Here you have one of the candidates for the Comité Directeur: Adonis Meggos, from AEGEE-Peiraias. He is the project manager for the Drinkwise project, the financial manager for Your Vision for EUrope, moderator of the Migration Interest Group and active member of the Language Interest Group, and now he would like to put forward some ideas about statutory events. He is ready to spend one year in the AEGEE House by filling any position in the CD. Read the article for his candidature. 

Adonis Meggos, AEGEE-Peiraias: Adonis Meggos is a multicultural being that seeks a busy living. A passionate, motivated, dreamer he claims to be. And it is on his AEGEE profile, where he spends 55% of his time. That person is me and I am partly a nerd (gamer~Nintendo fanatic, comics & series addict~DC supporter, ex-drummer~3 LIVEs). I want to improve my already healthy lifestyle (cycling, following a diet, attending the gym). And I, that extroverted and hard-working person, can always find a way to relax.

Why did you choose to apply for this European position?

I’ve gathered enough experience and knowledge through these four years and I think it is time to take the final, most challenging step. Being a member of the Comité Directeur is not an easy task for sure. Dedicating a year to volunteering is not a problem. I love AEGEE, but living inside the house is a problem indeed. A house with mold on the wall, crazy showers, zero soundproofing and (as we know) not the best internet connection. That “living with your colleagues and working with your friends” situation seems to be the hardest level of social interaction. But I know what I am applying for and I say … Bring it on!

What would you like to do as a member of the CD?

I am open to any position and that means, wherever/whenever I notice something that can be improved I will focus on it. On the other hand, during the task division I will be in charge of several responsibilities. However, I have always been a team player in my local board and inside European bodies. I was also leading the Drinkwise team and I had to overcome many obstacles in order to build up from nothing a fully functioning and well known AEGEE project. I have a creative and bold personality. I will try to solve issues related to the organisational tasks which are directly connected to some AEGEE upgrades I am planning to work on.

How do you envision the future of AEGEE and what can you contribute to it as a CD member?

I want to see AEGEE growing again in numbers. All those global changes made many people lose their faith in the European idea and it is up to the younger generation to reformulate it. To bridge the gap between Eastern and Western Europe. To develop a prosperous feeling for a sustainable and united future. AEGEE is the right place to start if you are seeking self development. You can dream big and have an impact, presenting your worthy ideas for our common future. Because the followers will approach and support you voluntarily. AEGEE also has to raise critical thinking and support constructive debates within its members. Otherwise, we may end up victims of manipulation and populism. Fight against drama and replace it with fruitful discussions. Allow anyone to raise his/her voice and speak up for personal beliefs. Because our association is just a mixture of individuals that share a common vision. And the only way to contribute to this purpose is by equal participation and equal responsibilities.

How did you learn some basic French and Russian?

I have studied French at school for three years but I haven’t been practicing it regularly. During my first SU in Sankt-Petersburg, I developed an interest in the Russian culture and language. After the SU, I attended a conference at my university about EU-Russia relations and BRICS association. A year passed learning the Russian language, which I tried to speak during the NWM Moskva and the LTC Sankt-Petersburg but Русский язык очень трудный!

Do you have any plans for the 30th anniversary of the SU Project?

The SUpporters Interest Group has already started the working preparations for the upcoming celebration. I will secure its success by supporting it on behalf of the Comité Directeur. I will also search for previous active members of SUCT and other relevant Alumni. The Editor in Chief of the 25th anniversary, Hara Kogkou, was still active in AEGEE-Peiraias when I joined and she explained to me everything about that project.

Can you tell us something about “EU Debt & Refugee Crisis” event?

The “EU Debt & Refugee Crisis” was just a part of our local’s campaign. We are an antenna that has been very sensitive to the refugee crisis because of our city’s location, which is the first city/port in EU territory. At the time of the conference I had huge amounts of work for my job and that’s why I only helped with the preparation. I attended the evenings (where I was asking the participants to cover me on the content and to send me feedback). Unfortunately I missed the speech of the former President of the Greek Parliament, Zoe Konstantopoulou, about her experience of the “Truth Committee on Public Debt” but we recorded it. No wonder why I joined the Your Vision for EUrope team a couple of months later.

What do you suggest to make more AEGEE members able to approach a European body?

<<To make more AEGEE members able to approach an European body>> requires more AEGEE members in general. I think the answer is: Better Internal Communication and rebuilding our Recruiting Policy. About the Internal Communication I will introduce a new system during my presentation. AEGEE suffers from shrinking. Locals’ human resources affect highly the human resources of European Bodies. And the European Bodies lack in human dynamic and funds. If we manage to strengthen each European body then there is no doubt that the locals will approach them for content-filled events.

Can you tell us what CIRC is for newbies?

They say that organisational bodies of AEGEE are the unseen heroes. Corporate & Institutional Relations Committee is probably the most underestimated European Body because only there are you able to provide materialistic fuel for our organisation. CIRC supports the work of AEGEE-Europe by ensuring its financial sustainability and providing help on fundraising strategy. They support locals and other European Bodies on fundraising issues. It is the Bruce Wayne of AEGEE.

How quickly do you answer e-mails?

This interview took me two days to fill, it is an exception. Lia Touska showed me some guidelines for organising my gmail account. I use the filters correctly and whenever I hear the notification in my phone I check it immediately. If it requires a fast response I reply immediately. Otherwise, I reply as soon as I have access to a computer.

Questions from the Network

What is your experience in writing grants?

For corporate grants I never faced an occasion where there was not a prototype paper available. I just had to change a paragraph or two. For institutional grants my experience is limited to financial parts, preparation of the budget with an explanation for the estimated expenses. I am far from being an expert on fundraising. I feel that one person is not enough for all the fundraising and financial tasks. I have some knowledge of finance and I will support the work of the Financial Director whenever it is needed.

You are mentioning Agora Reform. Can you state what is your experience within Agora Reform since you were not part of the Task Force?

I have heard about the task force but I got to know it accidentally, when I messed up with the rooms during Agora Bergamo. Even though I was a delegate, I was totally absorbed by Maarten’s progress meeting and so I went late to my prytania. I attended both Share meetings from the last two Agorae, where Agora reform was always on the table. But most importantly, when Pablo’s article with the title “We Are Making AEGEE Great. Or Are We ?” created the crosstalk in the Facebook group, we asked Maarten to open up the meetings of the task force so anyone interested could have the chance to understand the work of the task force. I attended that open meeting and while I was job shadowing Lia Touska, I had the chance to participate in another one.

In general what is your experience within the Agora?
I attended Agora Patra as an organiser in the social team. I had only night tasks so during the day I was entering different slots, which I found interesting. In Agora Bergamo I was a delegate and I had no time to relax at all. In Agora Chișinău I attended both as envoy and helper. I managed to have a double role because I informed the organisers which slots I wanted to attend in advance. In Agora Enschede I will be a delegate again. It may be exhausting but the responsibility towards my local is a task I gladly take. In conclusion I have attended only three Agorae, but I’ve had the chance to experience all the different roles.

What are your ideas for our statutory events?

There is nothing more beautiful than the view of “hugging session” during the first day of a statutory event. The statutory events are the best opportunity for massive reunions. But statutory events have another role. For the Agorae I believe that delegates are overloaded with the obligation to attend prytanias where visitors go for sightseeing or attending progress meetings and workshops (probably more interesting than prytanias). For the European Planning Meeting we are spending one and a half days on a well prepared conference and one and a half days on a drafting procedure for the Action Agenda. Afterwards the proposed A.A. will be edited many times through online inputs and then ratified at the Spring Agora. Something is wrong with the whole current structure. I believe the European Board Meetings could be reintroduced as completely reformed statutory events adapted to the current needs of AEGEE. We have to think outside the box.

We know that the final task distribution will be done only during the CD Knowledge Transfer, but what is the position you would like to cover?

One event. 13 days. Six cities. 23 participants and almost 25 organisers. “Our Big Fat Greek Winter University” was the New Year Event organised by the greek speaking antennae of AEGEE-Athina, AEGEE-Peiraias, AEGEE-Patra, AEGEE-Ioannina, AEGEE-Thessaloniki and AEGEE-Kastoria, between the 28th of December 2016 and the 9th of January 2017.

This NYE was one of its kind! An ambitious plan and a profoundly challenging event with one and only aim: to emphasise the diverse beauty that Greece has to offer to its visitors during the winter. Usually, when people think about the country, the first thing that pops automatically in mind, is the S triplet: sun, sand and sea! The journey followed a different path this time. Participants got to travel and see both the urban everyday life of the big cities and harbours, as well as the picturesque, suburban areas with the vivid student life.

As for me, this was a self-discovering and an amazing experience. When I joined AEGEE a year ago, trying to find my footsteps aside from school and my comfort zone, I would never imagine that I would be mainly responsible for such a thing. This is why, when my antenna proposed to me to be in charge of AEGEE-Ioannina part in this event, I felt it like a challenge.

No matter the difficulties that the organisers had to face considering it was a collaboration between six antennae, we managed to make the dream of many people, even before us, come true. We definitely surpassed the Greek stereotypes that want many people when working together, arguing with each other with no result. The biggest proof is what one of our participants, Leyla Gasanova from AEGEE-Moskva, said:“In general I want to say big thanks for this event! We could see a reeeally good job and a lot of preparation”.

The NYE started in the Greek capital Athens, of course. During the time in Athens, the participants had the opportunity to see our cultural inheritance. They visited the National Archaeological Museum, the state-of-the-art Akropolis Museum and Akropolis Rock. This was a life dream for many AEGEEans, who added a check to their to-do lists. They also paid a visit to the Ancient Agora and Pnika, the place where the ancient Athenians were gathering to discuss and vote. As Athens is a modern city, which combines perfectly the old with the new style, we could not miss an opportunity to walk in the alleys of the centre with full of bazaars, as well as shops with a modern and alternative essence. Lastly, the organisers of AEGEE-Athina took a good care of the social nightlife and partied along with the participants in various clubs. Everybody agreed on the fact that Athens had the best and craziest parties of the event.

The participants left with a great first impression to move to Patras, the second biggest harbour in Greece. The most enjoyable moment was during the city tour and the city rally when they visited, among others, the orthodox church of Saint Andrew and closed the day in the lighthouse near the marina, where we saw the sunset by the sea! It was a serene moment during this trip, perfect to meditate, as one of our participants did. The NYE party in Patras was a typically Greek celebrating meal, late in the evening. After we welcomed 2017, we ate the New Year’s Pie, a custom in the country. The pie was cut into pieces and served to guests. In it, there is a coin and whoever has it in his piece, is the lucky one for the year that has just arrived. It is connected to the orthodox Santa Claus, who is called Saint Vassilios, and he was the first to offer such a pie to the poor. Foteini, president of AEGEE-Patra, was the winner. After the meal, it was time for the party in the local bars!

Following destination… Ioannina! It is the small town in the north-west of Greece, as known mostly for lake Pamvotis and the mountainous sceneries. The time here is like stuck in the past, in the era when the Ottomans ruled. This impression was increased by the byzantine castle, the remaining mosques and the legends still alive in every corner. Travelling through places of the Medieval Age astounded the participants. We also visited the island in the lake, the one with its permanent inhabitants. We had a dance workshop there with local dances from Epirus and the Ionian Islands.

Of course, we did not miss the chance to dance the syrtaki as well. It would not be a Big Fat Greek Winter University without it, anyway! The highlight of the day: other visitors were passing by and staring at us. However, who really cared at that moment? Another workshop given by Netcom Spyros Papadatos was both interesting and fun. It was about “An interactive way to introduce AEGEE so that both the new and the old members could contribute and enjoy”. Ioannina ended its part with the European Night, which was organised in accordance with the guidelines of the “Drink-wise Project”. As the main organiser on behalf of my antenna, I had the “Eurotrip” through all the tables of different nations and opened the night with Spyros. And yes! I am able to say we survived!

Next in the row was Thessaloniki, “The Nymph of the North”, as locals proudly call the city. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and an eternal competitor with Athens. The participants had an amazing time in the city tour. One of the highlights was the byzantine castle, which was built in the 4th century. It offers a breathtaking and panoramic view from the highest point of the city to the beach and to the White Tower. During the two nights that they spent there, they got a taste of the legendary nightlife in Greek style tavernas with local foods, drinks and music. The pub crawl was a social activity which they also enjoyed much. In Thessaloniki, the organisers from other locals gathered together, created a lovely feeling to be all together for the final days of the NYE.

The event was meant to finish in Kastoria. The phenomenal snowstorm, though, that stroke Greece this winter, had another opinion on this. Under extremely low temperatures, AEGEEans took part in Ragoutsaria, a carnival that has its origins to the bacchanalian ceremonies that were exercised in the area. In Kastoria, the organisers also introduced them a real Greek night. The best part was definitely the moment that the participants tried to sing the mainstream Greek music. Unfortunately, the weather was a constant enemy and Murphy’s law “If something can go wrong, it will”, worked exceptionally well. With the whole country entering in a freezer, problems in the accommodation came up and the event had to finish ingloriously. This made us all disappointed, as we were all looking forward to the three-days party with the wine and the unstoppable dancing with the rhythm of Balkan music all around the alleys. Yet, every bad situation comes out a good result…or at least a funny incident.

We made it to the news! Two brave AEGEEans, during their visits to the frozen lake, walked on a very thin sheet of ice. Next day they became viral as the Kastorians who walked on the lake! Of course, we knew otherwise!!! To sum up, this NYE has been a pleasure and an adventure for everybody. As all NYEs, it was the perfect start to a year with full of travelling, meeting new friends and getting to know another country. More specifically, it was a chance to visit many Greek cities from the north to the south, learn about the culture and the particular cultural characteristics. Even though it might have been a little tiring swapping between six destinations, we were very happy to be able to show a different and more representative aspect of Greece. This would have been impossible without the friendly atmosphere we managed to create among the group of organisers. It was a surprise to me to get closer with our fellow antennae in such a way. We also owe this all to the most challenging and patient group of experienced AEGEE members that helped us to make it happen. And as once said… why not? Let’s turn this into a tradition!!!

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

In addition to the previous articles about the New Year’s Events, we would like to present you with some additional opportunities which are going to be organised by really experienced Antennae like AEGEE-Belgrade and the Greek Antennae. In this article, the journalist Matteo Lai will explain you why you can choose one of these events to spend the last hours of 2016, with the contributions of Vasiliki Andrioti and Aleksandra Icić.

Our Big Fat Greek Winter University

This NYE event is organised by Greek speaking Antennae (Athens, Peiraias, Patra, Ioannina, Thessaloniki and Kastoria). The general themes of this NYE are Greek history and culture, therefore they are also the focus of the social programme. Starting the journey from Athens, the participants will get to witness how the capital can perfectly combine its historical past with the present. Participants will visit the Akropolis and Parthenon, and stroll around the Plaka with its alleys and little shops. Moving to a nearby neighbourhood , members of AEGEE will see Peiraias, the biggest harbour of the country, with its own nautical and merchant tradition.

On New Year’s Eve, the participants will find themselves in Patra, the third biggest city of Greece, where the organisers are planning to have a party to welcome 2017. In Ioannina, the fourth destination, participants will visit the first of the two lake towns in their journey. A day trip will be set up to an island inside the lake, where everyone will get to know the local life. Thessaloniki, the so-called capital of the North, will reveal its stunning beauty from the top of its castles, which are the highest point in the entire city. And do not forget the must-do walk to the White Tower.

Last but not least, in Kastoria participants will attend “Ragoutsaria”, a local custom to welcome the new year. “Prepare yourselves for a different kind of carnival with much dance and alcohol!” adds Vasiliki Andrioti, from AEGEE-Ioannina. In addition, the social programme will involve traditional dances from different regions all around Greece, language and culture workshops, parties and many more.

A Winter University on this scale has never happened in the past. Participants will have the chance to travel through Greece, and the organisers from Athens, Peiraias, Patra, Ioannina, Thessaloniki and Kastoria await them to show them the original Greek spirit, six of the main cities of Greece and examples of Greek history and culture. It will be like a journey from the past to the present, meeting people from various regions and experiencing all the Greek customs, local life and hospitality.

So, if you have ever wanted to visit Athens and Akropolis, dance Syrtaki, eat Souvlaki and drink ouzo, get ready for a really “kefi” [fun, ed.] event! Vasiliki invites all members to apply on the intranet page here, and by filling in the Google form here. The deadline is the 20th of November. Thirty participants will be accepted.

Frozen in Belgrade: Oh deer, another year!

The topic of this NYE in Serbia is Tradition and Culture. Through workshops provided by AEGEE-Beograd, the participants will get the chance to explore Serbian traditions related to Serbian food and its preparation, and to the Serbian famous drink “Rakija” [a fruit brandy, ed.] and how it is made. During the city tours, the participants will see the most famous parts of Belgrade such as the Kalemegdan fortress, Saint Sava’s Temple, Skadarlija (the bohemian quarter), Knez Mihailova street and much more. Other activities include the Nikola Tesla museum, ice skating and trying to make it out of an Escape room on time.

Since Belgrade is famous for its night life, the organisers planned a pub crawl, an unforgettable European Night and, of course, something special for New Year’s Eve! “We are not going to tell you everything, you will just have to come and see for yourself”, adds Aleksandra Icić, the main organiser of the event.

“Balkan spirit is something you should experience – from our hospitality, warm and nice people who know how to enjoy life to our rich culture, monuments at every step and a buzzing nightlife” tells Aleksandra.

Twenty-five participants will be accepted for the event. The deadline is set for the 22th of November. Apply on the Intranet here and fill in the Google form here (both are required).

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari.

Last year, over 800,000 Syrian refugees crossed the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece to find a home in Europe. Being the largest port in Greece, the city of Piraeus is directly confronted with this seemingly endless influx. It is therefore no surprise that AEGEE-Peiraias is also deeply involved in events about the Refugee Crisis, and this commitment has been worth to be elected as Local of the Month of January. To find out more about AEGEE-Peiraias and the refugee crisis, or about AEGEE-Peiraias in general, check out this interview below with their president, Diana Ponirou.

The AEGEEan: For everyone who does not know you yet, could you introduce yourself?

Diana: AEGEE-Peiraias is an antenna in the biggest port of Greece, Piraeus. We may not be a very big antenna but we are very proud! We try our best to organise events concerning important issues (refugee crisis, debt crisis etc). We have many events planned for the next months, so come join us to know us better. [she winks, ed.]

You have organised an event called ‘EU debt & Refugee Crisis’ and you are going to organise a Summer University where you are going to do volunteer work at refugee camps. Why is AEGEE-Peiraias so committed to the refugee crisis and do you feel other locals are just as committed to the refugee crisis as you are?

We are an antenna that has been very sensitive to the current refugee crisis because of the location of our local’s city. The port of Piraeus is the first major city where refugees reach in the European Union territory. Crises both divide and unite countries, societies, communities etc. Currently in the EU and Europe we have been experiencing both.

Greece, which until recently has had almost zero infrastructure to welcome refugees, also faces an unprecedented economic crisis, bears the burden of welcoming an influx of refugees that are in a limbo state regarding their refugee status. Sweden and other countries are stepping in to accept a record number of refugees in their countries. Other countries, however, are closing down their borders refusing to grant a safe passage to  refugees and immigrants and refusing to accept their quotas of refugees.

This collective failure at a EU level to come up with a viable plan that is in accordance with human rights treaties and respect towards refugees and immigrants, has led many NGOs such as ourselves, our local branch and many other equally committed locals in our network, to step in and make up for the collective failures of our governments by providing necessary help to cover some of the basic needs of the incoming refugees.

Part of your Summer University will be dedicated to doing volunteer work on the islands of Lesbos and Chios. Could you tell us a bit more in detail what you are going to do there?

In collaboration with other NGOs we will be assigned to tasks that are related to helping the refugees reach the shore safely and various other administrative issues that come up once the refugees reach the island.

The other major topic of the aforementioned event was the EU debt crisis. Did AEGEE-Peiraias also organise other events about the EU debt crisis?

No, we haven’t organised other events about the EU debt crisis, but maybe in the future we will.

What other events has AEGEE-Peiraias planned for the future?

Well, as you know we have our Summer University (you can check it here) . We will also organise a summer event at the end of August about how alcohol as part of a country’s culture connects us. Let’s say that we will learn how to drink responsibly!

Last, we are going to organise the 1st Agora Euroland (Initiated by Laboratoire Européen d’Anticipation Politique (LEAP) , in cooperation with Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri (AAFB) and in partnership with AEGEE-Europe).

Piraeus is part of the same agglomeration as Athens. Does AEGEE-Peiraias/do members of AEGEE-Peiraias often hang out or collaborate with (members of) AEGEE-Athina?

Whenever is possible yes!

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

The month of the European Planning Meeting has finally arrived, and in a little less than three weeks we will gather in Leiden, Netherlands, to discuss one of the biggest issues that Europe is facing right now. Many locals have been taking action already, organising a number of activities related to the migration situation througout the Network. We spoke to three of them to find out more about their activities.

In Ploiești, Romania, AEGEEans organised a conference in collaboration with the European Parliament Information Office carrying the name “European democracy promoters”. A report of the conference was sent to the Romanian European Parliament Information Office, and a while after, AEGEE-Ploiești was represented in Brussels at a meeting with three of the Romanian Members of the European Parliament. We spoke to main organiser Alin Georgescu to find out more.

ACT: What inspired you to organise this conference?

Alin: Well, the idea came up when we realised that we know nothing about refugees. What we read and see in mass media is 80% misinformation and most of the young people in our community do not really understand what is happening.

Can you tell us a bit more about your event?

We decided to organise a conference divided in two parts. For the first part of the conference, we invited a specialist, Prof. Dr. Dumitru Codita, to talk about the International Migration Convention and to make us understand what it is like to be an asylum seeker, and what rules and legal instruments would apply to you. For the second part of the conference, we invited Mr. Matei Barbulescu, a young freelance journalist from Romania, one of the few independent journalists in Romania. He shared his experiences travelling in two weeks from Greece to Germany with a group of refugees from Syria.

What was the highlight of the event?

The story told by Matei was very interesting. He told us how he met the refugees, how his journey went untill they reached Germany and which problems they faced. He was actually living like a refugee for two weeks. Even though he could pass the borders legally, he decided not to do so and to run and hide with his companions instead. His story made us understand the topic a lot better. It’s really different when you talk about a subject without having personal experiences, than when someone that actually was involved and lived like a refugee for two weeks is telling you about it.

What are the next plans for your antenna?

Due to the changes that Europe is facing, we want to work more on the topics of human rights and security issues. So, in our future activities we will include those two topics and try to have a bigger impact, both locally and Europeanly.

What would you like to tell EPM participants?

We are waiting for the results of this EPM, and we hope that we will work together for a better Europe!

AEGEE-Aachen members have been discussing the situation already since August and so far, two events were organised: a meeting where members got to “hang out” with the refugees and a Christmas party for refugees. We spoke with Malte Berrenberg, the main organiser of the events and board member of AEGEE-Aachen.

ACT: How did you come up with the idea to organise something related to the current situation with refugees?

Malte: We have monthly discussions about European politics. Last summer for example, we talked about the refugee crisis and the possibilities to help out refugees in Aachen. We concluded that there are many many things we could do, but we did not exactly how to start. The idea to organise a first meeting with refugees who are currently staying in Aachen came up, with the aim to let them tell us themselves how we can help them. For another meeting about the topic, many of our members showed up, so we were sure that we have support for the activities in our antenna.

Can you tell us a bit more about the meeting with refugees you organised?

For the meeting, taking place in November, we invited about 40 refugees and there were about 25 people from Aachen. The aim of the event was to get to know each other better, which is why we decided to play boardgames together. We also provided some nice snacks and drinks.

You also organised a Christmas Event. Can you tell us more about that?

A christmas tree, fairy lights, gifts and a lot of food – these traditions and cultural practices seem strange for many refugees spending their first Christmas in Germany. Therefore, we came up with the idea to introduce refugees to the ways we celebrate Christmas. Our aim was to focus on the similiarities between Christmas and festivals that the refugees knew, as cultural exchange is the key to a succesful coexistence. Our event was attended by 14 syrian refugees, for which we prepared typical German Christmas pastries.

What were the most memorable moments of the events?

Even though I was busy organising the meeting, I still have a  quite memorable moment. An older guy showed me some pictures of his family (he has seven kids) who are still in Homs, Syria. The situation of many of these people got pretty real for me at that moment and I did not quite know what to say. Also very memorable was that we found out that a lot of the guys did definitely drink alcohol (something we did not expect in this extent).

At a certain point during the event we were all sitting together and exchanging stories of childhood and everyone was laughing: it was an overwhelming moment reminding us how similar humans are.

What are the next plans for your antenna?

The next event we are planning is an Arabian night, for which we will invite some Syrian refugees to cook, sing and dance for and with members of AEGEE-Aachen. Also we will soon talk to another asociation in Aachen, which is also working on the social integration of refugees in Aachen. Our hope is that together we will be able to have a bit more impact and work a bit more efficient. Other than that, it might also be interesting to tell that the university is working on the cooperation on refugee aid between their asociations. They have employed Imen El Amouri, member of AEGEE-Aachen, to coordinate the different student organisations.

What is the message you would like to send to EPM participants?

This so-called refugee crisis seems a huge and unmanageable task to many people, but if we all do something small, we will see that we can handle it! Try to become friends with a refugee, organise a meeting between locals and refugees, spend one day a month with people who fled to your country or do anything else  concerning this crisis! Doing so, we will see that it is not only possible to integrate a lot of people, but that they can even enrich our society. People who fear other cultures will lose that fear as soon as they start getting in contact with people from those cultures.

The third local, AEGEE-Peireias, organised an event on this topic last month only. They were so inspired that they decided to go a step further and organise a Summer University on this topic too! We reached out to Mara Poniros, the main organiser of the event to get to know more.

ACT: What inspired you to organise this event?

Mara: The idea dawned on me when I realised that I would have to spend almost a month back home (I’m studying abroad). I thought to myself that instead of sitting around, I should do something more productive, like organising an event for my local. That’s how it began. My board embraced my idea, so we organised the event together. Both themes that we picked, the debt and refugee crisis, are pressing issues in our country (Greece), and the need to further explore and discuss them is urgent. I would personally say that what inspired me the most was the human factor. We tend to talk in numbers about the refugees and in economic terms about the crisis, but it’s important not to forget that these numbers have faces. We are talking about real human lives.

Can you tell us a bit more about the event?

The event lasted four days, with two full days of workshops, lectures and interactive discussions dedicated to one of the two topics. Regarding the refugee crisis, we first focused on the facts and then touched upon various correlated issues, while making critical judgements. We then gave the floor to one AEGEE-Athina member, Aristea Bismpiki, who has volunteered on the island of Lesvos and shared her experiences with the rest of us. Last but not least, Romy Cartiere from AEGEE-Amsterdam, one of the Content Managers of the upcoming EPM, introduced us to what will be done during the EPM.

What was the highlight of the event?

I think it was during and right after Aristea’s speech, when most of us, both organisers and participants, expressed our interest to actively volunteer for non-governmental organisation welcoming and assisting refugees, which is where the idea for our Summer University was born.

What are the next plans for your antenna?

We are really looking forward to our Summer University where we will volunteer on the island of Lesvos that has been experiencing a lot of incoming refugees. We hope we will be able to assist the incoming refugees and make them feel welcome.

What is the message you would like to send to EPM participants?

We hope EPM participants will implement all the amazing ideas they are going to get during the EPM in their local communities and our AEGEE network.

We as ACT also hope these three stories will inspire more members and that we see great initiatives as these spread through the Network in the future!
Written by Miljana Vulevic, Action Agenda Coordination Committee

From the 7th till the 10th of January, AEGEEans gathered in Pireaus for the event “EU debt & Refugee Crisis: How successfully does the EU manage it? Will the EU survive?” organised by AEGEE-Peiraias in collaboration with Democracy in Practice. The first day of the sessions, the 8th of January, was dedicated to the topic of the Refugee Crisis and the second one to the topic of EU debt. Eight participants from Romania, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Ukraine, several ones from Greece, members of AEGEE-Peiraias and AEGEE-Athina, but also non-AEGEE members attended the event.

The first day began with expressing the participants’ expectations and most of them were interested in the refugee crisis topic and curious about the EU debt. Some of them considered that this event can represent a starting point for discussing and expressing ideas for the upcoming European Planning Meeting (EPM).
After sharing their expectations, the part dedicated to the refugee crisis started. “Are you comfortable with talking about it?”, asked the first facilitator, Mara Poniros. That is how a fruitful session started, a discussion during which participants answered each other’s questions.

What is the situation right now? Some countries are willing to help refugees, but they believe that they should stay in safe zones, close to their countries. Turkey hosts about two million refugees, but Saudi Arabia does not accept any refugees. What refugees ask for is an asylum which they either get and stay, or they do not get it and are sent back to their countries. If one asks for asylum, one has to stay there until the decision is made. Most of the time, it takes about two years. They have to check several details to decide if they are going to provide asylum. In some countries like Bulgaria, the refugees are stuck there in camps for all that time. People tend to forget about the children who have to live in these conditions and, unfortunately, their childhood is “stopped” there. There are some Projects, like LUX Project in Bulgaria and Children’s Photo Workshop in the Turkish and Bulgarian refugee camps with the aim of entertaining the kids.

How to integrate the refugees? This is the most difficult thing to do. People want to help, it is easy to find a place to live or to provide food, but it is hard to find positions.

What about their education? This is the first step for the integration process. Some of them are already educated. If the integration begins at this point, it will be a lot smoother in the future. This way we can prevent collapse. We should not make them change their identity, but create a diverse identity.
After that discussion, Aristea Bismpiki, member of AEGEE-Peiraias and volunteer of Starfish, shared her one-week experience on Lesvos island, where she went to help with the arrivals of the refugees from Turkey. “The first thing you do as a volunteer there is to clean the beach. While cleaning the beach you can find many different things that refugees leave behind when they arrive, such as: clothes, inflatable boats, life jackets and every time a boat passes, new items are coming on the beach. Who would go on such a dangerous trip? This is a question many volunteers think about while they are on this stage. When the refugees arrive they do not know where they are. They need information. Some of them do not even want to change their clothes. The volunteers tasks are to count the refugees, give them information and register them. The stories they tell you are important because they flee for survival. There are many ways to help. I want to go there again, you can also go!”

Next, there was the workshop of Democracy in Practice – “The stories they confess”. Participants were separated in four groups. Each group had a story of a person influenced by the refugee crisis. Each story had three stops: the past, the journey/incident and the present of that person. The stories were cut into pieces and participants had to make a collage out of them and present the story like it was their own, in first person. There were photos, but also parts of other stories. Participants felt closer to those people, they were surprised by some of them and admired their courage.
The day was closed by Romy Cartiere, Content Manager of the EPM and proposer of the chosen topic, who did a presentation. “What can you do?” was the main question. Firstly, she explained what inspired her to propose this topic. Then she moved to “What can AEGEE do?”, where the education of its members and taking action are the key answers. Romy shared her idea of a European Project that will do Case Study trips to document the circumstances and to have direct contact with the refugees and the citizens.

How can this be supported? It can be supported by different NGOs, like Issues without borders, the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the members of the European Parliament. We are going to have more information about this Project soon.

The second day focused on the EU debt topic. The first session started with a discussion during which all participants presented what they know, from their point of view, what information they get from the media in their countries, and the audience consisting of AEGEE and non-AEGEE members interacted and answered their questions. The second session implied watching the documentary “Debtocracy” by Aris Chatzistefanou and Katerina Kitidi. The documentary examines the causes of the Greek debt crisis in 2010 and advocates for the default of “odious debt”.
The day and the event ended with the speech of Zoe Konstantopoulou, former President of the Greek Parliament, who spoke about her experience in “Truth Committee on Public Debt”. Why was this committee created? Firstly, since 2013, according to the European Law, countries are supposed to “carry out a comprehensive audit of its public finances in order, inter alia, to assess the reasons that led to the build-up of excessive levels of debt as well as to track any possible irregularity”. Until now only Greece did so. Debt audit is also an obligation stemming from the international law. Last but not least, this committee was created based on the democratic right of the citizens to know how and why this debt was created. The new government elected on January 2015 took the decision to create and support this committee. Who were the members of this committee? Experts from different countries and citizen representatives. What did this committee do? They investigated the Greek debt and found out that it is odious. They published a preliminary report on July 2015. Unfortunately, this report was never used by the government.
You can watch the whole speech of Zoe Konstantopoulou here.
You can find the preliminary report of the Truth Committee on Public Debt here.

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Kastoria/Sofia

“Write a story for us”, they said, and I was more than happy to embrace that assignment… a month ago. Last night, terrified, I look at the blank paper feeling the weight of the task that had been given to me. Could I speak with enough ardor about more than 40 Odysseus lived by each participant and organizer of the TSU “Sea Wars: The port strikes again”? I am afraid I couldn’t. Sincerely, I will consider this article successfully written even if I achieve to bring only one piece of the atmosphere, of the adventure lived with a group of people that today I call my friends and companions in one of my best summer trips ever.

The time has come to gather all the pieces of one big jigsaw puzzle presenting 35 warriors who came to Greece, maybe to conquer one more countries on the map, but who also learned, seduced by the song of sirens, that Greece could never be that “one more land” you visited. You may leave, but winds of Ithaca will bring you back. As I am opening the jar of memories (that are currently floating in the sweet poison of ouzo), I find out pictures, words, songs, gestures, looks, and those silent moments when it was even hard to hear one’s breath because it had been taken by some gorgeous view.

Though it is against all my trying-to-keep-some-privacy rules, I will offer you my memories, dear readers, hoping that in your head you will live my two incredible weeks. While reading, I suggest you treating yourself with a glass of ouzo, or at least some sangría or Agua de Valencia – that would be so much in the spirit of our SU. So, bottoms up and… Imagine that a policeman is driving you to the opening ceremony of your SU. In the next moment you’re singing the happy birthday song to your sweetest and best organizer in 15 languages! Later, trying to take the last year’s SU reunion photo, you discover that the new guys are in such a mood for taking pictures that you give up telling them “no it’s just me and…”, and decide to cut them off in Photoshop but then, after sharing a room, drinking, laughing moments while watching the changing of the guard, ice cubes, your AEGEE experience, and impressions about the incredible perfection of ancient Greek art you know that you could never cut them off. They are the ones you will sail with for the next two weeks, the ones you will have by your side on the hotel’s roof, while your sight is getting lost between the white colleens and the night sky of Athens, the ones you’ll dance with, the ones who will teach you about their countries in so many different, creative ways.

You must understand, my readers, that you could hardly get to know them better, but let’s say that there was one special moment with each of them. Imagine learning about ancient Rome and the English royal family while the long-awaited bus is passing by your side, not stopping and provoking one big “Kurva!” reaction. Imagine making sweet surprises for your secret friend, sharing music moments with your Bulgarian brother who understands your look even better than your mother tongue, honoring your Slovakian roots by singing “Tancuj, tancuj” with your sweet friend from Slovakia, almost screaming “hijos de puta” to a DJ who, apart for putting like the best music ever, is giving you a cold, refreshing shower. Come oooon, have one more ouzo and picture us sitting and chatting in a must-be-a-pirate cave with the queen of all malakas, then making a modern myth about the Apple of Discord with the most beautiful Aphrodite ever and with the wise Athena that continues her friendship with Hera once that apple rolls-off and that sexy Italian, scusa, Trojan prince kisses the wonderful Helen. Nooow, imagine yourself in the huge cave! After the day visit you stayed there with a small group to camp during the night, you’re telling scary stories and then suddenly, out of the darkness… wait, that didn’t happen! Stop hanging out with that Indian guy, he has those… funny things (laughing balloons, of course).

Come closer, dear readers, to our final destination, Ithaki, where conversation with your lovely roommates is more precious than getting some desperately needed sleep, where one night you’ll get to enjoy in Greek traditional party (panigiri), where you’ll dance Greek national dance (syrtaki), eat free souvlaki with your favorite Spanish girls, where you’ll have a picture with the craziest drivers ever (and the competition in Greece is really strong), and Sponge Bob (???).

It’s the end of our journey and you are just realizing that your destiny is so much alike to a destiny of one turtle  and that your first roommate with who you have shared rakija and bed have become your little Spanish sister after having those kind of talks you only have with very few of your best friends. You may be sad but actually you should be glad that you met one special guy who got to know you that well in 14 days that the last thing he told you made you shed a tear (and you don’t cry, cause you’re such a b***).

My dear readers,

I’m afraid that this wasn’t enough to feel the atmosphere of Sea Wars, so I am recommending you strongly to set your sails to the port of Piraeus next summer and dive into a great Greek adventure.

My greatest malakas ever,

You wrote me a story. I say efharisto for that.

P.S. Honey, don´t worry, I won’t die ho…hohoho

Written by SanCHa Uverić, AEGEE-Novi Sad

Do you remember the recent European Parliament (EP) elections, where other citizens of the European Union and, hopefully, also you, voted for your chosen future Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)? While preparing the latest Key To Europe issue, the annual publication of AEGEE-Europe, we had a chance to ask some questions to those former and current AEGEE members who submitted their candidatures for MEPs. See what they have to say! The same questions – different answers.

Gerard Vidal Pallarès

The AEGEEan: Please, introduce yourself!

Gerard Vidal Pallares: My first AEGEE event was the European School 2 in Poznań, the most inspiring week of my life. I shared this amazing experience with such people as Luis Alvarado, Lucille Rieux and Lucia Sobík. We also had great trainers: Arne Reis, Federico Pisanu and Virginia Pañeda. I regret having joined AEGEE only when I turned 25.  Now, I am 28 years old. I live, work and am AEGEEan in Barcelona. Even though I studied Telecomunicacions Engineering and have a masters degree in Management, I have been involved in politics since I was a teenager.

Manos Valasis (AEGEE-Peiraias): I was born in sunny Peiraias (Greece) and studied at the faculty of Digital Systems at the University of Pireus, while I held diplomas in Economics and Counter Terrorism. Among other, I have been the Projects Director and the President of AEGEE-Europe (the latter in 2010-2011). During that time I had the pleasure to found a project to fight Youth Unemployment, which fueled a lot more of them, such as ones’ trying to improve non-formal and formal education and to bridge the East & West of Europe. Nowadays, Digital Advertising is taking my time, as I work as an Analyst Programmer. In my free time I try to motivate young people to take over their own lives, to become active citizens and to work for a better world.

Manos Valasis

The AEGEEan: Which party & country did you represent for the elections?

G. Vidal Pallares: I have been the candidate from Unió de Joves, a youth branch from Unió Democràtica de Catalunya. It is a Christian Democrat party that belongs to the European Peoples Party.

M. Valasis: I represented the Greek Greens, part of the European Greens, a rather idealistic party, formed by active citizens. In Greece and many other countries in Europe people do not like politicians and politics. Politics is by many considered an attempt to manipulate the masses, while in many cases politicians are involved in corruption and in abuse of power scandals.

The AEGEEan:  Why did you decide to run for MEPs and did your AEGEE experience influence it in any way?

G. Vidal Pallares: During the last EP mandate I had the opportunity of coordinating the team from MEP Salvador Sedó and I was working in his headoffice. Indeed, AEGEE was a positive impulse for running as a MEP and my AEGEE experience also helped me to get the job. By volunteering in AEGEE you grow both personally and professionally. We need to be able to prove it, to persuade employers of how enriching volunteering is. Politics is an expression of active citizenship, and active citizenship is one of the four AEGEE pillars. In my opinion, it is the most relevant one for making a change in our society. In these difficult times, where we have the need for changing many conventional standards and institutions, we can ONLY properly impulse the changes that are needed with YOUNG people.

M. Valasis: While in the past I was wondering “Why do we actually have politicians and politics, if nothing good comes out of it?”, AEGEE taught me that politics is something beautiful. It starts with the phrase “I want to make the world a better place” – there cannot be any line more political than this one. When I was approached by a political party that had the same beliefs as I, regarding the role of politicians and politics that consisted of active citizens and not „professional politicians“, then it simply made sense to join forces with them and work for our Europe!

The AEGEEan: What was the result of your candidature?

G. Vidal Pallares: Voter turnout increased by almost 11% in Catalonia – this result makes me feel happier that I was an active contributor. Catalan people showed their European will for continuing to be a part of the European project and to be united in diversity. My party got 3 MEP seats, the same amount as in 2009. Our party got 100.000+ votes more than in the last EP elections. It is quite remarkable, considering we have been in government during the last 3.5 years, high painful times of austerity in southern Europe. Although I didn’t get elected, the personal output is a life changing experience, where you can learn and grow. I encourage every single AEGEE member to go for it! Europe urges innovative, passionate and radically pro-European young people to be in strategic positions.

M. Valasis: Break-even can be a fair description. I didn’t get elected, but that was never my aim. My aim was to show to young people that they should take politics seriously, they should engage with it and participate in their local communities more, that the EP is something tangible – not distant – and that becoming a politician themselves is one of the many ways to contribute in making their societies better, which was achieved, while I enjoyed the journey and the experience which certainly was unique.

Written by Anita Kalmane, Foundation AEGEE Trust Fund (FATF)

A story that might save the world

Did you ever think or even hear about glenti? Or did you wonder for a second what it could mean when you came across it in the title of the Summer University (SU) of AEGEE-Peiraias ‘What if glenti could save the world?‘ The participants of this Summer University did! And they got so curious about it that they decided to try to find out… And nobody ever regretted this decision.

Let us introduce you to the wonderful world of Greek history, music, food, dance and love. This is a story about how 35 participants found out that glenti might neither save the world nor the Greek economy, but it did save their lives, or at least their summer!
Before the participants were deemed to be worthy to be introduced to the essence of the Greek way of life and before the secrets of thousands of years of glorious history were shared with them, they had to go through many challenges. Very soon they found out that saving the world is hard work… Not only it was necessary to adapt to the Greek lifestyle by eating souvlaki at least once a day (or night) and trying all kinds of ouzo but they also had to learn how to prepare Greek food ourselves. This being only the start of the challenges the experience continued with traditional Greek dances. While being a bit reluctant at daytime during the first practices, at night time even the Greek locals were convinced of AEGEE’s sirtaki dancing skills. Many other dances followed and even though it is not possible to check it we would swear that some Dutch and Slovenian partycipants quit their studies or work to find traditional Greek dancing groups in their countries.

Not only Greek dances were expected but also the cultures of the other European countries were presented during the European night and of course a fabulous show night which showed that not all Italians are able to dance but the Spanish can teach them the Macarena, that Hungarians are great singers, Turkish guys indeed are macho, that Dutch girls cannot be without their Queen, that Germans have some humour, that Slovenians live the life of Riley and that Greeks are not careful enough with their mascot.

It is evident that you have to honour the Greek gods to experience glenti. Of course this is only possible when you are willing to eventually sacrifice your health, your life and some virgins. Furthermore, you should be able to write and speak Greek fluently. All this did not constitute any problem for the motivated participants.

When all were able to speak ancient and modern Greek properly, the discovery of the Greek history started. After visiting the temple of Zeus, it was time for climbing the Acropolis under the death-inducing Greek sun and discovering Peiraias and Athens at temperatures of chilly 37°C. Many bottles of water and water-battles later the group reached the top of the Acropolis and understood the description AEGEE-Peiraias gave before the Summer University: ‘The ideal participant is the one who is ready to feel the spirit of AEGEE- Peiraias, the Greek culture and tradition while dancing as a real Greek and mostly being capable of walking for hours down the hot sun during our high temperatures!’

There were many challenges and we are convinced that Hercules could not have done any better than the 35 endurance athletes did under the leadership of the amazing and cheering organisers. Then, finally, after days of fighting, austerity (Greece is a good place for that), longing (and maybe a bit of partying) the group was found to be eligible to be introduced to the secrets of glenti.

But first everybody had to learn how to applaud Greece, AEGEE-Peiraias, the organisers and the participants… So please repeat: ‘One clap for glenti: one, two, three, clap!’

And many souvlakis and some litres of Greek wine later the true meaning of glenti was finally discovered.

What is glenti?

Since the authors of this article are convinced that all of you proved their strengths during all the great other Summer Universities it has been decided to share the secrets of glenti with all AEGEEans to ensure that AEGEE will save the world!

So, let us introduce you to the Greek lifestyle which is definitely the essence of glenti.

Glenti is dancing on top of the bar until you get a job offer by a night club.

Glenti are beautiful Greek girls kissing in the light of a red moon.

Glenti is when the bus driver joins the party and starts dancing for AEGEE at three o’clock at night.

Glenti is not going to bed because watching the sunrise at the rooftop is really more important.

Glenti is the sunrise directly behind the Acropolis and the sunset at one of the most beautiful beaches of Greece.

Glenti is getting overthrown by the waves and carrying the bruises full of pride because you fought the sea.

Glenti is reaching Ithaca within one day (what took you so long, Ulysses?).

Glenti is when the organisers miss the boat and are lost in their own city.

It is absolutely glenti when the participants wake up the organisers (cold water has proven to be quite effective).

Glenti is seeing a huge turtle appearing in the sea next to you.

Frappé turned out to be very glenti.

Glenti is when you get traditional Greek food every evening.

It is definitely necessary to sacrifice some virgins to experience glenti.

Glenti is having pre-parties, parties, after-parties and parties in between the after and the pre-party!

The Greek nature is glenti and so is the Greek sea.

Greece is glenti.

The participants are glenti!

So, did you understand how to save the world? Use glenti as a way of life. Feel glenti!  Be glenti when you dance, cook, swim, sing, play, pray, kiss, love and party. Glenti is awesome, and AEGEE-Peiraias really has the glenti!!!

A big clap for AEGEE-Peiraias: one, two, three… GLENTI!!!

P.S.: After the Hungarian participants repeatedly told us that the Greek wine is ‘shitty’ they have to prove that the Hungarian wine is better… We expect some free wine at the AGORA!!!

Written by Ann-Katrin Habbig, AEGEE-Brussels/Bruxelles & Ana Martínez, AEGEE-Coruña