Zvonimir in Passau

After the superbly organised EPM in Zagreb, and a short break with all CD members in my hometown, it was time to move forward with the second part of CD on Track. After eleven hours of train, my first destination was AEGEE-Wien. I spent my short stay in Wien with Bernhard and Christian, current and ex-president of AEGEE-Wien. In the discussion with them I got to understand that AEGEE-Wien is a small, but stable local. They have around 20 members, but they expect to have twice as much after the SU application period. They have around ten active members throughout the year and five former members that are helping when or if needed.  In last years, they organised mostly fun local events, but recently they got involved in meeting events with migrants, and events about environment and sustainability. They also shared their views on AEGEE as an organisation today and concluded that we are focusing on finding the identity and becoming more professional, but AEGEE is still offering more than enough place to have fun and AEGEE is open to everybody.

After a short morning trip from Wien to Passau, I was welcomed by Dominic, president of AEGEE-Passau. We were joined by more members for a nice city tour and we managed to discuss the local context in a nutshell.

I was planning to go to Passau for a long time, as I heard many stories about the local and how well they perform concerning antenna management. AEGEE-Passau has almost 200 members with around 40 active members, working mainly with international students. They have a close and good relation with the International Office of the University from which they receive most of the support. Also, a few members of the local are employed in the office. Dominic arranged the meeting with them where we discussed the collaboration of AEGEE-Passau and the International Office, but also the potential collaboration of the International Office and AEGEE-Europe.

Later in the evening, we had a meeting with the rest of the board and a few more members. They described how they see their local now and what they would like to see in the future. I am happy to see that board is listening to its members and more activities are in plans to be organised.  Also, we discussed the current political situation in Europe and engaged in an interesting discussion after it. After the meeting, we concluded our visit by checking the AEGEE-Passau office, in which I saw nice memories from the past years.

You can check here the interview with Dominic, President of AEGEE-Passau.

Written by Zvonimir Canjuga, Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe

In AEGEE, we have several committees to support the work of the organisation, such as the newly revived Human Resources Committee (HRC). As the name says, this committee works on the human resources of AEGEE-Europe in many different ways. An example of this would be the Human Resources Regional Training Course, which was organised in Passau last January by AEGEE-Passau and the Human Resources Committee.

The idea of organising this training course started at Agora Chisinau after a meeting with the Network Commissioner Mareike Ritter and her local members, Antonia Erich and Svenja Kupke from AEGEE-Passau. They said: “Many members of the locals at the meeting shared their troubles with recruiting and motivating the new and old members in their local. We got so excited that we started planning right away while sitting on the floor under the stairs in the plenary hall. One hour later the entire event was mapped out!”

After the approval by the board, the members of AEGEE-Passau were ready to organise the event with not one, not two, but four main organisers. As Antonia and Svenja said: “Who needs one main organiser when you can have four? Cindy, Jana and we (Svenja and Antonia) were the perfect match! Nobody wanted to be left out. So, we basically did everything together. We did distribute some tasks but they stayed constantly in the loop on everything. One of our main assets was that our group consisted of different AEGEE-Passau generations: Andrea as our oldie but goldie, Cindy as previous secretary and gossip board member, Jana as the former president, Svenja as AEGEE-Passau mommy who takes care of all her little ducklings, and Antonia as our should-have-been-in-the-board but timing is a bitch member. Not to forget our amazing current board (Dom, Jasmin, Charlotte, Saskia, Roman) and our working group that supported us in any way possible.”

The decision was made to cooperate with the Human Resources Committee to provide the content, for which two trainers, Andrea Schmelz and Svenja van der Tol, travelled to the south of Germany to deliver sessions on the basics of Human Resources, the Human Resources cycle, identity, feedback culture, motivation, teamwork, recognition of potential, knowledge transfer and conflict management. The knowledge gathered at the sessions was implemented afterwards in case studies, in which practical tasks had to be solved in small groups. As Matthias Felder from AEGEE-Bamberg said: “All the workshops were perfectly prepared and there was a clear structure in everything as content. The theoretic part of the workshop was well linked to a case study, that always followed the theoretic part, so we needed to put the knowledge into practice. Thanks to the awesome atmosphere and the awesome trainers, this event was one of the best I attended so far and I hope we can put all the ideas we got into practice in our antenna.”

Besides the sessions provided by the HRC, a guest speaker, Heike Ehmann, from the locally based company MyMuesli was invited, who told the participants more about the Human Resources of their company. The presentation by MyMuesli was an addition that was well-liked by participants. Peter Suligoj from AEGEE-Ljubljana expressed this affection as: “The guest speaker from MyMuesli was a great choice. Heike presented herself in a very approachable manner and was willing to explain everything. Furthermore, the training made sure that our questions were on point. I imagine there is an opportunity here to collaborate with working groups such as the Youth Employment to prepare questions, that we as members could think about, and ask on such occasions. I see this as a process of fitting the newly gained knowledge in a bigger picture, and as something, we should try and facilitate.”

It wasn’t only the content that was well-liked though – good ratings were also given to the logistics of the event, which were provided by AEGEE-Passau. Antonia and Svenja: “The long planning and sleepless nights paid off! There is nothing more rewarding than getting so much positive feedback from participants and trainers. We can honestly say that we would do it all over again! The constant and great communication in our team and with the HRC made everything so easy. Sweet participants + awesome and patient trainers + motivated organisers and helpers = an unforgettable event!”

Overall, almost a month after the HRTC took place, the trainers, local organisers and participants all look back with positive memories on a well-organised event by an enthusiastic and motivated group of people. The training does not stop in Passau though, as far away as it might be for some. For more training on Human Resources in AEGEE, the committee is always there to cooperate with locals on topics related to HR! Feel free to get in touch with us via hrc@aegee.org!  

Written by Svenja van der Tol, Human Resources Committee

AEGEE-Passau is the Local of the Month (LoM)! Founded in 1990, it celebrates this year its 25th anniversary, and of course the LoM nomination. This is the reward  for the great job it did with the European School 2 (ES2). But the antenna is not only about that event. Its members will help us to find out more. We spoke with Antonia Haftmann and Verena Meier, PR & Marketing Responsible of this bavarian local to know more about them. 

The AEGEEan: AEGEE-Passau is the Local of the Month. Are you happy about it? Do you think you deserve it? Why?
When we got the news, we were quite surprised to hear that we were nominated as Local of the Month. Of course, all of us give their best to support AEGEE-Passau, as well as AEGEE-Europe and it makes us proud to see that our work is appreciated in such a way. Nevertheless, we are totally aware of the fact that there are many other locals which also do excellent work.

What is the story of AEGEE-Passau?
Our Antenna was founded in 1990 by Marco Kalbusch together with 24 other students of the University of Passau. Since the founding, AEGEE-Passau developed constantly. It was and still is very active and among the 10 biggest locals. Our Antenna is really keen on organising at least one big event per year. Thus, during the last 25 years, we organised for example the “One World Convention on Social Business”, the Network Meeting “Pride and Prejudice” as well as “Music Moving People” in 2014. Furthermore, at least one Local Training Course (LTC) per year is part of our regular programme, in order to include our members well in the AEGEE-Network and provide a stable relationship. Besides that our antenna is known as an Erasmus antenna: we are the main contact for all international students coming to Passau. Therefore, we are responsible for the welcome weeks each semester and, what is more, we support them throughout their whole time at the university. What makes our antenna also quite special, is the fact that AEGEE-Passau was one of the first to sign a Twin-Antenna-Contract. In 2013 the contract was signed at the Agora in Mannheim with our dear friends from AEGEE-Delft. Even before that we had a close relationship and each year at least two exchanges to which all of us are always looking forward to months before. This year, AEGEE-Passau had several reasons to celebrate. Of course, on the one hand, the successful European School 2, but on the other also the antenna’s 25^th anniversary.

Tell us something about members and the relationship between all of you.
The Antenna consists mostly of girls studying cultural studies. We get along very well though and are very happy that there are no cat-fights within our group.

Almost all of us are motivated outstandingly and invest a lot time in AEGEE. However, the relationships among us go far beyond the weekly meetings. We develop close friendships among AEGEE-Passau and also with other antennae. Our Twin-Antenna from Delft are also like AEGEE-Passau members for us, even though distance separates us.

We always talk about “The AEGEE Spirit”, but what is the “AEGEE-Passau Spirit”?
We certainly have some symbols to show our sense of togetherness. Firstly, AEGEE-Passau is well known for their sign, the crossed arms which always goes along with the “Passauuuuuuuuuuu”-shout. Secondly, starting this semester, we also have a mascot: a dear whose name is still up for debate. Thirdly, we also have shirts and sweaters for our members. This is the visible part of our spirit. But our AEGEE-Passau Spirit can also be seen throughout our daily life: due to the fact that Passau is a small city, you meet members literary everywhere. Thus, we are more like a big family and being in AEGEE-Passau goes far beyond a simple membership.

Your antenna was nominated Local of the Month also because the great job you did with the European School. Can you talk us about this event?
To put this event in one word: AWESOME!

But let us explain that. The days were characterized by intense sessions for participants and trainers. During the nights, however, there were typically fun sessions at the hostel with lots of games such as “truth or dare”. Creative hugging can also be considered as major part of our ES2 routine. Hence, the sense of togetherness between participants, trainers and organisers was established extraordinarily fast. We can tell for sure, that we all love each other now and the ES2 remains unforgettable for each one of us. We expect everyone to come back to Passau soon, if only because of the delicious food. One, for example, came already back to visit us.

Finally, what are the future plans of AEGEE-Passau?
For our future, we want to continue to organise at least one European Event per year in Passau. We are, for example, now in touch with the two other Bavarian Locals Bamberg and Munich, to start a Travel Summer University through Bavaria.

Furthermore, we plan to integrate more European Projects in our daily schedule, in order to make our members more aware of them. Our aim is to motivate more of our members to be not only committed to the local level, but also to the European one.

Thanks to our members, AEGEE-Passau has become a very stable and successful antenna during the last 25 years. Over these years, lots of knowledge was accumulated and we would be more than happy to support other locals with our experiences.

Written by Karina A. Silivas,  AEGEE-Udine

Agora Cagliari will take place really really soon, so the applications for each possition have been aproved. For the Network Commission there are five candidates until now. One of them is Andrea Schmelz from AEGEE-Passau, Subcommie of the German-speaking locals since Agora Zaragoza. The AEGEEan asked her some questions about her plans as Netcom to be.

The AEGEEan: First of all, why Network Commission and not another position on the European level? What does it mean to you?

Andrea: Easy one! Netcom and only that one! I love the idea of a Netcommie being a link between European and local level and between locals. It is the perfect position for triggering and pushing networking which is personally my biggest source of learning and motivation in AEGEE. I enjoyed working on local level when I was still an active member of AEGEE-Passau and giving something back by helping and supporting others now seems pretty much awesome to me.

You mentioned in your program that if you will get elected you will work with Julia Fuss (AEGEE-Mannheim). Do you already have a strategy for this, beside the fact that she is going to be the NetCom Assistant? For instance is she also going to take some locals?

Oh yes, we have already created a plan with the division of tasks. Basically we are running as a team where one is responsible for external and one for internal Netcom matters. The external one – that is me – will take care of the locals, stay in direct contact with them and coordinates the Subcom Team. The internal one – Julia – will work on the Working Plan that is developed by the Netcom at the Netcom meetings and everything that concerns the European level. As soon as we have overlapping tasks, such as organizing the Network Meeting (NWM), we will work together on that. Of course, we will be in regular (Skype) contact. I also don’t want to underestimate the advantage of experience we have. Julia has been Netcom Assistant for 4 months now, which means I would work closely together with my predecessor, a perfect way of transferring knowledge. Indeed, Julia would stay Subcommie for her current locals Mannheim, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Konstanz and Stuttgart. That’s great, because our current Subcom/Netcom-Team is a fantastic one with lots of dedicated and fun people. We don’t want to break up that spirit.

Do you already have any preferences or idea of which locals you would like to have? If so, which ones?

I would like to continue in Holger’s and Julia’s manner by taking over the German-speaking locals, being open to others, of course. The past NWMs have created a very good networking atmosphere between these antennae, I think it would be profitable to keep working on that. Maybe we will get some addition from the neighbouring countries, who knows? Some voices have been raised during the NWM in Aachen and more diversity will certainly not hurt. In the end, it is up to the local’s decision.

If you are elected and it happens that another Netcommie wants the same locals as you, will you be willing to take other locals?

Generally I would say yes – if this represents the current reality of the Netcom and the candidates, I am less sure of. Due to my studies, my current living situation and AEGEE, I gained an international background which definitely opens me up to taking over other locals. And I know that I would still have Julia’s support, in any case. Taking over locals, that are completely unknown to me, would be quite a challenge though, but surely nothing impossible.

If you get elected and somehow you won’t have time to be the Netcom of your locals, what would you do? Will you just quit and let your assistant deal with it, or will you continue at least until the next Agora for new elections?

I think if I would simply quit and put all the work on Julia, she would give me a pretty big kick in the bum. No, I am not a quitter when it comes to a lot of work. Both, Julia and I have been very devoted the last year as Subcommies and Netcom Assistant and we are very well aware of the workload we are tackling. For this reason, we are teaming up. Next to that we are currently having a super cool Subcom-Team and all of them are willing to continue their tasks.

Why do you think that you are a suitable NetCom?

I gained a lot of experience being Subcom over the past year and have been a member of AEGEE for almost 3 years now. I figured that as a Netcom you have to be organized, but flexible, do multitasking, being able to work under pressure and attentive towards people. I think I have these characteristics, but mostly I gain a constant stream of energy, inspiration and motivation from the great people I meet at meetings and events. If this is enough for making me suitable? Well, that is up to the Agora to decide!

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

At the Spring Agora in Patra, another three contracts were signed to become twin antennea. From now on, AEGEE-Utrecht and AEGEE-Budapest, AEGEE-Leon and AEGEE-Catania and AEGEE-Napoli and AEGEE-Lviv are heading forward to a great time. But what exactly are twin antennae? And what are the advantages of having a twin local? The AEGEEan spoke to AEGEE-Delft and AEGEE-Passau, who have been twin antennae for about one and a half year now.

Every AEGEE-antenna can become a twin antenna. All you have to do is finding another antenna that wants to collaborate with you. The main aim of a twin antenna is to get closer and create a greater sense of friendship between the antennae, but also to help each other. Of course, this helps improving cooperation and communication within the AEGEE-Network. Being twin antennae creates the possibility to organise common activities, support each other and solve problems together, as forces and experience are combined. It basically means that two locals have a special relation. As AEGEE-Passau tells us: “It means experiencing cultural differences, but also working together, having tons of fun and making new friends.”

For the twin antennae AEGEEan spoke to, the idea of forming a twin local was formed at Agora Skopje. After meeting again at Agora Enschede, they decided to make a contract, which was signed at Agora Budapest. Last spring, their second contract was signed in Patra. It was AEGEE-Passau who was looking for a twin local and they decided to ask Delft. AEGEE-Delft: “The main reason to try a twin local agreement was the feeling that, while it’s amazing to meet new people all the time, a lot of the time you tend not to meet them again. Having a twin local ensures you that you can meet the same amazing people more often!”

So why did they pick each other? First of all, Delft and Passau had an exchange before, which was awesome, so they already knew they could get along with each other very well. But it is working out so well especially because the antennae have a lot in common, but at the same time differ at some points. AEGEE-Delft: “AEGEE-Delft and AEGEE-Passau are both quite active locals, with a nearly equal amount of members. The two cities are comparable in size, yet have a different focus in university. This makes it so that you meet people from a different background, yet you are still connected by being in AEGEE, which is a great thing.”

Having a twin local has many benefits and both AEGEE-Delft and AEGEE-Passau absolutely recommend it to other antennae. AEGEE-Passau: “You always have a place to sleep and you get invited to really cool events.” According to Delft becoming a twin local is a great way to forming a bond with people from other countries, and sometimes people even get romantic together. Besides, you can ensure cool activities for your members. Of course it also has more serious advantages. Twin antennae can learn from each other in different ways, as every local has strong and weak points. AEGEE-Delft: “You get to help each other with knowledge transfer and promotion of each other’s events.” AEGEE-Delft learned a lot about fundraising from Passau, and without AEGEE-Delft, AEGEE-Passau wouldn’t have changed their working structure. AEGEE-Passau: “We changed the working structure of our antenna a bit after we heard about the amazing committee system of Delft. Although there are still voices saying that we could have improved it even more, we are actually quite content with how well it works for us. They definitely gave us the first impulse.”

The AEGEEan also asked about their activities and experiences together. “We have at least one exchange in the semester, but we also try to have skype meetings with the current boards,” says AEGEE-Passau. AEGEE-Delft: “We have a yearly riverboat party and Christmas dinner together, which we usually couple with an exchange.” It was hard for both locals to pick one experience with their twin that was their favorite. AEGEE-Passau: “We just get along together so well and we always have a blast together. Every event with them is a fabulous experience, so it’s hard to tell which one is the best!”

So, it goes without doubt that Delft and Passau really like being twin locals. The AEGEEan asked them if they could mention one thing they find most special about their twin antenna. AEGEE-Delft really admires the overwhelming enthusiasm of AEGEE-Passau’s members. “They always have so many people joining the exchanges, they can always host a great number of people and the parties they organise are super!” In return, the most special thing about AEGEE-Delft according to Passau is that they work hard and are really successful with what they do. “They have so many great local events and we just love all their committees!”

Written by Isa Beukema, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Following the NetCom meeting in Brussels, The AEGEEan introduces a new initiative: the NetCom Telegram. Every month it will bring you closer to the Network Commissioners and the work they do. First up we have Inez, Dominique, Patricia, Claudio & Anna informing you about the work they have done with the antennae of our Network since April.

Inez Wenta

“Another month passes so quickly when there’s so much happening! May was for sure a very productive time for me. There were two events that must be mentioned!

Firstly, after two months, the first NetCom Meeting was held. The CD was so kind to host us in the new house in Brussels. Brainstorming, team building, discussing, making clear plans – never felt so motivated like after this meeting! We all feel like a strong team – I hope our plans will turn quickly into actions and will soon be visible to the whole Network.

Secondly, even more important for the network, AEGEE-Passau hosted the most amazing Network Meeting! “Pride and Prejudice – Dealing with cultural differences!” was the place where people from 26 locals came together, working, discussing and exchanging knowledge. The sessions were very productive thanks to the contribution of amazing Aegeeans. Not only did we discuss what is happening in the locals, the problems and ideas, but we also dealt with one of the most important issues – AEGEE Identity. The subject wasn’t easy but we came to some conclusions that may help us all to clarify our identity (look out for the results booklet soon!). But we were not only working! Of course some AEGEE traditions were kept – after the Bavarian Evening we celebrated the European Night as well. The organization of this event was very professional and well prepared. I’m very proud to say that AEGEE-Passau did a wonderful job – thank you all again for your hard work!”

Anna Móricz

“After the first meeting at the Agora, discussing responsibilities and local distribution, I messaged and asked my locals (Hungarian and Bratislava) to send me their activities from last year and also their comments on local and European level events. Further on, I also asked for a list of active members, in order to know who is active and on which level currently. Unfortunately in my locals this number is pretty low, so my main aim is to try to involve them more on the European level.

Within the Hungarian speaking locals, a regional training course was organized by one of the smaller antenna, which could be a great best practice example of further co-operation between the locals and also a great example of how such a small antenna can organize a good event.

Besides attending the NetCom meeting in Brussels, in May I also Contacted my two SubCommies and had discussions about their expectations, about further work.

While smaller antennae like Pécs are struggling because of financial issues, Budapest may help them in organizing together European level events in the future.”

Claudio Armandi

“April was the start of my second semester, so I had a new program and a new SubCommie team. Elisa Bracali from Firenze replaced the legendary Matteo Scarpa, to whom I will never be thankful enough. On April 2nd we finally announced the addition of Bologna to the Network. I am so happy AEGEE is back where it has to be, in the oldest University in Europe.

On the NetCom team side, April meant new NetCommies and new speaker team. I can tell you the local division always looks too boring for me. I just take the Italian and Maltese locals with no need to discuss, fight or kill anyone. Being again the only boy, apart from Bartek, means that I will spend another six months chatting and reading about nail polish and hot guys. Conversely, I understand that women are the best when it comes to care and protection.

May, I’ll remember this month because of the first NWM entirely organized by myself in Bergamo! It was quite crazy from the very beginning, when a not really punctual German train had a terrible delay in Berlin and I was about to lose my flight. Trust me, Usain Bolt could not have done better than me in Schönefeld with a backpack and a suitcase. Many thanks to the guys from Bergamo, their organization was state of the art.

May meant also another change in the SubCommie team, where Mattia Abis from Cagliari replaced Sara Cocco who always brought a sunny smile in our team. I am now on a train that is taking me home from Nürnberg. All I can see from the windows is water. Obviously everyone is talking about Turkey right now, but I would also like to give an virtual hug to all the German and Czech people hit by this disaster.”

Dominique Lenssen

Wow, already writing about the past two months as NetCommie! Where April was more about recovering from the Agora, enjoying and getting used to the fact that I have been elected, writing my Work Plan ,getting Knowledge Transfer and finding subcommies, was May a month full of actions…

AEGEE-Utrecht organized a European School, in which I participated one day. Then, during the non-traditional European night of AEGEE-Groningen, I gave a presentation about the NetCom, our European level and all the great opportunities that exist.  As it is quite hard to make people enthusiastic with a presentation, I talked with a lot of people afterwards as well.  Another great initiative of AEGEE-Groningen is their charity night to collect money for their Summer University. Great way to beat that crisis!

In Leuven I had a meeting with the vice-president of AEGEE-Leuven, to discuss their current situation and the plans for the coming months. I also visited AEGEE-Delft, AEGEE-Enschede and the FUN-event of AEGEE-Maastricht, where members from several locals got to know each other. As it is easier to cooperate with other locals if you know people personally, I think that this event will contribute to cooperation on thematic level as well! I also can’t wait to meet all the new boards of my locals.

During our NetCom weekend in Brussels we worked hard on our team spirit, resulting in a lot of craziness, fun and inside jokes. We have a lot of great ideas, inspiration and plans for our Network, so prepare for even more AEGEE awesomeness!

Patricia Anthony

“During my first couple of months in NetCom my focus has been on SubCommies. It is important not only having a strong team of NetCommies but also to have a fantastic team of SubCommissioners! Continuing with Karolina Mazetyte in the team is amazing, but moreover I also have three other highly motivated SubCommies in Sergio Oliveros, Ruta Jankauskaite, and Maria Arends. So April and May have not only been about me getting knowledge transfer (KT) from Karolina but also giving KT to Sergio, Ruta & Maria.

Drawing a lot of inspiration, “La Tripulacion” together with the rest of what we call “Nordic Stars” team, we are especially working on online tools to strengthen the cooperation between the antennae. A new form to submit activity reports, extensive promotion of mailing list & Facebook group, and more frequent posts on our blog are all in our focus at the moment, of course together with organizing local events as well.

I might have been in AEGEE for quite some time now, however it appears that I’m getting worse and worse at travelling. This meant that for my planned trip to Brussels I had a pit stop in Groningen. However, there I got to experience a new kind of European Night where the European Level of AEGEE was introduced to the members present. As my SubCommie Maria (responsible for UK antennae) is in Groningen it was also a great opportunity to meet up and talk about her visit to London at the beginning of May and how we can help the UK in general.”

Written by Network Commission 

Each of us has a story about how we joined AEGEE. Whether it was for a Summer University (SU), a local event, a conference, even an Agora or anything else – we have all ended up in AEGEE. For some of us, it has completely changed our lives. One of these people is Astrid Schrader from AEGEE-Passau, and this is her story.

Astrid, please, tell us – why did you join AEGEE?
I joined AEGEE in 2005, but I have never gone to an SU. I joined because of an Agora and the European School 1 in Passau.

For those who do not know you after all those years – what was the most important thing you did in AEGEE?
I was the Speaker of the Education Working Group (EWG). I organised 15 international events/trainings as coordinator and I held around 500 hours of workshops. To be honest: I wasn’t very active in AEGEE. I didn’t do anything crazy on European level (no flagship projects, no Comite Directeur, no AEGEE-Academy Speaker)…

Even though you have never been to an SU, how would you describe what it means for you?
Students from all around Europe share an authentic, intense  and life-changing intercultural experience. SUs are organised by students for students. You see the bars and places local students go to, not tourists. You do workshops and get involved in topics which as a tourist you would never engage in. SUs are political tourism. SUs are AEGEE at its core!

Still, AEGEE has changed your life. How?
At the moment, I am a management consultant for public sector institutions, and AEGEE has transformed everything in my life. AEGEE encouraged me to believe in my ideas, AEGEE taught me how to be entrepreneurial, AEGEE has made building and improving Europe my defining life mission. AEGEE had the biggest impact on my life of all organisations, companies, universities and friends I have ever had, attended, led or worked for.

Some years ago you were also one of the Youth Delegates of the German National Committee for International Youth Work (DNK) and the German Society for United Nations (DGVN). Could you tell us in a couple of sentences about your work there?
UN Youth Delegates are the voice of youth towards the United Nations. We are usually part of our national delegations and we take part in the formal and informal meetings of the UN General Assembly and the UN Economic and Social Council. It is our task to mainstream youth issues within the negotiations of the UN Member States and amongst other stakeholders. In order to be able to do so, the German Youth Delegates organise a national consultation tour in their own country and in neighbouring countries where they talk to young people, youth organisations, political parties, the public sector, companies etc.. During this consultation tour, we collect as many hopes, wishes and demands towards the UN system as possible and we put them in a speech that is held right in front of all UN Member States.

Written by Anita Kalmane, AEGEE-Ogre

What does Europe sound like apart from the political debates about debts and power? Isn’t there something that created a deeper connection and understanding among different nations, a part of culture we all share? And what role did and does music still play in the process of European integration?

The event Music – Connecting People organized by AEGEE-Passau in cooperation with the music festival Young Classic Europe gathered people from all over Europe to deal with all these questions.

The European Union was first founded as an economic community but as Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, already indicated, it is above all a cultural community.

“If I could seize a fresh opportunity for the political integration of Europe, I would start from culture and not from the economy”, he said, illustrating what is the most important premise for successful European integration. Mutual understanding, exchange, awareness about a common past and a culture we all share are the foundations for a deeper integration and they make Europe come alive.

Music is a language that everyone can understand and that does not have to be translated. Today the unifying power of music is a topic that is addressed in many concerts, festivals and conferences where people from different nations are brought together to create and enjoy music.

Also during the event in Passau we were all able to experience this power. We sang, we danced and we went to a classical concert together, and even though we only spent one weekend together we could feel a great atmosphere and a special connection between the participants.

Having a look at the European history, we realised that the European roots lie way further back in the past. The engagement with the similarities and differences of music in Europe started long before the idea of political and economic integration in Europe was even born.

Already thousands of years ago, the Gregorian musicology existed as a common European style of music that stretched across Europe. Moreover, in the following centuries many composers were famous beyond the national borders and the coexistence of different cultures sometimes even created a completely new style of music.

One of our workshops for example was about ancient music in Andalusia, a combination between Christian, Arabic and Jewish music. Professional trainers taught us a lot and in the end our participants were able to play one of these songs themselves.

A cultural simulation game aimed to raise awareness about cultural differences. In groups, the participants made up their own cultural norms, composed a hymn and managed to overcome cultural borders by cooperating with other groups.

All in all, we had a great weekend, we learned a lot about music and intercultural communication and experienced a great atmosphere within the group of our participants. After this event my answer to whether music can really connect people and different cultures would definitely be yes.

Written by Veronika Hönes, AEGEE-Passau

Over the years the flag stealing game in AEGEE has developed to a battle in between locals in stealing not only flags, but also mascots and toilet paper belonging to other locals or their members.

Pre-Agora Skopje 2011 participants with the stolen AEGEE-Sofia flag

If you ever consider taking the risk of stealing a flag or another valuable item from another antenna, there are a few things to consider at first. The base of the game is that the aim is to steal a flag or an icon from another local in order to bring the locals closer together, but it is not as simple as it sounds, there are rules.

The basic rules of the game

You can steal everything from the presidential hammer, flags and receptions books till mascots, things with logos etc. when it is publically exposed. It does not count if you take it from personal belongings or in the house of your host which happened when AEGEE-Madrid mascot Retirito was stolen. It had to be given back, without any punishment, because the game has to be done in fair-play.

Faruk is trying to steal AEGEE-Lund/AEGEE-København flag

Now you have the possibility to identify what you can steal, the next step is to know how. First of all, one of the main rules is that you have to steal the item unnoticed/leaving the room without getting caught or you will have to give it back. This is the part where you analyse your opponent and the nearest exit.

During EBM Izmir 2012 Faruk Sayin, President of AEGEE-Canakkale, seemed to have analysed the exit but forgot to analyse his opponent Ilker Bildircin when he tried to steal the twin-flag of AEGEE-København and AEGEE-Lund. Faruk started running towards the nearest exit but Ilker caught up with him and tackled him in true American football style, which is exactly what Ilker practices in his spare time.

A good excuse to enjoy some beers

If you actually do manage to escape with the flag, it is time to come up with an idea for the punishment. The rule is that you are allowed to come up with a punishment that the local has to do in order to get the flag back, as long as the antenna agree to do it.

AEGEE-Budapest in flag-stealing action

This is what happend when AEGEE-Budapest  representative Gábor Pető stole AEGEE-Passau flag during an AEGEE conference with social business as a theme in Passau.  During the event AEGEE-Passau put the flag up everywhere in order to promote AEGEE, but Gábor had something else in his mind. It was an event full of new AEGEE people who were unaware of the flag stealing game, so Gábor found a co-partner in crime from Passau with whom he managed to steal the flag after one session.

Gábor explains the story saying:  “We stole the flag after a session on the last day, but it was quite adventurous. That day it was put in the biggest conference room and it was always crowded. When we almost took down the flag a girl came up to us asking whether we liked the program of the event etc. Later we found out that she was the president of the local, but she did not notice that we are about to steal her flag, which was quite funny because the flag was literally in our hands.”

The flag was returned at the Agora Skopje in which a beer-drinking competion was held between AEGEE-Budapest and AEGEE-Passau because of the interest in Bavarian beers. This all proves that it actually do bring the locals together.

A flag about to be returned to its owner after being away from home for many years

Another succesfull story contains AEGEE-Izmir legendary members Berat Ezel and Ufuk Bal who stole the AEGEE-Europe flag one month before Agora Izmir in 2005. AEGEE-Praha had organized AEGEE’s 20th year celebration event “The Happening.” The flag was stolen in the Czech Senato Building where the workshops and the plenary meetings of the event took place.

AEGEE-Izmir’s member  Tunca Ayyilidiz tells the story with a smile: “The way they stole the flag makes the whole story even funnier, because the two guys recognized that the flag was on the table in the plenary hall and there was only one person from AEGEE-Europe next to the flag, doing some things

AEGEE-Izmir revealing the punishment for the CD house during EBM Izmir

on the table. They asked him for a “scissor” and the guy was so helpful that he gave it to them. But the thing is that they asked for this scissor to cut the strings which attached the flag to the table. So in a blink of an eye, while he was not looking, they took the flag and ran out of the plenary hall.” The flag has yet to be returned to the CD house and the punishment was actually given during EBM Izmir ’12 which requires the CD to send a historic and symbolic item from the CD house in Brussels to AEGEE-Izmir and then the flag will be returned.

AEGEE-Peiraias looking forward soft accomodation during Agora Enschede ’12

These are only two examples of numerous “crimes” that have taken place in our organization, and the creativity regarding the punishment task is indeed wide. AEGEE-Oviedo’s representative Juan Sordo Barriero had to speak negatively about Asturias in a duration of five minutes during the Network Meeting (NWM) in Porto after the WDEE flag got stolen.

Others are more experience flag-stealers such as AEGEE-Peiraias representative Manos Valasis who was responsible of two punishmnets during Agora Skopje. He managed to steal the AEGEE-Enschede flag when it was left ungarded before the opening plenary which required AEGEE-Enschede to sign an agreement that they will provide lucky AEGEE-Peiraias members with up to 12 members

Proof of AEGEE-Enschede's signature on agreeing to provide 12 beds for AEGEE-Peiraias

with beds during the upcomming Agora, in order to get it back. Another flag that Manos had managed to steal during a visit to the CD house in Brussels belongs to AEGEE-Zagreb. CD member Marko and other representatives from AEGEE-Zagreb had to entertain the Agora participatns with performing “I just had sex”, which they succesfully managed to do and got their flag back.

The last case includes Chair team members Yvonne Antonovic and Percin Imrek who entertained a full plenary room during Agora Skopje with their cover version of the Danish pop plague “Barbie Girl” after the Where Does Europe End flag was stolen.

In the end, do not be scared to bring mascots and flags to AEGEE events but hold on tight, especially during Agora’s and EBM’s.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

Main Photo courtesy of Tunca Ayyildiz, AEGEE-Izmir

Thanks to Tunca Ayyildiz, Dasha Panther, Deby Gabisson, Hara Kogkou and  Gábor Pető for providing pictures.