Who’s excited for the Spring Agora? As May has started, so has the countdown for the great statutory event in Bergamo. As great as the Agora is, the opportunity is limited to freely discuss matters which concern AEGEE members. Therefore, a platform to speak your mind about all pressing problems was developed a few years ago: the SHARE Meeting. Looking back at our article history, we discovered there has never been a piece dedicated to the SHARE Meeting. Time to change that. To get to know a bit more about the SHARE Meeting, we spoke with Anna Gumbau, Communication Director.

The AEGEEan: Firstly, could you tell us what exactly a SHARE Meeting is?

Anna: The SHARE Meeting is a gathering that takes place usually after an Agora, where members of AEGEE locals and European bodies meet up and discuss some of the current challenges of the organisation in order to find solutions and work on them afterwards. These meetings take place often in a rather informal way, in order to give a cozy and familiar atmosphere, and gather usually around 20-30 motivated AEGEEans.

And with what purpose was the SHARE Meeting first organised? When and where was this?

The SHARE Meeting was first organised at Autumn Agora Cagliari 2014. Previously it was called “European Level Meeting”, but the concept was switched in order to include the Network as a whole and not only the members working in European projects, commissions, committees, etc. and as a way to bridge the gap that sometimes exists between them, as we need to tackle these challenges from the Network as one!

What subjects or themes has it had over the years?

I have browsed the ideas and topics of previous SHARE Meetings and I find quite a common pattern. We have discussed a few times topics such as Human Resources management and activation of members, internal communications, how to improve event management in our organisation, the Strategic Plan/Action Agenda. In general, it is mostly any organisational topic that we encounter. A very interesting one that we discussed at Autumn Agora Kyïv, for instance, was the inclusion of people with fewer opportunities in AEGEE, which gave a lot of food for thought!

What value does it have for the CD, and for the Network?

For us it is especially important in order to evaluate the main problems and difficulties that the organisation is facing, as well as the topics that our members are most interested in. For the Network, it fosters cooperation among different antennae and bodies in AEGEE, it brings different perspectives within the organisation together and there are always many interesting ideas coming up!

What were the results of last year’s SHARE meeting?

Well, the previous SHARE Meeting took place at Autumn Agora Kyïv, and the topics discussed were Agora reform, event management, content and evaluation, inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities, lack of HR and participation in AEGEE, and the structure of our Strategic Plan in AEGEE (since we will draft this year the Strategic Plan for 2017-2020). The minutes were sent to the Network the month after, with some conclusions and recommendations in each topic.

In the end, what is done with the things that are discussed at the SHARE Meetings? Can you give us an example?

It is true that the follow-up is the most difficult part in most of the cases, and some of the members attending the SHARE Meeting have pushed for some reform or idea that might have not happened. However, I know that for the event management topic, some of the things discussed in the meeting were afterwards included by, for instance, the Summer University Coordination Team, when it comes to showcasing and promoting the events. In any case, we will do our best to ensure an adequate follow-up of these topics after the SHARE Meeting!

What themes will be discussed at the Bergamo SHARE Meeting?

This is not settled yet, since the members have proposed their own topics in the application form,  and the participants will decide in the next few days. Some topics even pop up during the SHARE Meeting itself, at the beginning, just because of the fact that the Agora is still so recent that there are many topics that participants would like to discuss. However, I see many members who want to follow up on the topics discussed in Kyïv, so we will see!

What is the exact schedule of the meeting?

It will take place on Sunday 22nd. Before, there will be the TEDx style session, from 11 to 1pm. The SHARE Meeting will start at 2pm, and even if we can only be in the building only until 4pm, we will make sure to continue the sessions and discussions somewhere else. Sometimes it has happened that there were so many ideas to share, that the discussions on certain topics were still happening even after dinner!

Unfortunately it is not possible to apply for the SHARE meeting in Bergamo anymore. Hopefully you already did, and otherwise, the minutes of the meeting will be shared with the network shortly after it takes place.

Written by Mireille Voorendt, AEGEE-Utrecht

Or the ‘“life as Communications Director of AEGEE-Europe”. Dealing with communications means dealing with a considerable amount of accounts, social media channels and even managing a few devices at once. However, that is not all! As the rest of the members of the Comité Directeur, I have other tasks, ranging from the European Planning Meeting (EPM), to European Union funding and some external representation.

At many of the events that AEGEE-Europe is hosting, there is always a girl silently walking around the venue with a camera in one hand and her mobile in the other, taking one picture after the other and, at the same time, tweeting everything that is being said at full speed. That person usually happens to be me, and sometimes I wish I had a few more arms to be more productive. Sometimes, our guests at the conference roll their eyes when they see me photographing them and I even heard them once say: “oh, that must be the random communications intern” (true story).

Leaving this anecdote aside, the role of a Communications Director is two-folded. On the one hand, we communicate the initiatives that take place around the Network to our members, as well as let them know about several external opportunities and processes that take place in European institutions. On the other hand, our duty is to ensure that our external partners, supporters and institutions are well aware of what the AEGEE Network is and what our daily work is. In (very) short, we make sure that what happens in AEGEE does not stay in our AEGEE ‘bubble’. This often poses a dilemma: which is the most effective tool to reach our members, and which ones we can use externally? These are questions where the border line is often rather blurry.

Managing the communications of AEGEE means being able to learn everyday something new about the several platforms that I am using – ranging from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Mailchimp, WordPress etc. It means planning and producing content on a daily basis, so I always try to take my 30 minutes of the day to plan the daily online communications. These are usually my creative minutes of the day, which I always enjoy. I also have my fun designing on a regular basis banners and promotional materials for AEGEE, creating the biweekly newsletter for members, and working closely with the Public Relations Committee.

I am also often in contact with external partners and try to find the best solution to promote each other in our different communication channels. Moreover, some online publications are also in contact with us: so far, content and news about AEGEE-Europe has been published in several international online media such as EurActiv, Euranet Plus, Europe & Me or the Study International magazine, and we partnered up with POLITICO Europe for the EU Studies Fair 2016. Ensuring that our activities gain external visibility in several media platforms was, in fact, one of the goals of our annual Activity Plan. And we seem to be on the right track!

Last but not least, when it comes strictly to communications, I got an unexpected gift during the task division: the AEGEE-Europe’s website, which is the biggest and messiest labyrinth I have ever gotten lost in. Broken links and restructuring information are some of the things that often take quite a lot of time… and nerves too. “Any time that I hear Anna swearing in Catalan, I can immediately know that she is dealing with the website”, Pablo [Hernández, External Relations Director] usually says, “and sometimes she gets quite scary”.

Coordinating the communications… and not only

With the Content Managers of the EPM Leiden 2016.

Communications were traditionally tasks that a few members of the Comité Directeur worked on, or a portfolio that was often shared. In fact, the last person you will find in AEGEE-Europe with the title of “Communications Director” was Michael Makowiecki back in 2010. Although this might seem like a threat (as the composition and skills of CD members are often rather a lottery, which means that sometimes there is no continuation of the tasks), we took it as an opportunity to take communications in AEGEE at a next level.

However, this does not mean that my day is focused entirely on communications. CD members usually do a little bit of everything, which requires a lot of time management and often you feel as if you were juggling with many things at once. Or, more strikingly, that sometimes you do not even have time at all to take care of communications.

What has probably taken most of my time this past couple of weeks is the European Planning Meeting. Our Statutory event in Leiden is getting closer and I am in daily contact with the Content Managers to make sure that we provide high-quality content and meet the expectations of our members – as well as to support the work of our Policy Officer on Migration, Luca Bisighini. Working closer on the topic of migration has been probably one of the most enriching experiences, as it “forced” me to get myself familiar with the topic in a very short time.

But that is not all! I am slowly discovering the world of European Union funding – bringing Erasmus+ closer to our members by delivering sessions, providing feedback and organising Q&A sessions. Moreover, you will probably hear soon about a Horizon 2020 Project that AEGEE-Europe will be partnering in and which aligns very well with AEGEE’s core values of inclusion and youth participation, training members is something that makes me particularly happy and that I have been doing in some events, such as Network Meetings and Regional Training Courses. Lastly, I also enjoy from time to time representing AEGEE externally in some events in Brussels and beyond, such as in some of the activities of the European Movement International.

All in all, how is it like to work in the team? Whereas my tasks seem to be rather specialised, I am never really working alone – by trying to support projects on promoting their activities, I am always in contact with AEGEE members. Inside the Head Office, I am always cooperating with the rest of the Comité Directeur members, by providing feedback, being involved in the content of the activities that we organise, and working on PR and dissemination together with them. In the end, there is not a single boring moment, and not a day without having many things to tick on my to-do list!

Written by Anna Gumbau, Communications Director of AEGEE-Europe

Regularly seven people are working and living together as members of the Comité Directeur (CD) in a house in Brussels. Right now, they share their home with three more people: current CD Assistants Anna Gumbau (AEGEE-Barcelona), Fabrizio Bellicano (AEGEE-Genova) and Ander Guerrero Ruiz (AEGEE-Zaragoza). All three of them were interviewed by The AEGEEan to find out more about their specific jobs, their everyday life in the CD house and their future plans.

The AEGEEan: First of all, can you briefly introduce yourself and tell us shortly about your AEGEE career?

Anna: I am Anna from AEGEE-Barcelona, and I have been an AEGEE member for around three and a half years. I got very motivated to join the European level of AEGEE right after Agora Budapest, in 2012, when I joined The AEGEEan magazine. After that, I spent one year as Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, and I am currently part of the Election Observation Project, as Fundraising Manager, as well as Mission Coordinator for the Moldovan elections (November 2014), and the Anniversary Team among several other activities.

Fabrizio: My name is Fabrizio, AEGEE-Genova, and I’m a member since the online membership system (OMS) meeting at the Comité Directeur (CD) house last February (2014). I jumped directly to the European level because I wanted to be of service (I was working for a big company in Dublin before AEGEE, it was horrible).

Ander: I’m Ander Guerrero Ruiz, from Utebo (near Zaragoza). I’m taking a brief break before finishing my studies in Law and Business Management to come to Brussels as a CD Assistant. I joined AEGEE in 2012 and since then I was organiser of many events (including Agora, Network Meeting (NWM) or Travel Summer University (TSU) or participant (I think on more than 50 events). I was also one year member of AEGEE-Gdansk during my Erasmus. Now I’m the President of AEGEE-Zaragoza and I am running for Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe (which I really hope to happen!). I just like to be busy and active and I love AEGEE.

What exactly is your current position and what are your main tasks?

Anna: I am the member of the Anniversary Team responsible for the main conference that will be taking place in Brussels from 7th – 10th May. I am currently coordinating the preparations of the conference and dealing with literally everything – from logistics to fundraising, from content management to finances, in order to organise a great event.

Fabrizio: Mainly, I am focused on the development of what’s going to replace the intranet, although I also do some HR tasks – my most successful one being aggressive recruitment.

Ander: Corporate Relations Officer is stated in my official mail, known as Fundraising Assistant of the CD. I’m also helping Ioana out with Finances.

Why did you run for this position? What is your favorite part of the position you are fulfilling right now?

Ander

Anna: I decided to apply as event manager because I have quite some experience in organising local events in Barcelona (being main organiser of a Summer University and a European School), and because I really wanted to contribute to make a memorable 30th Anniversary of AEGEE. As for my favourite part, it is probably dealing with the content of the conference, as it allows you to unleash your creativity and look for activities that can be fun, interesting and engaging for the participants. It requires a lot of inspiration, which I get by spending many hours reading old ‘Key to Europe’ editions.

Fabrizio: I get to live with other people, which is great – when I was living in Dublin it was with a boring guy, not many social things going on. Here, I can do what I like and there are nice people.

Ander: I have always wanted to see and experience by first hand how life and work in the CD looks like. Now, I was lucky to move my compulsory internship of my degrees in Spain and, the most important part, an open call was open to something I like and I have experience in. I still have no idea which part I like the most, I just know that I try my best! Ask me in a few months.

How does a regular day in the CD house look like for you?

The garden of the CD house

Anna: Well the working hours are not something as spectacular as you might guess. Waking up, which sometimes I do later than I would like to, so then I rush into the office with my cup of coffee and my rice biscuits, read the e-mails, read the news, defining a bit the “goals” or areas I will be working on for a day (since, as I said before, I cover a wide variety of topics), and then go for them. After work, I usually like to go for a walk in the parks nearby, meeting some friends (from AEGEE and from outside the organisation), or just chilling with our other housemates.

Fabrizio: I wake up, I work, I eat, I work, I eat, I go out and I sleep. According to the day I also watch cat videos.

Ander: It’s pretty simple. During the week days, I am in the office from 10 to 19-20 (for me it is mandatory to take a break, disconnect a little and have a proper lunch) unless more work needs to be done. Timetables are quite flexible, which is good, because I try to continue my Spanish timetables somehow. Later, if I still have some energy and some plan comes up, I go to see the city. It is my first time in Brussels and I hope one day I will manage to visit the city also during the day. On weekends, normally, we have free days but always something appears that needs to be done and I try to reset a bit and continue discovering the city.

It must be very exciting to live with the CD, but it is not a secret that personal space is rather limited when you live with so many people in one house. What are your most and least favourite aspects of your current living situation?

Anna: My favourite thing about living here is the fact that I am in Brussels, with so many things going on every day, so close to the institutions, being able to reach literally any place in Europe very easily, and not least important having good friends living here, as even some of my former classmates have recently moved to Brussels. I also enjoy our social evenings in the basement, or when AEGEE friends of mine stop by at the house. Of course, sometimes I wish I had more time and space to be on my own, but you always find some time for yourself when you need it.

Fabrizio: I am easy going and I don’t care much. As said, the good side is that you never have a dull moment with nine other people.

Ander: The worst is that sometimes you would like some privacy and that I try to be quite clean. And with twelve people now living in the house plus occasional guests this is not easy. But I am quite flexible and open-minded and it is OK. Also, it is my first time sharing a room, and I want to publicly ask for forgiveness to my roommates if I occasionally snore. The positive part is that I really like the house and the office is just ten seconds from the bed. I really like the part of the stairs and entrance when you are lying in the sofa that is in front of the stairs!

How long will you stay in Brussels and what are your plans for the time to come? Any chance you might be interested in staying for another year as an actual CD member?

30th Anniversary Conference Brainstorming

Anna: I will probably be staying in Brussels until right before the Agora, so the end of March. Then I will go to the Agora and, after the event, figure out what I will do next – because indeed, I would love to stay for another year as an actual CD member.

Fabrizio: I am here in Brussels because other than doing my good deed I am delaying finding a job. As long as I can work on that, I can not care to return to adulthood. As for real CD tasks, nope – I still know nothing about AEGEE.

Ander: I will be in Brussels for 60 working days, so, until the middle of May. Later, I will be back in Zaragoza, if nothing goes wrong, to finally finish my studies and organise the most awesome TSU this year! As I said before, yes, I would like to be in the CD in the next term. I feel that I can do something positive to an association that has given a lot to me. I feel prepared, motivated and finally I have finished my studies! I hope it will come true in a few weeks!

If someone came up with the idea of making a movie about the life in the CD house, what genre would it be and what catchy title could you imagine?

Anna: It will be indeed somewhere between a drama and a comedy – it actually kind of reminds me of L’auberge espagnole, a very famous French movie about a guy who moved as an Erasmus to Barcelona and shared a flat with people from several different European nationalities. But as for the catchy title… I really don’t know! A former CD member and friend of mine used to like the “We are all mad in here” quote from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which could be quite accurate some times!

Fabrizio: I am too sick to reply to this. [he laughs].

Ander: Sometimes I really believe that several reality shows could be recorded within AEGEE [he laughs]. My favorite types of movies are comedies, sci-fi, thrillers and romantic comedies. For sure not horror! So, why not, let’s choose a romantic one with the title “Pretty Assistant”. Classics are always good and who knows if dealing with companies will bring me a Richard Gere [he laughs].

 Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

In the past year, The AEGEEan was in the hands of Anna Gumbau Martinez (AEGEE-Barcelona), who was a very caring Editor-in-Chief. Although Erika Bettin (AEGEE-Venezia) was elected to take over, this doesn’t mean Anna will become inactive! While she will stay active for The AEGEEan, she is also a member of the board of AEGEE-Barcelona, the Anniversary Team and the newly founded Election Observation Project. For all these reasons, The AEGEEan thought it was time to get to know more about this active Spanish member who always has a smile ready for everyone.

First of all, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Who are you, and when and why did you join AEGEE?

Hey! My name is Anna, I am 22 years old and I come from Barcelona, where I studied journalism. I think that the most remarkable things about me are that I love beer, cheese and chocolate, I am a bookworm and I collect postcards from all over the world. I joined AEGEE in December 2011, but I didn’t become active until summer 2012, when I attended a Travel Summer University around Belgium and the Netherlands. It was my first experience in AEGEE, I hadn’t even attended any local meetings, so I had no idea what to expect. Then I found myself talking and having fun with a bunch of other students coming from all over Europe. I have always been very shy and, in that moment, I felt so at home that I was sure I had found my place!

In the past year, you were the Editor-in-Chief of The AEGEEan. How do you look back at this year?

It was a very demanding year, especially considering that I was still in my last year of my Bachelor’s degree. It’s not only about the magazine in itself and its content, but it embraces all phases of project management. Of course, there were ups and downs and moments I was even considering giving up, but in the end, if I could go back in time, I would have taken up the challenge again – The AEGEEan is the perfect platform to know and discover by your own means what happens in AEGEE and have a broad picture of the association. We speak with so many interesting people, we report about so many outstanding locals, and publish about so many inspiring projects and initiatives. My highlights are each one of our team achievements, our live meeting in Brussels, and all the times we have given voice to projects and members who have had a positive impact in AEGEE and in Europe.

You are also in the board of AEGEE-Barcelona. What are your plans with AEGEE-Barcelona?

Unfortunately I will be out of the city for a couple of months and my role will be mainly an advisory one meanwhile. But AEGEE-Barcelona has quite some interesting plans! In January we organize a Regional Training Course with AEGEE-Tarragona and AEGEE-Castelló, we are developing the concept of our pre-event for European Planning Meeting Burgos next February and we might be also organizing something for Spring AgorAsturias. I would personally love to organize something for the 30^th Anniversary of AEGEE, perhaps a meeting with current and old members, so we can re-gain contact with our alumni. We are also planning some exchanges, and of course, a Summer University, probably within Catalunya this time.

AEGEE-Barcelona recently became Local of the Month. What makes your local unique in the Network?

Hmm, I don’t know who runs the world, but I know who runs AEGEE-Barcelona – girls! Out of our active members, about 80% is female, while three-four years ago it was completely the opposite. I think our biggest strength is that there is a strong cooperation between newbies and older members, and that we are a big group of friends.

What are your plans for the upcoming months (both AEGEE and personal life)?

My life for the next few months will most likely be devoted to one single topic, since I’m part of the Anniversary Team: the 30^th Anniversary’s final conference. For this, I will be moving to Brussels, in order to assist the Comité Directeur with the preparations. This will also affect my personal life too, since it will mean to adapt myself to another city, even if it will be just for a couple of months. Therefore, at least until May I will be fully focused on this. As I said, I want it to be (nearly) perfect! After that, we will see – I will probably start applying for Masters and internships like crazy. Of course, I will also still write for The AEGEEan and work with my Election Observation Project mates.

What are your dreams when it comes to AEGEE?

That’s a tough question. I think one of the greatest things of AEGEE is that you don’t know which opportunities will be knocking at your door, so I am still up for new challenges as long as AEGEE doesn’t end up becoming my comfort zone. However, if I had more time, I would love to give more trainings. My father is a professional trainer and I always wanted to follow in his steps – I guess AEGEE would be a wonderful platform to start. Anyway, I always say that I won’t retire from AEGEE until: 1) I take part in the Transsiberian TSU, and 2) I see an Agora being organized in Barcelona again (the first and only one so far was in 1999). And none of both things seem feasible to happen within the upcoming months, not even years!

What is the most valuable memory you have of AEGEE?

Oh, I have been asked this question a couple of times already, and every time I talk about a different one. This association has given me too many good moments! The first event will always be something to remember, all Agorae I have been to have been special somehow, the inspirational project team meetings, the times you have been an organizer/trainer and you have seen the smiles on the participants’ faces, the long and crazy bus rides to almost anywhere in Europe. Even the European Nights, despite that from time to time I tend to forget what happened. But, the best memories are always made by the people who have somehow left their footprint.

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen