Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia, is the new Editor-in-Chief of our webzine (online magazine). Very professional, with a tough working experience in the field, she knows how to get the job done, but she also has a heart (or at least she hopes). And she has big plans for her mandate: among others, to get a permanent newsroom in the AEGEE Head-office in Brussels.

The AEGEEan: Dear Erika, you gave so many interviews in the last few months, that nowadays we know almost everything about you. Now, pretending this is not the case, can you tell us something about yourself (that we still do not know – like your favourite colour for socks, for example)?

Erika: Indeed, I gave a lot of interviews (mostly to you, actually), which is odd, considering the fact that I’m used to asking questions. Something our readers may not know… My favourite colour is green. I give names to objects: my car is Alfio, my laptop is Cleto and my mobile is Baby. I am allergic to a long list of foods, but the most dangerous one is chili pepper that gave me two anaphylactic shocks already. So please, organisers, take notes, otherwise you will have to spend some quality time in the hospital with me. [she laughs]

You are the new Editor-in-Chief of the AEGEEan. You started not so long ago, and thus you are making a lot of changes. What is foreseen to be next? What can we expect? Will you try to take over the CD house to be your newsroom by the end of your mandate?

I think that our aim is to take over from our predecessor and try to add our own special touch. I will change something in the website and a soon-to-be launched subsection is on its way. There were some changes in how we organise our work and two new positions (Vice-Editor-in-Chief and Chief-of-Proofreaders), but they were all ideas we had during the project team meeting we held in Brussels back in October, I just put them in action. I will work a lot on the knowledge transfer within the team, because based on my experience, it is what our association needs the most and I aim for a recognition of the work of my journalists. Especially this last point is the more complex, but I hope to end my term at least with some guidelines for my successor.

I never thought about having a permanent newsroom, but indeed it is a marvelous idea. Right now, working online is quite complicated, can you imagine what The AEGEEan can do with a permanent place to work? I will set a Skype meeting with Comité Directeur to organise the moving. They will be delighted, I’m sure.

 What do you think The AEGEEan should be? A webzine meant to inform our members about our organisation, a tool to communicate with externals, or both?

The AEGEEan should firstly be a tool to inform our members on what’s happening outside their locals. We are a wide network and it’s nice to know what other locals are organising, it can be inspirational. The webzine also covers the European Level part and it can be useful to reduce the gap between local and European Level. Unfortunately, we are a niche, except for the Beyond AEGEE section, and it’s hard to be in touch with externals doing so.

Who is in your team now? And for those who will join: what or whom should they be afraid of?

My team… I am very proud of their work and so far I still didn’t express how happy I am with their approach towards the work we are doing. Where should I start? Svenja van der Tol (AEGEE-Nijmegen, European Events and Network Editor) is my brilliant Vice-Editor. We worked so many times together than now she’s basically my little sister. Alfredo Sellitti (AEGEE-Salerno, Beyond AEGEE Editor) with all of his experience is my Jiminy Cricket and he is always reminding me I can be better. Antonija Parat (AEGEE-Zadar, Comité Directeur section Editor) is the ideal link with CD and always very supporting. Katja Sontag (AEGEE-Aachen, People Editor) is extremely professional and a super fast learner. Larisa Smajlagic (AEGEE-Verona, Projects and Working Groups Editor) has a natural gift in doing interviews and her approach towards AEGEE is always an inspiration to me. Sabina Guja (AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca, Chief of Proofreaders) is one of the most consistent and hard working persons I met in this association. Balint Erdosi (AEGEE-Budapest, IT responsible) has the difficult job to deal with my senile knowledge of IT stuffs.

And then my journalists. Anna Gumbau (AEGEE-Barcelona) and Patricia Anthony (AEGEE-Zaragoza), my predecessors and enthusiastic journalists who taught me more than it would seem. Lia Tuska (AEGEE-Sofia) is a super caring and gentle soul with a talent in motivating people. Raluca Radu (AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca) was one of the Key to Europe journalists and we saw her potential immediately. She didn’t let us down and she’s constantly blooming. And Willem Laurentzen (AEGEE-Nijmegen and Anniversary section responsible), one of the few guys we have on the team. I really do love his smart and baroque way to write and he is the right man for the Anniversary section. A special mention to my proofreaders Iliana Koumpli (AEGEE-Thessaloniki), Katharina Krull (AEGEE-Passau) and Maurits Mink (AEGEE-Maastricht). They do a very hidden job, never in the spotlight, but their work is absolutely vital to help us to maintain our high standard. Plus, we have some freelancers who give their contribution, namely Anna Pikhtina (AEGEE-Kyiv), Marije Arentze (AEGEE-Leiden) and Maria Arends (AEGEE-Tarragona).

We are a nice group and after the Open Call we received a lot of valid applicants, who are currently working on their test articles. Who will join should be afraid of my insane worship for deadlines. This causes me to send zillions of reminders that scare people [she laughs], but at the end of the day organising the work of the magazine is my job, so I hope people will understand that I have a heart, too.

AEGEEans have the advantage to have two main information sources: The AEGEEan and the Golden Times. Is there or will there be rivalry between these two webzines or they’re rather focusing each of them on some specific topics?

The rivalry between The AEGEEan and the Golden Times is the urban legend of the association nowadays. Indeed we are the two main information sources, but I firmly believe that it is good. We focus on different topics (even if we sometimes overlap), we have different styles and we have a different approach on the news. In the journalistic world it is very rare to only have one source of information and the fact that our association can rely on two, as I said before, is good because we complement each other. And, why not, some competition is a spur to do better and to learn from what the other is doing better. Moreover, I’m sure we can cooperate to reach a common goal (like we already did during Autumn Agora-Cagliari).

Anything else you would like to add to your interview to make sure that our readers will keep reading The AEGEEan even after this interview?

I’m amused that you are implicitly saying that I will ruin The AEGEEan’s reputation with this interview, but I can assure you that despite the fact that they have me as Editor-in-Chief, all the journalists are very nice and proactive, so don’t be afraid to answer their questions. They don’t bite.

I’d like to add that readers can follow us on Facebook and we still have some vacant positions, you can see them at this link.

Good night and good luck.

Written by Alfredo Sellitti, AEGEE-Salerno

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

The AEGEEan met Erika and Svenja, the two Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Key to Europe. Funny and professional, these girls answered all our questions to let us know something more about them. Hello Kitty and fairy tales, dynamic and crazy: discover how they enjoy writing and what their plans in life are.

The AEGEEan – Name, Surname, Local and your favourite quote

Svenja: Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen, Per aspera ad astra (through difficulties to the stars ed. ) or “Hello Kitty isn’t a bunny?” Depends on how intellectual you want to portray me.

Erika: Miss Erika Bettin from AEGEE-Venezia. I have tons of quotes I use as a mantra, but my life style can be summarized as “I keep on making bad decisions, hoping for a positive outcome“.

The AEGEEan – You’re going to lead the next edition of K2E together. Where did the idea to work together come from?

Erika: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. Me and Svenja started talking about the way we saw journalism and life and we instantly got along. When I saw the open call I thought it would be amazing to apply, so I shared this idea with her and we said: “Let’s do this!” Key to Europe is amazing but at the same time massive and it’s beautiful to take this journey with someone as crazy as you are.

Svenja: What would the Italian pasta be without a good sprinkle of Dutch cheese? Well, there’s your answer. The first time Eri and I started talking we immediately knew we wanted to a) marry each other, and b) work together. Coincidentally the open call for the Key to Europe came around the same time, so we decided to join our forces and make the power team work.

(Considering this answer too boring, Svenja provided us a fairy tale about it ed.)  “Once upon a time, an Italian and Dutch girl met each other in The AEGEEan Palace, where both happened to be working as Editor Princesses. The two started talking about a Royal Article, and soon they found out that not only were there many similarities to be found among them, but they also completed each other in their work. If the Network Princess got caught again staring at the wide, wide AEGEE pool of ideas, it was the People Princess who put her feet back on the ground, and if the People Princess felt a bit down, there was always the Network Princess to cheer her up. Coincidentally, around the time that the two decided to name themselves the Power Team, Queen Kathrin of the magical Comité Directeur sent out her white horses to find a new Queen-in-Chief for her castle, also known as Key to Europe. The two princesses, both being passionate about writing, decided to apply to make great things happen, and they lived happily ever after in Key to Europe.”

The AEGEEan – Do you already have experience in a similar position?

Svenja: Technically, I was Editor-in-Chief of my high school magazine (because nobody else wanted to start it up, honestly), but I don’t think it was as serious (or wide spread) as the Key to Europe. Next to this, I have been the coordinator of a team of reviewers before at a thriller book website, which included setting deadlines, searching for new members, kicking asses and writing articles about anything related to books (interviews, newsletters, etc.)

Erika: I started more or less ten years ago when I was Editor-in-Chief of my high school newspaper. Then I decided to get more serious in journalism so, a part of majoring in Communication studies, I worked for a local newspaper and TV channel. In 2012 I started working for the University of Padua as journalist and author/speaker in the local University student radio. Usually I’m coordinating the work assigning tasks, deciding the topics, setting deadlines and reminding people: “You do this, and by saying do I mean it should have been done yesterday”.

The AEGEEan – What’s your idea of K2E?

Erika:  Key to Europe is where the Network shows its best achievement to both members and externals. I want this Key to Europe to be something in which each member can identify himself and his work, but at the same time something where you can learn something new about the projects and the external relations that AEGEE has. In a few words: I’d like to see members browse it and exclaim “That’s what motivates me!”

Svenja: Key to Europe is the best way to represent AEGEE, both towards our own members to know what exactly happened in this giant network of awesomeness and also towards externals who have no clue what AEGEE is and can learn more about it through the Key to Europe. Therefore, I highly appreciate that we will have a part about what AEGEE actually is, but also different parts about the last year specifically. To me, it’s a combination of a yearbook, AEGEE for Dummies guide and a lot of awesomeness (hopefully).

The AEGEEan – How many people do you count to involve?

Svenja: Ideally, I would of course like to involve all AEGEEans (fresh members or golden oldies), but this wouldn’t be a realistic number to work with as a team. For the team, therefore, I’d say “as much as needed to deliver a great job”.

Erika: We received a lot of great applications and formed a team of 15 people. I must say that I’m pretty happy with the team since we got both experienced people and fresh blood. But the publication is something that should include the entire Network and we’d like to involve as much people possible. So… brace yourself, more mails are about to come.

The AEGEEan- As a couple, who’s going to be the tough one between you?

Svenja: Eri, definitely, and I am glad she is. I’m too scared people will hate me to really yell at them, so I try to get them to do the work with a lot of compliments, positive spirit and… begging. Eri will save both of us a lot of time by just saying things the way they are.

Erika: I have the sneaky feeling that Svenja is going to answer my name. I’m without a doubt the toughest. She is spreading #svenjaoptimism and I’m the one setting deadlines. This is actually good, because we complete and balance each other.

The AEGEEan – Besides the AEGEEan, are you used to write? (For a newspaper, a blog, a diary, flying papers, messages in the bottle, etc).

Erika: I started writing when I was four because my grandpa thought me and I’ve never stopped since then. I was involved in the high school newspaper, logbook for the scout trips, writing plays,  ghost writing for a website, satirical blog with a couple of friends and author/speaker for the student radio station. One of my favourite sounds ever is the one that the keyboard makes when you type during the night.  It could seem strange to people that don’t know me very well, but I’m more comfortable in writing. Everything I’m thinking just streams down in a very orderly way and not as messy and confuse as when I’m speaking.

Svenja: Yes, when I was young I already wrote stories about my dad being a giraffe with a laptop, and later on I wrote about more serious topics (sometimes). I have written reviews about thriller books and movies, but also wrote about different topics (including, of course, travel stories) on my own blog that I sadly didn’t keep up with because I still enjoy reading my teenage rants. Next to this, I have written for the local magazine of AEGEE-Nijmegen and of course The AEGEEan, where I’m an Editor and Proofreader. Last but not least, I have published an article in a national newspaper before which I am very proud of but I can’t impress AEGEEans with because most of them don’t know Dutch.

The AEGEEan – What is the funniest article you ever wrote?

Erika: Normally I tend to be very technical when I’m writing articles, so I lose a little bit of my normal sarcasm.
Recently I was asked to write an article about people who gives flyers. It was such a boring topic that I transformed it into a guide to recognize and avoid them. The secret for me is having fun while writing and the article will just be funny.

Svenja: For my Journalism minor, I once had to write a fictional biography. Where my classmates took the chance to win a Nobel Prize or become the next Scarlett Johansson, I decided to become a Brazilian serial killer. Although I surely do not hope to ever end up like that (and I don’t think it’s possible since I’m not Brazilian), I did enjoy writing about it a lot.

The AEGEEan- How did you join AEGEE? When?

Svenja: I joined by filling out an application form, in March 2012. I actually joined the introduction period in 2011 already because I wanted to experience the student life and I liked the fact that they promoted travelling. Because I was still living in Leiden at that time, I couldn’t attend the activities so I didn’t become a member until I had a room in Nijmegen. A few months after my application I was elected secretary of the new board, and I fell in love with AEGEE during my board year.

Erika: I joined officially in November 2011, but I already knew the activities of AEGEE-Venezia for some times. It wasn’t love at first sight, I must admit, and it was more a favour done to my friend’s boyfriend. After watching Agora Enschede in streaming and attending a Summer University in Patra, the story changed.

The AEGEEan – Do you have hobbies? Life besides AEGEE?

Erika: I do love AEGEE but I have to take some free time from the lovely madness it brings. I honestly don’t have much free time because I often work during nights, but I just adore going to the cinema. It’s the only moment where I turn off my mobile phone. And If I’m particularly sad, tired, nervous or angry I just love to take long walks with some good music on in my favourite place: a villa near where I live.

Svenja: There is a life besides AEGEE? At the moment I am actually a board member at an umbrella corporation for international student organisations in Nijmegen (also involving AEGEE), so I try to divide my time between this, AEGEE, university, friends and my bed. If I have some free time left, I also like to practice Zumba (although not as often as I’d like), given by my former boardie, and to read good books.

The AEGEEan- Tell us a funny story about yourself.

Svenja: There’s too many to really pick one to highlight, but to give you a hint: I have been forbidden to consume sugar by certain friends because I start acting like a lunatic, my nickname is Jigglypuff, I have a tendency to fall down stairs at the most awkward moments and I do not have any knowledge about geography at all. If you want to know more, you should just come and talk to me during an AEGEE event.

Erika: Let’s start with the basics: I’m disgraceful. I’ve the rare gift to do and say the worst thing in every situation. And, apparently, I don’t have any sort of balance and I always fall, even while standing.

Lately the level of my dumbness reached a new high with the “airport affair”. I just arrived in Kyiv and my mother asked me “How was your flight?” and I replied to her “I’ve just landed. Fun fact, there is a police man in the aircraft”. Everything was normal until my mother called me quite angry because the T-9 of my phone decided to write ARRESTED instead of LANDED, words that in Italian are quite similar. Everybody is still laughing about that, my mother excluded.

The AEGEEan – Usually such position brings more visibility within the Network. So tell us: are you in a relationship?

Erika: Yes, there is someone very special in my life and his name is Cleto, my laptop. He knows all my secrets and we spend probably 20 hours together per day. I will actually choose him over some humans I know.

Svenja: Yes, my bed and I have been together for almost twenty two years now and I think we will marry.

The AEGEEan – If you could make one wish true, which one would it be?

Svenja: To make a living out of writing and travelling, by being a travel journalist or local reporter for the news. While having that awesome job, I want to go back to Brazil and drink a lot of guarana.

Erika: Being able to fly. Being up in the air for me means starting to breathe again and since the human beings are not designed to do so, the closest thing is to become a commercial pilot. And of course I wish for peace in the world.

The AEGEEan – When you are involved in something, what is the most important to reach your goal?

Erika: I can think only of one word: commitment. I came to understand that you can’t reach what you want with only good intention and the words “I will”, but you have to be truly engaged and devote to the cause.

Svenja: A team that is just as motivated as me to work for it, dreams to achieve something great and a lot of sugar since I like to work while normal people sleep.

The AEGEEan- What’s your favourite newspaper / blog / source of information? Why?

Svenja: The only printed newspaper I read is a Dutch one, namely NRC Next, because it gives me the information I want. For the more internationally oriented news, I like BBC News and sites with weird-but-true facts (don’t ask).

Erika: Every morning I have a routine: opening probably twenty tabs with newspapers from all over the world. I like to check what is happening and if something catches my attention I read it. Moreover, I have an application for my phone that gives me constant updates on what is happening worldwide. Not to mention the fact that Facebook is a precious source of citizen journalism.

The AEGEEan – Anything else you would like to add?

Erika: Let’s do a little bit of promotion! Like the Key to Europe fanpage. We know we already spammed a lot, but we promise it will be worth it.

Written by Alfredo Sellitti, AEGEE-Salerno

It is hard to say ‘former editor-in-chief’of the AEGEEan. Hard, because I remember how it all started, how we chose Stephanie and how I took People’s section because there was nothing else left (the greatest ‘punishment’ for being late). Now – a year and a half later – everything looks different. The AEGEEan is well-known, follows strict standards for publishing and the number of team members could not be counted on fingers anymore. All of this, together with the sweet joy of having 1000 likes on the Facebook page or the fantastic and funny editors’ skype meetings with Jüri have one main figure that connects them, and without who The AEGEEan would not have looked the same – Stephanie Müller who has been the first editor-in-chief of The AEGEEan from it’s start.

AEGEEan: How do you feel, Steph? Do you still open The AEGEEan every day?

Stephanie: I feel truly sorry that I left The AEGEEan and its wonderful team, but I have other AEGEE projects to focus on at the moment and with Patricia Anthony being my follower, I felt extremely well replaced. Therefore, I am also very happy that I know that The AEGEEan will be in good hands after my resignation. So, I can say I leave the magazine happy and sad at the same time, but I guess this is the best I can wish for. After such a long period of working for The AEGEEan I did not expect it to be easy to let go.

Indeed, I still read The AEGEEan articles daily. I guess this is a habit I cannot give up on so easily.

Was it hard to leave ‘your baby’ to somebody else?

Yes, definitely in one way, as after one and a half years I am so used to the procedures of publishing articles, communicating with the team on a daily basis with lots and lots of emails per day, it is kind of hard and strange not to have these daily tasks anymore. On the other hand, I am happy to see that The AEGEEan is moving on with new people full of ideas and motivation. It is a good thing when projects go on, but new people have the chance to realize their ideas too. This is needed to keep a project alive and to improve it.

What did this experience mean for you? What did it teach you?

I learned so incredibly much as in no other AEGEE project before. I learned a lot about team leading, team dynamics, how to motivate others and how to set strict deadlines people actually keep. At the same time, I learned how I behave in such a team, and I trust that I am a good team leader (at least no one told me the opposite) and I gained a lot of confidence with my tasks. Also, through The AEGEEan I got to know indeed a lot of people on the European level, I made really great friends and I had all the news about what was going on in the Network before anyone else. So, I felt very well-informed and I liked sitting at the source of information.

The AEGEEan taught me that I can achieve anything I want if I believe in myself, and for all these experiences I am very thankful and happy that I had the chance to make them.

Which was the hardest moment of establishing this really trustworthy internal tool of AEGEE? Well, the hardest part was probably the first three months, because everyone in the team was very new, so we did not know each other, did not know what to expect from each other and we were not so structured and organised as now. Also, at that time, I was doing a full-time internship in Cairo, so I had only time for The AEGEEan late in the nights. However, we found our way.

Which was the happiest moment?

The happiest moment was for me when I met the first people I had only been in contact with by mail before. So, it was definitely the first team meeting in Brussels and at the EBM Izmir, where I had the chance to meet more team members. However, there were so many other happy moments, like the secret cake party during the Agora Budapest or the sometimes very funny editor skype meetings. I have to say, I loved the editor skype meetings, as we were actually talking with each other, which made the conversations much more lively and funny sometimes.

Did The AEGEEan change you? When did you realise that it happened to you?

I would say yes, in some way. I got much more confident in my capacities and also in what I want to achieve in AEGEE. I realized it at some point in the summer last year, when the first editors one after another told me that they would like to leave the editors’ team and I began to think about my position in the team and what I have achieved for myself in The AEGEEan.

When did you realise that you needed to move on and leave the post of the editor-in-chief?

Well, after I declared to my local that I want to be in the core team of the Agora Rhein-Neckar and after I got selected by the Comité Directeur as Policy Officer in the field of Social Inclusion and became Financial Manager of the EuroArab Project as well, I knew that it would be hard to stay editor-in-chief of  The AEGEEan. My interest in other AEGEE projects also showed me that I should think about my position in The AEGEEan and I came to the conclusion that I have given to the team everything I could and this would be a good moment to leave it as I have no regrets and did not make any bad experience in The AEGEEan team. So I could leave with only happy and positive memories.

What is waiting for you now? Next challenge is called…..?

The biggest AEGEE related challenge for now is the Agora Rhein-Neckar. I am very happy about my choice to join this team. It is just incredible to work with all these great people. I believe, it was the right decision. Although, I am now having three times more emails per day as previously on The AEGEEan mailing list. Then, I have big plans to promote my topic “Rascism & Xenophobia” which I am working on as Policy Officer within the Network and I write a position paper against racism.

Besides AEGEE, my biggest challenge is to finish my thesis and my studies.  At the end of this year I will finally leave university and then, who knows where I am going to. I just know that it definitely won’t be Heidelberg anymore.

If you needed to start The AEGEEan now, would you do it again?

Of course, without hesitation! It was one of the best decisions of my AEGEE life to work on this project and see how it developed and how I developed with it.

What would you say to those people who are maybe reading this and hesitating to join the team?

I would say: “Don’t hesitate! There is no reason for that. Anyone who likes writing should give a chance to a career at The AEGEEan! You can learn so much from the magazine and from the people working for it. All of the team members have a great talent for writing, and in some cases already a professional background. If anyone considers becoming a journalist later on in his/her life, he/she should definitely test his/her skills in The AEGEEan magazine first.

Thank you, Steph and we wish you good luck for your future challenges!

Written by Liliya Buyukliyska, AEGEE-Sofia   

Dear AEGEEans,

I remember like it was yesterday when I applied to an open call issued by the Public Relations Committee (PRC) to create an online magazine for our beloved organisation. For me totally unexpected I was selected as editor-in-chief and from that moment onward I had the task to create a magazine, which would be interesting for our Network to follow, but at the same time I had the responsibility to lead a very diverse team of 20 people coming from all over Europe, putting their efforts in all the different tasks which come along with the creation of a magazine from scratch  (designing, programming the website, writing and proofreading). This open call was send in August 2011, and now after more than 1,5 years of having the pleasure of guiding this project team, I have to say goodbye!

It was not an easy decision, but it is time for the magazine and its team to move on! I have given all the ideas, creativity and experience in journalism I gained through the last years to my team. I tried my best to prove that The AEGEEan is a valuable source of information for the Network, a communication channel actually, which helps all AEGEEans across Europe to find out what happens in the other parts of our small world. The idea behind the magazine was not only to write funny stories, but to connect people by showing what other AEGEEans are doing and to motivate all of you to take action as well. The articles in the magazine are the best proof that you do not need to be superhero to create a project and implement it successfully. You only need to have an idea, a dedication and strong will to achieve your goals. Everything is possible if you believe in yourself and your capacities!

This is at least what I learned mostly from being the editor-in-chief of this magazine and team. I am sure although the PRC had only the best intentions when they came up with the idea of The AEGEEan I believe they would never have thought that within a year the magazine would have been that successful. For me in this very moment it seems unthinkable that The AEGEEan will ever stop existing. If I rethink it it seems like a miracle as the magazine is not even two years old.

These 1,5 years in The AEGEEan team have been the best AEGEE experience in my life and I am incredibly thankful for my team who always supported me when I was doubting my decisions, a team with which I remember very constructive discussions and long lasting skype meetings as well as well-deserved chocolate and cake parties. I could not have wished for any better team and dear Network, if anyone of you likes writing or enjoys proofreading do not hesitate to contact the new editor-in-chief Patricia Anthony (aegeean@aegee.org) as you will not regret your decision to join this team.

In the end I wish the new editors team around Patricia Anthony and all the new and old members of the team all the best for their remaining time in this AEGEE project. May it become more and more successful so that it will never stop existing!

Dear Network, please see this magazine as a chance to inform other members of other locals in other countries about your projects, your wishes, your ideas and your future dreams for AEGEE. You are very welcome to send any AEGEE related article to the magazine (aegeean@aegee.org). The purpose of The AEGEEan is not to regulate the spreaded information of the Network, but rather to give you a platform for exchanging any kind of information. Therefore, I can only insist: Use it!

With best wishes and in eternal memory of a personally very special AEGEE experience,

Stephanie Müller, AEGEE-Heidelberg & former Editor-in-Chief of The AEGEEan

Dear Network,

I had the honour to interview the new editor-in-chief Patricia Anthony from AEGEE-København. Probably you have seen this always smiling and cheerful blond Danish girl at one of the last statuatory events, or you have been contacted by her for the “Summer University of the Week” project of the AEGEEan or  a friend of a friend told you about her. Now you will hear even more of her, as she has just become the new editor-in-chief of The AEGEEan. Take this chance and find out who will be responsible from now on for AEGEE’s first and only online magazine.

1) Maybe there are still some people in the Network who don’t know you. Therefore, please present yourself.  

Patricia: Well, my name is Patricia Anthony, and I am pure Danish. I have a bachelor degree in business language communication which I studied in English and Spanish. I am 22 years old and I am one of those people who wish I had joined AEGEE in a younger age because I have “only” been a member since March 2011. However, in that time I’ve tried a lot. My first time of AEGEE I spent during my Erasmus in Madrid. I got to learn a lot about the organisation and upon my return to Denmark in January 2012, I joined The AEGEEan as European Events editor and Facebook responsible (which is why you have probably seen my name spamming you on Facebook) and I became PR responsible of AEGEE-København. I gained a lot of experience with different projects such as being fair manager at Agora Enschede and Agora Budapest, founding the Sports Working Group of AEGEE of which I’ve been secretary since Agora Enschede, writing content for the new aegee.org with the PRC, being editor of the Key to Europe 2012 and the Summer University 25 anniversary booklet, have all provided me with the courage and belief that I can take over such a difficult challenge as to follow in the steps of Stephanie Müller as editor-in-chief of The AEGEEan. Other than being in The AEGEEan these days, I also focus on the Action Agenda Committee, I am president of AEGEE-København and the subcommie for Karolina Mazetyte in the Network Commission. For the time that I have left besides AEGEE, I study sports management (hence the Sports Working Group interest), and I take dance classes whenever there is time for that.

2)  You have been editor of the Europeans Event section of The AEGEEan for more than a year. So you know how the workflow goes in the team. Please tell us, what do you think about this AEGEE project? 

Patricia: In my opinion, even though this magazine has done so great in the past one and a half years, there are still many challenges to take on. First of all, the team of editors is completely new. Furthermore, we also have quite a few new journalists and proofreaders who have joined the magazine in the last six months. So, my goal at the moment is to make the team feel like a team through a lot of team-building done at the upcoming statutory events. Working on the team is very important because at the end, if people are more involved in the work they are doing and if they enjoy it, the motivation will also be greater to hand in articles on time, to come up with ideas for new articles etc. These are all matters to be worked on.

Patricia pictured in Oslo – She might not be able to get much recognition of the magazine in countries where AEGEE is not present, but hopefully she will achieve that together with the team in the countries where you can find AEGEE.

Another goal is to get more recognition for The AEGEEan on many levels. Every month, the team behind The AEGEEan listens to the suggestions of the Network for nominations for Local and Member of the Month. Afterwards, it is decided through voting which one of the nominees receives these titles. However, for some reasons most of the time suggestions for nominations come from team members of The AEGEEan. These are always good suggestions because in The AEGEEan we have people involved in the Comité Directeur, The Public Relations Committee and different Working Groups. Still, I would like to get more recognition of this process from the Network’s part. We are a large Network, and the further we reach the better, but this is difficult even though we are a team of many different nationalities.

Last year, in The AEGEEans Choice Awards 2012 we saw that many awards were handed over to Spanish antennae. This came as a very little surprise since looking into the insights of our Facebook page tells that about 500 people from Spain *likes* The AEGEEan. Further down the list Turkey and Italy can be found with 300 *likes*, respectively followed by Poland with 200 *likes*, whereas only about 160 members from Germany/Greece/The Netherlands follow us online on Facebook. Obviously there is the opportunity to visit our page directly, and/or subscibe to it, but the statistics show that, that is rarely the case. So we need to reach more people from the Network. Ways to do so can be through promotion both online and in the form of events, and it is also important to consider the articles published in the magazine. This brings me to another goal: Making The AEGEEan more thematic.

The AEGEEan Team meeting during Agora Budapest

4) What topics do you believe should be tackled more in The AEGEEan?

Patricia: What we discuss frequently is which topics to address in the magazine. We are working on making The AEGEEan more thematic. Encouraging and motivating Working Groups etc. to write articles about the work they are doing and how it is related to the Action Agenda. Furthermore, in the future, hopefully more thematic events will be covered in our magazine too. Basically, the idea behind much of the coverage, especially with thematics is to raise the interest in the Network and show how easily it can be done to contribute to the Action Agenda.

Something not so thematic but something that I hope to see more of in the magazine is travel guides. Frequently, antennae recieve e-mails with questions about what to visit, where to stay, what to eat, and it is a pitty that only a few locals have taken the opportunity so far to help other members of AEGEE to get a better experience of their city when visiting, and to use this opportunity to promote their city.

5) If you should describe the magazine in three words. What would they be?

Patricia: Diverse, Information, Challenge.

 

6) Why did you candidate to become the editor-in-chief of The AEGEEan? 

Patricia: I decided to candidate for this magazine because it is truly the place in AEGEE where  I have learned and developed myself as a person the most. I have been part of the magazine for one year and when Stephanie Müller told me she was leaving the magazine, I became sad but I also knew right away that I wanted to become editor-in-chief. I have so many ideas to improve the magazine, and I would like to continue developing it with the rest of the team while providing information about the knowledge I already have about the magazine. Furthermore, even though my inbox is overloaded with AEGEE related e-mails everyday, I still missed the e-mails on the editors list of the magazine when I left that in December, and I wanted to join it again, with a new and interesting position.

7) Can you imagine that The AEGEEan will still exist in five years? And if yes, why? 

Patricia: I hope so, and I think that this magazine has great potential. The team that helped building this magazine made sure to cover so many different areas that it has achieved greatness at a very early point. In some cases it can slow the process down but when publishing an article, every single thing is done to the level of perfection; ensuring pictures are right, proofreading has been done, etc., raising the quality of the magazine to very high. There are and have been many creative minds connected with the magazine who always come up with interesting ideas in terms of articles, promotion, and development of the magazine.  I think that the key is that having such a magazine, opens up a path for indeed a wide range of people to become involved. All it takes is taking a look at the different types of positions a person can have in the team and which types of sections there are in the magazine. Because it is not only The AEGEEan team that is involved in the magazine. The Comité Directeur, Working Groups, Policy Officers, Project Teams etc., all publish articles in The AEGEEan so it would make no sense if such platform did not exist in five years.

 

Personally I wish Patricia all the best! May all her ideas for improvements of The AEGEEan become true and may she never lose her motivation by reading 50 mails a day!

Written by Stephanie Müller, AEGEE-Heidelberg & former Editor-in-Chief of The AEGEEan

“Back in 2003, when I didn’t know about NetCom, when the board of my antenna didn’t have the answers to my questions, I’ve read the Members’ Manual. That was the second best thing I’ve ever done in AEGEE!”, those are the incisive words expressed by Michele Turati on AEGEE forum. Hopefully, a lot of new and old members will find the same inspiration from the new edition of the Members’ Manual, going to be released soon thanks to Nasrin Suleymanli, new Editor-in-Chief.

Never heard this name? Nasrin Suleymanli keeps a low profile, she does not have thousands of Facebook friends, but she is a really active and passionate young woman. Member of AEGEE-Baki since July 2010, people could believe that she has not the sufficient experience and knowledge. However, Nasrin Suleymanli was coordinator of the Human Rights Working Group, member of the Conflict Resolution pillar of the AEGEE-Europe Eastern Partnership Project and Local Events Committee Director in AEGEE-Baki. Her academic curriculum is even more impressive: she got a master in International Relations at Eastern Mediterranean University and started working in this research area. Specifically, she is working in the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Azerbaijan Republic as an Caucasian expert. She cooperated with several student magazines and currently she is working also with the Academy Journal “Public Administration: Theory and Practice”.

Her enthusiasm towards writing, publication and media, together with the understanding of the power of information brought her to successfully apply as Editor-in-Chief of the Manual. “ Today information policy has influence on the ethnic problem. The mass communication media has had its unique effect on bringing out this conflict (case of South Caucasus), its development, internationalisation and involvement of more powers in this problem. The way of using information is very topical in the worsening of the ethnic problems or providing positive effects on their solving.” Nasrin Suleymanli’s idea is to dedicate the big page to cultural exchange projects contributing to promote mutual understanding and peace.

Just like Michele Turati, also Nasrin Suleymanli read and was impressed by the latest edition of Manual, but she hopes to differentiate her work. She would like to express her own vision and expand the online version, so that all locals can contribute with their ideas. She does not want to anticipate practical details, but we are sure that her experience and commitment will lead to a pleasant surprise!

Together with Nasrin Suleymanli, there will be a great team: “currently we are working on the open call for our new team, which will be divided into manager board and advisory board.” The required roles have not been specified yet, but keep your eyes open… You may be able to contribute to this important publication and get to know this nice girl personally!

Written by Martina Zanero, AEGEE-Torino