is important for the Network, and what would you say to other locals that are thinking about organising something related to the Action Agenda?
The plans and set paths in the Action Agenda allow for the locals and its members to create new and different visions in their minds. This year, we want to focus more on the Action Agenda and improve ourselves along with our members. We believe that locals who do so will benefit greatly, both for itself and its members.

Do you have any other big plans for the upcoming months?
Yes, at the end of April, we will be organising an exchange program with AEGEE-Moskva. We will host their members in Izmir, and our members will travel to Moskva in autumn. Besides that, we are preparing for our Summer University, as we do every year. We have a fantastic crew, so be ready for change!

AEGEE-Izmir has certainly shown to the Network that it can be an example to other locals. What would you say to other locals that want to be as awesome as you?
All locals are unique in their own way; they all have a different atmosphere! One of the most important things is to try our best and take opportunities. The rest will follow.

Written by Action Agenda Coordination Committee

In AEGEE-Moskva you can find a large board, which not only organises very interesting and original events during the year, but also is full of energy in order to carry out plans with the twin antenna, Izmir, and prepared an amazing New Year Event (NYE) in collaboration with AEGEE-Kyïv. We spoke with Maria Kochkina, 23 years old, External Relations Responsible, and the Board of AEGEE-Moskva who told us about how AEGEE-Moskva’s 24^th birthday was celebrated.

The AEGEE-Moskva board members are: Daria Lovkova (President), Christina Reshetova (Secretary), Maria Zharikova (Treasurer), Sergey Agaltsov (PR-Responsible), Anna Cherezova (HR-Responsible), Ekaterina Popova (FR-Responsible), Ivan Lukomskiy (IT-Responsible), Kirill Grigoriev (University Responsible), Maria Kochkina (External Relations Responsible) and Ekaterina Kalinina (Local Events Responsible).

Two of the current board members were in the previous board 2014-2015: Ekaterina Popova and Maria Kochkina as President and PR-Responsible accordingly. Most of Board members are quite AEGEE-experienced: “the most experienced one” – says Maria – “is our Treasurer with five years in AEGEE and the newest one is Kirill Grigoriev who joined our antenna in October 2015”. Almost half of the Board visited Agora-Kyiv, where Sergey Agaltsov won the Summer University photo contest.

The antenna is very diversified when it comes to studies, work or hobbies. For example, the President teaches English and the HR-Responsible both studies and teaches languages, meanwhile the Local Events Responsible and University Responsible study law and the FR-Responsible studies economics.

AEGEE-Moskva, currently composed of 116 members, has ot a mascot called “Zvezdun”. Its full name is “Zvezdun Grigor’evich”. “Zvezda” means “star” in Russian. The last part of the name is after its “father”, one of the members of the local antenna, Grigoriy Frolov. It all started a long time ago when an AEGEE-Moskva member bought a T-shirt of his antenna in 2012. That T-shirt has seen both Agorae in 2012, one SU in Greece, has been at the Baikal Lake with Transiberian Dream vol. 4 and also visited AEGEE-Moskva’s 21^st birthday party. “After that great AEGEE-spirit absorption”- adds Maria – “the owner of this T-shirt, Ksenia Lupanova, sewed it into our mascot – Zvezdun. Our current mascot is resewed, but it has the heart of the previous one, literally made out of that T-shirt full of AEGEE-spirit”.

About plans with their twin antenna, AEGEE-Izmir, the Russian antenna has already had monthly Skype-calls, made knowledge transfer and tried to get as much as possible from the relation. It started to organise some activities such as postcrossing and so on. Two of the AEGEE-Izmir board members already participated in the pre event in Moscow.

About the current bad situation between Russia and Turkey, Maria says, “we signed a twin-contract with the amazing guys from Izmir, but not with the politicians. So, nothing can stop us to make it real”. AEGEE-Moskva already made an announcement about it in cooperation with other AEGEE locals from Turkey and Russia. It was said that whatever happens in politics , whatever the media shows, AEGEE antennae will continue to love each other.

There are some perks of having a twin antenna like Izmir. According to Maria, the Izmir antenna is special because of the different way of thinking, for example. If you understand people’s minds, it will give you more power in organising events or just the daily work of the antenna. In their opinion, AEGEE-Izmir is good in fundraising, HR and social work. AEGEE-Moskva members were so much inspired by their colleagues, that they also started to try doing some steps in that area. For example, AEGEE-Moskva found a new general sponsor whose name is Teremok. It is a fast food chain of homemade Russian food. Teremok supported the antenna with its NYE Capital Cities # 2 and helped to present Russian cuisine to foreigners. AEGEE-Moskva got 35 certificates for NYE and every participant could enjoy their tasty pancakes and other food for free. “It’s a great achievement for us” says Maria.

AEGEE-Moskva members create a calendar with themselves almost every year and try to make them thematic; this year was no exception. This time they stuck to the traditional Russian style, which actually became very popular in their antenna last autumn. They also launched a Russian tea party project on their Agora Kyiv pre event. That’s why the calendar as well is full of members wearing colorful traditional clothes. About twenty people took part in the creation of the calendar and they chose the best shots to be printed.

A few weeks ago antenna celebrated its 24^th birthday. For this event, they organised a superhero party. “That was a crazy celebration” says Maria. They gathered in a cafe, had a presentation of their antenna’s achievements, different games and ate a fantastic blue cake (the birthday cake) which looked like an AEGEE star with the mascot Zvezdun on top. Everybody came in astonishing costumes including Winter Soldier from Captain America, Wonder Woman, Buzz Lighter and others. There were also some creative costumes like Captain Obvious. All the members wore superhero costumes and the award for the best one was won by Katja Sokerina: truly the most stylish.

Recently AEGEE-Moskva has organised an EDL for the third time. The name of this one was “La Pelicula” and, as it can be guessed, the theme was connected to films and movies. For example, during the coffee-breaks AEGEE members showed different TV-series like Friends and Scrubs and pieces of movies in corresponding languages. This time they provided lessons on French, Italian, Spanish and English. Most of teachers found with help of the members and the English language session were provided by the President Daria Lovkova. There were around 100 participants and it was really a fun!

About “The Market of Possibilities” which took place at The People’s Friendship University of Russia, Maria explains, “from the 30^th November till the 4^th December 2015, thirty young future leaders and specialists from Germany, Russia and Ukraine came together in Moscow to try to resolve current complications and discuss prospects of the trilateral relations. The highlight of the forum was an open panel discussion with experts from the three countries”. In particular, the Russian Local Antenna presented its organisation and participated in the discussion called “Two years after Euromaidan – Challenges and prospects for future cooperations”.

AEGEE-Moskva has already started working on the next Summer University (SU) and has a coordinator, Sergey Agaltsov. For now it has a general concept and theme of the SU, possible activities and budget. It is doing this SU for the 8^th time and gathering all the experience it gained so far, to try its best to make it really amazing. Keeping suspense about AEGEE-Moskva SU, it will have a history and culture thematic with great twists (at least 8 of them).

AEGEE-Moskva has organised the NYE of 2015 with AEGEE-Kyiv. “The last minutes of the year”- adds Maria – “are always special. We are all standing together, kissing and hugging each other”. In Russia they have a saying: “How you celebrate NYE will show how you will spend the whole year”. So, it means that the participants will spend New Year in the AEGEE family. In fact Europeans are still interested in Ukrainian and Russian experience. Maria does not exclude to make a NYE with an Italian antenna like AEGEE-Cagliari. According to her, it would be a really nice experience and an occasion to compare culture and share traditions. Also it would be great as we could experience cold and warm weather at the same event. “We are always open for new projects and ideas!” says Maria.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

From the 14th to the 18th of October, one of AEGEE’s most important events, the Autumn Agora, will be held in Kyïv and as any seasoned AEGEE member knows: an Agora seldom comes alone. The main event is always accompanied by several pre-events that are organised  especially by dedicated antennae. This years participants had the opportunity to choose from five creative events in four different countries and a thematic conference that addresses the recent political and economic events in Ukraine.
Follow the AEGEEan on a quick tour through Eastern Europe’s most interesting locations and best autumn events.

Our first stop is “AEGEE-Warszawa: Tear Down this Wall”, where a group of lucky participants will be able to pledge freedom and transparency by tearing down past and present walls. As they find themselves travelling through time, the participants will discover the historic roots of Warszawa, full of charming places, Polish dreams and unique cultures. Back in present time, where modern youth spirit meets old traditions, the organisers are planning to take everybody on a stroll through old Warszawa in search of the most potent shot bars.
With no walls left to stop our journey, the next halt is with AEGEE-Lublin in a city that participants are definitely going to fall in love with. The organising team of “LUBLINove LOVE – Fall in Love in Lublin” is hoping to make everybody feel the magical atmosphere of the city where different people, cultures and religions mix into a unique style of living. A highlight of the event will be the Slavic night with traditional music, dances and a fiery bonfire that will warm up the coldest hearts.

Tea sceptics within AEGEE will definitely acquire a taste for the diverse drink after participating in AEGEE-Moskva’s pre-event “Moscow Tea Time: A Hidden Part of the Russian Soul”. In a traditional Russian tea ceremony with legends to spice things up, participants might awaken their hidden Russian soul within their bodies. AEGEE-Moscow will then introduce the attendants to traditional Russian culture, crazy spirits and other strong drinks in a city that never sleeps. The organisers are particularly proud to offer a workshop on lifehacks for surviving in a Russian train. A course that no AEGEE member should miss.
The event by AEGEE-Chișinău “Taste the Moldavian Hospitality” is going to be a definite treat for neglected taste buds. According to the organisers the participants will experience the tastiest pre-event of Autumn Agora Kyïv that will lead them on a discovery trail through Moldavian culinary culture by tasting delicious wine and traditional food such as Placinte. On a visit to the Orheiul Vechi monastery AEGEE members might trace back ancient civilisations.
Before arriving in the heart of Ukraine, Kyïv, let us make a last stop in the soul of Ukraine with “Oops! We Lviv it again!” organised by AEGEE-Lviv. As the cultural capital of Ukraine, Lviv has a lot to offer its visitors. From the local musicians to its unique streets and cozy coffee houses, with this event the participants have a chance to experience the true spirit of the city and to get to know the Ukrainian culture through its language, cuisine and traditions.
For members who just cannot get enough, AEGEE-Kyïv has planned a special thematic conference on October the 13th, just a day before the start of Agora Kyïv 2015. “The #YoungUA Conference: Defending, Acting, Investing” marks the successful conclusion of the project “reBuilding Democracy” that was launched by AEGEE-Kyïv six months ago and encourages participants to dicuss the political, economic and social future of Ukraine within Europe. The event is divided into three panels with high-profile speakers discussing European values, economic investments and youth participation within transformation movements in Ukraine.
The conference aims to boost cooperation on youth policy matters between the Ukrainian and youth organisations by creating a memorandum at the end of the conference that will be sent to important stakeholders in Ukraine as well as abroad. According to main organisers Alla Resheten and Armenak Minasyants, the conference is a perfect opportunity for AEGEE members to get engaged in an explicit thematic context that has been missing during Agoras.

Which pre-event will you be visiting?
Written by Alev Özdemir, AEGEE-Frankfurt

The European Planning Meeting (EPM) will officially start on the 18th of February and the topic choosen during Autumn Agora Cagliari is “Europe and Russia, view from the youth prospective”. In order to develop the topic in the best way possible, two content managers were appointed, with the help of Lavinia Manea (AEGEE-București), Content manager of EBM Lublin 2014 (European Boards Meeting, now known as EPM). Content managers of the EPM are Nikolay Kazantsev (AEGEE-Moskva) and, after the resignation of Roland Papp (AEGEE-Budapest), Adrian Browarczyk (AEGEE-Poznań). We spoke with them to understand why this topic is so important!

Adrian, you were part of the core team from the Eastern Partnership II, who proposed this topic. Why?

Adrian: Our project aims to, amongst other things, create an opportunity for discussion. The Eastern Partnership region seems today highly interesting in terms of sociopolitical developments. Ukraine became the country that struggled the most lately with its, yet another, unsuccessful call for democracy and freedom. Russia became at the same time one of the key players in the geopolitical game in the eastern part of Europe and having these two arguments in mind we could not resist bringing in up to the Network. First talks on a possible topic suggestion took place in October 2014 and involved AEGEEans from different European bodies. We all developed the idea of the current EPM topic, being aware of the need of youth involvement in the ongoing processes for reconciliation and peace building. We knew that it was time for a debate on how we, all, can contribute to conflict resolution and that is why we took such an initiative.

What is your background in this field?

Adrian: Europe, as a whole, was always an area of particular interest for me. I joined AEGEE with the aim of broadening horizons and getting to know the complexity of the society we all live in. Since the very beginning I was very much into international cooperation and policy-making processes and that is why I chose the Eastern Partnership Project (EaP) as a platform for self- and skills development. Nonetheless these factors were not the key ones that made me decide on joining the project. Eastern Europe since 2009 has become a zone of a specific European concern and it was actually Poland who supported vividly the democratic developments in the region. Coherently speaking, I followed the path of our policy-makers and since 2012 have tried to bring the EaP’s issue to the Network. Falling in love with the region’s extensiveness, in a group of three we re-launched the Eastern Partnership Project in 2013 and since that time I have grown my understanding of the needs and challenges Eastern Europe deals with nowadays. Our project made me decide to step even further and dedicate my academic career to this part of Europe: I am reading now the politics, economy and history of Russia, Central and Eastern Europe at one of the most prestigious British universities in the analysis of the post-Soviet countries. This is what I call my thematic background.

Why did you apply to become a content manager?

Nikolay: During my work with youth policies I was always interested in EU-Russia relationships. This topic traces its roots in a long-term discussion about western vs. national values in Russia (and therefore country development direction) that took part during the last 150 years. An interesting point is that before the tatar invasion of Russia/Ukraine (a common state once known as Kievan Rus) during 13th century, both countries undoubtedly were accepted as “European” (through their connection with Bizantinum and a common religion). The later history structured both countries in the frame of the Russian Empire with “western” powers, especially during XIX and XX centuries. After the end of the Cold War we had a chance to move towards prosperity and the bright future of a culturally united Europe. However that did not happen, but we still have a big potential developing the youth – as we successfully do in AEGEE. The last conflict in Ukraine has shown that despite of the  clash of medias, AEGEEans keep communicating and working together.

Are there still spheres of EU/Russia influence? Should Russia be accepted as EU candidate/close partner or its position is deeply in Asia? How could we bring Russia and EU together? The answers to those questions pulled me towards my decision to apply for a Content Manager position. And I want to thank Comité Directeur sincerely for their trust.

Why do you think it’s important for us, as an aassociation, to discuss the topic?

Adrian: We all face similar challenges that were raised after the widespread international tension between Russia and the rest of Europe in recent months. Everyone is basically influenced by the events happening not only in Georgia, Armenia or the eastern part of Ukraine and we all must be aware that our input is highly needed in this time of turmoil and international instability. I see the power of our association in building bridges of trust and cooperation. We have a strong voice in policy shaping and a are taking steps towards peace building, therefore I do believe this EPM is going to come up with a large list of solutions and suggestions on possible joint initiatives that could contribute to linking what has not been lost yet.

Nikolay: It is important for us because AEGEE unites border-less youths and its a large pool of active citizens able to change their surrounding environment, but before we act we need to align our knowledge on this large scale historical problem, because the access to real information is constrained, there is a lot of misinterpretation from both sides. We need to connect the youth, the experts and politicians to plan possible actions towards warming relationships between the EU and Russia on the youth level.

What do you think is the status of the relationship between EU and Russia?

Nikolay: The current status is “frozen”, not a “cold war” of course, that we can hear from media, but both sides have undoubtedly fears caused by uncertainty, for instance European countries because of the annexation of Crimea, Russia because of its traditional fear of NATO and the US, and the rise of nationalism in Ukraine.

Adrian: I would go for an explanation that I tend to use quite frequently: I find the relationship very tense, but believe simultaneously there is room for improvement. I would not limit the problem to the EU only, as there are many actors involved here who do not belong to our great united family. All six Eastern Partnership countries, but also Turkey and the Balkans should redefine their attitude towards Russia (or Kremlin being more precise) in order to go back to times when peace and stability ruled over the continent. Recent events in the eastern part of Ukraine proved however that one side of the conflict seems to be ready to let the blood of innocent people be shed. If it goes in this direction, the tension may evolve into a greater clash of interests.

There were few applications for participating at the EPM, why do you think this happened?

Adrian: There are many speculations about it, but there are two arguments that apparently win in my opinion: the coincidence of having two statutory events in one country within few weeks and the fact that Burgos is not easily reachable for those really interested in the event made it impossible for them to apply.

Nikolay: The Agora also takes place in Spain and members from Russia and Ukraine are affected by recent financial situation: their currencies have fallen down. We took some measures to support both teams from embassies.

Which are your desired outcomes from this event?

Adrian: I would love to come back from Burgos being aware that the participants properly learned the profile of the crisis and drew conclusions on how we, young European leaders, can influence changes in a common understanding. I want to end up with a list of joint initiatives to be implemented this year with a particular focus on conflict resolution and on  the Europe-Russia growing tension. My personal aim is to be ready to present a position of AEGEE towards today’s challenges to our respective policy-makers and people who directly work on the above mentioned matters. I believe we are capable to lead sophisticated discussions on crucial challenges our community faces and hope we all are going to enjoy our time in Burgos to the fullest, getting acquainted with the complexity of problems of our times.

Nikolay: I would like to see new commitments to partnerships on youth level and the development of more projects for 2015.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia

From the 29th of December to the 8th of January, AEGEE-Kyïv and AEGEE-Moskva organized the best New Year Event (NYE) in 2014, at least for the participant. For the first time in AEGEE’s history, these two locals collaborated to prepare an awesome and hipster event for 16 participants. Among them, there were people from Spain, The Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Slovakia and Romania.

After mentally preparing for a lot of difficulties to get the Russian visa – which actually turned out to be quite easy, fast and cheap (free) – the participants got on their planes and arrived in the freezing cold, but beautiful capital of Russia on the 29th of December. The welcome ceremony was followed by warm up games, where the participants started to get to know each other and the first night began. Very typical Russian food and beverages were provided by the lovely organisers, and from there the evening just got better and better. On our way to Papa’s Place (very recommended) we passed through the Red Square. Amazing first night!

So was the next morning. After the organizers woke the participants up, a great home-made breakfast was served – like every day during the event. The organisers explained the program and the participants began their real Russian adventure with an approximate 10 km long city tour on a windy -20ºC weather. Viewing the Moscow Kremlin in first person was a great experience, but also a very short one, since everybody’s hands were freezing. It was the coldest day of the event, but also one of the best thanks to Artem’s city tour.

The next day was already New Years’ Eve day! First we went to the huge Tretyakov art gallery. This wasn’t just a visit to a museum – no. We were divided in teams and we had to find different images in more than 60 rooms, based on the hints that we had, such as “Best SU 2014” written on a post-it, or a chocolate bar called “Alenka”. They were the best two and a half hours spent in a museum ever. Afterwards, it was time to celebrate the New Year. At what time did you celebrate it? In Moscow we started at 14:00! Because Russia has ten different time zones, we started celebrating when it was the 1st of January of 2015 in the far east of the country. Every 60 minutes after that, we had another time zone to celebrate for. Of course, the organizers had also prepared some beverages for each celebration. An hour after our time zone’s year was started by listening to Putin’s words, it was time to celebrate the new year in Kyïv. Afterwards, our long lasting fancy private party started! The rest of 2015 spent in Moscow was filled with ice skating in the biggest ice skating rink in Europe and a metro tour, and then on the 2nd of January it was already time to say bye to Russia and to go to the west to explore Ukraine.

The train ride was quite an adventure. European participants had basically no idea what to do after entering the train. It was the cheapest way to get to Kyiv and it is called “platzcart“- there were beds, which were too high and had to be repositioned, there was no place for the luggage (until Ukrainian and Russian organisers came to save the troop, showing us where we could store them). Adding all the people passing around with almost no space, this was quite a new experience for everyone.

Drinking “coffee” in Starbucks cups and “Coca-Cola” as a prize for winning the Museum quest, and finishing with beers at the restaurant wagon, we spent a hell of a night. We also had to go through 2 сustoms and we were a bit worried and nervous because of the situation between the countries, but it seems that it’s all rumors – both times we were checked fast by smiling officers, who actually loved looking at Spanish passports.

We were in Kyïv! It was 9:00 and some girls from the local antenna came to welcome the whole group, dressed with traditional costumes, bread and salt, which is a traditional way of welcoming people in Ukraine.

After seeing our hostel, and the opening ceremony of Kyïv’s part of the event, we went on an amazing city tour guided by Anna Smailikova. We had the chance to see many places of Kyïv, but something outstanding was for sure Maidan, touching moment for many participants. The day finished with a great typical dinner and a visit to the Christmas market.

After a “very easy” waking up, we went to The National Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, which touched the group deeply. We realized how much war hurts, no matter where or when it happens, and how much Ukraine has suffered in the last years. We changed the mood ending the day with a Hipster and Ukrainian workshop, singing Pidmanula, Pidvela and learning some very useful phrases. The next day consisted of a city quest, where participants had to do very crazy tasks, taking selfies of everything as proof #HipsterEvent and a pub crawl, to discover more of the nightlife of Kyïv.

Two days before ending this dream event, we visited the Chernobyl museum and we saw how it affected the whole country. Then we went to our private house for one night. Amazing wooden house in the middle of nowhere, -15ºC outside and quite warm inside. Why? Because we had a sauna for ourselves! Master Ksenia Lupanova (AEGEE-Moskva) was there to show us “how to sauna” and give us a special massage with a bunch of oak leaves. But the sauna didn’t get all the attention of the day, since we had a great and huge traditional Ukrainian dinner, prepared by chef Olha Denesiuk and AEGEE-Kyïv. They explained how to eat everything, how to do it and what to say before eating. It was a very special moment. The last day finished with a great European Night, certificates and presents.

The organizers did such a great job, that the participants gave them a little surprise during the closing ceremony. Two flower crowns, decorated with the colours of the countries, Russia and Ukraine were signed on the ribbons by all the participants, and given to both antennae. Best organizers Anna and Ksenia came on stage to take the presents for their antennae. This was, in my opinion, the most memorable and the best AEGEE moment of the whole event. The second I gave the Ukrainian colors crown to Anna, and the Russian one to Ksenia, they exchanged them without hesitating, and put them on. This small detail explains the whole AEGEE spirit and the spirit of the event #NoPoliticsJustFriendship and how well bonded AEGEE-Kyïv and AEGEE-Moskva are.

I believe that this event was very important for AEGEE to show the network and our friends, that these two countries are not dangerous, that stereotypes are just generalized prejudices, that Russians and Ukrainians work together quite well and that friendship has no barriers, even when politicians and the media get in the middle of it. These days were very special for me, because I got to meet amazing people, learned some of their traditions and shared unique moments with them. Seeing them organise activities together so well as they did was quite inspiring, and I really hope that I will see these two and other Ukrainian and Russian antennae cooperating together soon.

Written by Jorge Sánchez Hernández, AEGEE-Dresden

There are many things that make the upcoming “Capital Cities” event special. For the first time in a great while (or, at least, as far as we can remember!), a New Year’s Event will take place in two countries by two AEGEE locals.

The lucky participants that will be selected will also have the chance to experience two different celebrations. But probably the most remarkable thing – this is an event organised by a Ukrainian local (AEGEE-Kyïv) and a Russian one (AEGEE-Moskva), proving that young people from both countries are willing to cooperate and are close friends. And all of it, in a very hipster-ish visual identity!

The AEGEEan spoke to Ksenia Lupanova and Mitya Blockhin, members of AEGEE-Moskva, and Anna Pykhtina, from AEGEE-Kyiv.

The AEGEEan: How did you come up with the idea of organising this event?

Ksenia Lupanova (AEGEE-Moskva): I think it started a long time ago, discussing events with our friends… but it actually happened this summer, I don’t even remember who started this topic. We realized that it would be a cool idea, two countries, two celebrations, two antennae… no matter what, just organize it together, as we have a lot of friends in AEGEE-Kyiv!

Anna Pykhtina (AEGEE-Kyiv): Ksenia and I have been friends for a long time, we met in 2013 at Network Meeting Lviv, later she was an organiser of our Travel Summer University “The Big Kyiv Theory”, and then we were together in all Statutory events – Agorae, the European Boards’ Meeting… and afterwards,  we met with other AEGEE-Moskva members, we realized that an event together would be such an amazing, unbelievable and brave idea! And without any hesitations, we started to brainstorm and discuss!

Two capital cities, two celebrations… which two special celebrations will participants experience?

Mitya Blockhin (AEGEE-Moskva): The first one is the New Year’s Eve celebration which is considered to be the most important holiday in Russia and Ukraine. I don’t want to show all our cards yet, I will just point out that the fireworks above the Red Square covered with snow are something magical!

Anna: The second one is the traditional celebration of the Orthodox Christmas. Svjata Vecherya, or “Holy Supper”, is the central tradition of the Christmas Eve celebrations in Ukrainian homes. The dinner table sometimes has a few hay wisps on the embroidered table cloth, as a reminder of the manger in Bethlehem.

The coolest thing in Kyiv will be the traditional Ukrainian Christmas which is celebrated in the evening of 6th of January. There are many traditions – we will have to cook 12 different dishes, fortune telling and also.. go to banya (sauna)! And my grandma agreed to share secrets of divination, so I can’t wait!

Which ones will be the main highlights of the program, according to you?

Ksenia: According to me, I would say the celebrations of New Year’s Eve and the Orthodox Christmas, but more remarkable to me is the night when we will cross the border in a night train. First of all, because I am a fan of the Transsiberian Dream, trains, and that atmosphere. It is incredible to have this possibility at the half of the event, to get everybody inside the wagon! It is a perfect change between programs, two busy and huge metropolis, the time to play all our favourites get-to-know games, talks and something participants will never forget!

Anna: I agree with Ksenia, seeing AEGEEans in our trains is lots of fun and always an unforgettable experience! One of the coolest highligths in the program is showing two countries in one event – there are so many things said about Russia and Ukraine, our relations, why not come and see everything by yourself?

And how would you briefly describe the best things of both cities?

Mitya: Moscow is a unique city, the whole history of Russia (sometimes glorious, sometimes terrible but always dramatic and complicated) is reflected in its architecture. Every district has its own atmosphere and walking through the city is like travelling in time where the domes of the old churches, the tops of the Seven Sisters and the Kremlin stars are the beacons leading you through the ages. Moscow can be busy and calm, huge and cozy, rude and friendly, so different and so similar. So, basically, as Russia itself.

Anna: Kyiv was the historic cultural centre of the East Slavic civilisation and a major cradle for the Christianisation of Kievan Rus’. The modern Kyiv is a mix of the old and the new, seen in everything from the architecture to the stores and to the people themselves. Khreshchatyk and Maidan Nezalezhnosti – the place where the real fight for democracy took place,  Andriyivskyy Descent (Ukrainian Monmartyr) with its romantic mood,  St. Sophia’s Cathedral and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), which are recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage sites – and that is not all! Kyiv is different but kind and friendly city with many places for young people. And although Kyiv is smaller than Moskva, we won’t have time to see all of its beauty and you will have to come back again!

What is the story behind the “hipster”-ish visuals of the event?

AEGEE-Moskva & AEGEE-Kyiv: Well, when the name “Capital Cities” (as a famous band) appeared, it was already clear to try this direction. At first it was just a joke, we were making fun of all that hipster theme but at a certain moment we realized that, by opposing ourselves to this new mainstream trend, we didn’t differ that much from the people we were kidding about. So we accepted our hipster nature and c’était parti. What is more, when we saw for the first time a hipster thematic costume party, we were impressed how much opportunities and creativity people can use.  Moreover,  Moskva and Kyiv are cities with a very dense concentration of hipsters per square metre!

And how are AEGEE-Kyiv and AEGEE-Moskva preparing together the event?

Ksenia: As we agreed on concept, the visual design, the budget and the program division, now we are in process of selecting participants. As you could mention we create awesome an awesome PR program for Agora Cagliari – and a promo video, which was recorded in both cities!

We will polish our programmes separately, but regarding common points, like games, welcome packs and celebration of both holidays – we are discussing every single detail! Also, as I managed to pass through Kyiv on my way to Brussels, I will have α meeting with AEGEE-Kyiv organisers, and we will discuss details about them coming to the part in Moscow and of course more ideas! By the way, we are actually cooperating with answering your questions in one single on-line document right now.

Some people might fear high prices and visa issues, what would you tell them?

Anna: It is the first New Year’s Event that will take place in two countries, the fee includes the train ticket, staying in hostels, private housing, sauna, activities and so much more! And with AEGEE-Moskva you can get visa for free! And at the moment the currency exchange is so freakingly high that you will feel yourself like a king!

And, in just a couple of sentences: what would you tell someone who is doubting to apply?   

Mitya: Have you ever felt sad about celebrating NYE only once a year? Have you ever travelled by train for more than six hours? Are you interested in knowing if you are going to be rich and what the name of your future spouse is? No? Well, you have got a chance (and there will be no second one!) to celebrate NYE eleven times in one day, to spend some 12 hours on a night train and to know everything you ever wanted to know about your future at Christmas night. Do not hesitate, apply! #hatersgonnahate, #aegeeansgonnaorginize!

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

Two Summer Universities, two New Years Event and one Youth Rights video are amongst the nominees for The AEGEEan’s Choice Awards “Best Video” category. The AEGEEan interviewed three of the nominees about the process of creating the movies and discovered how a precious AEGEE flag was almost destroyed in the process.

The AEGEEan talked with Ksenia Lupanova about the nominated AEGEE-Moskva video, which had the aim to entertain people and consider going to Moscow for a crazy event to see all the sights during winter time. “Me and Dasha Onohova came up with the idea for the video. She was main coordinator of the event. Since we started to be active in AEGEE-Moskva it was clear that shooting a promo always brings only benefits: it is a great local activity where everybody has fun, and of course it helps a lot with the promotion of events. Our event was New Years Event (NYE) Noviy God po-russki (Russian New Year), so we got the idea to make a short, fun and memorable video, with an element of action, Moscow beauty sights and a pinch of humor,” Ksenia tells The AEGEEan. The video was shot at Ded-Moroz and Snegurochka during the creation of the AEGEE-Moskva calendar 2014, so everybody at that moment helped Dasha and Ksenia with creating it. There weren’t many challenges for the girls when making the video. “Just to not die from laughing, and to keep a balance with humor. To be honest, Putin came as an element of fun already during the process of cutting the video, it was like “Why not, he is funny here”, and people reacted really cool in Agora Zaragora.” When asked about why this video should win Ksenia says, “It’s really hard to say who has the best video, because every video is so different from each other with different ideas. All videos can be winners. But the best video has to make you emotional and give you positive energy. I think ours got this.”

AEGEE-Gdansk is also nominated for The AEGEEan’s Choice Awards for the promotion of their NYE event. The AEGEEan interviewed President Tomasz Kowalski who came up with the idea. The script was written together in a project meeting through an incredible and fantastic brainstorming. Some improvements and ideas with stunt actions were added during shooting the movie. Later on everyone from AEGEE-Gdansk helped creating it. The cameraman and the director was Krzysztof Warzała from their fellow organisation Academic Culture Center (Akademickie Centrum Kultury). In the movie the NYE’s team and those who just came to the main meeting occurred. Everyone had the opportunity to try and show their acting skills. The aim of the movie was promotion of the New Year’s Eve in AEGEE-Gdansk and to show what the future participants could expect: Bond’s climate and good fun in AEGEE style. Small chills of excitement, incredible tasks and a final ‘battle’ with a happy ending. The challenges for this video were different than what you would expect. “We only had one problem… our President’s distraction. After shooting the first part of the cut scene, we went to McDonalds. I was proudly carrying our precious flag in a suitcase, which can be seen at the end of the video. Unfortunately, I left it in the restaurant. After an hour, at home I realized that I did not have it and went back to the restaurant to get it. Unfortunately… It turned out that the staff thought the suitcase (with the flag in it!) was a bomb. The whole McDonalds was evacuated, the police came and the bomb squad was almost called. They told us that the flag was gone forever and destroyed. Our Bond not only had the mission in the movie to recover the flag, but also had it in real life. Especially since the next day the final scene had to be shot and two days later we wanted to take it to the Agora in Zaragoza! Fortunately, the morning after, it occurred that the suitcase was on top of the trash-bin and Tomasz managed to take it back. The mission was completed and the flag was in the hands of AEGEE-Gdansk again. The whole story is written down and has five pages if anybody is interested.”

Another interesting event to promote are Summer Universities. Lídia Garcia Serra, Promotion Manager of AEGEE-Barcelona, is the master mind behind the video of AEGEE-Barcelona and AEGEE-Las Palmas that got nominated for The AEGEEan Choice Awards. The idea of the video was based in all of this: being Promotion Manager of her antenna, video maker and organizer of the SU.  Most of the video was recorded and edited by Lídia and she explains The AEGEEan the aim of the video: “The video was created for different reasons: its first aim was to sum up the Summer University that took place in 2013. We wanted it to be a souvenir for both the participants and organizers. I had made other videos about specific parts of the event, but I wanted to create one last video that showed the places visited and the feelings and emotions experienced by participants and organizers. We also wanted to make a video that served to show what a Summer University is in order to get new active members. So, we really wanted to show the AEGEE spirit.” The biggest challenge in the process was the lack of good material “to create an attractive and professional video with our resources and to record material while we were organizing all the activities at the same time was difficult, but I’m so proud of the result and I’m sure we’ll achieve our aims,” Lídia says. She was also asked by The AEGEEan about why the two antennae should win the best video category: “Our Summer University from last year was one of the challenging ones since the two locals are so far away from each other. It was difficult at the beginning but we finally built an awesome event that all of us will bear in our memories forever. It all started with a promotional video (which has a similar structure and the same song) and ended with this last one. Indeed, videos were a very important part of our Summer University as we also organized a lipdub and we obtained fundraising thanks to a promotional video too. That every participant and AEGEE member involved in the event -and even others who weren’t- think of our Summer University and our videos when they hear the song I need your love from Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding is something that encourage us to think that we really contributed to the success AEGEE, its project and its aims.” 

The Comité Directeur is nominated for the “Youth Rights” video which was developed by the participants of the Youth Rights event, but it has unfortunately not been possible for The AEGEEan to get information about the video.

AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk is also nominated for this category for this video. Unfortunately, it has not been possible for The AEGEEan to get in contact with the antenna and hear about the idea behind the video. In case that The AEGEEan obtains more information, this article will be updated.

In the meantime, don’t forget to vote! You have until April 10^th.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza