Lia’s name and face can be quite well-known for many of us. Despite having joined AEGEE just a couple of years ago, she has been motivated from the start to be very active both on local and European level. Especially after being Arsenis Tselengidis’ subcommissioner, she feels prepared now to run for Network Commissioner herself. She is a member of AEGEE-Kastoria, but she is running for NetCom as a member of AEGEE-Sofia. You might wonder why – and so, we invite you to take a look at her words.

The AEGEEan: First of all, Lia, introduce yourself. Who are you, and how did you join AEGEE?

Lia: I am Evangelia Touska (but everyone calls and knows me as Lia) and I study Computer Science at the Technological Institute of Western Macedonia, Kastoria campus. Currently, I live at Iraklia, a small city close to the Greek border with Bulgaria. I joined AEGEE on May 2012, when AEGEE-Kastoria was founded. I was IT Responsible and Secretary of AEGEE-Kastoria and I am Vice-Speaker of the Information Technology Committee, Secretary of the Human Rights Working Group, Arsenis Tselengidis’ Subcommissioner responsible for AEGEE-Athina, AEGEE-Nicosia, AEGEE-Patra and AEGEE-Peiraias, PR of The AEGEEan and Network Commission’s assistant .

The AEGEEan: You are very experienced in AEGEE – but which have your favorite experiences been so far?

Lia: On the local level, my favorite experiences have been working with the rest of the board of AEGEE-Kastoria for two years and surprising AEGEE-Sofia members on the local’s 22nd birthday by showing up at the party. On European Level, I really enjoyed the European Level meeting in Zaragoza and I love working with the HRWG board.

The AEGEEan: You are not only a member of AEGEE-Kastoria, but also AEGEE-Sofia. You helped last summer in their events and now you are running for the position of NetCom from this local. What connects you so strongly with Bulgaria?

Lia: Bulgaria is the first foreign country I’ve ever visited. As said above, I live really close to Bulgaria and my first visit to Sofia was when I was 9 or 10. At my first event (Agora Budapest 2012), I met some of AEGEE-Sofia’s members and AEGEE-Sofia became AEGEE-Kastoria’s mentor. They have visited us at Kastoria and so have we.

I am member of AEGEE-Kastoria since its birth, but unfortunately, I don’t live there anymore. Actually, couple of days after I moved back with my parents, I left to go to help AEGEE-Sofia with organizing the Leadership Summer School 2013 and then I was participant at their Summer University, so I stayed there for a whole month. I really liked their motivation and the fact that they organized two big events in one month. When you spend such a long time with people you connect with them. They had already considered me their member before I joined AEGEE-Sofia. So now that I might move to Sofia, I decided and officially became their member.

The AEGEEan: You have been Arsenis’ subcommissioner. If elected, would you keep working with him as subcommie?

Lia: If elected, there is going to be an Open Call for my position. During the one-month Knowledge Transfer period, I will prepare my successor and later in case they need any help, I will be there.

The AEGEEan: And what have you learnt from this time as his subcommissioner?

Lia: I was thinking of running for Network Commissioner before Arsenis asked me to become member of his NetCom Team. After five months of being his subcommissioner, I feel more prepared than ever to do it. I have partly learnt how Network Commission works.
I was always responsible, on-time for the deadlines and extremely patient. Sometimes, you don’t have to learn something new, still you need to practice the skills you already have.

I have helped all the locals that I am responsible for to register at Erasmus+ database and all of them made it. I’m proud of them And I I made two trips to meet with three of my locals (Athina, Peiraias and Patra). From those trips I understood that Skype meetings are the easy way, but the personal contact is more efficient.

The AEGEEan: I always hear from previous netcommies that their time at the NetCom is probably the most rewarding experience they have had in AEGEE. Why do you think so?

Lia: While being NetCommie you contact not only one group of people, but more at the same time. Most of the times, you contact people who are not speaking the same language as you and you travel to visit them. You are like a parent to them, they are happy that you are there for them when they need you. Doing all those things I referred, you develop yourself and this is the most rewarding experience.

The AEGEEan: You have a very ambitious programme that starts with having a team of experts and subcommissioners. How are you planning to select them?

Lia: For the team of experts, I will select them depending on their experience. Some of them will also be subcommissioners, but I want to have not that experienced members in my team, too. My goal is to motivate them to be more active. I will select them with the help of my already selected team and considering their opinions, I will choose the proper ones. I am also going to ask for feedback from the Focus Area (if they agree or not) about my decision, in order to make it more democratic.

The AEGEEan: Our readers would like to ask about the existing gap between the local and European level of AEGEE. Would you consider making some implementations to reduce it? In case you already thought about it, what are the ideas you would like to be put to work?

Lia: Being member of locals that are active in European Level, I didn’t feel that gap until I became Subcommissioner. There are many locals that don’t know enough about it or think that European Level is just the Comité Directeur. With Arsenis and the rest of our NetCom Team, we decided to have some Local Training Courses regarding the European Level. I am going to follow this example, too. Also my team and I are going to create a newsletter translated in the languages of our Focus Area. Members will be free to help at the translation.

The AEGEEan: Not many people have heard about the Grandparent system. What is it about?

Lia: I love Grandparents’ System. I first heard about it from AEGEE-Patra. It is a Human Resources system. An old member of a local is grandparent of one or more new members to initiate them to AEGEE. When the new member needs help or advice about something on AEGEE, the grandparent is responsible for them. It helps the local to keep the new members for longer and it lightens the workload of the HR Responsible. AEGEE-Thessaloniki arranged me as my sister’s grandma and currently she is their Secretary and PR Responsible for the Pre-Agora event The Lord of Wine: the Return of Dionysus.

The AEGEEan: And do you plan to establish new locals?

Lia: Of course. I have already helped with founding AEGEE-Kastoria and I know the whole process. Plus, there are people who asked for help and advices to establish two new locals. More info about them, after Agora Patra…

The AEGEEan: Which are the three words that describe you best?

Lia: Smiling: Most of the time, I am smiling. That’s because I believe in the power of positive energy. Quoting Fotis Pastrakis, “I can’t imagine Lia being angry, sad or crying”.
Multitasking: I can do many things at the same time. Sometimes doing only one thing makes me feel strange.
Energetic: There are times that we can feel disappointed. I don’t let this feeling get over me. My dreams motivate me to keep up and I just enjoy the route!

The AEGEEan: And which are your hobbies outside AEGEE?

Lia: My favorite hobbies are knitting and cooking for my friends and family. My secret ingredient is that I put love in both of them. I love walking on my own or with one of my three dogs. Sometimes I watch television series or movies. Last but not least, the thing I do every day and I personally don’t consider as hobby, I meditate for at least 10 minutes or more (depending on my free time).

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona/Leuven

Gloria Llopart is another law student who wants to join the Juridical Commission. She studied in Madrid for her bachelor and has since then been living in Heidelberg (Germany), where she continued working and is currently taking a Masters degree of Law. Besides that, she has been the subcommissioner of Juridical Commissioner Diana Tupchiienko and now is eager to be a JC member herself.

The AEGEEan: Can you tell a bit about yourself? What do you do you for a living? How old are you? Where are you from?

Gloria: I am 25 years old, I come from Barcelona and I have a degree in Law from the University Complutense of Madrid. Since October 2013 I am doing a Master in Law (LL.M) at the Goethe-University Frankfurt. I am also a working student in a multinational corporation at the contract management of the area “Mobility”, where I revise all the contracts between my company and car manufacturers, airlines, hotel groups, etc.

The AEGEEan: How did you learn about AEGEE?

Gloria: My first contact with AEGEE was in 2011, when I was an Erasmus student. I studied the last two semesters of my degree in Heidelberg (Germany). It was there where I learned about AEGEE by participating in all sorts of activities and events that AEGEE-Heidelberg organized. That helped me a lot to become part of the young European community, and that is how I started to truly live Europe.

The AEGEEan: You are Spanish, but you live in Germany, why is this the case?

Gloria: Almost three years ago I did an Erasmus year in Heidelberg, Germany. After that I stayed there because I did an internship in the Human Resources and Labor Law department of a company. When I finished the internship I started a Master in Law (LL.M) in Frankfurt and since last January I am working ifor another company. Living abroad is a unique and a great experience that is really worth it. I love living in Germany and I hope I can stay here some more years!

The AEGEEan: How do you see it as a benefit that you speak several languages?

Gloria: If you want to work on a European or international level you must speak several languages, otherwise you are not going to be able to communicate effectively with the people. In my opinion English is not an asset anymore, because it is supposed that everybody speaks it. To me speaking several languages is the best way to communicate and interact with another person and is essential if you both want  to be on an equal footing. It also gives you the key to express yourself with people from different countries. Languages and culture are connected, so the more languages you speak, the more chances you have to learn about new cultures and ways of thinking.

The AEGEEan: What have you learned as a subcommissioner of the Juridical Commission (JC)?

Gloria: As a subcommissioner of the JC I have learned two main things.

Firstly, I became acquainted with the JC and its working method. Thanks to Diana Tupchiienko and Atanas Nachkov and their Knowledge Transfer I have learned about the sources of the JC, its tasks, its communication, etc. The JC has constant tasks that have to be always done and it is very important that its members and its subcommissioners work well together. Second, I have learned how to work in a group which members can only have online meetings. The way you work in the JC is not the same way you work in your antenna, so you have to get used to it.

The AEGEEan: You do not have any experience of attending any AEGEE conferences. How can you assure that you have enough knowledge about AEGEE to be in the Juridical Commission?

Gloria: Being a subcommissioner of the JC has been the best preparation in order to be a member of this commission. The best way to know something is from experience and the position of subcommissioner gives you this first experience. The JC works and communicates constantly with the Comité Directeur, the antennae, the Network Commission, etc., so if you are in the JC, you have a global view of the whole AEGEE.

The AEGEEan: You have also only taken part in Agora Rhein-Neckar as a helper, will you be able to take part in the upcoming future statutory events?

Gloria: Yes, I will be able to participate in the upcoming future events and I really want to do it!

The AEGEEan: You are not a board member, but organize several things in AEGEE-Heidelberg. Can you explain a bit about your tasks?

Gloria: I have arranged all kind of events and activities for students. In particular I was responsible for the “Sprachcafé” (“Language Café”), a weekly meeting where people improve their foreign languages and also teach their native languages.  In March 2014 I elaborated a new structure for our antenna that has been implemented in April 2014. The main goal of this new structure is to organize the antenna, so its members can work more motivated and the tasks can be done more productively. Since April 2014 I am the responsible of the group “Workshops and Exchanges”. In this group we want to offer the members of the antenna intern workshops in order to go into AEGEE’s structure in depth. We also want to organize external workshops for all members of AEGEE and exchanges with other antennae.

The AEGEEan: You mention keeping a close relation to the Comite Directeur. Do you have any possibility to specify this?

Gloria: It is essential that the JC and the CD keep maintaining a close and a good relation. They communicate mainly by mail, but in some cases it would be better if we could meet all together, for example once each semester.

The AEGEEan: And how would you like to bring the JC closer to the Network?

Gloria: I would like that the members of AEGEE do not see the JC as an unknown commission. I think that most of the members of AEGEE feel they don’t know a lot about this particular commission. For example, I think they do not see the CIA as a “near” way to solve problems. That is why I think that creating a workshop about the main tasks of the JC or creating a “simple-fast CIA” with the most and useful answers would help the members.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza

Member of the Month March is… Fotis Pastrakis, the new IT of the Chair Team, member of AEGEE-Kastoria for more than one year and he is so far exremely active!

 Can you tell us about yourself and your experience in AEGEE? How did you join AEGEE?

I was born and raised in Thessaloniki, my beloved hometown, until my footsteps brought me to Kastoria and university. As a realist and a person quite concerned about the world (politically, socially, etc.), AEGEE seemed to be ideal for me. It took me almost one year of thinking it through and discussing with people who were already in AEGEE, to decide if I really want to join and be active in the association. So when I finally joined AEGEE Kastoria, I was almost directly placed as IT responsible of the local board and started to build a network of connections with other people after sometime. If AEGEE was a program (like the ones in object-oriented programming), the objects for me would be people to meet, places to travel, cultural exchange and ideas which are worth further development.

What is motivating  for you? Is there a person who inspires you?

Motivating? What is more motivating than life itself? Nothing motivates me better than myself and nothing can motivate anyone better than themselves. I really don’t know by whom I am inspired, but I believe in the analysis of human psychology. Philosophy and poetry are some things which I am keen on. Nietzsche and Kariotakis have inspired me a lot, in general, but they are not the only ones.

What motivated you to apply for the Chair Team?

A strong appetite for knowledge. I am still a newbie(or I feel like this) in AEGEE, but as most of the stuff I am involved in, I  face it as a challenge. When I saw the qualifications for this place, I thought I had most of them and the ones I didn’t have, would be a great way (maybe a tough one, too) to obtain them. After all, the whole process of organizing an Agora is a great experience which I have to gain.

What else are you doing in AEGEE?

I am the IT of my local board, member of Culture Working Group, designer in the Public Relations Committee, member of Information Technology Committee and member of myAEGEE Team.

What are you doing at myAEGEE Team?

We administrate the system of all intranet accounts, answer to e-mails and mostly helping members in case they have some problem with their accounts.

What do you do apart from AEGEE? Studies? Work?

I am in the fourth year of my studies at the Technological Institute of Western Macedonia in the field of IT. Apart from my field and the time I dedicate on it, I am involved with beatmaking, lyrics, photography and volunteering. I am not working right now, but I have done several part-time jobs before, not only associated with computers. I think AEGEE is a great gateway to get ready for the labor market from a strange point of view. AEGEE has so many aspects that anyone can take advantage of.  For his own good, but for others, as well.

Recently, you and the rest of the Chair Team had a meeting at Brussels. How was it? Are you ready to work together for Patra?

The meeting was awesome, if someone could describe a preparation meeting for an Agora as awesome. The meeting took a long time  but it was quite interesting. Maybe I was not that talkative, but it was the best knowledge transfer for me, in order to get ready for my position in Agora Patra.

I already had met Miljana in Belgrade so we were a bit connected and, since we are both from the Balkans, we have a special way of communicating. Alberto and Paul were very friendly and have helped us a lot.

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Sofia/AEGEE-Kastoria

Miljana Vulevic, former Human Resources Responsible of AEGEE-Beograd, decided to be more active in  the European Level by joining the Chair Team as the Secretary of Spring Agora Patra. Now she’s back from the Chair Team meeting in Brussels and we’ve had the chance to interview her!

Can you tell us about yourself and your experience in AEGEE? How did you join AEGEE?

I am Miljana, 24 years old. I’ve been a proud member of AEGEE-Beograd since 2012, so a bit over two years now. I joined my local after being inspired by our old members in one of our amazing Local Training Courses. After one year spent as HR Responsible of my antenna, I’ve decided to become active in the European level.

What motivated you to apply for the Chair Team?

Agora is my all-time favourite event. It’s like a rollercoaster ride – you go from being so full of energy to feeling miserable over and over again. It’s exciting, it’s inspiring, it’s intense: it’s Agora. Being part of the team that is involved in making that magic happen would be just… fantastic!  So, when I saw that an open call for the position was issued, it caught my attention and after getting the support from my amazing AEGEE besties and my Netcommie, lovely Miss Antonija Parat, I decided to just go for it. Obviously, it worked out fine.

What do you do apart from AEGEE? Studies? Work?

I am studying Management at the University of Belgrade, I’m on my final year and I spend all my free non-AEGEE time with my friends.

Do you plan of running  also for  being Secretary of the Agora in Cagliari?

Honestly, I don’t know. But I have some more time to think about it, so who knows. I just might do it.

 Recently, the rest of the Chair Team and you had a meeting in Brussels. How was it? Are you ready to work together in Patra?

True, we had a meeting last weekend and it was pretty great. As a new addition to the Chair team, my contribution wasn’t epic or grand, I just suggested an idea here and there like it is whenever you’re a newbie. But it has been amazing to take part in drafting the agenda, selecting the participants and just being part of the whole process. It  has also been such an inspiration watching Paul [Smits] and Alberto [Cuesta Noriega] work like a well-oiled machine. It reassured me that joining the Chair Team was a good decision and made me want to give my best on this job. All in all, I can’t wait for the Agora!

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Sofia/AEGEE-Kastoria

Two weeks before the official opening of the Autumn Agora 2013 I had already started counting the days and looking forward to the moment of flying to Spain; waiting for the moment to see Barcelona again; waiting for something unique without knowing at the same time what to expect. Approximately one week after the official closing ceremony of Zaragoza, I am still trying to find the proper words to describe one of -in my opinion- the best events I have attended. I am taking and changing a quote I read somewhere, possibly in an article by our member of the Comité Directeur, Kathrin Renner (sorry, but you inspired me!) : “I was not there to visit places, but to meet unique people; to get unique experiences”.

On November 3rd I was in the airport waiting for my flight to get back to Greece; fully tired and far from sleepless, but with a wide smile. In that moment I realized that every AEGEE event finishes the same way: leading you to check the intranet for the next ones; motivating you more and more as an AEGEEan; getting you even more addicted!

ZarAgora! I can so easily recall my first thoughts when I entered the Palacio de Congresos. I had convinced myself I would focus on the registration and inmediately afterwards, before anything else, I would search for a good spot I could fit my sleeping bag. Some seconds after, a turnover come!! I was overwhelmed by many tight hugs, “champing at the bit” laughs and “up-to-the- ears” smiles! My luggage was abandoned and I was surrounded by people I count as friends for good! People I had meet at Summer Universities, Youth in Action programmes, previous Agorae or other AEGEE events. People who show strongly the spirit of any AEGEE relationship: “time passes so fast but it is like nothing has changed at all”.

ZarAgora! An Agora which was dressed up with the perspectives of “one of the best Agorae” and after these five days I have to admit it by myself… ZarAgora was rocking! An Agora with the privilege of our sleeping area to be a few breaths away from the auditorium; an Agora with red-hoodied organizers and helpers, with surprisingly interesting plenaries and interactive workshops, with crazy non-stop parties; an Agora with an -all the time full- info desk, with comfortable seats for sleeping AEGEEan, with a fancy and flashy photographer (Jorge Sánchez Hernández); an Agora with these five T-shirts “unique in the whole world” as the advertisement was (BRAVO Lucía Molina for the photoshooting!)… An Agora with A STORM OF DELIGHTFULLY-TASTING CHOCOLATES!

Counting this one as my third Agora, I can recognize that every time the cubit is getting higher and higher. This time, though, I am more than thankful to this Agora. I am speaking on behalf of my local, because my antenna is officially upgraded! But I am also speaking personally, for the moments I experienced a couple of days before, during and after ZarAgora! I end up that being an AEGEEan means to make life better than movies are and are not afraid to think out of the box! The last thing I just can do is to thank this strong team with these endless positive energetic people who give breath to ZarAgora!

See you around Europe

P.S.: don’t forget… Spring is coming! Be prepared for Spring Agora Patra 2014!

Written by Evi Topali, AEGEE-Ioannina

John Eikosidekas is one of the Agora Patra organisers. He is originally from the big land of USA but resides in Greece while his dream is to reside in Denmark in the future. In this article you can get to know more about John’s history and his interest in the European Level of AEGEE.

The AEGEEan: Can you tell us a bit about your background? Studies, interests etc.

John: Well then, I was born close to Chicago, in Illinois of the USA. I moved to Greece in 1999 when I was 10 years old. I moved to Patra in March 2008 to study Accounting. Although accounting turns out to be something that I don’t like as much as I thought, I always found ways to keep myself entertained, and having a hobby is one of them. One of my biggest interests, which I guess doesn’t surprise many AEGEEans, is travelling! I took my shot and went on the Erasmus program, a program I had heard about in High School and I always dreamt of doing this at some point in my future when I would be studying!

For how long have you been in AEGEE?

John: Unofficially, I have been in AEGEE since April of 2011 as a helper for different things (meetings, SU etc). But officially I joined AEGEE that year in September to apply for the Autumn Agora Skopje that would be going on. Since then I have been quite active on the local level. But after giving my services to the board for one year, I needed more! So I spread my wings and took my chances on the European Level.

How did you join AEGEE?

Once my Erasmus was over in February ’11, I became as miserable and depressed as any average Erasmus student when he/she returns to his/her hometown, the so-called “Post-Erasmus Depression”. But then, while I was speaking to a polish friend of mine via Skype, she mentioned this thing called AEGEE, and travelling, and having fun… I didn’t understand much of it, but it sounded good enough for me! So I came in contact with AEGEE-Patra, and my adventurous AEGEE journey began!

You have done an exchange in Denmark, what is it that you like about the North of Europe?

Is there something NOT to like??? Seriously, while living in Herning for my Erasmus I had a great experience. Bikes everywhere! And during any season! Usually in the south of Europe, especially in my region, if there is no sun, it seems to them “ridiculous” to use your bike to go somewhere. Meanwhile in Herning, people biked to go to school, biked to go to work, biked in the rain, biked while it snowed, biked with a briefcase, biked for sport…  PS. Biking when drunk is awesome! The chilly wind in combination with a possible rain or snowfall can really help your senses kick back in again!

What have you done on the European Level of AEGEE?

Well, I was the HR for the Environnmental Working Group (EnWG) for the past term (Budapest-Zaragoza). I am also a member of the Sports WG (SWG) and the Human Rights WG (HRWG). I helped out with proofeading for the SU 25th Anniversary booklet, and am also a writer and proofreader for the new Key2Europe coming out. Finally, I lately joinedThe AEGEEan team of freelance proofreaders. I have much in mind about the future, but it seems that for this year those plans will be taking a ride in the back seat, since I’m trying to finish my courses and find an internship abroad starting in September.

What is the EnWG about?

The EnWG is all about spreading awareness on environmental subjects. This may be the sole aim, but there are many means used to reach this goal. Firstly, we like having social meetings with a specific subject every month. Social meetings are a place where all members meet (via Skype), and discuss environmental issues. Either they have questions, facts or would like to share something about the subject, our social meetings are the place to be.

Secondly we all help out with spreading awareness within and outside of AEGEE. This may be in many different forms, whether it’s an article for our online magazine, or putting up posters at the Agora, even supporting the booth at the AEGEE fair… There are so many things people can do as individuals, and ideas are always welcomed if something innovating hits you!

Finally, as a local there are quite a few things you can do! Organizing a Green SU with your local, or having an environmental Action Day, even creating an EnWG within your local would be great!

Why would you encourage others to join the EnWG?

NWM Thessaloniki

For “Seizing the Day” of course! You can learn so much by joining the EnWG, and everyone learns and adapts other things from it. But what I gained were three things:

a) learning how to work in a different format than what I was used to. My local has a totally different way of working in comparison to the European Level, and that way I managed to bring ideas back to adapt to my local.

b) Meeting new people. Yes, sounds a bit cheesy, but meeting new people can do no one any harm! Like with anything that is done on the European level, you meet people from around Europe, and it brings us all one step closer to unite the people of this continent we all live in.

c) and last but not least, the environment! Daily, you learn new facts and figures about the environment, learn how to keep everything sustainable, and help spread the awareness to other members as well!

Interested in joining the EnWG? Don’t hesitate to send an e-mail showing your interest, or even asking any possible questions that may come to your mind! Contact us at: enwg.aegee@gmail.com

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Koebenhavn.

Originally posted in the Nordic Stars blog

Recently the Comité Directeur distributed the Open Call (OC) for autumn Agora 2014 organisers. In the meantime people in Zaragoza and Patra work hard on preparing the best Agorae ever, despite being organised in two countries where the economic situation could be better. The AEGEEan interviewed Angela Campos from Zaragoza and Costas Deltouzos from Patra to get an update on the two events.

In a recent interview with The AEGEEan Chema Rueda told us that working with FR for the Agora is difficult so The AEGEEan decided to interview Angela Campos from AEGEE-Zaragoza who is the responsbile of fundraising. She tells The AEGEEan that when deciding to organize the Agora they were fully aware of the economic situation and the difficult task it was going to be. “Getting money is always hard work, but the more help you get, the easier it is, and I can tell you we have a really motivated team working on it.”

When getting deeper into the subject Angela recognizes the difficulty of getting money as a big challenge “Actually it’s the biggest problem you have to face when you are an organizer. I think it complicates everything because while you are working on other tasks, money is always on your mind. By the way, I think that fundraising used to be the main challenge for each core team and we will go ahead. Our main goal has always been to organise the best Agora ever, regardless of the economic situation we are living in.” AEGEE-Zaragoza is doing everything they can to make sure it will be an Agora that everybody will remember “We are looking for fundraising everywhere, we are calling all the enterprises we know, asking for help from our region, trying everything, doing our best and we always welcome any help we get. It’s known that hard times make you stronger and every effort is being made to improve the ZarAgora.” One of the impressing deals that AEGEE-Zaragoza managed to get was together with Spanish railway company Renfe and buscompany Alsa to ensure that participants arrive in a great way to Zaragoza.

It is not only ZarAgora organisers who are trying to impress everybody with a fantastic event. Agora Patra organisers are also facing similar challenges but also have manners to overcome them. Main organiser Costas Deltouzos comments “Both Spain and Greece face big problems because of the economic crisis and of course fundraising is not easy in this period. So before applying as a host antenna for the Spring Agora, we wanted to be sure we would be able to do it even with little fundraising in money. We analyzed the basic needs (lodging, meals, facilities) in order to have an Agora in Patra and started fundraising them in kind. When we got the first meetings with University, the Sports Center and the Vice Mayor and got their support, we knew that we can host this Agora! Of course not all of the needs are covered yet, but we have a nice FR team working on it”, he says with a smile.

AEGEE-Patra

Another thing that the two antennae share is the eagerness to prepare of members and helpers in the best way for the Agora. Recently AEGEE-Zaragoza organised a Local Training Course (LTC) and Patra has something similar in mind “We plan to have several team building activities. First is a big Regional Training Course (RTC) with the other Greek locals before the end of the year, either in Patra or somewhere close. The aim will be to both make young members more active and educate the future helpers of the Agora. Then we plan to have close communication with all helpers involved throughout the preparation phase. Finally one month before the Agora we will bring everybody together again and work specifically on team building.”

Up until now it has not actually been official when the Agora in Patra will take place but it seems that the dates are set. “There was a big discussion on when the Agora should take place. Initially we wanted it to be during the Greek Easter holidays, but since the facilities were not available at that time, we decide to postpone it to later. So the dates selected are April 30th to May 4th 2013 and it will not be changed unless there is a huge need.”

Costas at the first Agora Patra meeting in May

In the past hosting an Agora or an EBM has been a cost to antennae financially, so The AEGEEan asked Costas how they in Patra work to assure that they will have enough financial means to cover the big event. “The fundraising strategy aims in several directions. One part has to do with local institutes/foundations and authorities, where our strong point is that we are bringing 1000 European students in Patra, a city that is not known widely abroad. So all these local partners are eager to help us have a memorable Agora. Second part has to do with companies, both local and international, that see this event as a big promotional campaign for their products. The last part has to do with European institutes that want to support us because the theme of the Agora is about youth participation and the European Parliamentary Elections 2014.”

The YVote2014 project kicked off in Valladolid recently and will be organizing another event in Las Palmas in the beginning of October. They will also have a big influence on the Agora in Patra and Costas elaborated on it when asked whether or not they will work together with the YVote2014 project team “Yes, during my visit in the CD house this June, I had a meeting with the project team of YVote2014 and expressed to them our will to have this theme for our Agora. We both agreed that a cooperation between the Agora and the YVote2014 project would be beneficiary for us both! The key person for this cooperation is Alma Mozgovaja that is member of both Core Team of Agora Patra and the YVote2014 project.”

AEGEE-Patra was earlier this year elected as Local of the Month because of being so efficient with HR and distributing work amongst different teams, and talking with Costas it seems that all of  them are busier than ever “After the summer holidays and the exam period of September, all the sub-teams are starting to work hard again on their tasks. The IT team is working on our website, the HR team is recruiting new people, the PR team is creating our visual identity etc. We are working also on creative ideas on how to rock ZarAgora, but I can’t say more at the moment!”

Guess we just have to wait a bit more to experience how AEGEE-Patra wants to surprise us at the Agora in Zaragoza next month!

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København