Like every year, The AEGEEan is giving a platform to candidates for a position in the European Level boards and commissions of our association to answer to some questions in order to present themselves. This year, we established a cooperation with the Golden Times and, together with his Editor Gunnar Erth, former and current journalists of our magazine will interview the candidates for the upcoming Agora in Krakow. For the very last edition, we present you with the candidates for the position of President of AEGEE-Europe: Matis Joab (AEGEE-Tallinn) and Spyros Papadatos (AEGEE-Ioannina).

One of the two candidates is Matis Joab, former president of AEGEE-Tallinn. The 28yo brings to the elections skills a strong focus on locals and Network management and the goal to reduce bureaucracy in AEGEE.

Know him better with the interview here.

You can read Matis’ full candidature here.

One of the two candidates is Spyros Papadatos, current speaker of the Network Commission. The 23yo member of AEGEE-Ioannina made members the core of his program, wanting to implement the Strategy for Learning and Training of AEGEE (up to approval in Krakow).

Know him better by reading the interview here.

You can read Spyros’ full candidature here.

Like every year, The AEGEEan is giving a platform to candidates for a position in the European Level boards and commissions of our association to answer to some questions in order to present themselves. This year, we established a cooperation with the Golden Times and, together with his Editor Gunnar Erth, former and current journalists of our magazine will interview the candidates for the upcoming Agora in Krakow. Today we present you with the candidate for the position of  Youth Development Working Group Coordinator Desireé Van Lagen (AEGEE- Amsterdam) and  Antonis Triantafyllakis (AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca). Also, we are presenting you the candidate for Secretary General until the 31st of July Julia de Lange (AEGEE-Utrecht) and the candidate for Comité Directeur until the 31st of July Ksenia Lupanova (AEGEE-Moskva). 

Desireé Van Langen from AEGEE-Amsterdam is already a member of the Youth Development Working Group (YDWG). At the Agora in Kraków she wants to run for the position of Coordinator of the YDWG. Among her plans is more collaboration with the other Working Groups, the AEGEE-Academy and other European bodies – and she expresses her opinion about the locals’ awareness of the Focus Areas.

You can read Desireé’s application here.

Check her interview here.

After the Open Call for Interim Communications Director, Ksenia Lupanova was chosen as the new person to take care of AEGEE-Europe communications. Now, the AEGEE-Moskva member and former Speaker of the Public Relations Committee will present herself to the Agora as candidate for the same position, taking care of the portfolio until the end of this Comité Directeur’s term.

You can read her full candidature here.

Check her interview here.

Antonis Triantafyllakis from AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca is one of the best-known people in AEGEE. Not only because of his work as Academy Speaker or member of the Summer University Coordination Team. You can basically meet him at every corner of the Network and he knows AEGEE inside out. Now he wants to put his knowledge and skills in the service of the Youth Development Working Group (YDWG) – as its new Speaker.

You can read his full candidature here.

Check his interview here.

After the Open Call for Interim Secretary General, Julia de Lange was chosen as the new person to take care of the tasks. Now, the former AEGEE-Utrecht President will present herself to the Agora as candidate for the same position, taking care of the portfolio until the end of this Comité Directeur’s term. 

You can read her full candidature here.

Check her interview here.

Like every year, The AEGEEan is giving a platform to candidates for a position in the European Level boards and commissions of our association to answer to some questions in order to present themselves. This year, we established a cooperation with the Golden Times and, together with his Editor Gunnar Erth, former and current journalists of our magazine will interview the candidates for the upcoming Agora in Krakow. Today we present you with the only candidate (so far) for the position of  Equal Rights Working Group Coordinator Julia Roshan Moniri (AEGEE- Frankfurt am Main) and  three members, all running for one of the six positions available for the members of the Network Commission: Brian Brands (AEGEE-Tilburg), Novak Simin (AEGEE-Novi Sad), Refik Barış Özçelik (AEGEE-Izmir).

One of the Focus Areas of AEGEE is Equal Rights, with the aim to acknowledge and tackle discrimination based on gender identity, expression and sexual orientation, and to promote equality from an intersectional perspective. Contributing to that is the Equal Rights Working Group, which supports the Network in organising activities and sets up its own related activities too. Julia Roshan Moniri, member of AEGEE-Frankfurt am Main, is motivated to take on the leadership of this Working Group for the next term, starting on the 1st of August. About time that we get to know her!

Check her interview here.

Find Julia’s complete candidature here.

Refik Barış Özçelik took his first steps on the European level of AEGEE as Content Manager of the Events Quality Assurence Committee (EQAC). The 19-year old member of AEGEE-Izmir will present his candidature as Network Commissioner at Agora Kraków.

Check his interview here.

Find Refik Barış’ complete candidature here.

Getting inspired by AEGEE’s greatest events ever as well as creating new ones: this is one of many things that Novak Simin from AEGEE-Novi Sad wants to do if he gets elected Network Commissioner at Agora Kraków. “I would also like to see more locals cooperate on a joined project or joined event”, he says. The 22-year old engineering student currently serves as Subcommissioner of Marina Klanjčić and is also member of the Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT).

Check his interview here.

You can read Novak’s full candidature here.

Brian Brands, student of Supply Chain Management in Tilburg, discovered AEGEE two years ago. After more than a year in the board of AEGEE-Tilburg, the 26-year old is ready to take a step further and to contribute to the development of locals from the Netcom perspective.

Check his interview here.

You can read Brian’s complete candidature here.

Like every year, The AEGEEan is giving a platform to candidates for a position in the European Level boards and commissions of our association to answer to some questions in order to present themselves. This year, we established a cooperation with the Golden Times and, together with his Editor Gunnar Erth, former and current journalists of our magazine will interview the candidates for the upcoming Agora in Krakow. Today we present you with the candidature of  four members, all running for the six positions available for the members of the Network Commission: Aydin Mehdiyev (AEGEE-Baki), Elena Panagopoulou (AEGEE-Athina), Oksana Prokopchenko (AEGEE-Sheffield), Polina Khapaeva (AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg).

Aydin Mehdiyev gathered local experience as President of AEGEE-Baki and made his first international steps in the Eastern Partnership Project and the Youth Development Working Group. At Spring Agora Kraków he will be one of seven candidates for six open Network Commissioner positions for the term 2018/19.

Check his interview here.

Check Aydin’s programme here.

Second time around: NetCom Candidate Elena Panagopoulou already tried to get elected as Network Commissioner one year ago. In the end, the former board member of AEGEE-Athína member was not elected in a very competitive field of eight candidates. Now, with many new ideas and plans, the 26-year old gives it another try at Agora Kraków.

You can read Elena’s full candidature here.

Check her interview here.

Oksana Prokopchenko, founder of AEGEE-Sheffield, is running as Network Commissioner at Agora Kraków. The antenna president is really motivated to bring the locals in the UK closer and closer to AEGEE-Europe in order to establish a better cooperation, to strengthen the locals in that area and the ones nearby, giving them all the tools to shine as they deserve to.

You can read Oksana’s full candidature here.

Find her interview here.

Polina Khapaeva from AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg has been really active since she joined AEGEE in 2016, being president of her local for two years, member of the Youth Development Working Group and the AEGEE-Academy. Now she’s ready to take the next step – at Agora Kraków she runs for Network Commissioner.

You can read Polina’s full candidature here.

Check her interview here.

Like every year, The AEGEEan is giving a platform to candidates for a position in the European Level boards and commissions of our association to answer to some questions in order to present themselves. This year, we established a cooperation with the Golden Times and, together with his Editor Gunnar Erth, former and current journalists of our magazine will interview the candidates for the upcoming Agora in Krakow. Today we present you with the candidature of  five members, all running for the four positions available for the members of the Comité Directeur: Alejandra Piot (AEGEE-A Coruña), Elena Efremova (AEGEE-Grodno), Evrim Emiroğlu (AEGEE-Eskişehir), Marco Daniele (AEGEE-Torino), Müge Güner (AEGEE-Muğla).

Alejandra Piot from AEGEE-A Coruña knows her strengths lie in the areas of network, communication and training, thanks to her experiences in AEGEE and in her academic life. The former NetCom Speaker and Editor-in-Chief of the Key to Europe is willing to give locals efficiency and transparency.

Check her interview here.

You can read Alejandra’s candidature here.

Elena Efremova from AEGEE-Grodno has been involved in several European Bodies, such as the Youth Mobility Working Group, ACT, Chair Team and now she is a member of the Network Commission. Running for CD, the history student would like to apply her mindset to her work, collecting data and researching what has been done in the past, to not reinvent the wheel.

You can read Elena’s full candidature here.

Find her interview here.

Evrim Emiroğlu is Vice-Speaker of the Network Commission and has been part of our organisation for six years. The 24-year old member of AEGEE-Eskişehir sees it as natural to take a step further and runs for the Comité Directeur at Agora Kraków, ideally for Network Director, but with a strong focus on restructuring the EPM.

Take a look at her interview here.

You can read Evrim’s full candidature here.

Two years in the Comité Directeur: not many people make that. Marco Daniele from AEGEE-Torino has been Network Director since last summer. Now he wants to run again – but this time he prefers to focus on switch to external relations and projects. “Since this year, thematics are again in the middle of the AEGEE interest. What we need now is a better usage of our resources”, Marco pointed out in his candidate interview.

Check his interview here.

You can read Marco’s full candidature here.

Müge Güner is one of the very few members, who actually founded a new antennae in recent years. Now she wants to apply her experience as founder and president of AEGEE-Muğla as CD member. She is one of five candidates for four places.

Check her interview here.

You can read Müge’s full candidature here.

Like every year, The AEGEEan is giving a platform to candidates for a position in the European Level boards and commissions of our association to answer to some questions in order to present themselves. This year, we established a cooperation with the Golden Times and, together with his Editor Gunnar Erth, former and current journalists of our magazine will interview the candidates for the upcoming Agora in Krakow. Today we present you with the candidature of  Luca Bisighini (AEGEE-Brescia) and Oğuzhan Ayhan (AEGEE-Ankara) who both run for the position of Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe; and Lila Quaile (AEGEE-Paris) and Maria Smirnova (AEGEE-Moskva) who are running for the position of European Citizenship Working Group Coordinator. 

At Spring Agora Kraków 2018 there will be two candidates for the position of Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe: Luca Bisighini and Oğuzhan Ayhan. Luca Bisighini from AEGEE-Brescia is best known for being President of the Audit Commission, for founding the Migration Interest Group and his love for cats.

Check his interview here.

Read Luca Bisighini’s programme here.

At Spring Agora Kraków there will be two candidates for the position of Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe: Oğuzhan Ayhan and Luca Bisighini. Next to having been President of AEGEE-Ankara, Oğuzhan also already gather European-level experience in the Audit Commission.

Check out his interviews answers here.

Read Oğuzhan Ayhan’s programme here.

One of the Focus Area closely related to AEGEE’s existence is European Citizenship, with the aim to empower young people to become active Europeans. Contributing to that is the European Citizenship Working Group (ECWG), which supports the Network in organising activities and sets up its own related activities too. Lila Quaile, member of AEGEE-Paris, is motivated to take on the leadership of the ECWG for the next term, starting on the 1st of August. About time that we get to know her better!

Find Lila’s complete candidature here.

You can read her interview here.

Maria Smirnova, current HR Responsible of AEGEE-Moskva, will present her candidature for the role of European Citizenship Working Group Coordinator at Agora Kraków. The 23-year old already gained experience on European level as member of the Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) and Speaker of the Events Quality Assurance Committee (EQAC).

Read the interview here.

Check Maria’s programme here.

Few days are missing to Autumn Agora Catania, and one of the most important decisions we will make, is to choose the best people for the Network Commission. Alin Georgescu has already worked as a NetCommie for one year and would like to dare again and commit himself to the Network. 

The AEGEEan: Who are you? For what do we know you?

Alin: Hard question. We don’t usually ask ourselves who we are, and if we do, we come with some cliché answers. I can say I let my actions say who I am (See? Cliché!) and I’m not concerned about this question to be honest. I can be consider a traveller, I like to explore places, people, thoughts, ideas, buildings, everything. So yeah, I can define myself as traveller.

You have already been a NetCom for one year, how would you comment your year as a NetCommie?

Challenging. I didn’t expect it to be so damn challenging, honestly. I hate bureaucracy, and as a NetComm you have a lot. But I don’t mind, we are a team and I’ve always found support when I needed. But overall it’s good, I say it is ‘cause my term is not over yet, I still have until December. I want to continue, I feel I didn’t finish with this. So if something makes you wish for more, that’s good, no?

What did you achieve in your year as a NetCommie? Why would you like to run again?

I was able to come closer to AEGEEans and European Bodies. But most importantly, closer to the members from many locals. I would like to run again because I need more time. I came to that point when I’ve met the difficulties that locals are facing, I want to change the way we see the Network Meetings as training courses. In NWM Debrecen I did it differently, it was a meeting between members, a space for reflection and connecting, learning and sharing. I want more of these events. I will do it in Cluj Napoca and hopefully two more times. I want to prove that it is possible this way and there can be an amazing outcome from it.

You wrote in your programme that you would like to stabilise the current state of the locals you’re responsible for, did you notice something else that might need your commitment after one year in the NetCom?

Isn’t it enough? The engine of our organisation is at local level. No matter how many new, awesome and life changing ideas or initiatives we have, we start at local level. We are a big organisation and we have an impact at European level because we have many locals. Unfortunately we forget that a big number is made by small numbers, our members and locals. We have to focus more on their REAL needs, strengthen their activities, management and resources. This is what I want to work on, for me this is top priority: the local level.

How is the Antenna Criteria Reform, approved during Agora Enschede, working?

Less bureaucracy, but there’s space for improvement.

In the Network Status Update email that the Network received there were many locals in danger, would you like to comment this and how you will work to change this situation?

Unfortunately this is the real state of the Network that we didn’t want to see for a long time. I will continue what I’ve done so far, building a good relationship between locals, trying to improve their activities, their recruitment process and members. Network Meeting will help. Also more thematic projects funded from different grants would do the work. Currently I’m gaining more and more knowledge on this and I’m planning to work closely with locals on applying for Erasmus+ funds. Also criteria should, and they will, suffer some changes, many locals are suffering and are on that list just because of bureaucracy.

Would you prefer a Network of few strong locals or one of many common ones?

Definitely more locals, we have to create the opportunity for as many young people as possible to join our organisation and our goals. A “natural” selection will always exist but we have to open our network for everyone. Maybe one member from a weak local can be the next President of AEGEE Europe, who can deny it?

Describe the features of “the perfect NetCommie”. 

There is no such a thing as perfect. There is just the will to constantly learn, improve yourself and never give up.

In your motivation we can read “During last months I came to the conclusion, there is more work that I have to do from this position so I want to continue”. Can you be more specific about what kind of work would you like to carry out if you are elected?

In my motivation I wrote this for the simple reason that almost no one is reading it. Yeah, some people can accuse me I’m too honest, but this is reality, jut few people are reading 70% of what we write in AEGEE. I will mention again the Network Meeting, the way I see it differently than what we do it now, a mix of trainings after which we get almost nothing, you are just tired and hungover probably. I need this time to proof that we can do way more and really use this events to strengthen our Network. I would also apply for grants, which needs time, and I will focus on planning and a good management. The locals that I’m responsible for need better strategy for recruitment, activities and managing their members. Some of them are even writing that “we need some magic to make the youth do something”. The lack of motivation is still a big issue in our Network and if you combine this with some bureaucracy (I think I used it too many times), you have locals endangered.

Why would we need to vote for you?

Because I can bring something new in AEGEE. Because I’m not perfect but I’m working on it. Because I constantly learn, reflect and share. Because I’m committed to this job.

Question from the Network:

You’re running for your second term in Net.Com. In your current experience as Netcommie what you consider the best goal you achieved and which you in the top urgent to solve or complete? (Consider your personal experience and your assigned locals)

Network Meeting Debrecen is the biggest achievement. Network Meeting Cluj Napoca is the next.

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Lisa Gregis, AEGEE-Bergamo

The upcoming Agora is a place where a new generation of NetCommies is going to be elected. The Network Commission has always been one of the most crucial Commission we had in our Network, but now maybe even more than ever. Celia believes she is motivated enough and ready to take the job. She would like to lead by example her assigned locals, pushing them to fulfill the Antenna Criteria and getting stronger.

The AEGEEan: Who are you? For what do we know you?

Celia: To define myself there are some aspects that I consider essential.
First of all, talking about me inside AEGEE I have been a member of AEGEE-Zaragoza since 2013 and I am active from the beginning. Currently, I am president of this antenna and also subcommissioner of the Network Commission. Additionally, I collaborate with the Gender Equality Interest Group.
Secondly, I consider myself as a hurricane of energy, I love doing always new things and getting engaged with new projects. I am a tidy and responsible girl, but at the same time, I have a lot of creativity and a pinch of craziness, I love enjoying every moment of my life.
Last but not least, as many members of AEGEE, I love travelling and meeting new people and new cultures around the world.

Describe your ideal leader. Is a Netcommie a leader? Why? How can you be that leader you described?

In my opinion, a leader has to be an example to follow, a role model, a person who knows how to develop strategies to achieve common a goal making everyone feel involved and working on the things they are best on. I think a leader is also a person willing to receive feedback and continuously making the team grow.
A Netcommie then has many similarities with this definition: I believe it’s important to be willing to listen to its team and to the different locals. It’s crucial to have great teamwork to bear in mind all the opinions and feelings of the team members trying to get everyone on board, feeling comfortable and heard in every moment.
In my case, I consider myself a person open to feedback and to work within a team. Along these years in AEGEE I have worked in a team in several occasions as leader (being president or main organiser of events for instance) feeling comfortable and trying to get better little by little.

What are the NetCom projects you are more interested to contribute to? Why?

If I have to choose one, I would choose the Mentorship system. I think it’s always very interesting to be able to learn from other locals and to put people in touch so that they can share their experiences and anecdotes. In this way they can develop stronger bonds among locals and learn from each other. Related to this, I would want to work on a Toolkit for contacts to make it more accessible for people interested in founding an antenna to achieve what they want in every moment.

What do you think about the Antenna Criteria Reform introduced at Agora Enschede? Would you like to change something?

In my opinion the Antenna Criteria Reform has been a great method to make the Antenna Criteria more adequate to the reality of the locals. I think this is the kind of revisions that should be carried out constantly getting adapted to the needs of the locals so they don’t become a barrier for the locals to grow but a method to make them stronger. Antenna Criteria currently don’t reflect the needs of the locals and therefore I would not want just to check if all the locals have everything done but also to get to know the reasons behind an antenna not accomplishing them. This would allow me to help them grow and get stronger.

In the Network Status Update email that the Network received some days ago, there were many locals in danger, would you like to comment this? How will you work to change this situation?

It’s truly sad to see that many antennae are in risk to be downgraded but I am aware of the huge work that some people are doing in order to avoid that. I trust in the work of the Network Commission to improve the situation every time and help locals to get developed. With the collaboration of the subcommies, I would like to have a permanent contact with the locals and get more approachable to them to understand fully their needs. This would help us not just to make sure the Antenna Criteria are followed but also to motivate the local to work in the right direction. Many times, antennae don’t fully understand antenna criteria work or which are the AC they have to fulfill. There could be a project to be implemented all along the network to explain properly what AC are, which one each antenna should fulfill and more importantly, how to fulfill them. There could be a very visual manual containing links to forms, KT documents explaining things in details, etc.

In your programme you say that you would like to bring the AEGEE Bodies closer to the members, but the strategy you proposed seems the other way around: to bring the members closer to the AEGEE Bodies. Can you tell us something you would do in order to bring the AEGEE bodies closer to the members?

Actually I think both are important. On the one hand, it’s crucial to allow members to know the European Bodies, what do they work on, how they can get in touch with each other, to show they are friendly and they are willing to help. On the other hand, it’s also very important to work with different European Bodies to be able to help the locals in any issue they may find. As Network Commissioner, I would want to count on the support of the European Bodies and to be able to work with them. To put them in touch I would want them to collaborate not just at NWM but also at LTCs or RTCs for instance.

To ensure continuity and stability, among the other things, you wrote that you would like to continue the projects made by “La Nave” locals called “Connecting Locals” and “Local of the Month”. What would you do to ensure continuity if “La Nave” locals won’t be assigned to you?

All the projects carried out in La Nave locals could be easily transferable to any other local. Having the experience of being Alejandra’s subcommie, I would be able to take those and apply them into the reality of the specific locals or even to the whole Network.
It would also motivate other Netcommies to continue and implement these projects.

Describe the features of “the perfect NetCommie”.

First of all, I would want to emphasise that it would have to be a friendly person, open to new ideas, to receive feedback, to include changes and to improve for the Network. Additionally, I think this perfect NetCommie would have to be a hard worker and proactive person open to try new things, learn from mistakes and not fearing to make new mistakes by changing for the better

How would you like to support the CD in your daily work?

I think it’s important to work in close relation with the CD as they are also aware of the Network status and they are a great source of ideas and information which is very convenient for the work of the Netcom team.
I also like the Netcom-CD pair system that is already in play and I would want to keep it as I think it’s a great way of working together having two European bodies in touch. Furthermore, I want to work closely with the CD to organise the NWMs together with the team of subcommies and the hosting local in order to have a fruitful and nice cooperation. I think it’s also very important to bring closer the work of the CD to the locals and make more visible what they do and how friendly they are to help in any issue the members may have.

Why would we need to vote for you?

One of the most important things I think it’s needed for any position you run for is the motivation and, that, I have way more than enough!
I’m willing to start to work in this new adventure and face the new challenges it brings me. Every time I take any responsibility, I fight until the last moment and I do whatever is in my hand to achieve my objectives. I can’t imagine giving up or not doing my best every day. I would like to bring this motivation to the rest of the team to be able to have a nice working atmosphere and to coordinate plenty of project helping the locals every time. I love helping and being in touch with people, understanding the different cases and trying to empathise, giving always my help and my hand for anything that´s needed. I’m a real doer and I love getting really involved to solve all different sort of challenges!

You can read her full candidature here.

Written by Lisa Gregis, AEGEE-Bergamo

Iuliia AgaKulieva found out about AEGEE two years ago. She was president of AEGEE-Tyumen, where she worked hard to upgrade the contact to a contact antenna and she succeed. Her next challenge is running for member of the Mediation Commission. The AEGEEan talked with her to learn more about her and her plans.

The AEGEEan: Can you tell us more about yourself?

Iuliia: I am Iuliia, I’m from Siberia, Russia. I have a masters’ degree of law and now I am a PhD student. The topic of my thesis is “An administrative responsibility of judicial persons for offences in the area of oil and gas.”
In the past I worked in a court as an assistant to the judge. One year and a half ago, my friend offered me a good job in Saint-Petersburg. I decided that it was my chance to be part of the best work team in my life. Now I’m a Court receiver. We are focused on human rights protection, bankruptcy, economical disputes. Although I have such a serious job I’m curious and have many different hobbies such as cheerleading, snowboarding, surfing and working with children. I knew about AEGEE in April 2015, I took part in my first Summer University in Czech Republic and fell in love with the big AGEEE-family. I was the President of our small Contact of AEGEE-Europe in Tyumen one year later. I’ve done everything to upgrade our Contact to Contact-Antenna on Agora Enschede and it is not the limit for us! AEGEE, new people and travelling inspire me to be myself!

What motivated you to apply for member of the Mediation Commission?

I want to be a member of the Mediation Commission because my life is connected with law, justice and tolerance. People don’t only have rights, also they have responsibilities. AEGEE is a really big organisation, geography of new locals is expanding from year to year. The distance between the most western local (Las Palmas) and the most eastern local (Tyumen) is more than 8.000 km. We have more than 13.000 members throughout AEGEE and all of them have their own identity. Actually, I’m from Asia (Tyumen), I would like to share my view in solving cases and bring some fresh ideas. I want to help members to follow the rules and follow the order.

What do you think it’s the main job of the MedCom?
Mediation Commission is an independent body who makes decisions in different issues from time to time. In my opinion, the main aim of MedCom is a discussion with locals, bodies and other commissions and making lists of advice or prevention letters before they will get an official request with a case. It is better to prevent a problem than to solve its consequences.

If you have to explain to a 10 years old child what the MedCom is doing, what would you say?

AEGEE is like a big big big Kingdom with lots of small cities. Sometimes their citizens have fights between each other. The Mediation Commission is like a Department of fairies. They come and solve all problems and conflicts between citizens.

According to you, what do you think is the most important quality to be in the MedCom and why do you have it?

Justice is one of fundamental principles which I am guided by in life. Circumstances can be different, but taking also objective causes into consideration we can find the real reason of the dispute. An independent approach to the situation will allow to make a true decision.

You can read her full candidature here.

Written by Lia Touska, AEGEE-Brussel/AEGEE-Sofia

Are you feeling excited about Autumn Agora Catania 2017? It is happening sooner then we think, but in order for everyone to have a great experience, there is still work to be done. The Chair Team is one of the awesome teams that is bringing their contribution to the Agora, and we asked them some questions so we could find out more about them.

The AEGEEan: Tell us about yourselves.

Chair Team: We are the Chair Team, and we are responsible of the content part of the Agora. In our term we set various open calls (participants, workshops, job shadowers, secretary assistants, etc.), we select participants, and we draft the Agenda. After months of working behind the scene, then we will spend three or four days during the Agora itself moderating the discussion and leading the sessions. Not only this, we have a person in charge of the IT, for presentations and videos, and a Secretary of the Agora with the essential role to take minutes. We are not alone in this and a strict collaboration with Local Organisers, Comité Directeur and Juridical Commission is in place. Our team is composed as following: Erika from AEGEE-Verona is the Chairperson, Elisa from AEGEE-Catania is the Interim Vice-Chairperson, Elena from AEGEE-Grodno is the secretary of the Agora and Jani from AEGEE-Maribor is the IT responsible.

Erika: Elisa is a very calm person and this balances perfectly other personalities in our team. Her approach and her juridical knowledge is an asset that is very precious when it comes to all the procedures of Agora, but it has already proved to be useful in the internal decisions of the Chair Team. Moreover, she promised me to find a boyfriend for me (and Jani can testify), so this is a plus. [she winks, ed]

Elisa: Elena is an amazing person, well prepared and full of energy! She has a lot of experience in Agora as she actively took part in ACT and she is a very sweet girl!

Elena: Jani is a real IT guy. When we get emails full of technical stuff,  he is the only one who can understand what is written inside. Without him, Agora would never happen!

Jani: Erika is a really hardworking person. When she decides to do something, she will put all her efforts to accomplish it. Many people don’t like her, but that is in human nature – they envy those who are better. She seems hard, but she is really a fair person. As a true Italian, she likes to cook and no food is better than hers (and Italian) – that’s why she is our Mama. One sentence to describe her: “I have no prejudices, I hate everyone equally”. [He laughs, ed.]

How do you see this term as a team? What do you want to achieve or change?

Erika: As a team, our personalities are starting to blend. In one way or another we worked together already for Agora Enschede, therefore now it is a matter of starting to build a working relationship in order to be perfectly in sync in Catania. For sure, we still are the blue-eyed Chair Team, and Jani will be renamed Ejani to have all four of us a five-letters name starting with E. We started to work as a team only at the end of June, and at the end of September we will already be in front of the Agora. Two months, with all the administration going on also, are not much to create a proper strategy for change or improvements. Moreover, now we are too early in the preparation to see what we can change in Catania, but some ideas are already on the plate. For sure we are working hard to improve our communication channels, introducing more and more infographics thanks to Elena’s VI approved touch. We will also tighten the relationship we have with the Human Resource Committee after the amazing Agora mentorship in Enschede.

Elena: As you can notice, we don’t have much time for preparations. But as all of us already were connected with Agora management in the Past, I am sure we will do the best. As Erika said already, we want to bring more info about how Agora works for the people that applied: this means more pictures, iconographics and Skypes. Agora is the most important place in AEGEE for our decision-making process and people who participate should have enough knowledge. We will put more efforts to help delegates, and all the other participants, to be more prepared.

Elisa: As Erika said, we are a good team! I worked side by side with Erika and Jani during Agora Enschede, even though I was working from the JC side; Although I’ve never worked with Elena before, she is a very organised and well prepared person, and there is never lack of cohesion inside the team. Moreover, we are going to appeal the Agora Audience with our eyes! However, let’s stay serious! The work in the Chair Team requires many hours, selecting participants, selecting workshops, answering questions, but it’s a stimulating job. We are working hard to give people the sensation to be an active part of the Agora, making iconographic (thanks to the work of Elena) and improving the communication from our side. We don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable towards the Agora, that’s also why we support the great job of the Agora Mentorship Project.

What are your expectations regarding Agora Catania?

Elisa: We have seen a huge number of applications for this Agora, so many people willing to participate to the most important meeting of our organisation. Many newbies have shown curiosity towards this event: I hope that this Agora can be an inspiration for people, above all the new ones, that are the future of our organisation. Of course, I wish that they will participate actively to all the Agora contents, that are always a growth opportunity inside our association.

Elena: Many content discussions with fruitful outcome! And, of course, that everybody will be on Plenaries and Prytania instead of the beach (#dreams).

Erika, you have the experience from Spring Agora Enschede in the Chair Team, how do you think that this will help you at one of the biggest Agora?

Every Agora is different from the previous one because all the variables (Chair Team, participants, locations, items to be discussed, candidates and proposals) change, therefore it is very hard to predict what will come next. Agora Enschede was definitely a good starting point. I had the opportunity to apply all the knowledge I acquired in the past years of the organisation and learn what the Chair should do more in depth, especially when it comes to actual chairing. In Catania my role will be different, I will be Chairperson, which is a whole new responsibility – albeit the work from Chair and Vice-Chair is not very different. I hope to be more relaxed, have more fun and learn from the little mistakes I made in Enschede.

Elisa, why Chair Team and not something else? And why Interim Vice-Chairperson?

I like the concept of the Agora itself. And having the opportunity to be the Vice-Chairperson in my city, chairing meetings, being (somehow) the soul of the Agora, it’s a big honour, if not a dream. Why Interim? Well, I was a JC commissioner at the time of the candidatures for Chairperson/Vice-Chairperson of the Agora, and the work with JC was still heavy at that time; I didn’t want to overcharge myself, risking to leave the work with JC without the proper conclusion and doing the work of Vice-Chairperson not in the owed manner. But when Erika sent the open call for Interim Vice-Chairperson, I felt it was my occasion to coronate my dream of leaving AEGEE with one of the most honorable task in AEGEE: being the Vice-Chairperson of the Agora, our main meeting, our parliament, where the most important decisions are taken; the work with the JC during the open call was a bit less heavy, as the Agora was passed and the CIA 28.1 was almost completed. What to say…I cannot imagine something better!

Elena, why did you choose to apply for Secretary of the Agora?

Minutes are a very important historical document, it’s a golden key to the knowledge from the past. People come to organisation and leave, but minutes as other documents stay here for us. The job of Secretary of the Agora is very often not recognised while that person is a keeper of current knowledge for the future generations. As a historian, I can’t miss that chance to be a keeper of AEGEE history. [she smiles, ed.]

That position is one of the most challenging for me, but I enjoyed taking minutes during a prytanium on Agora Enschede where I was a secretary assistant. So, maybe it is a challenge for myself. [she smiles, ed.] Moreover, as I adore to spend free time reading Agora minutes from the past, it’s a special pleasure to know that one of them is written by yourself.

And yes, when everybody has already forgotten about Agora, I will still be listening to speeches.

Jani, what are your fears regarding Autumn Agora Catania as the IT Responsible of the Chair Team?

From my experience from the previous Agora I would say the biggest fears are accessing OpenSlides and playing (too) big videos in OpenSlides. But we are working on these problems, we already found some solutions.

You can follow them here.

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj Napoca