There you are, in the air somewhere between your home country and the Summer University. Destination: two unforgettable weeks. Valladolid, June 20th 2014. As we arrived, tired from the more or less long travel, we just had the time to put down our luggage and choose a spot to place our air-mattress and we were immediately thrown into some ice-breaking games! One, two, three… twenty-five… twenty-seven… confusion! Who is a participant? Who is an organizer? Well, after two hours of games we knew. And we even knew their names, the nationalities, the likes and dislikes of everybody. I should use these methods to study.

In a few days we discovered most of the history of Valladolid (hey, did you know it has the oldest University of Spain and that it used to be the capital city?). We could appreciate the art of the sculptures (some had a very unique gender), and we were frightened by the Christian traditional Pentecost procession! We left Valladolid after some days, in a cloudy morning after a night we will always remember (or not) as Sexy Tequila Night, with a large Spanish vocabulary thanks to the lessons of our awesome organizers (¿Quieres follar? Contigo no, ¡bicho!). In Peñafiel we discovered the charm of a non-globalized old village, with its particular Plaza del Coso and the beautiful Castle with a view of the landscape, but we also discovered that old traditions of a population may go against our own ideas.

The big surprise has been Rioseco, for the first time in a week we could sleep in a real bed and eat real, handmade food (made with love) for the European Night. There we had one of the best days (and nights) of the SU: we could show our wild side during a morning of canoeing and cycling, our intellectual side through a visit to the old mill and our dark side, that had been unchained after dinner, during the European Night. We found out that trying to drink from each bottle on the same night is not such a good idea, even worse, is trying to play “I have never” and revealing all your darkest secrets without being able to remember it the next day.

After that we came back to Valladolid and the next day we took the train to Barcelona. In Barcelona were welcomed by new organizers that had set up a fresh dinner for us. It was nice to have dinner, lunch and breakfast outside, in the garden of the school that hosted us. Barcelona is a big city, which we explored by playing games. We have had a gymkhana all along the passage de Gracia where there are many works of Gaudì of which we found out curiosities and noticed little particular things that usually are not mentioned in tourist-guided tours. We also entered the Sagrada Familia, where the pleasant voice of the audio-guide led us under the column of this epic construction. We were shown The Gothic Cathedral through the history of Enrichetta, a thief of children, brightly performed by our creative organizers.

In Barcelona we also enjoyed the beach and the sun, when the weather finally decided to let us down. The beach of Sitges was definitely worth the visit. Despite the crowd, the village is nice, full of good ice cream shops and the sea water was very clear. We finished visiting the city with a bike city tour, where we revisited the wonderful Parc de la Ciutadella; the one we visited the first day when it was raining. When it is sunny, everything looks even more beautiful.

We got very instructive lessons about the culture of Catalunia. We finally knew how to insult each other in Catalán (ruuuuuuc) and we tasted the liquor Melody (a liquor made with Catalan cream) and the brioche. We were true gluttons, when the organizers prepared us an original delicious paella. Everybody agreed that it has been the best gift they could have given us. Every morning we experienced the consequence of the wild night life for which Barcelona is so famous, so sometimes loud music was not enough wake us up. We needed an explosion and we did get a true explosion. We had the true explosion on the last day, but of feelings, when we had to deflate our mattresses, put away our things, say goodbye and go back home. But we did not have to leave with nothing: we got to bring home a big suitcase, full of new experiences and memories, but with enough space for more awesome experiences like this one!

Written by Chiara Langianni, AEGEE-Firenze and Serena Zaccà, AEGEE-Leiden

Renove is a common term for members of La Nave, the nickname for the locals in France, Spain, Portugal and AEGEE-Brussels/Bruxelles. This year the 4^th edition of Renove will be hosted, bringing back the event to where it originally started, namely in a small village close to Madrid.

AEGEE-Madrid will already host the fourth edition of Renove, but even though the event has existed for years, still not many members outside of La Nave know about it. The AEGEEan therefore interviewed newly elected NetCom assistant Carmen Maria about the idea behind the event. “The idea was to have a common event right after the period of Summer Universities (when new members are really motivated and want to know more about AEGEE). An event which combines funny activities and information about AEGEE in the right doses, as well as allows antennae members to get to know each other by mixing oldies and newbies while promoting teambuilding.”

After the first edition of the event, Antonio Velez then President of AEGEE-Madrid explained to The AEGEEan that the idea included having a team based competition, some light workshops and a lot of fun and parties to make it an attractive event for newbies. “As one of the main objectives (and results) of this event was to activate new people in order to gain new board members, Maria Laglera (PR of SUCT 2011) suggested the name Renove, which in Spain is the name of a goverment program to replace old cars, and we all agreed,” he told the magazine when being interviewed by The AEGEEan in 2011.

In the last years the event has been hosted by AEGEE-Madrid, AEGEE-Valladolid and AEGEE-Burgos. The NetCom team, La Tripulación, ensured that the event created back in 2011 kept its original spirit and main purpose and has over the years taken further control of the content in order for it not to divert its aim.

As mentioned, the event this year goes back to where it started, in a small village close to the Spanish capital and again hosted by AEGEE-Madrid. Carmen Maria tells us: “Clearly, Madrid is geographically the most convenient city for the whole area. Connections are better and easier for people than to other cities. It will also be good for the antenna to motivate and activate members which is a bit difficult in such a big city.”

Renove in Valladolid

As always it will be a busy autumn for the antennae in “La Nave” having several interesting events to go to. There will be Renove in September, sending delegates and visitors to the Autumn Agora in Cagliari in October and the Autumn Network Meeting in November in Zaragoza. The AEGEEan asked Carmen Maria if she believes the event participation in Renove and later the NWM in Zaragoza will be affected by the busy schedule and she says: “Renove is taking place right in the middle of Spain and Zaragoza is in the Northwest. These cities have quite a good location regarding the rest of the antennae of our area so we don’t really see a problem. The content and aim of these events are also pretty different so they can attract a wide variety of members. Moreover, we love Renoves and NWMs!”

Next to these events, early next year there will also be plenty of work for AEGEE antennae as the EPM will take place in Burgos in February and a few months later there will be the Spring Agora in Gijon organized by AEGEE-Oviedo. The Autumn NWM as well as Renove will be of great importance for these two statutory events “They will be really relevant as many people might get active and find the motivation to take part in these upcoming events. They will also be the perfect place to learn a bit more about event’s organisation, functioning of the teams and so on, so we expect these events to be a help for the future organisers and helpers of the EPM and the Agora. They will be perfect places to bond together,” Carmen Maria tells The AEGEEan.

Renove hosted by AEGEE-Burgos

Of course The AEGEEan also interview the board of AEGEE-Madrid about their motivation to organise the event. It was already said last year that the antenna wanted to organise the event again but in the end the participants enjoyed a fruitful event hosted by AEGEE-Burgos. So instead of Renove 3.0 it turned out that Renove 4.0 would be the follow-up event for AEGEE-Madrid on their great success in 2011 and they tell us: “Well, for us, it was about time to do it.  Last year we were in a rush and we didn’t have enough time to prepare a project like this one. This year, with a fresh new board and some new active members there was a constant factor that always appeared in our projects: Renove IV. Since the very beginning, it was proposed to organise the Renove in 2014, and all the new and old board member agreed on that. As the time was passing, we were more and more excited about the idea of organising an event like this for our region.We have worked hard lately on it and finally we decided to send our application to “La Tripulación”.”

Even though about three years have gone by, there are still people in AEGEE-Madrid that have the experience of hosting the first event that will offer their expertise for the 4^th edition, for example Sergio Recuero, who was part of the team that organized the first Renove. For Renove 4.0, he will be in charge of the social programme and activities before and during the event. Also Antonio Vélez who used to be a subcommisioner for the Network Commission, and who is another experienced member from AEGEE-Madrid will help the antenna with the organisation of this big project. Javier Uceda, the Vice president, was also involved with the same enthusiasm in the first one as he is in this one. “With their experience, ideas, patience and hard work, we are sure we will make the difference for Renove IV,” the rest of the board of AEGEE-Madrid ensures The AEGEEan.

These experienced members work together with the group of organisers with new motivated members such as Alberto Arroyo and Silvia de Gregorio that are very motivated and want to get involved in the organization of such an event for the whole region. They will also make use of the experience of Cintia Pérez, Eva Alcolea and Ana Gómez (Anita), who have already organized events not only on a local level, but also in the European level, which surely will be a great contribution.

 However, the event won’t all be the same as the first year. First of all, the first thing that will be different is the accommodation. The lodging has been renovated during the last year and the participants will be in wood huts instead of a hostel. Furthermore, the owners of the place have also renovated the facilities and there will also be a greater arrangement of the parties this time around. But changes aren’t only made to the accommodation, AEGEE-Madrid has a lot of surprises in mind as well as activities, games, a big gymkana and the thematic for this Renove that they unfortunately cannot reveal yet, but they ensure that everyone is going to have a great time. “The key of the last success was the place chosen, Manjirón, (which, would be the same but a little bit changed) but also the new team of organisers, one of them will be organiser of this Renove too (Sergio Recuero) and the social programme. We would like to contribute to repeat that success this year with fresh ideas and activities to make sure everyone is going to remember this event. However, as everyone knows, we will keep in mind what happened during the first Renove, but we won’t like to reenact it, as if we were reenacting a historical battle. As Heraclitus said: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man,” the board says.

Former Network Commissioner Pauline at Renove in Burgos. The Network Commission is of course also very involved in Renove 4.0 that will be in Madrid

AEGEE-Madrid has many plans for the events and have already chosen the thematic for the making of the groups, as in other Renoves the participants will be divided into different groups during the event. “It is so great that we cannot tell you anything else, it is a secret (part of the surprises that we are planning). However, we know that you will love it. Our idea is to bring people from different places together and mixed the “oldies” with the “start-to-be-active” and “newbies”, so the event can be more fun and productive. Through this groups, we will make contact with all the participants and it will increase the relations of the people before and after the event,” the board finishes the interview with excitement for the event.

Renove is not the only event that AEGEE-Madrid is working on. Every week they gather the members to motivate new ones and get them in contact with the board and the rest of the people from AEGEE either at a meeting or a social drink. Besides that, as many other antennae, AEGEE-Madrid is also busy working on their upcoming Summer University and they have plenty more events in mind to ensure that AEGEE members will enjoy happenings hosted by their antenna several times of the year in different shapes of events.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza.

How do you feel about being an antenna already?
We are really proud of it, because we have been working very hard to be upgraded. It was our dream when we started and now it has become true. But this is only the beginning.

What local activities do you organize to motivate members?

Normally we arrange social meetings in bars, go for tapas and wine, have endless dinners where we discuss about our next steps… On the other hand, we also enjoy hiking, cycling and going on weekend trips, an amazing opportunity to make knowledge transfer with a less intense planning than a Local Training Course (LTC).

This summer you organised your first Summer University, how did it go?
At first we had to do a huge effort because we did not have all the contacts we needed in Valladolid. Eventually, and after a lot of lodging problems, we found very interesting contacts and they were nice enough to organize quite a good TSU, according to the evaluations.

Will you organize a Summer University (SU) next year as well?

We are not sure. It depends on how many active members we can count on during the Summer period in Valladolid. Nevertheless, we have such good memories from our last SU that we will try our best to organize it again.

You also organized a Y Vote 2014 event, why did you choose to do so?

At that moment our motivation was growing and several of our most active members were really interested in the topic of the next Parliament Elections, so we decided this was the best opportunity for our antenna to show that we could also organize an event focused on a serious topic for youth and really contribute to the important projects being developed within our association. With regard to the topic, AEGEE-Valladolid liked the focus and the objectives of Y Vote 2014 project, therefore we supported it very strongly. We consider that, in these hard times for Europe, it is important that the voice of youth is heard by the European leaders, especially the EU parliament members, so we can help improve the future of Europe.

How did the event go?
Undertaking this project was a true challenge for such a young antenna and we are really happy about the results. The organization was tough, due to the lack of active members in our antenna, but we were happy to see how all our members came together to help out during those days. The event was a success especially thanks to our highly-motivated participants and all agreed on the relevant lessons learnt through the interesting program developed by the Y Vote 2014 team and the logistics and cultural activities we provided. More importantly, thanks to this project AEGEE-Valladolid gained greater recognition within our City Hall, our university and quite a few local and regional institutions and we are convinced this will come in handy during future events.

What lies in the future plans of AEGEE-Valladolid? What will you be working on in 2014?
We are thinking about organizing a language tandem in the city to be in contact with Erasmus students, attract new members and activate the ones we already have.

Moreover, as AEGEE didn’t exist in Valladolid, the antenna is establishing contacts with all kind of bodies and entities (University, associations, City Hall…) so it’s very complicated in the beginning. That’s why our biggest milestone is getting the full recognition from the University of Valladolid and we will continue working very hard on it. This recognition will make it possible to reach a significant step for us in Valladolid, so we will be able to access a huge amount of students and an important support to organise events and to establish alliances.

It is great to see a new antenna working on so many projects, contributing to the Network in a great manner and at the same time managing to grow. 

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

A sunny, clear day welcomed me to Valladolid on Wednesday 18^th of September. As I was picking up my backpack from the bus, I found myself wondering what those five days would bring me. I wasn’t sure about what to expect. I did not yet realize how some of my thoughts and points of view about Europe would change in such a short period of time. I wasn’t aware of what amazing people I would meet…

The scenery of this magic long-weekend, as I mentioned above, was Valladolid. The aim was the “Y Vote” Program, developed by AEGEE-Europe and the YVote2014 Project Team. As you may imagine, the purpose of the event was to provide 25 students and youngsters from nine different countries with the tools to promote the voting among the youngest people for the next European Elections. In this context, the participation of people between 18 and 24 years old was less than the 25% in 2009. However, the meeting was about much more. Apart from discussing issues strictly related to the elections, we tackled different other points, focusing on youth participation and involvement in Europe. The time flew by and without noticing, I found myself diving into the ins and outs of Europe, debating things that the day before I had no idea about. I was learning, discovering not only Europe, but also myself, and even teaching, all at once in a vibrant young atmosphere. Sharing with the rest of the participants (by now my friends) our ideas and our concerns proved to be very engaging. We even debated with a Member of the European Parliament, as well as assisted to many brilliant, motivating speeches.

Organisers from AEGEE-Valladolid

Despite the fact that the content was really interesting, the best part of the event was the feeling I got. You could only have felt what I did if you had been there, in those rooms: the way we got involved despite the tiredness, the way we participated in every workshop, no matter if we had slept only a couple of hours. It was actually as if we could change something, as if we really had a say, and the recommendations we wrote were the finest example. The program itself was exhausting, sometimes challenging and even exasperating, especially when you realized the limitations of what we can do in Europe, but that’s exactly how life is. That was the best part: feeling that we can take part in our future, that we have a say instead of being mere spectators.

I wouldn’t like to end this article without thanking all the participants, organizers and trainers (some of them I call friends now) for their spirit and effort. It was really inspiring to share those 5 days with you guys. You are the ones who made it life changing, not the program or the content. Without you, this wouldn’t have had any sense.

I remembering hearing this phrase during the event and it sums everything up perfectly: “We all have different opinions, and that’s OK. We are not telling you to like Europe, but if you don’t vote in the European Elections, you won’t have a say!”

Now it is your turn.

Written by Javier Uceda, AEGEE-Madrid

Covilhã is located in the mountainside of the biggest mountain in continental Portugal: Serra da Estrela. The mountain has the biggest natural park in Portugal and one of the most beautiful landscapes in the interior of Portugal. During the winter there are many events such as snowboard competitions and the famous “Carnaval da Neve” (Snow Carnival). People can either do winter sports or just stay in and enjoy a hot chocolate in front of the fireplace in one of the many rural and cosy coffee shops. But this is not only a winter town. During the summer, the mountain also has a lot to offer – beautiful waterfalls, lagoons and hiking courses. It is the perfect place for rock climbing lovers!

Covilhã is also known for its university – it has highly active student groups and the university itself has a strong bond with local enterprises and even some international ones. As a small city and university in the interior, it is hard to make a stand against the bigger universities in Portugal, but thanks to student projects and the always supportive university administration, it is making major improvements. “The best fragrances come in small bottles. It’s exactly like Covilhã. Small town, but so much to offer”, this is how the Erasmus friends of the founders of contact Covilhã described the city. Exactly for being such a small city, Covilhã offers foreign students the chance to get a real contact with the locals. This is the place where Erasmus students do not tend to walk in groups of people from their own countries, but in big mixed groups of Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Estonian, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian and Turkish people. Covilhã becomes a melting pot of tolerance, friendship and diversity where we all turn into a big family.

Picture courtesy of Francisco Esgalhado

It is guaranteed that no one could ever leave this town without experiencing the true meaning of saudade, a feeling that comes in the process of looking back and remembering the times spent in this special place, between the mountains of Serra da Estrela.

The city sounds perfect and has only missed one thing up until now: AEGEE. A group of students from different areas of interest. At the moment, they are a team of 20 creative and responsible people interested in taking part in this project. A team formed by students of Political Science and International Relations, Informatics, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, all together for a reason: AEGEE.

The AEGEEan had a chat with Joana Vaz from Covilha about the project of bringing AEGEE to their city.

The AEGEEan: How did you hear about AEGEE?

Joana: After participating in a formation organised by AEGEE-Istanbul, within the Youth In Action programme, I thought I could build a team, bring AEGEE to my university and help other students to develop their skills in order to be more capable, competitive and active in this world. Sometimes the hardest thing is not to fight, but to find something specific to fight for. Where should we start? What are our limits? If there are limits, is it possible to overcome them? Am I alone in this? Participating in associative activities helps us to get a deeper view of ourselves, contributes to the creation of an entrepreneurial attitude, stimulates the initiative capacity and encourages us to take risks. More than taking chances, it is important for us to learn how to create our own opportunities. Furthermore, we live in a global village. Despite our different backgrounds, we all share the same piece of land. We dress in Chinese clothes, drink German beer, eat Italian food, watch British news and American films. There is no way to deny each other anymore. Truth be told, future depends on us. We are responsible for building a culture of peace with structures that are strong enough to last and only by experiencing tolerance in intercultural activities we can make it possible. These kinds of associations have a huge importance on the subject as they are an expression of life in community that protects the practice of democracy and citizenship, and develops solidarity within society.

Picture courtesy of Ricardo Casteleiro

How did you get the idea of bringing AEGEE to Covilhã?

There are only two AEGEE antennae in Portugal, which we think is not enough. Especially in this hard period of crisis and with the increase of unemployment, formal education seems to be insufficient for young people to succeed. More and more employers demands us to be different, active, flexible and dynamic. Having a leadership skill is not a feature anymore; it is an absolute need nowadays. We think that having this door to the world in such a small city with lots of students is an awesome opportunity for them to broaden their views, share international experiences in their area of studies, building themselves as global citizens and in the end they can even make the world a better place!

For how long have you been trying to get AEGEE to your city?

It was not as hard as we expected. Actually, the university was super receptive and people are getting more interested in AEGEE day by day.

So how has the university been involved?

Thankfully, our university has been fully cooperative and although a bit slow in response, it has attended to all our needs. All other student organisations have shown support, congratulated us on this new project and even invited us for partnerships and future cooperative activities. We have a strong and very active student core and our university does whatever is possible to help us.

What lies in the future of AEGEE in Covilhã?

We are just starting this amazing adventure and we are eager to learn more about everything that relates to AEGEE. Let’s say we will start from the beginning. The first step is taking part on our first international activity as members of AEGEE, by attending the next Network Meeting and getting to know our closest friends from Spain and France. Also, we are organizing a meeting with AEGEE-Valladolid in our city so they can share in a more close way their experiences and thoughts, creating strong bonds with our other two national antennae and putting some other great ideas to practice. One of our goals this year will be doing a project within Youth In Action, so students with less possibilities can also be a part of this. The subject of the project is still a secret, all we can tell you is that in a close future, our academic and AEGEEan community can expect some fantastic ideas prepared just for them!

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

Organising an event for 200 people is no easy task. However, it is a task that is possible to overcome, and it does not matter whether or not the antenna hosting it is young or experienced. The secret recipe is to have a strong supportive network and motivation, and the result is Renove. An event that you could read about in The AEGEEan the other day and an event that made The AEGEEan team choose AEGEE-Valladolid to be honored as this month’s Local of the Month.

For many members of the Spanish speaking locals this “Renove” event has gained a special place in their hearts, despite only being an event organised once in 2011, and the second time about two weeks ago. However, this event might be even more special for AEGEE-Valladolid members because it is the first event that this antenna has organised since being “brought back from the dead” when they became an antenna in Spring Agora Enschede 2012, and the succesful organisation of this event made them deserve the title as this month’s “Local of the Month”.

One of the organisers, Patricia Garcia, is new in AEGEE too, and she told The AEGEEan about how she joined the Network more or less one year ago: “It all started in September of the past year. One day I was thinking about joining a student association, something I always wanted, but in Valladolid I only knew about Board of European Students of Technology (BEST, for engineers). Then I remembered that my cousin told me once how she had travelled to Brussels with one association that existed in León. I phoned her and she told me about AEGEE. I liked what I heard so she told me about Sergio Oliveros who was trying to create an antenna in Valladolid. Half an hour later I was talking to Sergio on Facebook, a week later I met him and Alberto Cuesta Noriega (AEGEE-Oviedo) and the following week I went to Renove in Madrid.”

Soon she became a part of the team trying to bring AEGEE to Valladolid, and together with Sergio and others she kept fighting for the creation of the antenna because they were all convinced that it was possible and worth it. Then, as history tells us, the antenna was fully created in May and soon the preparation for Renove 2.0 began. A big event to host for a new antenna, and possibly an even bigger event to handle for a first-time organiser, but Patricia managed to enjoy it:  “My first event in AEGEE was Renove so I was looking forward to assisting Renove 2.0. When we knew it would be in Valladolid I was enthusiastic about organising it. I must say it was overwhelming. It was my third event and my first time organising so I had to learn while doing everything, which made things a bit… chaotic,” she laughs and continues “It was really difficult on some occasions to manage with more than 200 people but we did our best and Renove had stuck us together. Besides people from AEGEE-Valladolid, there were helpers from other antennae that made things easier. Organisers, helpers, participants…  Thank you all!”

Another organiser of the Renove 2.0 was Sergio Oliveros, president and founder of AEGEE-Valladolid. The AEGEEan managed to catch him as well, congratulate him on being president of Local of the Month, and hear about the future of AEGEE-Valladolid.

The AEGEEan:  Congratulations on becoming “Local of the month” – what does this mean to you?

Sergio: First of all, thank you very much for this award. This is something very very special and important for us. We are a new antenna (just since Agora Enschede). It was our first event, and the challenge was very big: 200 people. As president, and one of the most experienced members or our antenna, I am proud of AEGEE Valladolid’s team, and all of our helpers of almost all the Spanish antennae, for being able to organise and manage such a big and amazing event.

Last time you told The AEGEEan that you had tripled your number of members, what does the member situation look like in AEGEE-Valladolid today?

Well, summer is a difficult time to recruit members, because of the holidays, Summer Universities (SU) etc. But after summer is the perfect moment to activate them, and the aim of this event was exactly to do so. The situation is almost the same since SU campaign but thanks to Renove 2.0 we have motivated some more people, almost all of our members were helpers/organisers in the event, and their motivation right now is close to the sky. Thanks to that we will be able to organise a lot of activities during this season and we hope to increase our number of members with them. We will also organise a Local Training Course (LTC) in November for all of our new members and newbies of the closer antennae.

Also, last time you said that AEGEE-Valladolid was interested in having a volunteer through European Service Voluntary (EVS) in your city, what does the situation look like today?

Yes, and we still are very interested in it, but it is a hard process. We have every document, and whatever we can do, but now the biggest problem is that the university cannot provide us with one office, and that fact is blocking our plans. But anyway we are going to re-start the dialogue with the university in the next week trying to get it, and finally use the possibility of EVS in our antennae, only option of EVS in the city.

You organised Renove 2.0 last weekend, how did it go? Did you have any difficulties organising the event?

AEGEE-Valladolid members at Renove in 2011

Well, all of the members of the team were newbies in organisation of events (also the main organiser), so we had to do our best to learn very fast and not to make mistakes. A big event like that requires very important logistics and coordination, but finally we got good places for sleeping, workshops, activities, meals and social programme, and all of them closer than 150m to the gym.

Organising the groups for team-building activities, dividing them and moving them for the cultural visits due to the huge amount of people, coordinating an interactive wine tasting with all the participants… But luckily, we were able to do everything thanks to the support of Serrada’s City Hall, the village where the event took place.

At the beginning we felt nervous, also sometimes kind of lost, but bit by bit everything was better and better – the nervousness became fun, and we got a nice event.

So what lies in the future of AEGEE-Valladolid?

Our feelings are amazing right now. Our motivation is really high, our team spirit is completely alive. The team is meeting once per week, increasing our motivation. Our next activity will be an LTC, to be organised the week after Agora Budapest, and then we will develop our activity plan and strategy during the upcoming season.

We will explain to our new members what AEGEE is, on a local and European level. Moreover we will have workshops about how to manage the antenna, how to work as a treasurer or a secretary, how to work in group… Everything needed for being active in our antennae.

Part of your antenna is your mascot Chazo… Why is it called Chazo and what kind of an animal is it?

The newlyweds

It was not easy to find a name for our lovely mascot. First of all we wanted to choose something representative of our city, and that animal is the most typical of our gastronomy. A lechazo is a baby lamb that has not eaten anything but milk. It is a typical meal in this province in addition to wine. Then, the name of Chazo comes from this animal, but the original name is “Chazo le Chazo” (like the 007 agent), but Chazo for friends.

Is it true that he got married during Renove 2.0?

Yes, that is true, in Renove Chazo he got married to Latxa Pela, a beautiful sheep from Bilbao, and the wedding was like a real one. We sent invitations to all of our participants, including them in one group depending of their relation with the couple, for example “Ex”, “Singles”, “Family”, “Lovers” and so on for 12 groups.

The event started with the open ceremony, presentation and live music. It was followed by an interactive wine tasting, European night and stag party, and a full programme on Friday night. After cultural visits and team-building games in the afternoon, the wedding ceremony took place. It included speeches and presents of every group. Finally the whole thing ended with a joyful dinner and party. But the wedding was much more than that. We are going to start new activities with our “wife antenna”, exchanges, and we are also thinking about the next Travelling SU (TSU) Bilbao-Valladolid.

It seems that AEGEE-Valladolid has many plans in store for the future. The AEGEEan congratulates them once more on being the Local of the Month and on the wedding of their mascot… May everybody live happy ever after!

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

Attention: If you think you know an antenna, which deserves to be honoured as “Local of the Month”, send an email with the locals’ name and the reason for nominating to aegeean@aegee.org.

Renovar is Spanish for “Renovate”, which, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary means:

1: To restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding)

2: To restore to life, vigor, or activity : revive <the church was renovated by a new ecumenical spirit>

Years ago, the Spanish government started a plan called “Renove” which consisted of giving an amount of money to everyone who wanted to change his car for a new one, renovating the fleet of cars and trying to get more environmental friendly ones. Later on, many projects were called “Renove”, all of them with the same spirit: restoring something to a better state. Of course AEGEE couldn’t be an exception.

AEGEE is pretty strong in Spain, but let’s not forget that in many antennae the same group of people have been working throughout many years, without a proper generational change. That’s why the idea of renovating the boards surfaced at the NWM in Granada, and one antenna was the perfect place to put it into practice: AEGEE-Madrid.

Opening ceremony

The idea was to have one event right after the period of Summer Universities (when most of the new members are willing to hear more about AEGEE), with a big amount of fun and the correct amount of information about AEGEE, mixed with some time for the antennae to bring together oldies and newbies and create a team.

The event itself was so succesfull that people were asking: “So… where is it going to be next year?”. The seed was sown and no one could stop it, we needed a Renove 2.

After some months, Sergio Oliveros, from AEGEE-Madrid, the person trying to create once again the antenna of AEGEE-Valladolid, came up with the idea: “I have the perfect place to hold Renove 2!”, and at the NWM in Burgos, the same event where he signed the Convention d’Adhésion for AEGEE-Valladolid, he shared the great news: they were willing to organise Renove 2.

Of course, it’s not easy to organise an event like this one (200 participants is like a small EBM!), especially for a newly created antenna, with a main organiser (Sergio Oliveros) experienced in AEGEE, but an organiser for the first time nevertheless, and most of the other organisers as newbies, with no experience either. It wasn’t easy, but just like last year, many people from all around Spain offered to help. This is the AEGEE spirit, and this is how we live in our Network.

The gym with the 210 participants

The event started on Thursday, with the first people arriving in Valladolid, but the main programme started on Friday, when the 200 participants and organisers were all together in Serrada (the village where we stayed). Due to the magnitude of the event (for a new antenna like AEGEE-Valladolid this was like organising an Agora), they decided to start the event with a special opening ceremony: singing! With the guitars of Anita and Consu (from AEGEE-Coruña and AEGEE-Valencia, respectively), the amazing voices of Olga, Cristina and Espe (AEGEE-Oviedo, AEGEE-Santander and AEGEE-Las Palmas) and the… let’s say “crying-cat-like” voice of Sergio Oliveros.

Right after the show, since we were in the land of wine (Serrada is in the middle of a Protected Designation of Origin area of wine), we enjoyed some wine tasting (12 different wines in total) with “tapas” (small complement of food usually offered with wine in bars). This was right before the European Night, which was, actually, the strangest I’ve ever been to, since the place was so small that we needed to go from table to table and ask “Where are you from and what did you bring?”.

On Saturday, after a really cold night in the gym, we woke up to enjoy the morning activity: visiting a wine cellar and a vineyard. And right after lunch, the most famous part of Renove: the group games. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the place where we were supposed to enjoy the games and the organisers had to change the location to a wheat field, which was full of stubble. Due to this, the organisers had to change most of the games (which included running barefoot or crawling) in the very last moment, which was far from easy.

At night, the main event: the wedding of the mascots of AEGEE-Bilbao (a sheep) and AEGEE-Valladolid (a lamb). In my opinion, the most incredible fact of the wedding was that a truce was agreed before the event and most of the mascots attended the wedding without anyone trying to steal them (at least for few minutes). Of course, the different groups of the event, this time based on the different characters that can be found at a Spanish wedding (aunts, grandmas, drunks, gatecrashers, etc.), dedicated poems, dances, and even hip hop songs to the couple (yes, this is weird, but it’s AEGEE, and we sing French songs in European meetings…).

Finally, on Sunday, we enjoyed the training part of the event, starting with the amazing presentation of “What is AEGEE”, held by Fernando Campo from AEGEE-Santander. It was his last event in AEGEE and he wanted to say goodbye somewhere where the sky was the limit. Although this presentation was usually held by Juan Hernandez with huuuge success, Fernando chose to hold it this time, and it was more than amazing. Everybody enjoyed it quite a lot.

To finish the event, everyone was grouped in antennae and talked about their future and what people could do for the antennae. I’m pretty sure many new members will be active after Renove… once again!

Games during Renove

My congratulations to AEGEE-Valladolid for being such a new antenna and having the courage to organise such a big event like this one.

See you at Renove 3!!!

Written by Juan Sordo, AEGEE-Oviedo

A Spanish city not too far from important AEGEE cities such as Madrid or León used to be an important brick of the AEGEE Network. This city was the host of the Spring Agora 1996 and the home city of AEGEE-Europe president Pedro Panizo in 2001/02. This city is called Valladolid and they signed the Convention d’Adhésion during the recent Network Meeting (NWM) in Burgos, putting them back on the AEGEE map.

When The AEGEEan editor Patricia Anthony visited Valladolid during the autumn of 2011, Sergio Gomez Oliveros had already been lobbying for a year to bring Valladolid back to the AEGEE Network. Getting the support from University of Valladolid proved to be quite a difficulty for Sergio despite having great motivation to sign the Convention d’Adhésion and making people of his city realise how great AEGEE is. He describes it as a vicious circle in which there was always an obstacle in their way, which was anything from requirements from the University of Valladolid, AEGEE-Europe, or a third party. However, Sergio kept going because for each disappointment there was always a reason to keep going. This came in the form of help from people interested in helping, or newfound motivation from an AEGEE event such as the Summer University of AEGEE-León or Renove organised by AEGEE-Madrid.

It all began in the mountains of Madrid

Actually the idea of intention to (re)create AEGEE-Valladolid originated in the same small village in which AEGEE-Madrid organised the famous event “Renove” last October 2011, gathering more than a hundred AEGEE members. The year before Renove, in October 2010, AEGEE-Madrid organised NWM Madrid which was the first NWM that Sergio attended. After enjoying AEGEE in a few more events such as European School 1, Agora Alicante, and EBM Riga, Sergio knew that he had to create AEGEE-Valladolid so that all Europeans of the AEGEE Network could enjoy events organised by him and his city the same way as he had enjoyed their cities. “Furthermore, whenever I set a goal for myself I never stop before I achieve it, and this was a wish that I really wanted to make come true”, founder and president of AEGEE-Valladolid version 2012 Sergio Gomez Oliveros tells The AEGEEan.

The potential of AEGEE in Valladolid

If you had asked Sergio and the rest of team Valladolid one week ago about the potential of AEGEE in his city they would have responded that the potential was based on numerous good ideas but that there was a lack of team members and actual help. However, the situation has since then changed because the Summer University campaign has tripled the number of members of AEGEE-Valladolid and what is even better is that in the all of the presentations about AEGEE there are people interested in becoming engaged in AEGEE beyond Summer Universities. “When I spoke about the needs for an upcoming Local Training Course in one of the upcoming weeks in order to explain everything about AEGEE, one of the new members offered to organise the event in a big house in her village”, Sergio tells The AEGEEan with a smile on his lips, and he continues “In reality I am very impressed by the motivation of the people, and I might not know where it will take us, but I do know that the eagerness to bring back AEGEE-Valladolid is very big!”

The mascot of AEGEE-Valladolid in his home city

Valla-do-what?

Valladolid is both the capital and the biggest city of the region Castillá y León with around 340.000 inhabitants, located in the middle of Northern Spain. Valladolid is furthermore a well-communicated city having University of Valladolid connected to four cities (Valladolid, Soria, Segovia, and Palencia) giving plenty of opportunities which is a good guarantee to begin with. In the beginning this university was not too fond of AEGEE and giving their support, thinking that it is just another association organising parties for Erasmus, but after numerous personal meetings with the responsible their opinion changed little by little and AEGEE-Valladolid reached the opportunity to speak with the vice-principle of the University of Valladolid. This meeting was used wisely to explain their local and international objectives and they hope to receive their definitive support.

When asked about what is so special about Valladolid in comparison to other Spanish and other AEGEE cities Sergio responds that he believes all cities are special in their own way, each one of them has something to share, something to teach, and none is greater than the other. They all become a part of our memories, and take a place in our hearts. For Sergio that is the spirit of AEGEE and the spirit of AEGEE-Valladolid.

AEGEE-Valladolid members at Renove

Renove 2.0

As previously mentioned, Renove organised by AEGEE-Madrid last October was one of the events that kept Sergio going in the fight of establishing AEGEE-Valladolid. Actually, he enjoyed the event so much that team Valladolid is applying right now to become the host of Renove 2 this September. But that is not the only event in plans of this Spanish city in the middle of Northern Spain. Right now they are finishing the express campaign for Summer Universities, but also working on organising a local training course in May, and a trip to Brussels in October.

Other than working on future events AEGEE-Valladolid is also working on becoming the host and sending organisation of the European Voluntary Service (EVS) program. “The EVS program is a very interesting opportunity which is not present in the city of Valladolid yet. It is a great service in which our volunteers can become ambassadors of Valladolid thanks to AEGEE and this EVS program. It is another great opportunity to get an international experience, similar to the Erasmus program, and it is an opportunity that we in AEGEE-Valladolid definitely are going to take advantage of, if possible”, Sergio comments on the effort of AEGEE-Valladolid for this program.

Welcome (back) to the Network, AEGEE-Valladolid!

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København