If you attended Autumn Agora Chișinău, you might have seen this girl with distinctive blonde curly hair and blue eyes giving you badges, running around the plenary hall and always smile to everybody. She is Ana Gancearuc, part of the core team and Incoming Responsible of the Agora. Her efforts, along with the entire team, didn’t stay unnoticed and she was nominated as our Member of the Month of October. We asked her some questions and here is the interview!

The AEGEEan: Congratulations! How does it feel to win this award?
Ana: Wow! I didn’t expect it at all, I’m pleasantly surprised and thankful for those who thought of nominating me! I feel really honoured, thank you AEGEE.

Who is Ana? What is her story in AEGEE? 
Ana has been a member of AEGEE-Chișinău since 2010, after helping organising the Summer University that year, and attended my first Agora in Istanbul, I started to understand what AEGEE is really about.
Then I continued by helping organisng many SU’s (but I had never been to a SU as a participant before), LTC’s, RTC. I was a board member in 2011 and 2015, continuing with MedCom for 2015-2016 and Autumn Agora Chișinău 2016.

What is your life besides AEGEE?
On a daily basis, I work full time for a telecommunication company, Orange Moldova, as a human resources administrator for the International Operations Department. It means that I’m doing HR work for a British telecommunication company and I love it.
Besides work, I’m trying to have a healthy lifestyle. From nutrition to exercising, activities and time outside spent wisely, I’m a runner and a swimmer, I have done a couple of marathons, and maybe one day I will get to do a triathlon – if I get to practice biking more often [She laughs, ed.].

Describe your personality by using the initials of your name(s).
Oh that’s a good one! I don’t know, maybe the following:
Ambitious
Nice
Altruist

You worked a lot for Autumn Agora Chișinău. What was the best moment? What was the most difficult thing you experienced?
It was a lot of work, indeed. And I took the Agora very personally, maybe because being a member for six years now,  I had never thought we would have the chance to organise an Agora in my hometown. I had to do my best and give it all for a successful event. It was my sixth Agora and I had seen how other events were organised before, how tired and exhausted the organisers were from previous events, but never stopped smiling or helping when needed. I knew from the very beginning what I was stepping into, when I accepted to be part of the core team and to be the Incoming Responsible of the Agora.

The best moment was seeing people happy about the event, their unconditional love and support meant a lot for me. The hardest moment(s) were the sleepless nights. I didn’t even know which day it was and for me, Agora passed so fast that it seemed like one long day.

Are you happy about the results and proud of them? Would you change anything, looking back?
I am very happy about the results of my team, my dear local antenna and all the organisers from the All Stars Team that did a great job!
If I would change anything… I don’t think we had major incidents, but if I would change anything, I would maybe like to have had less tension if possible, and I would have loved to have more sunny warm days, but we can’t control that unfortunately. Overall I’m happy about everything and I would do it all over again. It’s post Agora nostalgia!

You recently finished your one year term as Mediation Commissioner. How was the experience? What did you learn?
It was a great experience with a great team on board. As a Mediation Commissioner, you see things from a more inside point of view and you have a better opportunity to perceive things. I can not reveal much, but I think I grew a lot by learning about the situations, issues or conflicts that occur in AEGEE. As an advisor and mediator you have to come up with the best solutions and at the same time not interfere with a personal thought or idea (as mediator you have to stay neutral).

Name one good thing and one bad thing about AEGEE.
Good: AEGEEans, it is because of them that I am still a member of this amazing association.
Bad: Time. We need to allocate proportionate time in order for it to work actively, productive. When you are a student, you can divide your time perfectly, in my opinion. Once you are employed full time, unfortunately you have much less free time and other priorities take over. But that should not be an excuse or a bad thing after all, many of us can combine both just fine and we have many good examples of that in AEGEE.

If you could change anything in the association, what would it be?
At the Agora, I saw many AEGEEans, who weren’t informed at all about what an Agora is and what their responsibilities are as a delegate. Many of them were emailing the incoming team, asking them to explain them their duties as a delegate or what Agora is. It would be very good if each board that is elected in every local, enlighten themselves about everything that is happening in our association, what it is, what we do and why, and then inform their members who go to big events to represent their local. Perhaps more trainings about it, regional training coursed with their elected NetCommie or different exchange workshops where more experienced members can share their knowledge with the newbies.
There’s always something to work on, especially when AEGEEans are elected for different AEGEE positions. New brilliant minds make changes and bring something new and fresh to the association, and I respect that a lot.

What are your future plans for AEGEE?
That is a tough one.
Before Agora Chișinău I was 100% sure that after the event, I would resign from AEGEE and let the youngsters take control over the local. For now, I would prefer to stay aside and perhaps participate here and there in some events. I found an interesting training for this winter and I might go if I get selected. Maybe I will attend one more Agora, the one in Enschede. It’s just that I love the Netherlands and it’s a great opportunity to go back there, especially because Dutchies are great organisers. I can confirm that after participating in the EPM in Leiden this year.
I’d like to focus more on my career and personal life for now, but I’m always available if my antenna or AEGEE-Europe needs me.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

When it comes to being a member of the Network Commission, good communication is the key. Mareike Ritter of AEGEE-Heidelberg has already proven herself as a member of her own board, and as a SubCommie. Now she is more than ready to take her skills to the next level, to maintain and improve communication, to facilitate NWMs, LTCs and RTCs; in one word, to become a Network Commissioner.

The AEGEEan: Could you introduce yourself?

Mareike: My name is Mareike, I have been a member of AEGEE Heidelberg since June last year, and I started my one-year term as part of the local board shortly afterwards. I am currently doing my Bachelors in Studies of Religion in Heidelberg, but from October on I will continue in Leipzig. When I am not writing papers on the connection between feminism and Neopagan witchcraft, studying Arabic or reading books on ethnicity in the ancient Mediterranean, I love being outside, going for a walk with my dog or taking pictures, or just drinking a cup of coffee with my friends. And of course the biggest chunk of my time is devoted to AEGEE. Especially during the past weeks, I have been so busy organising the Summer University in Heidelberg that all the other things had to step back – and obviously I cannot get enough of it.

What makes you a perfect member of the Network Commission?

I have a lot of respect towards the job of NetCommie; I have a concrete idea of what my tasks will be and how I would like to tackle them – especially as I already gained insights into the job as SubCommie. I learned a lot about teamwork and the importance of good communication during the past year as part of the board and organizer of a Summer University – so I guess I am ready for the challenge. Plus: I would be the third Mareike in the NetCom in a row, so you do not even have to learn a new name – how convenient (she winks).

What have you done in the past that prepared you for the work that you will have to do in the NetCom?

Since February, I have been supporting Mareike Wegener as SubCommie, and through that work I got to learn about the different ways in which antennae work and what difficulties they might face – and of course what possibilities are there to solve them. Also, through being part of the local board in Heidelberg and organising a Summer University, I learned a lot about project management, organisation and teamwork – experiences that I would love to use and share with others. But of course, this is a job where you are constantly learning – that is why you are in a team where you can learn from and support each other.

What made you want to run for Member of the Network Commission?

Being an AEGEE member, you often have to deal with many different kinds of issues. Bureaucracy, recruitment and too much work can easily take over the fun part. The only cure against these struggles is to be shown again what AEGEE is about: to gain skills, exchange ideas, make them concrete while connecting with people from all around Europe. I believe that the Network Commission plays a crucial role in that: Network meetings, LTCs and RTCs, Skype meetings and exchanges – these are the occasions during which one grasps the power of our borderless cooperation. As a NetCommie you are not only taking part in these activities, but actually facilitating them. And you are able to connect the locals, show them that their issues might be shared – and have already been solved! – by others, too. So, I would like to give my best in this important job in order to strengthen and support AEGEE.

What would you like to do as a NetCommie?

As I said above, I think that exchange and cooperation – even if only via Skype – are very important to strengthen the network among antennae. And as our organisation is currently facing a lack of skilled trainers, I consider it one of the goals during my term to promote LTCs and RTCs in order to create a pool of high-quality workshops that can be used among the network. I am also looking forward to organising the two Network meetings during my term, where people can meet, exchange their experiences and collect new ideas together. Besides that, I will try my best to help locals with their issues while being there for new contacts and contact antennae.

How do you want to achieve your goals as a member of the Netcom?

Keeping in touch with each other and a good communication are everything. So I would like to continue with the frequent Skype meetings within the NetCom and SubCom team and with my locals. I would like to use these occasions, as well as the network meetings, to promote LTCs and RTCs, and encourage locals to take part in the twin antennae or mentoring programmes – close relationships that both the local members and our organisation as a whole profit from.

As a member of the NetCom you will have to communicate a lot with different locals, how will you resolve conflicting issues that some of the locals under your care might have?

As I already said, communication is super important. So I want to maintain the regular Skype meetings with locals in order to be informed about such issues. It should be clear that it is my job to help them through, and sometimes it can already help to have someone looking at the issue from outside.
So that is the first step. Second would be that there is no problem that another local has not faced yet. There is a data base – consisting of forms like the monthly activity reports or board activity reports, that a lot of people consider pure bureaucracy – with which we might find a solution or get together with a local that has already been through such an issue. Then, there are workshops for the board or the entire local that might be helpful. And, worst case scenario, there is the Mediation Commission, and an entire organisation with skilled and experienced people – so no need to worry [she smiles, ed].

You can read her full candidature here. 

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Luca Bisighini, Italian from AEGEE-Brescia, is a 27-year-old travel addict and weird, as he defines himself. He has an MBA with a specialisation in International Trade and Business and he currently lives in Krakow, Poland doing an internship. He joined AEGEE two years ago and he became active both on the local and European level. After being elected as the third member of the Audit Commission during Spring Agora Bergamo, he decided to go for a second term to finish and/or implement what has been started in this term, but he also wants to bring new ideas.

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to run for a position in the Audit Commission again?

Luca: As I said in my application I promised it in Bergamo and I am not running away from my promises. Moreover, I liked this term as Audit and just five months seemed too short to me. I have ambitious plans and enough motivation to be a part of the Audit again. I want to continue working on plans for facilitating the life of Auditors in the future and give opportunities to lots of future students of economics.

According to you, what has been your biggest achievement in the Commission and what was the biggest of the entire Commission?

Personally I’d say getting more in touch with the finances of AEGEE, realising how locals behave by looking at the numbers, by what they present. This is fundamental if you want to set up criteria and make guidelines to allow people to analyse what locals are doing. I have been helped a lot by the previous two Audits who were in charge for a whole year: Mateusz Muszalski (AEGEE-Krakow) and especially Deborah Pistori (AEGEE-Cagliari), the spinal cord of this 2015/16 Audit Commission, God bless her. The biggest achievement of the Commission this Summer was to define our ideas more clearly and decide what we want to do together. We had some serious problems, but we solved them.

You seem to have a clear communication strategy in mind. Can you explain it, with a clear separation between internal communication and external communication?

First of all, during this term we had some kind of communication troubles within the Commission. I appreciate it to be among people who try to save the ship and lead it to safe waters. The issue I am referring to was mainly caused by continuous miscommunications. Also, during these months I had no opportunities to talk to any of the Job Shadowers. None of them showed up, which is kind of weird especially taking into consideration that in Bergamo I ran with one of them.

Actually I wasn’t leading the Audit, but this situation pissed me off (and I wasn’t the only one) due to the lack of basic organisation and leadership. Leadership is fundamental in the European bodies of AEGEE. If you are not a good leader, or a good organiser, well, you are wasting time. Because this was such a huge issue I mainly referred to an internal problem in answering your question.

We will implement the move to Podio, which I find fundamental to make this whole thing work. I would love to have a group of Job Shadowers: people eager and ready to be in a team, to learn lots of things and share their knowledge with me! That’s why we constantly need to be in touch with locals who are asking questions, with FATF, the CD, and the Medcom. Our credibility pass through our complete transparency, and precision in our work and in time.

Can you explain your idea about creating a set of criteria to analyse locals’ Financial Reports in more detail?

When I applied in Bergamo I already discussed my idea of making an Intertemporal Register of the finances of the locals. It’s something really basic in the world of accounting, and it is used to discover the right course of action in a multi-year period, to analyze risks, to prevent them by analysing economic behaviours, justifications to the numbers you see. We can do this for any kind of economic sector and for AEGEE branches too. We can even use these kinds of analyses within our locals. 

If we will analyse the behaviours of different antennae, we can easily establish which ones are at risk, which ones are less at risk and we can find the things they have in common. By adding the international standards “ISO 19011:2011: guidelines for auditing management systems” in the process of our work we can make a professional jump that this body has never experienced before. We need a Task Force for this step forward, so we need more auditors – I hope at least two will join – and a lot of Job Shadowers who have to become like Subcommies for Netcoms. That’s why I am excited and eager to have a Task Force ready to work with me if I will be elected.

You put a lot of emphasis on educating locals. How would you implement this in an efficient way?

One of the things I want to do this year is to explain to every single local that made some kind of mistakes what it is they did wrong. Also, explaining in detail how to fill out a Financial Statement and how to do bookkeeping will be fundamental. It will be one of the first things to implement during the first months of the next term. From Chisinau to Enschede we need to do a lot of educating and talking to locals. We should also try to provide them with more unconventional and non-formal educational tools, even though I am sorry to say that economic education is usually pretty formal. 

You mentioned that you will avoid “stealing problems” in locals. Not going too much into detail, why do you think this problem exists? Is it a big problem or is it limited to specific cases?

There are free-riders in our world in general, not just in AEGEE. There are people and locals who do not follow the main rules of the CIA or their own country’s national (and/or) European law. That’s absurd.

When I joined Audit I heard some vague stories from the past about “hey in this local XYZ ten years ago this happened”, or “this person used the locals’ money to buy the kitchen of his/her flat”. I mean, it might be funny at first, but it’s not funny in the end. Several antennae died due to debts, and were then born again like a Phoenix. Luckily it’s not a big problem,  but we need to take clear and really serious actions to prevent this from happening again. Maybe we can propose some solutions at the Spring Agora in Enschede.

Currently you are Audit Commissioner, Coordinator of the Migration Interest Group, part of the Finance/Fundraising/Social Media team of Europe on Track and Subcommissioner of the Rainbow Area. Considering the workload of the Audit Commission, do you think that you are involved in too many projects? How would you be able to manage everything without neglecting any of your positions?

Anna Bortoletto from AEGEE-Udine asked me the same question in Bergamo, and I managed to find time to do each single thing in this term since then. Team work and effective, precise use of the tools and time we have is the answer. Even if it makes me sleep a few less hours, working for all these AEGEE projects is rewarding to me.

Lisa’s Subcommie Team this year was probably the strongest and the one that worked the most. I have no doubts about it. We made inquiries first, then we tried to improve a lot of the weaknesses we found. We discussed problems and areas where every single local can look for improvements, such as IT areas and ways to improve HR and recruitment. Next year, I’m certain a lot of antennae will adapt their strategies based on our advise. 

The Finance Team of Europe on Track is something lot of antennae/projects in Europe should be jealous of. I love the project, it’s utterly brilliant and fascinating, but since this year’s edition it was troubled. I wanted to contribute with my expertise to make it work better, and make it more digital: an edition to remember.

The Migration interest group grew because of a series of events. We were able to exploit in such a great way: a great edition of the EPM, a really active Facebook group and in the end my Policy Paper on Migration were such great catalysts. We are growing and raising awareness on such a difficult topic. People in the group have great enthusiasm and a lot of creativity, attention, passion for the topic. I almost have goosebumps all the time, I am proud of every member of MIGR. And they represent the perfect AEGEE spirit I hope is alive in other groups and projects too. If I have to list one problem, I would say that I won’t have enough time to go to Brussels for the live meetings for all these projects. Of course, the Audit Commission will have the priority.

You have been very open about your plans in AEGEE. Would you push your ‘career’ further by running for CD in Enschede? If so, do you think this would be wise considering there are no other candidates for Audit as of now?

I am really grateful for having received so much positive feedback regarding my work, about what I do, and about what I say. I really think that this year I will work in the Audit in order to create something worth remembering which can facilitate and inspire a new generation of Auditors to have the kind of financial discussions we have been missing. With regard to my intentions toward running for CD, 2017 will just be a year devoted to the Audit Commission for me. I know more or less 20 people who are not in the CD now that might be new CD members in the very near future. I don’t know what my future holds, but, if something should change in my intentions: since I was born on June 18th and my name day is on October 18th and generally 18 is my favourite number … What about Luca, CD 20…18? [he smiles, ed.]. For now it is Luca, Audit Commission 2017, it sounds wonderful to me.

You can read his full candidature here. 

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

“I got to know AEGEE almost more than one and a half year ago, and since then I’ve always felt like it was meant to happen”. In his own words, Stefano Dal Farra is a 23-year-old Italian AEGEE enthusiastic from AEGEE-Udine. He graduated in Cultural Mediation and after a sabbatical year, where he discovered new realities and started to work within the field of the Erasmus+ programme as a facilitator, trainer and group leader, now he is back in University for a master’s degree in European Studies. As it happened to many, he fell in love with Summer University and now he is running for a position in the Summer University Coordination Team, aiming to cover the task of Content Manager and Fundraiser.

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to run for a position in the Summer University Coordination team?

Stefano: I decided to participate in my first Summer University almost randomly. I left for the SU without knowing anything about this project, without even knowing how to pronounce AEGEE. Once back, I joined the SU of my local as a helper. I really liked the project that I felt like I had to give, I could and I should have given much more to the project, so I decided to become the main coordinator of the SU of my local for this year. In this year, I got to know all different aspects of this project, its strengths and its weaknesses, and I still feel like I can give much more to the project to make it better and to improve it. They key to this decision is the passion. The same passion that gave me the chance to bump into the project, the same passion that drove me to become helper and help my local with their SU, and the same passion that has pushed me for almost more that seven months, to drive once per month for almost more than 100 km from my city to Udine to organise an unforgettable SU for my participants, because I really wanted them to live their best summer of their lives. This is why I decided to run for a position this year in the SUCT.

The current team started a sort of Interest Group about Summer University (SUpporters) where people helped SUCT. Would you like to keep it alive?

Yes, of course. I think that external supporters, along with new and fresh ideas, and external help are essential for the project. The SU doesn’t just belong to SUCT or CD, but to everyone, and everyone should feel free to contribute to the project with their ideas and suggestions. As we say, the more, the merrier, but I would also add the better.

What is your most relevant experience when it comes to Summer University?

I got involved in a SU in all the three possible ways: as a participant on the first time, as a helper on my second time, and this year as the main coordinator. I grew up inside of this project, getting to know it better and better, under every nuance and aspect. I have been to a SU living it in different ways, so I know what every position is about, what to expect or what to do. I attended this year SUPS in Catania, which also helped me a lot for my own SU.

How would you foster good communication/cooperation between locals and Working Groups, The Academy and Projects?

I would set a better and more intense communication with them in order to understand what they would like to do, and what they expect from SUCT, maybe through Skype call or in any other possible way. I would like to set with them some strategies in order to cooperate more closely for this project, underling the fact that the results of the SUs could also be seen and used as results for them.

How would encourage locals to bring more content in their SU? And how would you make participants understand that content is not necessarily boring?

Content is actually of the things I am more concerned about. I got to understand how difficult it is nowadays to provide some content in the SU because it is seen as something boring and useless. I thought the same too, but when I became a trainer I changed my mind. I think that one of the reason for this is that not everybody is aware of the meaning of non-formal education and how it works. I would actually prepare some booklets or any other kind of material to make everybody understand how non-formal education works in the first place. I would like to take care of the main coordinators during the first months of the preparation, setting some Hangouts or personal Skype calls to discuss the objectives of their SUs, to understand what they would like to do, because sometimes people start thinking about the SU without having clearly in mind the message or the objectives that should be behind the project. Then I would give them some suggestions during this initial part about possible content. But most importantly, I would like that all the four areas of the working groups could become compulsory sessions during the SU, maybe for one hour or so, in order to give the possibility to every participant of getting to know what are the focus and the topics AEGEE cares about these days, and then for each session they could do something realistic that can be sent to SUCT as proof that they did it, as well as new and fresh material for the working groups.

In the application process we often see that certain locals are very popular, while others struggle even to find participants and (in extreme cases) are forced to cancel the Summer University. What are your thoughts on that? Do you have any idea to try to level this phenomenon?

I think that this is because people think too much about the destination and not about the content of the SU. I would try to help these locals promoting their SU as much as possible underlining the good aspects of it. Sometimes the local itself is to blame for not being able to promote its SU in the right way, and maybe with some suggestions and little help, things could be different.

Your application is very focused on content, yet you are applying as Fundraiser, task that is not mentioned in your program. Do you have any idea on how to develop a fundraising strategy for SUs?

First of all, I would help locals to develop their techniques of fundraising giving them some suggestions and tips. Sometimes they just don’t know where to start or they don’t have any idea, but maybe they just haven’t thought about other possible ways to fundraise.

Do you have previous experience in fundraising for associations? As Main Organiser of SU in Udine, did you use some sort of fundraising strategy (i.e. for goods, gadgets, funds or grants)?

We decided to fundraise by contacting all the associations and organisations in the region that could help with food or drinks. There were some people who had contacts with some associations and we were able to fundraise a lot last year. I fundraised for some Erasmus+ projects where we needed to have some sponsor for food and gadgets.

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

If you need someone who will take good care of your members, look no further than Alejandra Piot Pérez-Abadín of AEGEE-A Coruña. In her previous functions, she has frequently been regarded as someone who puts effort into listening to people and who remains patient and takes all the time required in order to help members with their problems.

The AEGEEan: To all those who don’t know you yet, Alejandra, who are you?

Alejandra: I’m Alejandra, a member of AEGEE-A Coruña since September 2013, and president during the term 2015/2016. I’m an active and hard working girl, with a lot of compromise with what I’m doing and always with a smile. Also, I’m finishing my degree in audiovisual communication and I work as a waitress. As you can see, I’m multifunctional!

Do you already have similar experience that would make you an ideal member of the Network Commission?

Not at that level, but during my term as president I had some functions such as taking care of the members of my antenna, help them with every problem or anything they needed. Also, I tried to talk to almost all the new members when they joined our antenna to motivate them to be more involved with us. I love taking care of people and help everyone with everything I can. Also, the ones who know me better said that I’m very patient and understanding with everyone.

Why, specifically, are you running for Member of the Network Commission?

Because during this term I realized that what I like the most is to help and take care of everyone who needs it. And this is the aim of the Network Commission, to take care of the Network. I see that this is an interesting and productive task and I think I will learn a lot from this experience. I will be in touch with different antennae, helping and also learning from them, because we are always learning!

Can you already share some of your policy ideas with us?

I want the antennae to organise more activities and events related to the Action Agenda. For this, it will be so helpful to have a subcommie who is also involved in ACT and for sure to be in touch with the ACTie of the Network. Also, I want a more personal contact, so, besides the monthly reports, I want to have monthly skype meetings with the antennae, to get more information and help them with anything they need. I even want to encourage every member that is motivated enough to get involved not just at a local level, also at the European level.

How do you want to implement these policies?

As I said, about the Action Agenda activities, the idea is to use the ACTie of the Network to show everyone that it’s not so complicated as it seems, to talk about that in Network Meetings and to be in touch with the antennae, suggesting them kinds of activities they can do… These are some of the ways to improve this. About the monthly skype meetings, I know that at first it could be complicated, but I believe it will be so useful for the antennae and for us, to get more information besides the monthly report. Speaking of being involved at the European level, I think that introducing people from the Network who is involved and to have them show what they do and how they feel doing it could be so motivating. Also, doing sessions as AEGEE Inspire at the Network Meetings could be very useful too.

What qualities do you possess that make you an excellent member of the NetCom?

As I said before, I really love to take care and help everyone with anything. I’m a patient girl and I will answer questions almost 24/7. I know how to be objective in different situations if there is any problem. I have enough experience in AEGEE to know how to solve almost any doubt. During this year I needed to look out for help for my antenna because the board (including me) were almost new, and it was successful, so I learned how to solve every problem even if at first I don’t know what to do.

How do you resolve tricky issues, such as opposing views or a lack of motivation of members, and can you provide an example of when you tackled this flawlessly?

About opposing views, I will try to be objective with the situation. For example, if in one antenna there is a problem about the behaviour of one member, I would try to get the middle point, no one is 100% guilty of something, both parts always have a part of the blame, so based on this, talking with both parts, I would try to solve the problem, without harming anyone.

About the lack of motivation, for me the best thing that I can do it’s to convince this person to talk to someone who had the same problem in any moment. Sometimes all of us had some lack of motivation because of different reasons, but normally, we go to an event or we talk with someone and we regain this motivation. Also, I will talk to other members of the same antennae to organise activities to motivate this member again. If we talk about new members who need to take the first step, it is important to encourage them to go to different events in their local and also organised by another antennae. Meet people out of their city and discover how big AEGEE is.

You can read her full candidature here. 

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

After some open call extensions we finally have a name… the hosting local for the Autumn Agora 2016 is AEGEE-Chişinău! We spoke with the President and Main Organiser of the statutory event, Andrei Dodiţa, and the core team to have a sneak peak of what has to come. Plus, to present themselves, the organisers have prepared a short video which you can view here.

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to apply?

Core team: Organising an Agora was the biggest challenge for us. AEGEE-Chişinău has a rich experience in organising different kind of projects, both on national and international levels and as a result, we reached the peak and needed a new motivation. Hence, the Agora was the most suitable solution and the perfect new purpose. AEGEE-Chişinău has all that is necessary to organise the Agora: the beauty of the country, the hospitality of the people and an enthusiastic, experienced team. So far, it will be the first and biggest international event ever in Moldova and we are really excited we will be the ones organising it. We plan to place Chişinău steadily on the map of AEGEE-Europe. Last but not least, organising an Agora in Chişinău was a personal goal and dream of the President of AEGEE-Chişinău, Andrei Dodiţa, and he was our biggest motivator.

Why didn’t you apply on the first open call?

During our local’s General Assembly, which took place in September, initially, we agreed to apply for Spring Agora 2017. But, due to some favorable circumstances, we had another Assembly and, after the evaluation of our antenna, we decided to apply for the Autumn Agora 2016. Thereby, we have taken a good decision.

Present your local!

AEGEE- Chişinău was founded on the 4th of June 1999, so in June 2016, we will celebrate our 17th anniversary. In the last two years, AEGEE- Chişinău has organised and hosted ten projects, four of which on national level – namely: PROject for YOUth vol. I in 2014, Let’s Start to Grow in 2014, PROject for YOUth vol. II in 2015 and Be efficient in 2015; and six projects on European level – namely Check-in in Moldova Summer University in 2014, Exchange with AEGEE-Mannheim in 2014, local host for the Election Observation Mission in Moldova in 2014, The Hottest Summer School Summer University in 2015, 4 seasons 3 reasons 2 countries 1 story Traveling Summer University in 2015 with AEGEE-Bucureşti and Taste the Moldavian Hospitality Autumn Agora Kyïv Pre event.

Around 359 young people took part in these projects took part, among which 111 were foreign students.

Who is in the core team?

The core team is formed by the most active, motivated and experienced members that we have in AEGEE- Chişinău: Andrei Dodiţa – the president of the local and the main organiser of the Agora; Aliona Ciorba – the best project manager and members coordinator from our local; Arsenis Tselengidis – former President of AEGEE Thessaloniki, former Network Commissioner and Member of Pool of Representatives; Vali Bala – one of the most experienced members and a very good project manager; Lucia Gori – the former president of our local and one of the longest-serving members; Anisoara Tricolici and Maria Josan – the PR responsible and Secretary of the local and two of the most involved and dedicated members and Ana Gancearuc and Ina Botnari – two of the most experienced longest-serving members.

Can you give us a sneak peek of what you are preparing (facilities, plenaries, also food)?

Everything will be a big surprise for you, as big as our application was for the Comité Directeur, so we will keep this a secret. But, be sure you will feel like home in Chişinău. You will try the best food and the most delicious wine that you have ever tasted. So far, all the foreign participants have agreed with us on that. We have the support of municipality and Ministry of Youth and Sport, so everything will be on a high level.

How can we reach Chişinău? What has Chişinău to offer?

Chişinău is starting to have better connection to Europe via direct flights, however most low-cost airlines fly to the nearby hubs in Romania like Bucharest, Iasi and Bacau. From there, and some other nearby major cities, there are numerous train and bus connections to Chişinău (especially Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca and Kyïv) and, in some cases, central and even western Europe (Moskva, L’viv, Praha, Sofia, Aachen, Kraków, etc). Of course, Moldova has a strong reputation for hospitality so hitchhiking is common and recommended for the complete experience!

Andrei Dodiţa, president and main organiser of Autumn Agora 2016

Even if Chişinău is a small city, it has a very big heart. You will visit one of the greenest cities in Europe, with free wi-fi everywhere and very cordial and beautiful people.

What were you doing when the CD delivered the news and how did you feel about it?

Andrei Dodiţa: I received the news at midnight and the good thing is that when I got the answer I was already in bed so it saved me from falling down. I couldn’t fall asleep that night because the movie of Agora being held in Chişinău was constantly running in front of my eyes. Being extremely excited, I started calling my core team to share the news with them but they were all already sleeping [he laughs, ed].

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona