In the occasion of the Youth Development month, the Youth Development Working Group reached out to four AEGEE alumni and interviewed them, with the intention to connect past, present and future of AEGEE. Here’s the fourth and last interview of the series: Maria Nomikou (formerly) from AEGEE-Athina and AEGEE-Zaragoza. 

YDWG: Hello Maria, can you introduce yourself a bit?

Maria: I am Maria, I have studied theatre studies, stage management and international and European policies in education training and research and I joined AEGEE in 2002. Since then I have spent a lot of my time travelling for AEGEE, for pleasure or for delivering training courses. At the moment, I work at the British Council in the field of education, society and social economy. I love sewing, cooking and cinema. [she smiles, ed.]

And when did you become a member of AEGEE? How many years did you volunteer in it and what have you done during those years?

I joined AEGEE in 2002 and I was very active until 2009, but somehow I stayed involved as the last training I delivered for AEGEE was in 2013. Well, last year I facilitated the team building for the CD but it was just for a couple of days. What I have done… Member of AEGEE-Athina and AEGEE-Zaragoza, one year in the board of AEGEE-Athina, speaker of the Academy twice, president of the Members Commission (i think this doesn’t exist anymore [she smiles, ed.]), trainer in more than 15 European Schools, ES2 Oviedo Manager and chief editor of the NFE book: the impact of non-formal education on young people and society.

What does AEGEE mean for you?

Travelling like an executive, working in the middle of the night like in a multinational company, partying like an animal, having a friend in every single corner of Europe, thinking of the past and smiling for all the wonderful crazy experiences AEGEE gave me.

What was the biggest thing that AEGEE brought to you?

Confidence, the feeling that you have the power to make your dreams come true.

Which skills did you improve most during your very active years in AEGEE?

I feel that my whole personality was influenced by AEGEE. In my seven most active years in AEGEE I spent endless hours working for the organisation and I travelled to numerous places. This influences not only your skills and knowledge but your attitude towards life.

Did these skills help you to find a job easily? And what is your job now?

AEGEE first of all gave me a great opportunity to discover the world of youth work and youth training. Being nominated to the European Youth Forum Pool of Trainers for three mandates (2007-2013) I had the opportunity to work in very exciting projects with big institutions and NGOs. This influenced my future a lot and what I do now is as if I followed a natural path that started with AEGEE, continued with the Forum and other companies/experiences and brought me where I am, at the British Council in Athens.

What would you say is the biggest benefit of AEGEE for young people looking for a job?

It doesn’t matter what your job will be in five, 10 or 20 years, the biggest benefit is that it makes you feel a citizen of the world. It helps you improve basic soft skills such as collaboration, organisation, sense of responsibility, intercultural skills and many more that are useful for any job, even for the ones that maybe don’t exist yet. What you need to keep in mind is that this is not something that AEGEE offers you, but something you offer yourself, with AEGEE being just the vehicle.

Do you have any advice for newbies in AEGEE?

Grab the opportunities, try hard, follow your dreams and try to find out what makes you unique. AEGEE is a great and safe place to try new things, explore your strengths and weaknesses and find other crazy people that will join you in crazy journeys.

This is the fourth and last article of a series. You can find the first here, the second here and the third here. 

Written by Batuhan Çarıkçı, Youth Development Working Group

Last February, AEGEE-Zaragoza organised “DISCUSSION- Facebook Campaign about Sexual Health Day”, which was directly connected to the Action Agenda (Civic Education Focus Area). For this reason, they were chosen as the ACTive Local of the Month. We spoke to Celia Riveres, president of the local, to find out more!

ACT: What emotions did you feel when you found out that AEGEE-Zaragoza was chosen as the ACTive local of the month of February?

Celia Riveres, AEGEE-Zaragoza: We did not expect this. So, after the news, the widespread feeling was happiness and pride in ourselves. Moreover, being chosen as ACTive local of February has motivated us to do more activities. To conduct a campaign like this one is really easy and truly helpful.

Why did you decide to organise “DISCUSSION– Facebook Campaign about Sexual Health Day”?

We realised that the 14th of February, far from being just Valentine’s day, is the European Sexual Health Day, which was for us much more important. So in order to promote it, we decided to take pictures with the sentence “Be Sexual, Be Healthy” and post them on Facebook. The aim was to create awareness about “sexual health” not only as a prevention of STD but also as a way to give visibility of the intrinsic meaning of sexual rights that it entails: sexual freedom, integrity, autonomy and safety.

What was the result of your activity?

Our community manager wrote a post on AEGEE-Zaragoza’s Facebook page with the photos that some members took with the sentence. We immediately received the feedback we were expecting, some of our members even posted their photo in their profiles to give their opinions and create debate. Even the ACT congratulated us for the initiative!

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

We have a person in charge of the Action Agenda who is always coming up with new ideas and activities related to the Strategic Plan.

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

Actually, we are planning to do some activities like a first aid class given by some of our members studying for healthcare degrees or activities including debates about gender equality and chauvinism.

In AEGEE-Zaragoza we used to have a Zineforum every Sunday, we watched a film focused on a topic and later discussed it. This kind of activity was quite popular, especially because it made people think and develop different perspectives and arguments around an issue.

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

It can be very useful to show some members a different view of AEGEE  and a new aspect which can help them learn more and get more involved in a deeper way in the association. We strongly think that AEGEE members are active people who are involved in what is happening in the world, with a lot of interests, that can contribute a lot to the purpose of the Strategic Plan.

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

We try to show every activity as something funny and enjoyable, apart from the fact of learning something new, in order to encourage the members, especially the new ones.

Can you tell us a bit more about your local?

AEGEE-Zaragoza, founded in 1998 (next year we turn 20 already!), is a very active antenna in the centre of Europe. Nowadays, we are a family of 158 members who meet regularly and enjoy organising both cultural and fun events throughout the year. We have more or less 30 active members at a local level; furthermore, some of them are involved at European level.

Characterise your local in one sentence.

We really are a GROUP OF FRIENDS working together! [she smiles, ed.] Because for us, beyond the great non-formal education AEGEE gives you, friendship is the most important thing you take from the years you are in our beloved association.

Written by Elena Efremova, Action Agenda Coordination Committee

Lying in the middle of Aragon province, there is a city called Zaragoza. There, in 1998 AEGEE-Zaragoza was born, with a “long and a vibrant history” as the board said, having organised countless of events including two Agoras (2003 and 2013), NWMs, Summer Universities and so on. Currently, they have 158 members who meet regularly and they organise both fun and cultural events. We asked some questions to the board of AEGEE-Zaragoza, to know a bit more about the Spanish local. 

LTC during February 2017

What is the peculiarity of your local? What makes you special?

We tend to invade events, it is very difficult to find just one or two people from AEGEE-Zaragoza in an event. Once the Open Call is on, we apply like a pack and we end up being at least eight, or up! We are a big family that does not only meet to do AEGEE related things. We have social meetings with new members and we organise informal meetings very often!  That is why we are a group of friends working together [they smile, ed.].

Which activities do you usually organise?

We have weekly meetings and we usually prepare thematic activities such as the European Day of Languages or the AEGEE day. However, everything the members are willing to do is valid. So, everybody can propose ideas.

Participants from AEGEE-Zaragoza – RENOVE VI

Name one good thing to be in AEGEE and one bad thing.

A bad thing could be that sometimes we have to prepare and do too much official stuff which might not be as useful as doing some other activities that could be more interesting for you and your local.

The good thing is the new lifestyle that you have while being in AEGEE, with experiences and people who make your life change.

How is the cooperation between your local and others in your area? And also how is it with your Network Commissioner?
Locals in La Nave [Spanish, French and Portuguese speaking locals, ed] usually cooperate with each other sharing good practices and ideas, organising events and attending to the local events. So, we can say it is very nice. The same with our Network Commissioner, we have an open communication with her and our assigned subcommissioner. We can share worries and successes with them.

Active members of AEGEE-Zaragoza

How do you implement Strategic Plan and Action Agenda with your members?

We try to do local activities to implement them as well as workshops, for example during the LTCs. This year, we participated for the Food Bank and we usually publish or participate in campaigns to raise awareness about certain topics such as Sexual Health, International Women’s day and so on.

Four years ago you organised an Agora. The experience can strengthen or break a local. How did things progress after the statutory event?

As in many events, there were some tensions in the team but apart from that, the results we had were very amazing! Among the helpers, there were many new members who wanted to collaborate with the rest of the team and who came out very motivated, eager to discover and work in AEGEE and AEGEE-Zaragoza. They built the basis of today’s AEGEE-Zaragoza. Now, these helpers share their experiences with the new members, talking about how awesome the agora was and people motivate to do another event in Zaragoza.

AEGEE-Zaragoza Summer University 2016

What are the future plans for AEGEE-Zaragoza?

The main objective would be to keep in touch with the new members, to motivate and encourage them to become active in AEGEE and to start doing things in AEGEE. We want to organise more local activities in order to empower our members to become more active both in Zaragoza and in the European bodies.

This year AEGEE Zaragoza is working on a Volunteering Summer University. We plan to stay a few days in a small town nearby, helping the local people with our young spirit, with activities such as playing traditional games, performing theatre plays, etc. Moreover, all of this will be combined with visits to the most beautiful places of this region and a lot of AEGEE spirit! We would also like to organise European thematic events… and we are starting to think about something big again in Zaragoza.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

In AEGEE-Zaragoza you can meet Celia Riveres López, a member who is very active in her local (she is the President), but also on the international level with the Netcom of La Nave (Spanish, French and Portuguese speaking locals), Alejandra Piot. In this interview, she tells us also something about the Renove, an event that takes place every summer in Spain. 

The AEGEEan: Who is Celia in- and outside AEGEE?

Celia: If I’d have to describe myself, I would say I am a very active and positive person who loves enjoying life, travelling and meeting people. You will never see me bored because I am constantly joining new projects and ideas that make my day full. I have been a member of AEGEE-Zaragoza since March 2013 and, ever since, I have been active, attended as many events as possible and helped as much as time has allowed me. Currently, I am AEGEE-Zaragoza’s President but I also have other responsibilities such as being Alejandra’s Subcommie. Outside AEGEE, I am a lovely Design engineer with a great passion for teaching (actually I have a Master’s degree in high school teaching). Currently, I work for a startup in Zaragoza that will soon rock it.

You are the President of your Antenna. How was the experience until now? What did you learn?

Well, I still have many months to go as the president of AEGEE-Zaragoza, but there are some things that are remarkably important from my experience. Overall, the experience is great and I am extremely happy to work with the rest of the board and active members of AEGEE-Zaragoza. We all are the engine to make everything possible. This antenna is insanely active and we always come up with many new and motivating projects. As a hint of what we are preparing, we will organise an amazing Summer University focused on volunteering that will include loads of surprises, new experiences to live and astonishing places to visit. AEGEE-Zaragoza’s craziness is shown by the big and exciting projects we organise and I will just say that we have never organised a European Planning Meeting… May 2019 will be the time? After all these months, what I have learnt is that teamwork is the key to success. It is crucial to keep everybody’s motivation up and very important to value collective work.

You worked a lot for the last Renove. What was the best moment? What was the most difficult thing you have experienced?

To clarify a little bit the question for the reader, Renove is an event that the La Nave Netcommie organises in collaboration with a local after the summer to ease the transition between not-so-new members and new members, gathering around 150 participants. In this case, as the main organiser, the best moment for me was to see everybody playing Crazy 69. It is a sort of quiz that requires interaction with people from the village we stayed and having fun learning about AEGEE. The most difficult thing was saying goodbye to the participants (although we got a good sleep afterwards).

Are you happy with the results and proud of them? Would you change anything when you look back?

Absolutely, organising Renove has been a unique and unforgettable experience. I am definitely proud of the team and the results we achieved. I am really looking forward to new adventures.

Name one good thing and one bad thing about AEGEE.

Naming one good thing, AEGEE opens your mind and equips you with skills that you did not know you would
get through non-formal education. As a negative thing, it may be the over-structure and complexity of AEGEE that prevent especially new members from understanding how they can better contribute to it.

What are your future plans for AEGEE?

I do not have any strictly defined plan, but I would want to continue helping AEGEE-Zaragoza. As a new challenge, I want to help in the implementation of the Equal Rights focus area.

Describe your personality by using the initials of your name.

My initials are CRL that stand for Celia Riveres López, so my personality would be…

C: Curious

R: Responsible

L: Lively

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

AEGEE-Zaragoza was chosen as the Local of the Month of December. However, with so many locals to choose from, what did this enthusiastic local from the northeast of Spain do to earn it, and what are its  plans for the future? AEGEE-Zaragoza explains.

The AEGEEan: Could you tell us something about your local?

AEGEE-Zaragoza: AEGEE Zaragoza is a very active local in the center of Europe in the middle of nowhere. Currently we are a family of 153 members that meet regularly and organise cultural and fun events throughout the year. We are motivated to learn new things and improve the job we do (even if this year we turn 18).

We are well-known for our amazing “I love Jamón” t-shirts, our endless energy and our invasions to events (because for us one loud “maño” is not enough, we send 30!). If you still don’t know anybody from Zaragoza (!) ask your friends how a real AEGEEan looks like.

You were selected to be the Local of the Month, in part because of your New Year’s Event. Could you tell us a bit more about that?

It was around October when we found ourselves looking for a good plan for New Year’s Eve. After a long conversation, we were convinced that the best idea was to make it on our own, and that’s how everything started! Five hard-worker organisers, forty-five European friends, and a program full of crazy and never seen activities were only some of the ingredients of a perfect cocktail of fun. In the end, everyone had a great time in Zaragoza and we are really proud of that.

Another reason why AEGEE-Zaragoza got selected was because of the great care you take of participants in your events. Could you elaborate on this a bit more? And how especially can this inspire other locals to treat participants with the same care?

For us, participants always come first. Before the event, we take every single decision thinking on them: if something is not good enough, we change it. During the event, problems are inevitable, so the best thing is to solve them with good mood and a smile on your face. In our opinion, what really makes the difference between a good event and an unforgettable one is to pay attention to the details.

In our opinion, the best way to learn is to see the things with your own eyes, so we encourage other locals to come to Zaragoza and enjoy our awesome events!

And of course, if someone needs some advice, we are willing to help!

Does AEGEE-Zaragoza have any regular social activities for their own members?

We have a formal weekly meeting in our office to catch up and it’s always followed by a “beer meeting”. These weekly events make us feel like a group of friends rather than a group of members of an association. And when new members join AEGEE-Zaragoza, we push them to join in order to feel integrated and linked. That’s what makes us grow together.

What, in your opinion, sets AEGEE-Zaragoza apart from other locals?

We often wonder that and we really think that what makes us different is that we feel like a big family. It’s really easy to work with all the members of this antenna because they are your friends, and there is always motivation to work in new projects.

In AEGEE-Zaragoza you are always surrounded by very energetic people that try very hard to make everybody feel comfortable and that love taking care of new members and participants of its events.

AEGEE-Zaragoza has organised an Autumn Agora in 2003 and in 2013. Will you organise another statutory event soon, and are there any plans for an Autumn Agora in 2023?

At the moment, we don’t intend to organise any other statutory event. However, we admit that in our minds remains the idea of seeing our future children managing their own Agora in  2033 or 2043 (who knows), as it is not a secret that our antenna has produced many couples which might have ‘pure blood’ members in the future. Wouldn’t it be nice to stare at our offspring repeating our biggest pride?

What about ZarAGORA 2023?

I think we’ll have to leave that mission to our little brothers and cousins for the time being.

Could you tell us something about some of AEGEE-Zaragoza’s plans for the future?

In some weeks we will have a Local Training Course where we will have different training sessions, team building activities and a lot of fun!

The following event will be, as it’s becoming a tradition, the fifth edition of the Maños! We expect many motivated participants, many innovative activities and a cool social programme.

Is there a question that wasn’t raised, but that you would like to be included in the interview? 

We just want to add that we are organising an awesome SU this year. We will travel around our region and we will visit amazing places. Last year we had really really good marks from our participants so we want to keep on improving our results.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Since a few weeks ago, Ander Guerrero Ruiz, AEGEE-Zaragoza, is living in the house of the Comité Directeur (CD) in Brussels as an assistant. Apparently, he likes it so much that he now will run for the position of Financial Director (FD) for the next term. The AEGEEan talked to Ander about his candidature, his qualifications and his future plans.

The AEGEEan: Ander, even though you have already been active in AEGEE for years, some of the readers might not know you. Briefly introduce yourself and your history.

Ander: That is something normal, when you are part of such a big organisation like AEGEE, where every year a lot of members join. I will try to do it: I am a positive, idealistic, down-to-earth, smiling guy from Zaragoza (Spain) who really believes in the potential of AEGEE and who expects to improve the association next year in Brussels.

You are running for Financial Director. Please present your programme in one sentence!

I want to continue ensuring the financial stability of AEGEE in the short and long-term in order to keep on carrying out our activities, looking for more funds and using them wisely, and also dedicating my time and ideas to increase our activities.

When and why did you come up with the idea to run for a position within the Comité Directeur? Why did you pick the position of Financial Director specifically?

Being part of the CD has always appealed to me, saying anything else would be lying. However, I’m quite realistic and I knew that I couldn’t candidate for it until I finished my studies in Spain, because I am undertaking an intensive and restrictive studying programme and I cannot stop them like in other countries or for other bachelors. I have always said that if one day I would finally apply, I would do it either for External Relations or for Financial Director since I feel prepared and motivated for both. However, during the meeting for possible candidates we had with the CD during the European Planning Meeting (EPM) Burgos, nobody else from the members wanted to run for FD. I know how important and what a risk not having any candidate for FD is, so the next day I talked with Ioana (current FD) and I saw it (even more) clearly. Also, being FD is not just managing money or accounting. When you are the Financial Director, you are also a member of the CD, so you are in charge of more responsibilities, projects, activities, etc., which is, I think, the most important part of the position and where you really can contribute to improve AEGEE internally and externally.

Since the 25th of February you are assisting the CD in terms of finances and you are even living in Brussels right now. What did you learn in the past weeks and how do you think this will help you if you are elected as the next Financial Director?

Yes, I am currently Fundraising Assistant of the CD. However, I am also helping Ioana with finances, which enables me to already start learning about some tasks of the position of Financial Director. But, as I said before, being a CD member involves much more, especially office work, which is the part that regular members do not see when they think of CD work. So yes, this may give me a chance, but I really want to believe that if I am elected, it is because members trust on me, they realise how motivated I am and they think I can be a good CD member.

In your programme, you listed a lot of non-AEGEE experiences that are supposed to be helpful for your intended position as FD. Please name the three most important experiences that qualify you.

First, for sure my studies in Business Management. During six years, I have had several subjects related with the position of FD (accounting, budgeting, finances, etc.). Now is time to go from the theoretical part to the practical part. With a good Knowledge Transfer for sure I will make it. Second, also related to my studies and my internship, is that these extra activities have given me a lot of patient working with some tasks that I have to do and I didn’t like at all. The same can be applied to some people. Third, I have undertaken several trainings and courses that have boosted my presentation and training skills. When you are a member of the CD you have to attend meetings or facilitate workshops.

In your programme, you state that you plan to “remove the prejudice that finances are complicated and boring [which] will encourage our members to be more interested in the topic“. How exactly are you intending to do that?

Is it clear that for a lot of people everything related with finances, accounting or budgeting sounds ‘like Chinese’ and does not catch their interest. But this is not true: accounting is sexy! Jokes aside, it is important for members to realise, for the internal purposes of the organisation and for their personal lives, that a correct management of finances is essential. But in terms of the internal performance of the organisation it is even more important for everybody to understand where the money comes from and for what it is used; otherwise, false prejudices and myths are created and members get confused about what their money is used for. To achieve my goal and avoid people sleeping during the plenary while the FD is explaining the financial report, we should be slower and explain in a way everybody can understand it. The current FD explained in Agora Cagliari in a closer way to the members, which I really liked and appreciated. That is the way. Trying to facilitate a few workshops in budgeting during Network Meetings (NWMs) or Agorae could be positive as well. But in this case, the only setback is time I’m afraid.

You state that right now is the perfect time for you to move to Brussels as a member of the CD since you are about to finish your studies. Do you have a plan B in case you are not elected? What is it?

Being in AEGEE has taught me that there is always an opportunity or an option, you just need to look for it. However, in this case, I am really looking forward to move to Brussels to be in the CD. It is the perfect timing, I feel prepared and motivated and my ideas can have some impact in the organisation. In the unlucky scenario I won’t be elected, I think I would go to an European Voluntary Service (EVS) or similar. It is time for a break from Spain (unless due to personal or family reasons something would attach me to my beloved Zaragoza). We are at the moment for doing what we love – to experiment and discover new things. My parents never had the opportunity to go to university or traveling while they were young, and they have sacrificed many things to support my brother and I in all ways, and they really encourage us to go and follow our dreams and to do something positive for society with our time and life as long as they can support us if needed. I really have a lot to thank them for, and I wouldn’t be here without their help and encouragement, so thanks! I really want to be part of the CD and achieve one of my dreams.

In your candidature you write a lot about your qualifications and ideas concerning becoming FD. But what about the work within a team, especially one in which the team members live so close with one another? Do you see any chances or challenges for yourself when it comes to working together with others?

For sure starting in a new team is a challenge, and living and working in the same house with different personalities and cultures can be a mess or a blessing. I was an Erasmus student, so I know the feeling. I know some candidates and I know I can do quite perfect with both. But, it is true that a few of the candidates I don’t know at all. However, I consider myself quite patient, tolerant and open-minded. You have to give something in order to win, and this case is the perfect example, respecting always some limits. Of course, there will be some challenges, this is not the perfect dream, but I would like to believe that I am quite transparent and honest towards the rest of the people, which is good in order to increase the trust between the team and achieve a better performance while working and living together. For sure the experience can be extreme in both ways, but the one who doesn’t take risks in this life doesn’t win at all. As always time will tell.

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

Due to the fact that NWM in Zaragoza took place only a few weeks after Agora Cagliari, it was mainly organised by former NetCom Carmen María and her team, although some members of the new team (Olga Rivero’s Tripulación) were also involved in the programme preparation and presentations.

Another Network Meeting (NWM), another pleasant and different experience with the members of our Network. We needed some winds of change in our NWMs, so we tried to implement some changes and improvements suggested by the participants in our last Spring NWM in Alicante, although the new team will have to continue working on it in order to keep improving the format. This time, we tried to make the content more practical and we held more sessions to share knowledge and experiences. There was more time for participants to talk and share their concerns, doubts and ideas, even if the outcome was not as dynamic and energetic as expected after all the discussions we had during the Spring NWM in Alicante and in our Facebook group before Agora Cagliari, where the participation in discussions increased notably.

The team was lucky to count on experienced people from different European bodies, people who contributed and shared a lot with the rest; Antonija Parat from the Comité Directeur (CD) who showed us the achievements of AEGEE so far and made us think about our motivation while also clarifying loads of interesting topics, Policy Officers Léa Charlet and Pablo Hernández who conducted a consultation on Gender Equality and Youth Employment, Speaker of the Action Agenda Coordination Team (ACT) Ruben Navarro who led a great session about the Action Agenda, Esperanza Rodriguez from AEGEE-Las Palmas who taught us more about Financial Reports and Erasmus +, Anna Gumbau from the 30^th Anniversary Team who informed us about the project, Liaison Officer Laia García who was always there to raise discussions, Regional Advisor from BEST Carlos Freire who was representing our beloved partner association and many other involved and active members from our area.

Not to talk about the nice social programme AEGEE-Zaragoza prepared! A tourist bus tour around Zaragoza to start knowing the city, their great work with the location of the accommodation and the facilities (in the middle of the city!), nice meals and many details thanks to their excellent fundraising work and, of course, a Celebrities party where participants let their imagination soar and became famous for that night. It should be pointed out that our current president, Paul Smits, was more than present there! 

Below you can find some experiences from participants and presenters with different backgrounds:

Antonija Parat from CD: ‘I enjoyed the event very much. The atmosphere was just perfect: engaged participants, caring organisers, an experienced NetCom team and quality content. For me as a CD member it was nice to see face-to-face where our members stand, what the topics are they care about, and what they hope to see in the future in our organisation. I was truly happy to be there.’

Silvia Sierra from AEGEE-Zaragoza, main organiser of the NWM: ‘It has been a pleasure to coordinate such a great event, the zNWM, and we hope this event has been really productive and fruitful. We have learned from our own successes and problems to continue growing up without falling in the same old errors. Afterwards, the organisers’ reward has been to know that our participants have been happy during the event and have enjoyed it in every moment.’

Pablo Ruiz from AEGEE-Zaragoza, subcommissioner: ‘When I think of the last Network Meeting, I smile to myself seeing the great atmosphere that surrounded the event. Excellent lodging in the center of the city, quite good meals, devoted organisers and, above all, a group of participants who have shown they don’t only share a common region, but what they actually share is a strong friendship and a really good vibe between them. Could I ask for anything else from a NWM in my beloved city? The only thing I disliked about the event is the fact it had to finish.’

Esperanza Rodriguez from Las Palmas ‘After being away from Europe for some time, I was excited but a bit afraid before this NWM. It was my 4th but after missing the previous four, I wasn’t exactly an oldie nor a newbie… But I came back with my batteries fully charged after such a weekend! For me, everything was perfect: the organisation, the content, the social program and the team spirit!’

Julien Denis from AEGEE-Paris: ‘This was my first AEGEE meeting and besides my admiration for the perfect job made by the organising committee, I was impressed by the commitment of all those young people to this association, all of them sharing a similar vision and working hand in hand. This experience made me want to commit myself to a greater extent in AEGEE and work harder to develop my antenna.’

Olga Rivero, current NetCom: ‘Even though I was expecting more discussions and productive talks at some points, I think that with this event we were really on the way of organising the kind of NWM that participants want! Everybody was really happy and motivated at the end of the weekend, and for those who work on the content of the event that is just amazing and inspiring to keep on working to make it even better.’

Once more, many thanks to AEGEE-Zaragoza’s organising team for their great help and wonderful work with the logistics of the event, making everyone comfortable and happy. Thanks again to Antonija for all her help and contribution to this NWM. And a special mention from my side to my team, La Tripulación, and the other collaborators for their support during the organisation of this NWM and their outstanding work. And of course, last but not least, thanks to every participant who took part in this NWM.

Let’s keep on rocking “La Nave” and AEGEE! 

Written by Carmen María López Banegas, AEGEE-Alicante.
Pictures courtesy of Alberto Arroyo from AEGEE-Madrid and of AEGEE-Zaragoza’s team.

“When I came to Spain and I saw people partying, I thought to myself: ‘What the f***?!’” The lyrics of the song by Sak Noel, also often called ‘the most annoying song of all time,’ are a very precise description of the first feelings of many of the participants of AEGEE-Zaragoza’s Kingdom of Dragon vol.3: ART – ATTACK. Thanks to our amazing organizers, we were able to see the beauties of Aragon at the same time as experiencing the real Spanish lifestyle with everything that it includes – Spanish timing (for once in my life I wasn’t late!), Spanish food and the never dying urge to party – all day, all night.

“Ok guuuuys, come on, wake up, we’re leaving in five minutes! Come oooon, AEGEE peopeeel!” The voice of one of my beloved ‘smart organizers’ wakes me up at 8 am. We’ve been going to bed after 4 am and waking up at 8 for over a week now and every day, the locals would be the last to go bed and the first to wake up. I am frankly jealous of their energy as at this moment, I wish I could sleep until dusk but the leaders stay faithful to their SU description: “Our perfect participant is that one who goes last to sleep and next morning is the first to wake up.”

As soon as we finally get ready (luckily, five Spanish minutes are about an hour on my Swiss watch which I consider an authority on the topic), we leave our flawless accommodation to explore the neighboring area. I will be honest. When applying, I had no idea the region of Aragon could possibly be as gorgeous as it is. As a regular European citizen and a new AEGEE member, my knowledge of Spain was limited to Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, and the words used in the lyrics of the song “Salsa, tequila” – taco, Shakira, nachos, sombrero, mojito and above all, Antonio Banderas. But the less I knew about the region, the more I found it astounding.

Our TSU started in Zaragoza, the capital of the region, and a city which was formed by a mix of Christian and Arabic culture. As a result, it nowadays boasts a cathedral with a stunning combination of the original colorful Muslim architecture with the later Christian towers, as well as Aljafería – originally a palace for the city ruler which is now the official headquarters of the Aragonese parliament. Zaragoza also has a great party-friendly city center where you can get very cool shots for just one Euro, but I don’t even know why I’m telling you this; of course you’re way more interested in analyzing the architectonic styles of Zaragoza than spending your time in a bar!

The next stop on our trip was the great city of Jaca – the gate to the Pyrenees, the mountains dividing France and Spain (and Andorra, of course, I would never forget that!). Our trip to the actual Pyrenees was unforgettable, with our SU splitting into two sub-groups – officially the ‘slow’ group and the ‘fast’ group, factually the ‘hangover’ and the ‘not-so-much-hangover’ – and enjoying the green flowery fields all around us, that magically transformed into rocks at the end of the horizon. Walking through the canyon with a crystal-clear river floating next to you, just waiting for you to soak your tired feet in, so as to let the cold water flow give you a refreshing boost, felt like walking through paradise and let us all forget about the alcohol our bodies were fighting.

Lastly, once in Spain, you have to enjoy something connected to the Catholic Church. During our last stop, the beautiful village of Albarracin with its red brick houses, marvelously matching the scarlet hills on which it was built, we were staying at a priest’s house who granted us with his visit one day and decided to play us some songs to cheer up weary souls. This idea was really sweet but at the same time, the situation somehow became so comical that one of the participants (the BEST participant, actually!) almost suffocated suppressing his laugh. And that is the spirit, that is AEGEE! You may travel on your own and enjoy the beauties of any given region but there are memories of your SU which will clearly make it prevail over your other trips.

It is when you team up with your Slavic friends trying to prove to the world that the Slavs can drink the most while desperately attempting to understand each other speaking their native languages (because all Slavic languages are alike) or when you scream “Contigo no, bicho!” with your favorite organizer in a random Spanish club in the middle of the night just for the fun of it, when you feel truly happy to be a part of the European family, and above all, a part of AEGEE.

Traveling is always nice and exciting but with the right people, it becomes a whole new experience. And this summer, the Kingdom of Dragon had the best people it could possibly get.

Written by Jiří Jirka Lhotka, AEGEE-Praha

Less than one year after the closing ceremony of Autumn Agora-Zaragoza took place in Palacio de Congresos in the capital of Aragón, another important AEGEE event is approaching in Zaragoza. Combining the expertise of “oldies” together with the motivation of the “newbies” AEGEE-Zaragoza is taking up the challenge of hosting the Autumn Network Meeting (NWM) Zaragoza 2014.

As announced recently, Carmen Maria has become the NetCom assistant of the area of “La Nave” (antennae in France, Portugal, Spain and also the one in Brussels) and one of her first tasks is helping with the coordination of the Autumn NWM that will take place in Zaragoza, most probably this November (dates not confirmed yet).

Many times, after hosting a large statutory event, antenna experience the activity level dropping, since this is usually the time when the older generation decides to leave AEGEE.

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to apply to host the Autumn NWM?  

Carlos: We felt that after organizing ZarAGORA the new and passive members became active and, as it usually happens after events in the association, AEGEE-Zaragoza grew in terms of not only more active members but of course also experience in hosting events.

Concretely, some of the new members of AEGEE-Zaragoza couldn’t go to the Spring NWM Alicante 2014 for different reasons, so after being informed by Pablo Ruiz about the application period for the NWM, some of them proposed to apply for the autumn NWM, and the “oldies” of AEGEE-Zaragoza encouraged them to complete this new objective: prepare the application. After that, the first goal was to get selected to host the NWM. The second is to make the NWM the best network meeting ever thanks to the volunteers who have already started with the organization of the event.

So that’s why it is an interesting new challenge for AEGEE-Zaragoza to be the host of the Autumn Network Meeting 2014, working closely with the Network Commission. We truly appreciate the opportunity given by the NetCom to realize our idea of the NWM and to work once again together for another great event.

The AEGEEan: How will it help that you have Pablo Ruiz who is a subcommie of “La Tripulación” (The team with the Network Commissioner of “La Nave” and his/her subcommissioners ed.) and a member of AEGEE-Zaragoza?

Carlos: He’s actually one of the most important people in AEGEE-Zaragoza, working hard for AEGEE from several levels. He’s a real AEGEEan and as such, he is helping the new members all the time. After Pablo, who knew of our intentions, told us to apply for the NWM, he came to us and he said “I can’t believe that you want to do it”, so I think that he couldn’t believe how active AEGEE-Zaragoza wants to be.

Fortunately has been helping us, as if he were an organizer, from the beginning.We know that if we have some problem, we can just take the telephone and call him. While we were working on the application and also after we knew the results, he told us that he will be there if we need help, or to solve any problem.

Also, as we are from the same antenna it is quite easy, we can meet on the street, or in the bar, at the university. Also, speaking Spanish helps us avoid some misunderstandings, and the speed of his answers is very important.

The AEGEEan: What are your plans for the NWM?

Carlos: First of all, to organize the best NWM in history. With AEGEE-Zaragoza you never know what to expect, we learned to work in secret… just kidding. We have some objectives that we have to accomplish.

First, we want to create an entertaining program, that would be complete and go beyond the typical expectations of a NWM. We want the people to think that coming to the NWM will be worth it and will solve their doubts. It’s about coming to a NWM where the speakers feel comfortable and can explain everything with confidence, and where every attendee learns about our Network and where they can have their doubts dissolved, a place where you can surely feel AEGEE spirit.

The main thing is that the NWM has to be useful and an ideal formative event, where doing a workshop is easy and where people have all necessary equipment. We want to look for a quality place, with adequate temperature, with good lighting and where people want to learn easily. The antennae will be our guests and we want the best for our guests.

We will prepare a very interactive social program in which teambuilding will be the main focus point. With it, we would like to encourage the rest of the antennae to be more and more participative in organizing European events. To sum up, we want everybody to think that it was the best NWM in AEGEE’s history.

The AEGEEan: Does it help that you have recently organized the Agora, a Local Training Course and Maños?

Carlos: Undoubtedly yes. Maybe hosting the Agora contributed with more energy. After it, many people got really involved and some of our new members dared to travel, managing weekly activities and bringing us incredible energy or just participating and making our meetings more colorful.

About the  Local Training Course, it was in nature. We were in a town called Borja, the Ecce Homo (the famous painting “restored” by an amateur painter ed.) place, and the workshops were interesting and funny at the same time. Furthermore, we managed to do a lot of activities in 24 hours and took advantage of our time without stopping at any moment and the people liked it, so they became more and more active afterwards.

The AEGEEan: Who will be part of the organization team?

Carlos: Really we have a great and well connected group. We belong to the same generation, and we work actually in many activities and programs together. Almost every week, we are together in our reunions or in private meeting having a picnic, or coffees, studying, etc. Another good point about it is that we come from different fields of professional life, such as future lawyers, nurses, doctors, programmers, engineers… so we can share our knowledge to do a better job.

Our structured work is really simple: we are in contact all the time and we take all the decisions together. Thereby, the whole group is responsible of our actions, and we are trying to do the best for the event. Even if some special task needs a lot of time, such as looking for the best accommodation for participants, we are together just as one body, one voice.

Silvia Sierra is the main coordinator and the actual secretary of our antenna. But she’s not alone, she has the best team she could ever have: Carlos Embid – PR, Sara Urdaniz – social program responsible, Juan Valles – incoming responsible, Alejandra Pérez – logistics responsible, Raúl Lapeña – meals responsible, Ava Rasekh – treasurer, and Ander Guerrero – Fundraising.

The AEGEEan: You organize many events in your antenna, how do you make it all possible?

Carlos: The point that we have to highlight is the organisation. We explain each week in our reunion how every activity or travel is going, we do weekly evaluations. There are also individual decisions taken by the leader, which are respected and he/she is the go-to-person with solutions to potential problems.

This year we worked very hard, and the system is really good.  We don’t have any secrets just work, communication, consensus and decision.

The AEGEEan: You also recently won two The AEGEEans Choice Awards. One of them was once again for Best Merchandise. Are you working or will you work on any new merchandise for the NWM?

Carlos: Actually, we stopped some programs because of the exams, but we plan some possible programs, and maybe we will totally modify our merchandise or we will just do a few changes. We have not chosen anything. I can’t tell you more about it at the moment, but I will keep you informed. However, I think that in the next meeting we will make a decision, and we hope that it will have the success of the Agora merchandise.

Three Spanish and two Polish locals compete for the award to the Best Thematic Event of The AEGEEan’s Choice Awards. All of them have cooperated with several projects and organisations in order to bring a thematical taste to their events, which have proven to be a great success. You will hear the final result in Agora Patra – meanwhile, we invite you to get to know the nominees!

To start with, AEGEE-Las Palmas was awarded as the Local of the Month the past November for the YVote2014 Convention on the EU Democratic Gap. The Canarians have shown that, despite being a small antenna, they can bring high-quality events to their city and have a big impact not only in the AEGEE network, but also on their local media. The AEGEEan has interviewed Carmen Martín, main coordinator of the event.

The AEGEEan: Could you tell us briefly what was the event about, and which were the main activities?

Carmen: The event was about the YVote2014 Project in general and specially about “Bridging the EU Democratic Gap”, which means to try to fill in the existent gap between Brussels and peripheral areas as Canary Islands, whose inhabitants don’t feel sometimes really European, because of the distance between our island and the rest of Europe.

You cooperated with the YVote project, how was the collaboration with them?

It was great, actually really fluid, with a lot of Skype meetings in which most of people in charge were present and with an open communication. AEGEE-Las Palmas team did not know all the members of YVote team, but that was not a barrier; we worked easily and efficiently all together.

Which were the biggest challenges of organizing the event, and how did you solve them?

Actually there was only one challenge, and it was related to Youth in Action grant, which arrived to AEGEE-Las Palmas bank account during the event (and we really had to make magic and ask for money to pay what we had to pay in advance). Everything else was really easy; the cooperation inside AEGEE-Las Palmas team and between us and YVote team, the great and motivated participants that we had, the organizational staff related to the hotel and sponsors… I would organize this event again thousands of times!

And which were according to you the best things of organizing this event?

The best things for me were, first of all, my team; they really made everything way easier to me, and we grew up as a team, seeing that everything was possible with open communication, a good mood and people who understand you and appreciate you. Second; our relationship with our University, City Council and other sponsors improved a lot (they could see that we are also able to organize other more ‘serious’ events, rather than just fun Summer Universities). Third: We got a lot of visibility in our city; we were on the news one of the days and in three different radio interviews. Furthermore, we got to know people from other associations and Europe Direct, with whom we made a great net of contacts for future events.

Why do you think you should win the Award to the Best Thematic Event?

Well, I am sure many other antennae organized great thematic events, but from my point of view, I will try to explain why I think AEGEE-Las Palmas should win this Award: Because even if we are a young (five years old!) and small (31 members) antenna, we manage to motivate our members to stay active both at the local and European level, to organize important and serious events as this one and because the event was just perfect from all the points of view: I’ve been told this from organizers’ side, participants’ side and YVote team’s side, so what else could I add? If we all agree on this, I think the rest of the Network should know about it!

On the other hand, AEGEE-Kraków organised last year the AEGEE Model of United Nations, which consists of a simulation of the discussions and procedures taken within the UN, as if they were delegates of their Member States. Katarzyna Michalska, main organizer of the event, explained to The AEGEEan how the MUN was.

Could you tell us briefly what was the event about, and which were the main activities?

AEGEE Model of United Nations was an international United Nations simulation conference during which participants played the role of UN Member States delegates generating a common approach on major issues of international politics. During the three days of meetings, divided into a few sessions, the participants discussed, following the official procedure, the different ways of solving one of the actual international conflicts in order to create a resolution which would be compatible with the ideas of Human Rights and Peaceful Conflict Resolution. As delegates of the UN Members States or Observer States, they did their best to defend the position of the state which were representing. The project consisted of two simulations of United Nations meetings: one on the conflict in Mali and one on the issue of the rights of North African refugees in Europe.

Which were the biggest challenges of organizing the event, and how did you solve them?

First of all, we decided to organize an international event in which we had no experience. It was difficult to create something totally new and unknown for us but, as we love trying new things, we took on this challenge with no fear. Fortunately we managed to find our experts – people experienced in the field of United Nations simulations who were available for any questions and concerns we had during preparation and also conducted our conference making it as professional as other prestigious events this type. Another challenge we had to face was the lack of funding sources. We had limited budget but we were so determined that even until less than week before the project we were struggling to get funds from many sponsors and finally got enough money! Moreover we had some difficulties in finding suitable place for the project but luckily we had a huge support from the university authorities who gave us an opportunity to organize it in one of their institutes.

And which were according to you the best things of organizing this event?

For me one of the best things of organizing this event was the great pleasure of doing it! Working with inspiring people who were truly motivated and dedicated to the project gave me a lot of energy and made me enjoy every single moment of organizing the project as well as the event itself. Beside the amazing team, I’d mention all of our small achievements which contributed to our final success, such as establishing valuable partnerships, getting funds or finally finding out about the surprising number of applications for our event!

Why do you think you should win the Award to the Best Thematic Event?

I can proudly say that thanks to hard work and determination of my team all the goals we set before organizing this event were achieved. We wanted to create a unique interactive learning experience which young people could enjoy and benefit from at the same time. What is worth mentioning, our project distinguishes itself by its up-to-date topic. It aimed at spreading and sharing knowledge about the problems of the modern world and the role of the United Nations in solving them as well as giving the participants opportunity to develop their diplomatic skills of compromise, negotiation, understanding of foreign affairs. Our goal was to encourage to study and discuss the issues of global importance. The positive feedback we got from the satisfied and happy participants eager to take part in the next edition of the project strengthened our belief that our event was a big success that we should be proud of.

AEGEE-Zaragoza is also nominated in this category. This time, by hosting the EuroSD – European Structured Dialogue conference, which gathered several International Youth Organizations in order to draft a joint statement to be sent to the European Commission. It was the first time that this consultation process was taken at a European level, as Beatriz Nasarre, former president of AEGEE-Zaragoza, explains.

Could you tell us briefly what was the event about, and which were the main activities?

The event was a European conference about the Structured Dialogue (It is a process of consultations launched by the European Commission and the European Youth Forum in order to pinpoint the needs and concerns of young people from all over the European Union), that gathered over a dozen International Youth NGOs. Besides writing the recommendations and a joint statement, we organized city tours around the city, and also a press conference where we transmitted that we would like the voice of young people to be heard.

You cooperated with other student organisations and AEGEE-Europe, how was the collaboration with them?

It is always very positive to strengthen the cooperation with other youth associations from outside AEGEE, whether they have a similar profile as us or not. It makes us see the things from another point of view, and it is always very rewarding. The people attending events like this one are always interesting and gratifying to work with!

Which were the biggest challenges of organizing the event, and how did you solve them?

The most difficult thing was to organise everything in a very complicated date, the beginning of July, with lots of previous work to do and during the exams season. The application of the Youth in Action grant was also another issue, also because we had many people around the Summer Universities. But in the end, with hard work we can achieve everything and afterwards we all left to our SU’s, and that was a very well-deserved vacation…

And which were according to you the best things of organizing this event?

Feeling part of such an interesting project, being “the first ones” of organising such an event, and especially feeling proud of the work we did. As always, with lots of works and nerves from the organisers, the feeling when the participants congratulate you because they have really enjoyed the event has left us speechleess. And, of course, proud of being able to wear such an awesome t-shirt designed by our Uncle Joni!

Why do you think you should win the Award to the Best Thematic Event?

Well, first of all because… have you ever seen such an awesome logo and t-shirt!? The event was a whole success and the thematics of the event were really interesting – with this European Structured Dialogue consultation we can really make an impact in the European Commission. Besides, the organisers devoted an important amount of their summertime, so we should definitely win – anyway, thanks to The AEGEEan for nominating us and we wish the best luck to the other nominees!

And finally, AEGEE-Alicante was also nominated for one of the most outstanding pre-events of Spring Agora Zaragoza, the MEDITERRANEANLY! event in cooperation with the Health4Youth Project. The antenna told The AEGEEan about the secrets of their success…

Could you tell us briefly what was the event about, and which were the main activities?

We wanted to show to our participants how beneficial, easy and fun can be having a healthy lifestyle and how to achieve it with some little changes in their day-to-day habits. That’s why we tried to make them used to a Mediterranean diet and to keep a daily routine of exercise.

The main sports activities we organised were a yoga and a zumba class, both early in the morning at the beach with professional trainers, as well as a walk on the sand, and some outdoor games. We also had the chance to hold a first aids workshop and to visit a ecological vegetable garden run by local farmers.

You cooperated with the Health4Youth Project, how was the collaboration with them?

They are very kind, three of their members (Maria Arends, Sygrit Andringa and Elmar Guliyev) came to the pre-event to give a hand with the programme by conducting some very successful workshops, such as the one about the effects of the consumption of alcohol on your body, and the one about the effects of not sleeping properly well.

Which were the biggest challenges of organizing the event, and how did you solve them?

We programmed to spend the last day and night on a camping site hoping that the sun will stay out the whole event (we are in Alicante, it never rains, but when it does, the whole sky falls down!); so just in case we were aware of the weather cast, which unfortunately turned out to show lots of cats and dogs planning to rain that day. We had to reschedule the programme, and that means: not camping and staying in the hostel (luckily for us not booked), cancelling a bbq and the goodbye party in the countryside, and replanned the whole last day at the very last moment just the day before. We contacted an ukulele teacher who improvised an amusing lesson for beginners, then, we went up to visit the Santa Barbara’s castle and in the evening we participate in an international beer pong contest. So it actually went pretty well taking into account that none of this was planned.

The other big challenge was to cook every meal and make it with a huge presence of vegetables. A wide range of tasteful dishes, from couscous to guacamole, including paella and vegan burgers, to name but a few. After the event took place, we collected all the recipes in a cookbook which can be download from here http://goo.gl/mw6wio Readers, feel free to use it and to send us comments afterwards!

And which were according to you the best things of organizing this pre-event?

Maria Teresa: Everything! I love the cooperation between the organisers and with the H4Y team. The organisational capacity that we had. It was my first event as organiser, and I learned a lot about AEGEE, and about my antenna. I’m very proud to have been part of that effort.

Isa: Choosing participants is usually a bit like playing the lottery, and definitely that time we hit the jackpot: we got such a great group of pleasant participants! Moreover this event was also useful for the antenna to activate some new local members and I am personally interested on the main topic of the event, so it was great that we carried it out, and even more, as a pre-event of ZarAgora!

Melissa: I didn’t know anything about AEGEE and I didn’t know anyone, so when I knew about this event, at first, I was attracted by its programme, and then, I had the opportunity to go as helper and I tried to do my best. We showed to all the participants the best things of our Mediterranean lifestyle in a great atmosphere and everything went perfect! For me, it was an incredible experience and the perfect chance to know and realize how amazing AEGEE is. After this, I felt in love with the AEGEE spirit and now I can’t imagine my life without it!

 Why do you think you should win the Award to the Best Thematic Event?

Even if it was a small one (in days and in number of participants), it was one of those events in which once it’s over you can feel that, despite of the unexpected changes, everything went well. After the last dinner, still sitting on the table, some participants started to thank us spontaneously for the atmosphere, the organisation and the activities of the event, they said that they really felt like they were at home. Once they went back home, they kept sending us lovely messages and Elmar (AEGEE-Bakı and Fundraiser of the H4Y Project) even made a cute video http://youtu.be/im9xOYW5eM8! They made us feel that this event was not only a H4Y event, but also an event about friendship, fellowship, teamwork, solidarity, and lots of AEGEE love.

 AEGEE-Poznan was also nominated, in cooperation with the Eastern Partnership Project, by their I’m for East! Festival. The AEGEEan has contacted them in order to know more about their event – so stay stuned in order to hear their responses! And remember, you still have a few time to vote: it is YOUR choice!

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona/Leuven

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