As every year, the European Charlemagne Youth Prize (ECYP) took place in the city of Aachen, under its 7th edition. After Europe on Track’s major success last year, some AEGEE members gathered in Charlemagne’s city in order to know which project would be its successor. Youth unemployment, selfies, remarkable guests, journalism and the situation in Ukraine have just been some of the major highlights of this event that took place in late May.

1. Our Europe takes the legacy of its predecessor, Europe on Track

Peter Laugesen (Our Europe), with VP of the European Parliament, Anni Podimata

Denmark was the winner of this year’s edition of the Charlemagne Youth Prize, with the project Vores Europa (‘Our Europe’). This project consisted of a 12-month long journey taken by Peter Laugesen and Elena Askløf, who travelled through 24 European countries and interviewed young people about their expectations and wishes for Europe. They published radio podcasts, films, articles, interviews and pictures on their website, and even took up a experimental Skype session in collaboration with 21 Danish schools, involving 2,800 young students whom the creators talked to. It was a truly outstanding project, self-funded by its own creators and it was certainly one of the ‘favourite ones’ to achieve the biggest prize.

The story of Our Europe might seem familiar to many of you… yes! Many of us recalled the Europe on Track project of AEGEE-Europe, which won last year’s Charlemagne Youth Prize. Looks like the recipe for success in a ECYP candidature is very simple: involve young people from several countries, talk about their concerns and reach the policy-makers with audiovisual material and social media.

2. Youth (un)employment, the hottest topic

The three winners: Denmark, the Netherlands and Cyprus

One of the biggest topics addressed by the Danish Our Europe project was with no doubts youth unemployment, which has reached staggering figures in countries such as Spain or Italy. However, this topic was the main issue by several of the 28 projects presented. Both the second and third place winners of the ECYP, the Netherlands and Cyprus, had youth unemployment as their focus.

On the one hand, JouwDelft & Co., the Dutch national winner, hosted a European youth congress in November 2012 which aimed to find local-scale solutions to reduce youth unemployment in Europe and brought young active citizens and policy advisors from several countries together. The outcome of the conference was a resolution on these recommendations, which was issued to the European Parliament in November 2013. On the other hand, Youth Dynamics is a Cypriot youth organisation that hosted a training course in April 2013 that involved seminars, presentations, workshops and discussions based on the same topic, gathering 26 participants from nine EU countries.

3. EBM Valleta, our AEGEE Representative

Mariella getting the award in Aachen

Mariella Rapa (AEGEE-Valletta) was the representative of AEGEE in the list of nominees for the final Youth Prize, representing the European Boards’ Meeting that took place in Valletta in February 2013, which gathered around two hundred AEGEEans under the topic of ‘the future of Europe’.

Previously interviewed by our journalist Cosmina Bisboaca (AEGEE-Torino), AEGEE-Valletta stated that it was “a very big honour” to be the National winner in Malta, especially taking into account that other strong organisations such as JEF Malta submitted their projects too.

Chucky Bartolo told Cosmina the reasons why EBM Valletta decided to run for the Charlemagne Youth Prize: “The organising team that worked on the EBM spent a lot of their time and energy to make the event as great as it could be. Knowing that we had worked so hard to make an event like this meant that we were able to recognise that the EBM was worth submitting. Inspired by the success of “Europe on Track”, we submitted the project for the Charlemagne Youth Prize”. Despite not making it to the ‘final three’, Mariella got the National Award out of the hands of Anni Podimata (vice-president of the European Parliament), and showed the pride of the whole local for being among the 28 finalists.

4. Youth at the back… but not afraid to ask

The 28 national winners of the Charlemagne Youth Prize were afterwards invited at the Charlemagne Forum, which gathered several ‘top’ guests. Unfortunately, the young representatives were forced to be sitting in the back, whereas the jury and guests were right on the front, sitting comfortably and having snacks and drinks next to them. For many, that was the vivid image that young people were merely playing a secondary role in this Charlemagne Prize, but we were not afraid to take the driver’s seat, ask questions and confront the opinion of the older experts… even if we had to stand up and there was no microphone available for us at first.

Especially significant was the speech given by Luis Alvarado Martínez, president of AEGEE-Europe and representative of Europe on Track as the ECYP winner of 2013, who encouraged the organisers of the Charlemagne Youth Prize to involve young people more actively: “It’s them who should be sitting on the front”. Moreover, he suggested the idea of them selecting the winners of the ECYP – after all, what is a ‘youth prize’ if it is not selected by youth representatives?

5. ‘Top’ guests… taking AEGEEan’s selfies

“A selfie is the picture you take yourself, right?”

Besides Ms. Podimata, who was replacing the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, there were other remarkable guests among the visitors in Aachen. One of them was the former president of the European Central Bank, mr. Jean-Claude Trichet, who was taking part at the panel discussion of the Charlemagne Forum. But specially striking was the appearance in the middle of the Forum of Herman van Rompuy, president of the European Council. During the question round, two AEGEE members (Anna, from AEGEE-Barcelona, and Erik, from AEGEE-Bratislava) were sending their questions to the pannelists, when all of a sudden people started to applause. Van Rompuy arrived, the question round was interrupted and he gave his speech where several topics such as the previous Sunday’s EP elections were tackled.

In fact, Mr. Van Rompuy embarked in a small inter-generational dialogue with our AEGEEans Luis and Mariella, when they asked to take a selfie with him. “You mean, the picture that you take yourself, right?”, rumour has it that he asked.

6. The situation in Ukraine in the Charlemagne Youth Prize

Once Herman Van Rompuy had arrived at the Forum, Luis asked him about the situation in Ukraine, and he gave an answer paraphrasing Tolstoy (“we, Europe and Russia, have one thing in common – Christianity”), that our member of AEGEE-Bratislava, Erik Redli, reported perfecty in his article at Foreign Students.

Those were not the only remarkable guests of the week – in the Charlemagne Prize ceremony, there were the prime ministers of Moldova and Ukraine, Iurie Leanca and Arseniy Yatseniuk, right on the aftermath of the Ukrainian elections. In fact, the event gathered a few hundreds of protesters from Ukraine and Russia in the main square of Aachen, protesting against the war – but from different sides. Both were divided into two blocks and the police had to intervene, as reported by our friend from OneEurope Yuliya Kosharevska, even though there were no major incidents.

7. AEGEE-Aachen and OneEurope, a top cooperation for a ‘top event’

A journalists’ “newsroom” moment

Under the special request of the city council of Aachen, AEGEE-Aachen organised a ‘side event’ for journalists who would cover the Charlemagne Youth Prize for their national media and other internet platforms, in order to give more visibility to a prize which has proven to be of a major importance. Our ‘polar bears’ seeked the cooperation with the OneEurope magazine, who also reported actively about the happenings in Aachen and brought their expertise in journalism.

The atmosphere between AEGEE and OneEurope members was great and it truly felt like a real newsroom sometimes. Moreover, AEGEE-Aachen provided a wonderful social programme with a city tour around the city, a party with the national winners of the ECYP… and the members of OneEurope could experience for the first time what a European Night was. Congratulations, AEGEE-Aachen, and thank you for such an effort!

And next year… it can be you! This year’s Charlemagne Youth Prize event has proven that a project that gathers young people from several European countries, that deals with some of the ‘hot’ topics in European youth and also involves policy-makers and advisors can be eligible to win. It is acknowledged that we have taken part in many AEGEE projects with a big potential that comply with these same characteristics. So, what are you waiting for? Maybe the next Charlemagne Prize could be in AEGEE’s hands again!

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

After last year’s success with the Charlemagne youth prize 2013, when AEGEE-Europe won the  final selection with the project Europe on Track, this year again there is an AEGEE-project running for it at the European final in Aachen: AEGEE-Valletta won the national competition with the EBM 2013  “Preserving the present, saving our future”. We have interviewed Martha Misdus, Vice-president of AEGEE-Valletta,  and Chucky Bartolo who had the idea to submit the project.

The AEGEEan: What was the reaction of the members when the announcement about winning the national selection was made?

Martha: To be honest I was the new bearer and having the privilege of spreading the news within our locals was as exciting as it was honourable. For obvious reasons, the reaction was a positive one and gladly received by the whole team. Seeing that constant work is translated into continuous achievements builds an ever stronger team encouraging more team work and investment in human resources.

Why did you decided to submit the EBM to the Charlemagne youth prize 2014 ?

Chucky: The organising team that worked on the EBM spent a lot of their time and energy to make the event as great as it could be. Knowing that we had worked so hard to make an event like this meant that we were able to recognise that the EBM was worth submitting. Inspired by the success of “Europe on Track” as another AEGEE-project that did so well last year, we submitted the project for the Charlemagne Youth Prize.

The other projects were submitted by strong organizations such as JEF Malta and NSTF. Did you expect AEGEE project to win the national selection?

Martha: Although very proud of the work that went into the EBM, we also knew that we were up against some tough competition. Winning the national selection is a very big honour and not something that we have taken for granted!

Do you think the project will make it into the three final European winners?

Chucky: Obviously possessing a crystal ball either to know from beforehand the future or else to alter it and to accommodate it to one’s own wishes is more than desirable, alas, impossible. We however feel that it should rank among the top. Not only did we put all our efforts to make this project possible but we actually managed to realise them to produce a successful result both for the history of AEGEE-Valletta as well as a contribution to our national pride. The fact that we have already made it so far is the best expression of appreciation anyone could ever grant us.

As mentioned before, while being proud of the event and very happy with the result at a national level, there will be some stiff competition for the first three places. That being said, we as AEGEE-Valletta have done our very best and hope that this is reflected in the final outcome of the European winners! Additionally, what is most important to us, is that we made both AEGEE-Valletta and AEGEE as a whole visible on a Union level, demonstrating that our organization cares for and actively promotes the European ideals amongst students and youths alike.

The AEGEEan: What are the plans of the antenna now? How about the Summer University?

Martha: Our antenna is always busy. In fact, I can proudly assure you that we defeat the general cliché that Southern Mediterraneans are a lazy lot! Currently we are geared in organizing a TSU with AEGEE-Agrigento, hoping it would rank among the top, where participants could treat themselves to the Mediterranean Sea.  We are also in the middle of a EuroArab Project, a Youth in Action programme fully organized by our antenna having delegates from the Arab part of the continent such as Tunisia, Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, Morocco, and also from Spain, Croatia, Greece and Italy. This is being organized with the EuroArab project of AEGEE, hence not exclusively by us, but we are obviously responsible for all the logistics. Not to mention also the various local events we organize for our members at the university of Malta, as well as maintaining the reputation of being the official Erasmus Organisation  for those lucky ones who study in our beautiful island.

Written by Cosmina Bisboaca, AEGEE-Torino

Almost two months have passed since EBM Valletta 2013 took place. It was, indeed, an amazing event which gave all participants courage and inspiration to start acting and become part of the change all over Europe. Plenty of discussions, sessions, presentations and workshops were included in the programme, making the contribution of the participants both necessary and fun!

One of the most interesting parts was that of the workshops. With the cooperation of the rest of the EnWG’s board (Iris Hordijk, John Eikosidekas and Laia García), I was both glad and nervous to prepare and present a workshop called: “2013 as Europe’s Year of Air – The Future of Europe and Air Pollution”. In case you have missed it, don’t worry! Keep reading and by the end of this article you will feel like you were actually there (I promise)!

First of all… you already know that the air we breathe is essential for human life. Without it, forget life in our planet! But is this air high in quality or not? According to the most recent analyses of the European Environment Agency (EEA), the answer seems to be negative as air pollution remains a concern of vital importance for both public health and the environment.

Air pollution is a gas (or a liquid or solid dispersed through ordinary air) released in a big enough quantity to harm the health of people or other animals, kill plants or stop them growing properly, damage or disrupt some other aspect of the environment (such as making buildings crumble), or cause some other kind of nuisance (reduced visibility, perhaps, or an unpleasant odor).  Some of the basic particles causing the phenomenon are: a) sulphur dioxide; b) carbon monoxide/dioxide; c) nitrogen oxide; d) volatile organic compounds (VOCs); e) ozone, and others. Today, there are three main sources of air pollution: a) traffic; b) power plants, and c) industrial plants and factories.

There are almost half a billion cars on the road today, the engines of which give off air polluting exhausts such as carbon monoxide and VOCS. Smog (a combination of the words “smoke” and “fog”) is what remains in the atmosphere after all these fumes start to gather above city buildings, making the air in our lungs harmful for human health.

Even though renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and wind turbines are helping us generate a bigger proportion of our power every year, the highest amount of electricity is still produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil, mostly in conventional power plants. Theoretically, power plants should produce nothing worse than carbon dioxide and water, but in practice, fuels are dirty and they don’t burn cleanly. As a result, power plants produce a range of air pollutants (e.g. sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, etc.).

Products everyone uses come from plants that often release small but significant quantities of pollution into the air. Industrial plants producing metals like aluminum and steel, refine petroleum, produce cement, synthesize plants, or make other chemicals, are among those that can produce harmful air pollution. Most plants that pollute release small amounts of pollution continually over a long period of time. However, the effects can be cumulative. In addition, sometimes industrial plants release huge amounts of air pollution accidentally in a very short space of time.
Air pollution can have a severe impact on people’s health. Research carried out on behalf of the European Commission as part of its review of EU air policy during the 2013 ‘Year of Air’ demonstrated that long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) can lead to the vascular disease atherosclerosis, cause adverse birth outcomes and childhood respiratory diseases, while suggesting a strong causal link between particulate matter and cardiovascular and respiratory deaths (those results were presented to the Commission in Brussels). Also, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80% of Europeans are exposed to PM concentrations higher than those stipulated in the WHO 2005 Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs), which reduces the average life expectancy of EU citizens by 8.6 months.

“She has been responsible for the successful revival of the Cultural European Night at the EBM”. Who is this mysterious person, you might be wondering? It is Alice Bednarova from AEGEE-London. The European Night during Autumn Agora Budapest raised many questions and gave way to many discussions. The Culture Working Group (CWG) has decided to take things under control starting with EBM-Valetta and return the initial spirit of the event. This time the very person who helped in the revival of the CEN concept has been elected member of the month, and The AEGEEan was glad to interview Alice.

The AEGEEan: Could you start with telling us a bit about your life in AEGEE?

Alice: I became an AEGEE member in 2010. To be honest I found AEGEE only by chance. I remember I was browsing through the internet searching for what am I going to do in the summer and I found the Summer University (SU) project, so I joined. After the SU I became very active because I wanted to and because I was doing my Erasmus in Athens.

And you are also active in the CWG?

Yes. I started with the CWG in 2012. I was looking for the way I can get involved in AEGEE and at the same time how this activity can correspond to my interests.

So you are into culture. Any other hobbies?

That’s my huge hobby and also my job since I am studying about galleries and museum sector. The course – Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Culture – is a new project of the University of Westminster. I spend my free time in galleries where I either work or simply enjoy my free time. Of course, I love travelling too. I also work in a little coffee shop. There is no way to survive without a job here.

 You were the one responsible for the Cultural European Night (CEN) at the EBM. What’s the story behind it?

I answered the open call for a person that would be in charge of the CEN at the EBM. We all knew that the last CENs were not successful so far and many voices had risen after the last European Night at the Agora Budapest. There was even this article in the AEGEEan questioning the original purpose of this event and it has been even broadly discussed whether this kind of event in this form should be kept on the program of statutory events. Since the whole CWG see the huge importance of having the CEN we have decided to try to bring a new concept to it- keep the ‘fun elements’ such as the drink and food fair but also, more importantly, –  show that CEN is more a celebration of cultures than just a party with free booze.

As far as I understand, you started dealing with the CEN as soon as you joined CWG? Or did you help out with other things first?

No, actually, this was the very first event. There were many ideas how we could change the EN to make it more cultural. I thought we needed to make it more interactive, to encourage people to join the program. I have requested a projector from the organizers where we played for the first time the CEN video (that was an amazing work from Dasha, AEGEE-Moskva). The most difficult part, however, was to make people join the program. I do not even remember how many times I have sent a reminder saying the same worlds: always asking people to bring their folklore and perform. A week before the event we had only one performance confirmed! I felt that this was going to be a disaster.

During the EBM some guys from Turkey came to me willing to show their dances and not only I had to limit their part because they would make the whole night only Turkish. The Dutch part was also amazing thanks to the organization of Hanke, from AEGEE-Enschede. It started with three – Turkish, Dutch and Greek.

I counted on having more, but was happy with at least three. But then more and more people started joining. Beata organized the Hungarian performance, followed with Anna Gots with the Ukrainian folklore.

Every single performance was so well done. Some of them were simply breathtaking.

 Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?

I would like to say how happy I am for being part of AEGEE. It means a lot to me. Even though we are often working very hard, we end up being rewarded greatly afterwards. I would like to thank also to Danae Matakou and Guillermo Tabares Garcia for their support in the CEN project.

Thank you for all the efforts to Alice and the Cultural Working Group. We are looking forward to the European night at the next AGORA!

 Written by Olga Volovyk, AEGEE-Kyiv

Even though the spring was swept away by the rigorous winter throughout Europe, the Comité Directeur (CD) spirit has not disappeared and the two statutory events, the tight deadlines, the many AEGEEans we met in these four weeks resulted in an unforgettable and crazy month! Despite the fact that the CD members spent many days together abroad, we still had the possibility to engage ourselves in doing diverse activities, work on new projects and push the association forward day by day.

Luis Alvarado Martinez (President)

March was another very busy month starting with the EBM in Valletta. Right after coming back from Malta, I had a few days to catch up with the work in the office and left again as CD represenative to the wonderful Network Meeting (NWM) in Paris.

Straight after coming back , I flew to Dublin, Ireland to the EU Youth Conference of the Structured Dialogue on Youth under the Irish EU Presidency, as part of the Spanish and AEGEE delegation drafting concrete recommendations together with policy makers on the topic of social inclusion and youth work.

One day after coming back from Dublin, together with my CD members, we started preparing everyhing for “Back to Brussels”, which is the annual Alumni gathering of Les Anciens. This time we tried to make it special for them, allowing them to see the old house in Rue Nestor de Tière, 15 for the very last time, and then, bringing them to the new headoffice in Rue du Noyer, 55. They were indeed very happy with the new house and they have already started supporting us financially to get new accessories and pimping up the new headquarters of AEGEE.
The week after I flew back to Las Palmas Gran Canaria, my hometown through an invitation of my former University to give a speech on Youth Participation and the possibilities which the EU gives to students, during the annual International Mobility Forum. Within the framework of this forum, I was given a recognition award for my work and AEGEE-Europe’s work this year. It was also very nice to see the sun before going back to Brussels.
The last week of the month, as some of you might have already heard, is one of the most stressful weeks in your CD life: the time of Agora preparation!

Anna Gots (Financial Director)

Kathrin Renner (Vice President and External Relations Director)

After coming back from the EBM, I immediately continued working on the Study and Career Fair of Agora Rhein-Neckar, which thanks to the hard work of the local organisers was very successful. A very special thanks goes to Jannes Rupf, Frederich Renisch and Christian Bussar!

Beside all this, I followed up agreements with some of our partners: Interrail confirmed to sponsor our Summer University maps as well as to give us 20 tickets for the new year. I also had conversations with Brussels Airlines, updating new discounts, Imperial Tobacco and the ONE foundation. We were the most excited about the meeting with Hello Europe, with which hopefully, we will soon sign a partnership.

The weekends in March were also booked: in the middle of March the Back2Brussels event took place, where around 40 former AEGEE members came to visit us, and some preparations were done around this. The next weekend, I travelled to Leiden to attend the Network Meeting of Wieke and I also participated in discussions and sessions.

In preparation for the Agora, with Bea, Miguel and Lucille, we finished the Impact Measurement concept and the last details for the new membership cards were set so that we could distribute them in Mannheim.
The last week before the Agora was dedicated to finishing presentations, updating and getting an overview about all our work so that we can present it and update you on this at the Agora.

I want to say already in this Telegram an enormous gigantic thank you and express my huge respect for the organisers of Spring Agora Rhein-Neckar: I believe it was the best-organised Agora I have ever attended, but also one with the best spirit among the organisers. A very special thanks to Leandra Jordan and Max van Bahlen for helping us with whatever we needed, Jannes, Frederich, Benjamin Dohl, Alex Becker, and Stefan Noll for waking us up so charmingly every morning.

Beata Matuszka (Network and Human Resources Director)

March seemed to pass fast, due to mainly the fact that we had basically two statutory events this month. The first day of the meteorological spring caught us at the amazing EBM, organized by AEGEE-Valletta, where I was facilitating two thematic sessions (one about the role and future of entrepreneurship in Europe and the other about the euroskepticism) and two internal sessions (working on objectives for the Action Agenda and the implementation of these objectives in smaller locals in AEGEE). Right after the EBM, I was traveling to Budapest, where I had a whole weekend at the recruitment (freshmen’s) camp of AEGEE-Budapest with around 120 participants and I had the possibility there to have a session about the European level of AEGEE and energise the people there.

We have started to work on the concept development with International Politics Working Group and Culture Working Group (Ivan Bielik, Guillermo Garcia Tabares and Alice Bednarova) of an initiative of Divided Societies.

Besides, with two local level representatives (Lucia Gavulova from AEGEE-Bratislava and Halina Ivanova from AEGEE-Grodno) and many future project members, we prepared the application for the Growth Management Project of European Youth Forum, which intends to support the qualitative changes in the member organisations.

And if it’s Agora, then it’s endless preparation: network status, antenna criteria, charts, graphs, progress meetings, impact measurement, registration table, preparation in soul for (1-2 hours of) sleeping on the floor for days, meeting with friends, catching up with them, working hard and squeezing everything in 24 hours every day… But this will be the story of another month.

Lucille Rieux (Secretary General)

March was such a busy month, it passed extremely fast.

Once that we were back from the EBM, the follow-up has started with some thanking emails, evaluation forms and starting the result booklet for the EBM.
The following week-end, I attended the NWM in Paris, where I had several workshops and got the opportunity to meet again with some members of locals I was taking care of when I was Network Commissioner, myself. It was really regenerating to attend this Network Meeting and to exchange ideas regarding AEGEE with the members.

At the same time, the preparation for the Agora started to become more and more urgent. I was communicating with the chair and coordinating the different presentations that the members of the CD were to have during the Agora, as well as preparing the different the booklets to be published before the Agora. More specifically, I have been working on the preparation of the identity progress meeting, gathering the results of the first phase of the survey we conducted so far, as well as working on the process of impact measurement within AEGEE. I was also preparing the future contracts for the next General Assembly in Zaragoza, as well as discussing the future locations for the next General Assemblies.

Agora finally arrived, and at the end of the month, the whole team headed to Germany a few days in advance, in order to deal with the last preparations with local organisers and the Chair. Agora brought some good surprises, as the whole team has been re-elected, which also proves that the work achieved so far is being appreciated. It is good to receive some good feedback from the Network.

It is now time to look ahead and see the surprises that April will bring us.

Miguel Gallardo (Projects Director)

If February was a crazy month because of the preparations for the EBM, March was even crazier, with the EBM itself and the preparations for Agora Rhein Neckar. Moreover, with the decision to submit a candidature again, you can imagine how difficult it was to find time for everything…

AEGEE was invited to a Europe-US Student meeting organized by our patron James Skelly, and as the topic was connected to environment, I was selected to go there. It was a great experience to explore the differences in how European and American students approach to the same issues. However, I missed the Back To Brussels meeting and dinner because I was in Aix-en-Provence.

Moreover, I took one of the few free weekends, I had to attend the Knowledge Transfer meeting between Agora Alicante and Agora Zaragoza. Which brought great memories to me and made me very positive towards the expectations for the Autumn Agora 2013!

I had to prepare quite a lot of things for the Agora Rhein Neckar: a whole set of presentations about the Strategic Planning, about WGs and of course the Activity Report. We had several meetings to prepare the workshops, Prytania and Progress Meetings and arrive to the location of the Agora as ready as possible.

It kept snowing in Brussels, except for a couple of short spring-like days. I hope that soon the sun is going to shine finally, and we can enjoy the garden of the new house.

Pavel Zbornik (European Institutions and Communications Director)

March started with the EBM where I recorded the Panel discussion on the topic of New Challenges for European Identity. Later on, I was busy cutting and editing videos which you can watch now at AEGEE-Europe’s YouTube channel (http://youtu.be/dzokWeoM_VQ). I als oprepared the new issue of AEGEE’s Newsletter which was delayed due to my participation at the EBM.

Right after the EBM, I participated at NWM Paris and held sessions about PR as trainer, together with Inana Namet.
After the NWM, I attended a meeting with consultancy company together with Lucille Rieux in Paris. After that I took a day off to see a bit of Paris which due to heavy snow and twice cancellation of my bus back to Brussel resulted in two more days in Paris.

During the third weekend, we hosted Back 2 Brussels reception for Les Anciens, where every CD member took part in the preparation and realisation: I was responsible for the BBQ.

The rest of the month was mostly connected to the preparation for the Agora and the deadlines for the Study Sessions by the Council of Europe and European Youth Foundation, which were successfully submitted.

In September 2012 AEGEE-Tilburg consisted of just two guys. Two experienced members: Tjeerd Kosse and Yunhai Su decided to make a re-start with AEGEE-Tilburg.  After a search two new board members joined. First Matei Zamfirescu and right after Sintija Saurina. In October the board was formed with Tjeerd as president, Sintjia as secretary, Yunhai as treasurer and Matei as visuals & marketing; four different characters who  formed a great team together. Now AEGEE-Tilburg has over 30 members. This is their story…

The enthusiasm only grew bigger. Soon after the forming of the board the board plan was presented. Our idea was simple: get AEGEE-Tilburg back on track in one year and set the basis for the next board to make AEGEE-Tilburg a stable student organization in Tilburg. Because we made a fresh new start we were able to make big changes and improvements that otherwise would be unthinkable. We were the first board that consisted of completely different nationalities and we changed the working language to English. We are proud of the fact that we are one of the boards in AEGEE who made this change to be inclusive towards international students.

Another big change that we could make is to create a very European culture in AEGEE-Tilburg. Because we just started we were able to imprint in our AEGEE-Tilburg a culture that we, as an antenna, are just one part of a bigger organization called AEGEE, and that our focus lies on Europe. Our local is aware of the fact that AEGEE is ‘one big family’, not just 200 lonely antennae. Therefore we encourage our own board and members to engage actively in European activities. In the remaining months of this academic year we’re planning to visit Budapest,  organize a TSU with AEGEE-Eindhoven and -Maastricht and much more. And we are always looking forward to work together with locals all over Europe.

We were also successful in achieving our goals. After starting with just two enthusiastic guys, we already have had one outgoing exchange with Valletta and two incoming exchanges with both Budapest and Valletta. Tilburg took a group of 30 exchange participants to Valletta, being the largest antenna during the EBM week. A majority of the group consists of new members, who experienced their first European event. The activities that Valletta organized for us were so fun and interesting that we now have several active members; people really fell in love with AEGEE. Now the number of members has tripled. Proud as we are of this achievement, we still strive to quintuple the amount of members by the end summer to have a sturdy basis for next year.

Dear boards of all the AEGEE-locals, AEGEE-committees and –commissions, Working Groups and Project Groups; Keep your eyes on AEGEE-Tilburg! We are a very enthusiastic local looking to collaborate to achieve great things within AEGEE. Come and talk to us during the Agora and if we do not already happen to bump in to each other! Hope to see you soon, somewhere in Europe!

Written for The NetCom Times by Tjeerd Kosse, AEGEE-Tilburg.

The EBM comes closer, and now it is the chance of AEGEE-Valletta. This year, the Maltese antenna, known for its best Travel Summer University 2012 and for having hosted the spring Agora “A vision for our Future” in 2007, gives a try to celebrating its second EBM, -the first one was held in 2005-. It would be a tremendous mistake to call them “newbies” in organizing international events but, as it is said, every time it is a new adventure. Martha Mifsud, public relations responsible of AEGEE-Valletta has shared with us some of the questions that might come up when setting up a statutory event.

-How do you manage to coordinate more than 300 participants?

-300 participants…yeah that’s quite a lot! However, we believe that together we achieve more. That is the main thread for the Maltese organizing team, that is what links us all together. Coordination is however, the art of good leadership. The most efficient way we thought of going about this event is to have various teams, each chaired by a specific person. To illustrate it better, I am for instance the Chair of the Marketing and PR team.

– When promoting the EBM, which tools do you use to make it better known?

-The strategy adopted was that of making use of all technological means at our disposal. Facebook nowadays is a major asset. On the other hand,  we also have the EBM Official website which is quite prestigious. Moreover, we used local newspapers and radio stations to make the general public aware of AEGEE-Valletta.

-When it comes to money…How do you achieve to get all the financial support needed for covering the costs of the EBM? Do you give something  in exchange?

-Funding is one big headache! The best solution I found is to be persistent and never lose hope! The plan we adopted was to apply for any funding application possible and ask for the sponsorship of any company or even a corner shop you come across, which also help us to invest that money in local events to encourage more people to join us. At the end, we managed and finally the picture started to get to its place. Obviously, nothing comes for free. However, it is only fair on our part to promote our tiny island on behalf of government entities, after all, we are very proud of our home.

-Once you get the funds, how do you distribute them? Which things are more expensive and which ones can be done in a humble way?  

AEGEE-Valletta has always been known for quality events. We want to present the whole package. We don’t believe in having good accommodation while providing for want of a better word ‘barely decent’ food. The solution is to try to get as much money as possible. This requires hard work and sacrifice and months of preparation.  AEGEE- Valletta tries to find the equilibrium between saving money on the one hand and investing in human relations on the other.

-With your minds fully set on logistics, do you have a little space dedicated to the environment? Are you eco-friendly?

-With regards to being eco-friendly, yes, we do our best to protect the environment. We believe that the world is our home and it needs to be safeguarded. In fact, one of the policies I adopted in the EBM Marketing and PR team was to refrain from printing materials and send documents, including sponsorship proposals strictly by email.

-Which advices would you give to other antennas that might be interested in hosting a European statutory event?

-Being one of the main organizers is a memorable experience. It is self-enriching and educative. With the right attitude, it could be the event which defines your life towards professionalism and practical training in view of a successful future career.

* The EBM Valletta will take place under the sunny sky of Malta from the 28th February till the 3rd March.

Photos courtesy of Martha Mifsud.

Written by Ana Valiente, AEGEE Tenerife

It was recently announced that the EBM 2013 will be hosted by AEGEE-Valletta. An event that will bring approximately 300 participants from all over Europe to the sunny island of Malta in February next year. 

The AEGEEan caught up with the president of AEGEE-Valletta Chris Frendo to congratulate him with the selection as host of EBM 2013 and to get the first taste of what the AEGEEans can expect from the event.

The AEGEEan: “When did you decide to apply for organising the EBM 2013?”

Chris Frendo: “The actual decision to submit an application to host one of the most important AEGEE events was taken during one of our board meetings in December. However, that decision was the result of the months of hard work which prepared and shaped our character in a way which made it possible for us to agree to go for the challenge of hosting an EBM. It was the culmination of a long process of team building sessions, training courses and other various events. In the past months the team at AEGEE-Valletta dedicated much of its time to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and experience needed to organise large scale events; hence we embarked on various projects, both locally and internationally. In a matter of months we organised a Summer Event, a Winter Event, and had the plans underway to organise a Carnival Event and a Traveling Summer University. The next inevitable outcome was to go to the next big thing, i.e the EBM. Certainly a much bigger challenge, but so is our enthusiasm and dedication to make this event memorable.”

The AEGEEan: “Why did you decide to apply for organising the EBM 2013?”

Chris Frendo: “We decided to apply mainly because we believe we could host successfully the event. Before we submitted the actual application, we undertook a feasibility study in which we discussed various logistical issues with our commercial partners, civil society partners, other NGOs and the relevant government departments. Another fundamental reason was that we believe that holding such an event in Valletta raises the profile of our antenna to a higher level. AEGEE-Valletta is a proud host of previous EBM and an Agora. However, some years have passed since the last major international event, thus the current board was resolved to steer the antenna back into the limelight. We believe that we have much to offer both in terms of experience and also in terms of the beauties of our island. Another reason was the fact that such an event provides our local members with an incredible opportunity to acquire new skills such as communication skills, management skills, project management, public relations and much more. The board has also ensured that all members who directly work in this project will be awarded a special certificate from the University of Malta. Although all of us are doing this because we enjoy doing it, yet it is also true that such experience will come useful in our future working life. For these reasons we decided to apply to host the EBM 2013.”

The AEGEEan: “What preparation have you made for the event so far?”

Chris Frendo: “The first and foremost thing which we had to make sure of that we had a team of dedicated people who were willing to work on this project, which of course requires a lot of hard work and commitment. Having ensured the necessary human resources it was very easy to set up a core team and assign more important tasks. The second equally important task was to prepare a provisional budget to ensure that we have the required financial means to host successfully the EBM and be up to the standards which AEGEE-Valletta is renowned for.

In terms of IT, at this stage we are working on a website which will be launched in the coming months and which will contain all the relevant information about the EBM 2013 and a possible post event in the Maltese Mediterranean Islands.

Moreover, we are preparing an application for EU funds, hoping that we will be granted some financial assistance. Obviously, an added financial grant would enable us to increase the level even more and make our product much more attractive.

Currently, we are holding talks some high profile people on the Island, with the hope of having the event hosted under the auspices of their distinguished office. More information will be available as soon as it is appropriate so we’ll keep you curious at the moment,” the president says with a smile.

The AEGEEan: “What will await the participants in Valletta?”

Chris Frendo: “Malta is a very small island and one of the great advantages for a visitor is that everything is so close. Hence, it would be possible for us to organise a very interesting evening social programme which would include historical sights, museums, city tours and of course wild parties! Since the distances between the venues are relatively short we are able to cram much more into the day programme than our counterparts abroad are able to. This will surely be appreciated at night because we can stay partying for longer!

Malta has a rich history, going back to prehistoric times. Over the course of the centuries Malta had various rulers: Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Spaniards, French and British. These rulers influenced the artistic heritage, culture and the general development of our tiny nation state. Our guests will have ample opportunity to see the result of this amazing legacy. It should be noted that Valletta, the capital, a jewel in its own right, is currently bidding to be the European Capital City of Culture in 2018.

Malta boast of many sandy beaches, although March is usually off season for the locals we are sure that whether permitting many of our guests will not hesitate to take their first plunge in one of our many crystal clear beaches.”

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København