Every AEGEE local is trying to build amazing,  fun, unforgettable events every year, but to create a quality event, that has the impact that organisers want, is not so easy. But organisers are not alone in this process because Events Quality Assurance Committee ( EQAC) is always willing to help and they are only one e-mail away.

The Events Quality Assurance Committee of AEGEE-Europe aims to support locals and organisers to ensure a better quality of events taking place in the AEGEE network. Providing guidelines, quality indicators, assessment and evaluation forms, the Events Quality Assurance Committee’s main field of tasks consists of: helping the locals with event planning, cooperating with bodies on a European level, promoting events, and increasing the quality of events regarding content and logistics. Other examples are: having a better overview of AEGEE events for an easier impact measurement process, and improving educational events to aid the recognition of non-formal educational methods.

Each member has three of four NetCommies assigned, and the relations with the assigned NetComs are fundamental for compliance with deadlines. All of EQAC’s activities are based on the ”Framework of Quality Assurance of the Non-Formal Education Manual”, edited by the European Youth Forum and every change and development of the committee has to follow the steps of this manual.

Their aim is to support and advise organisers of events in all phases of setting up an event, and the committee invites all present and future organisers of events to approach every EQAC member, should there be any case of doubt or need for proper advice, stating that: “We’ll be more than happy to support you!”.

From the EQAC’s point of view, the one thing that is a must in order to have a successful event is a clear goal, a well defined purpose. This recipe for success is the foundation for a good organisational team, and allotting a proper amount of time for planning and testing various aspects of an event is key. Nevertheless, experience is the one quality that makes the difference in the end. For this, they advise you to start as a participant in various AEGEE events, to continue with organising small events, to meet people that have more experience and can give you tips & tricks and to check the guidelines before building an event.

Future projects, that EQAC is working on are: the development of a new assessment form system, the development of a new evaluation form, data mining and impact measurement, and the development of a badge system. AEGEEans can find out more about what all of these mean, how they work, and other future projects at the Agora in Chișinău.

The saying “strong essences are held in small bottles” proves to be true because the Committee has only three members, plus four additional members who belong to the EQAC Task Force. The latter are a kind of ‘job shadowers’, being specialised in developing one or more tasks, for example the data mining or the badge system.

If you see yourself as the most experienced event organiser of your local, as someone who is responsible, reliable, willing to help with organising quality events, or you want to learn even more and put event management in your CV by learning the Europe-wide approved form of quality assurance then join EQAC to learn how to improve the planning management and evaluation of your events for you and for your local! EQAC is offering plenty of opportunities: working in an international and intercultural team, working in cooperation with different European bodies of AEGEE-Europe, personal development in the field of quality assurance and much more. For becoming a part of an enthusiastic team, do not miss the open call for new EQAC members that will start soon after Agora Chişinău!

Written by Violeta Croitoru, AEGEE-Iaşi

Members of AEGEE… these legendary creatures with their own rituals that they might be as a sect (minus the mystic leader). We are aware that we use a different language full of abbreviations: CT, KT, PT, PM, CM, NWM, EPM, JC, CD etc., but we also repeat some sentences, to us or to strangers. Here are six things that we always say. And if you’ve never said or heard them, either you are not in AEGEE or last time you were in an AEGEE event was when dinosaurs walked the earth.

“A_ _ _ _ _e”. If you correctly guess that the word is Awesome… Congratulations! You are in AEGEE. This local is awesome, this event is awesome, this person is awesome, this Agora is awesome, this sticker is awesome. Let’s be honest, an AEGEEan’s favourite word is ‘awesome’; we use it pretty much to define everything. But we also know that deep inside, everytime someone is pronouncing that word, you actually want to stab kittens. We feel your pain! Here is the list of synonyms that can be used instead of ‘awesome’: amazing, astonishing, marvelous, eye-opening, fabulous, portentous, prodigious, stunning, stupendous, sublime, surprising, wonderful.

“I’m going to graduate soon”. Everytime you pronounce this sentence, a TV-like laugh track plays in the background. As much as we love our organisation, it’s a fact that sometimes it takes away a lot of our time. Time that we could easily use to study. Despite the fact that all the skills we aquired by being active in several projects and in our local are priceless, the job market is more in love with a degree. The members who were able to dedicate up to eight hours to AEGEE, working in order to maintain themselves in another city and to graduate on time, should give workshops and share their secrets! Very much appreciated. Pretty please. 

“I want to give back what the organisation has given me”. This is the standard phrase that all the candidates use in their applications or their presentations. Never noticed it? Impossible. Try the take-a-shot-game with the sentence during the Agora and you will see the entire Chair Team floating in a lovely pink cloud with unicorns and daisies all around. No one doubts that you’ve grown a lot within the organisation and you are running because of the well being of the Network (and not because of your career). But then, do you really need to mention that in every application? Posterity will judge.

“I hate the visual identity”. It’s time for your coming out. You’ve just finished printing like a trillion of stickers and you do immensely love the graphic of the upcoming event in bright fuxia and blue tiffany with the name of your local in a sunny yellow. Now you have to change everything because a common visual identity was introduced ONLY three years ago. Actually the Visual Identity is pretty awesome (see point 1) and you can play a lot with it (Agora’s stickers anyone?!). Plus, don’t let the poor PRC check all the logos and said disconsolately: “A lot of locals are not respecting it”. Join the dark side, use VI!

“I have a motion/objection”. Yes, we do agree that it’s something you’d rather hear than say, but it HAD to be on our list, because we pronounce these words with fear, even whispering them… hopefully with nobody listening. Typical scenario: It’s almost 9 o’clock in the evening, the person sitting near you has acquired the same shape of a chicken thigh (or celery, if you are a vegetarian or vegan) and you really want to take a bite to suppress your hunger. And in that very moment someone is stepping on stage objecting something or presenting a motion. Even if you really appreciate how democracy is shaping, in that very moment you feel like back in high school when someone was reminding the teacher to assign homework after the bell rang. It’s all about the timing. 

“This will be my last event!” After four or five years in the association, it’s physiological that members slowly leave to explore the beauty of life after AEGEE. When an AEGEEan decides it’s time to go, s/he usually organises a press conference where s/he solemnly declares “After 15 years of honourable service as the president of this local, I’m passing the baton to the young former secretary who has been in AEGEE only for nine years”. Let’s be clear, leaving the association is anything but easy. After all, we have a good example that we can be “old”, but still kicking during events, namely Honorary member of AEGEE-Europe Gunnar Erth. We cannot disclose his age because his file is still secreted in the Vatican archives, but – as the picture suggests – he was the one who introduced Franck Biancheri to François Mitterand. Long story short? See you somewhere in Europe in your next last event.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

AEGEE-Zaragoza was chosen as the Local of the Month of December. However, with so many locals to choose from, what did this enthusiastic local from the northeast of Spain do to earn it, and what are its  plans for the future? AEGEE-Zaragoza explains.

The AEGEEan: Could you tell us something about your local?

AEGEE-Zaragoza: AEGEE Zaragoza is a very active local in the center of Europe in the middle of nowhere. Currently we are a family of 153 members that meet regularly and organise cultural and fun events throughout the year. We are motivated to learn new things and improve the job we do (even if this year we turn 18).

We are well-known for our amazing “I love Jamón” t-shirts, our endless energy and our invasions to events (because for us one loud “maño” is not enough, we send 30!). If you still don’t know anybody from Zaragoza (!) ask your friends how a real AEGEEan looks like.

You were selected to be the Local of the Month, in part because of your New Year’s Event. Could you tell us a bit more about that?

It was around October when we found ourselves looking for a good plan for New Year’s Eve. After a long conversation, we were convinced that the best idea was to make it on our own, and that’s how everything started! Five hard-worker organisers, forty-five European friends, and a program full of crazy and never seen activities were only some of the ingredients of a perfect cocktail of fun. In the end, everyone had a great time in Zaragoza and we are really proud of that.

Another reason why AEGEE-Zaragoza got selected was because of the great care you take of participants in your events. Could you elaborate on this a bit more? And how especially can this inspire other locals to treat participants with the same care?

For us, participants always come first. Before the event, we take every single decision thinking on them: if something is not good enough, we change it. During the event, problems are inevitable, so the best thing is to solve them with good mood and a smile on your face. In our opinion, what really makes the difference between a good event and an unforgettable one is to pay attention to the details.

In our opinion, the best way to learn is to see the things with your own eyes, so we encourage other locals to come to Zaragoza and enjoy our awesome events!

And of course, if someone needs some advice, we are willing to help!

Does AEGEE-Zaragoza have any regular social activities for their own members?

We have a formal weekly meeting in our office to catch up and it’s always followed by a “beer meeting”. These weekly events make us feel like a group of friends rather than a group of members of an association. And when new members join AEGEE-Zaragoza, we push them to join in order to feel integrated and linked. That’s what makes us grow together.

What, in your opinion, sets AEGEE-Zaragoza apart from other locals?

We often wonder that and we really think that what makes us different is that we feel like a big family. It’s really easy to work with all the members of this antenna because they are your friends, and there is always motivation to work in new projects.

In AEGEE-Zaragoza you are always surrounded by very energetic people that try very hard to make everybody feel comfortable and that love taking care of new members and participants of its events.

AEGEE-Zaragoza has organised an Autumn Agora in 2003 and in 2013. Will you organise another statutory event soon, and are there any plans for an Autumn Agora in 2023?

At the moment, we don’t intend to organise any other statutory event. However, we admit that in our minds remains the idea of seeing our future children managing their own Agora in  2033 or 2043 (who knows), as it is not a secret that our antenna has produced many couples which might have ‘pure blood’ members in the future. Wouldn’t it be nice to stare at our offspring repeating our biggest pride?

What about ZarAGORA 2023?

I think we’ll have to leave that mission to our little brothers and cousins for the time being.

Could you tell us something about some of AEGEE-Zaragoza’s plans for the future?

In some weeks we will have a Local Training Course where we will have different training sessions, team building activities and a lot of fun!

The following event will be, as it’s becoming a tradition, the fifth edition of the Maños! We expect many motivated participants, many innovative activities and a cool social programme.

Is there a question that wasn’t raised, but that you would like to be included in the interview? 

We just want to add that we are organising an awesome SU this year. We will travel around our region and we will visit amazing places. Last year we had really really good marks from our participants so we want to keep on improving our results.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Autumn Agora Cagliari is right around the corner, but before that, AEGEE-Roma is organizing a pre-event which will take place from the 25th until the 28th of October. We asked Elena Morisi, Vice-president and PR and event responsible of the local, and the main coordinator of the event a few questions in order to find out more about one of the pre-Agora events.

Elena Morisi, AEGEE-Roma

Raluca: You skipped organising a SU this year, but the rumours say that you prepared a great pre-event in October before Autumn Agora Cagliari. Why did you decide to organise a pre-event in Roma?
Elena Morisi: Yes, we did skip the SU but we organised a nice Summer Event instead! We decided to organise a pre-Agora event, because we knew that some people have to make a stop in Roma because of the flights, so… why not a pre-event? Moreover, we can organise the transfer by ferry with the help of AEGEE-Cagliari, so the party won’t stop until after the Agora!

How many members are involved in this event?
All of AEGEE-Roma’s members are invited to join me and the other five organisers, so we hope to have all our members with us! I share a lot of AEGEE spirit all around and I can’t wait for the event to start. The other organisers are really excited as well, and ready to meet new friends and spend time with them as organisers during the pre-event, and after that as participants during the Agora!

Why did you decide to name your event “The Symposium Royal”? What do you have prepared for your future participants?
We named the event “The Symposium Royal”, because it is a chance to share our experiences and knowledge about AEGEE, about the Agora, and it is also a chance to live as the aristocracy of Roma did. The title is also a wordplay from the movie “Casino Royale”, referring to the spy games and fancy nights we have prepared.

Why did you choose to have only twelve participants for your pre-event?
We decided to call for twelve participants only because in ancient times the Symposium was for an elite of people and also because we think that we can build a better group with less people!

How much is the fee and what does it include?
The fee is 105 euros and it includes a great accomodation in a nice hostel in the city centre, delicious breakfasts and one special meal per day! Included are also the social program and the public transportation. The fee doesn’t includes the transportation from Roma to Cagliari, but the train to the ferry costs just 5 euro and the ferry costs 38 euro, and if participants want to we can organise all the transfers. We hope we will all travel together to Cagliari!

What do you expect from this event?
I would like to build a great group so they can enjoy the event and the Agora with love and  great memories! Also it will be my last event as an organiser (I hope), so I want to create my masterpiece!

Why should AEGEEans choose Roma and the pre-event as the first stop before Autumn Agora Cagliari?
They should choose this event because we are full of energy and joy, and because we are working hard and organising it with love and because … Come on, Roma is Roma, the most ROMAntic city in the world! So we are waiting for all the applications, until 13rd September. WE WANT YOU!!!

More information about the event can be found here.

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

This was the question that we wanted to debate at the conference held by AEGEE on June 5th and 6th in the European Parliament, where different Belgian and European NGOs had the opportunity to discuss the possibilities for Co-Management in the European institutions, together with representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and its Advisory Council on Youth, and the European Youth Forum. The event was hosted by the MEP Hannes Swoboda, who is also President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament and financed by the Youth in Action Grant. AEGEE-Brussel/Bruxelles was organising the conference together with AEGEE-Europe.

What is exactly the Co-Management that we are proposing? We want more than just being consulted in the EU decision-making process. Young people should be involved in the three phases: consultation, decision and monitoring. Co-management is a unique model where governments and youth representatives sit together to decide and to monitor the sector’s programmes. We have seen that this scheme works in the Council of Europe and we want to put it into practice in the European Union.

On the first morning, we had two panels moderated by Marko Grdosic, former president of AEGEE-Europe, where we could get a lot of input.

In the first panel there were interventions from Marian Harkin, MEP from the ALDE group; Pascal Lejeune, Head of the Youth Unit of the European Commission; André Jaques-Dodin,  Head of the Intergovernmental Division of the youth department of the Council of Europe; Maria Paschou, Chair of the Advisory Council on Youth of the CoE; Peter Matjašič, President of the European Youth Forum (YFJ); and Luca Scarpiello, Secretary of the Youth Intergroup of the European Parliament. They debated the current structure of the Council of Europe as an example of best practices, and explored the benefits of having a similar system for the European Institutions.

The second panel counted on the participation of Giuseppe Porcaro, Secretary General of the European Youth Forum; Kaisu Suopanki from Allianssi, the Finnish Youth Council, which has already implemented a co-management scheme; Ivailo Kalfin, MEP from the S&D Group; and André-Jacques Dodin. They were discussing the different possibilities of implementing the co-management in the EU institutions.

During the afternoon session on Wednesday, two parallel sessions were scheduled to discuss in depth and work in small groups. On one of the workshops, the focus was on the possible structure for a youth co-management scheme in the EU and the fields where the co-management would be needed; on the second workshop, the discussion was focused on legitimacy and representation of the European youth in this new structure.

On Thursday, the  participants presented the results of the previous day’s work to MEP Hannes Swoboda, president of the S&D Group in the EP. After that, they prepared the follow-up of the conference. This process was just initiated and has a long way ahead, but we young Europeans want to play a bigger role in the EU!

We would like to thank all participants for their active contribution, their ideas and their involvement in the whole process. Without them, and the expertise from their organizations in many cases, we could never have achieved such a big outcome. Thanks also to the European Parliament for hosting us, especially to MEP Hannes Swoboda, his office and the S&D group of the EP for their support.

With this event, we wanted to take the lead in proposing a greater involvement of young people inside the European Institutions, because we believe that we need to involve them when the discussions are taken, in order to make young people more aware of and more interested in what European Politics is about. The co-management system is an open and very transparent system for the youth and in the current context, where young people’s need are being one priority of decision-makers, we think that it is very important to take into account the input of young people. We hope that in the future, there would be a body of young people representing European youth who could sit equally with the European Commission when making decisions about youth issues.

With this article I would like to bring to you closer one topic which affects us every day; it is the magical Internet. Did you ever ask yourself the question what is behind the phenomenon that makes you be able to connect with all your friends across the world? Now I don’t refer to a technical point of view, which is out of reach and focus of AEGEE, but I’m wondering if there is somebody behind this phenomenon, some institutions or government. Are you interested?

Let me introduce you to the Internet Governance (IG), which is according to definition of United Nations:

Internet governance is the development and application by Governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.

And what is the connection between IG and AEGEE? You might be surprised that there is a strong connection, especially in the field of young participation on big international events which discuss aspects of IG. In 2011 AEGEE organised, together with YEU, YFJ, JEF and Youthpress, an event in Belgrade prior to the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG). This partnership continued with last year’s edition of EuroDIG which took place in Stockholm and the Internet Governance Forum held in Baku and organised by UN.

European Youth representation at EuroDIG Stockholm 2012

What is behind these abbreviations like EuroDIG and IGF? IGF and EuroDIG are multi-stakeholder platforms aiming for discussions with all involved parties and this is the reason why they are so important. There are not so many places where you meet representatives of governments, CEOs of internet companies, human rights activists and youth. This was one of the reasons why this event was organized; to raise youth’s voice on a topic that is very important for our generation called “digital natives”, the generation that was born with internet access as a thing as common as TV.

This year our cooperation with other NGOs will include several activities and mostly the creation of a common platform which is called Network of EurRopean Digital Youth (NERDY), which gathers the aforementioned organisations and increase their cooperation in the field of IG. This year under this umbrella several activities will take place. The first one will be a workshop about IG at SpringAgora Rhein-Neckar, which will be followed by a  week-long capacity building training in Vienna at the beginning of May, and result in participation at EuroDIG 2013 in Lisbon.

Youth event prior to IFG 2012 Baku

You might think that these conferences are full of technology experts and geeks who use words that normal people don’t understand, but it is not like this. Topics which are discussed are more in policy-level and touch upon matters like copyrights, privacy, child protection, freedom of expression.

Furthermore, any member with an interest in the topic has the opportunity right now to apply for the event in Vienna.

Nobody has absolute control over the internet, as a global network is a living organism, however we can see that governments are trying to get control or try to apply laws which are currently used for classical media also to the internet. AEGEE is invited to express the opinion of European Students on this matter and it is on us to use this opportunity right, because it could infulence us all.

Written by Pavel Zborník, European Institutions and Communications Director

Some of you never might never have heard about the Events Committee, and those who have might have no knowledge about what it is and why it is necessary. If you are interested, then continue reading. 

The EvC (Events Committee) is not a new born committee – it was founded in June of 2011 with the aim to improve the quality of the European and AEGEE events and to support the locals in organising them. The new EvCom team was elected in october of 2012 and the four enthusiastic board members are ready to do their best to accomplish their mission.

How does the EvC work?

If an Antenna has decided to organise a European or an AEGEE event, except a Statutory Event, a Summer University or a Network Meeting, it has to contact the EvC first. And then the process goes as follows:

1. Make a plan with your local
2. Fill in the application form and send it to the EvC
3. Your application is evaluated by the EvC
4. While you are waiting for the reply of the EvC, you create an event on Intranet
5. You are informed by the EvC if your event is approved or not
6. If everything is fine we approve the event also on the Intranet and you can start the promotion.
7. If something is wrong or missing, we contact you and help to solve the problem. 

Filling in a form is not a big deal, but usually it used to be a problem to the locals to choose a Focus Area correctly. However this is the most important part of the application since it is the aim of the EvC to encourage the locals to organise events with thematical content. Organisers have to choose from the fields of Youth Participation, Bridging Europe and Inclusion of Minorities. Unfortunately most of the members in the Network do not really know what these topics are, but no worries; you can find the criteria in the Strategic Plan and the Action Agenda.

Future plans and present actions 

The EvC has a lot of ideas for the future. Soon the EvC homepage will be ready, where you can reach the application form easily, you can find the the descriptions of the Focus Areas there as well as all the other important information about the EvC .

There are plans to adjust the system of EVENT-L, but probably the biggest project will be the classification of the events by taking the guidelines of organising them more seriously.

Photo competition

Right now the EvC is working on making a collection of the pictures of last year’s events, for which a photo conest is hereby announced. Everyone is asked to send in photos of AEGEE-events of 2012, hoping to see which was the greatest one and for participants to share their memories with the rest of the network. The pictures will be uploaded on the Facebook page of the Events Committee so everyone can vote to their favourite ones. The winner gets the title „The Best Photo of 2012” and the chance to write a nice summary in The AEGEEan about his/her experience and memories of the event where the winner photo was taken. You can read about the details in the mailing lists or you can contact the EvC at  events@aegee.org

Even though the Events Committee is not “new born”, it is still in its infancy and it is believed that with persistence and hard work the EvC can make great changes and become an essential part of AEGEE.

Written by Liliána Tóth,  Speaker of the Events Committee

Youth in Action is one the most important programmes which supports a variety of AEGEE activities and helps us make Europe better. Let’s look at how to increase our chances to get a project funded?

Before sending an application to any grant programme it is important to know what the project is about and what kind of activities can be supported. It might sound like this is something that is naturally done, but in reality it very often happens that projects are rejected because they are not connected with the objectives and priorities of the grant programme.

A very helpful source of information, where you can find this kind of information about the objectives of a grant are websites and programme guides of those grant programmes. So let’s check Programme Guide of Youth in Action link: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-in-action-programme/programme-guide_en.htm. We can find the description of the programme:

“The Youth in Action Programme aims to respond at European level to the needs of young people from adolescence to adulthood. It makes an important contribution to the acquisition of competences through non-formal learning as well as to the promotion of young people’s active participation in society”.

Notice the important word here: non-formal learming. The European Commission has a variety of Programmes which support formal learning, like the well-known Erasmus programme and several others, like Leonardo da Vinci, Grundwig, Comenius etc. So project submitted to the YiA programme should use non-formal learning as a main tool to achieve its aim!

Then on the next page we will find objectives and priorities. With priorities the situation is a bit more complex. YiA has four permanent priorities which don’t change with the length of the program. These are:

• European citizenship
• Participation of young people
• Cultural diversity
• Inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities

Next to these permanent priorities the Executive Agency (EACEA) presents a list of annual priorities. For 2013, the annual priorities are as following:

• Projects proposing awareness-raising activities about EU Citizenship and the rights that go with it, in the context of the European Year of Citizens.
• Projects aimed at encouraging participation in the 2014 European elections, thus enabling young people to behave as active, informed citizens.
• Projects aimed at promoting young people’s commitment towards a more inclusive growth.
• Projects stimulating young people’s spirit of initiative, creativity and entrepreneurship, employability, in particular through youth initiatives.
• Projects promoting healthy behaviours, in particular through the promotion of the practice of outdoor activities and grassroots sport, as a means to promote.

Additionally, each programme country selects its own priorities. This depends on the National Agency in each country and can for example be that projects from some regions which have fewer opportunities are bonified, as well as maybe first time applicants.

A programme that wants to be supported must fit at least one permanent priority, and also it must fit in annual priorities. In the application you will be asked how your programme contributes and you will have to explain it.

If your project fits the priorities but you still didn’t get the grant, now comes the time to sell your project as the best one. You have to make sure that it fits the technical requirements which are defined in a programme guide. When the application is received, it goes through a formal control. During this all the requirements are checked and if the application doesn’t fulfil all of them, it is a reason for them to reject the application. These rejections happen no matter how good a project is! It can happen that you forget some small details. The National Agency informs you that you have a couple of working days to correct it. This is done within 10 days after submission of the application.

If your application passes the formal control, now it is time for evaluation of the content. This is done by three auditors, one person from the National Agency and two externals auditors, which are active in civil society and have experience in the youth field. This period can take up to 10 weeks, depending on the amount of applications. The selection procedure is standardised by the European Commission and each part of the application is valued on certain points. The auditor decides how much points will be given to each part of the application. The amount of points is then counted together and from this result the decision to support or not to support will be made.

At the end I would like to share a recommendation with you. Read the whole application carefully and answer all of the points. Focus on the methodology of your activities, plan a follow up and look into how you will disseminate the results of the project. Yes, projects should have some output! Also be careful with partnerships, because some National Agencies want a preliminary agreement of the partner with a submission number and they request original documents instead of copies. This is important to know and it is good to ask your National Agency about it. Here is a list of National Agencies with contact information: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth/doc152_en.htm

Good luck with your application!

Written by Pavel Zbornik, European Institutions and Communications Director

Why should we accept “fun” not as a collateral damage, but as a legitimate method of European integration, and how this could even improve AEGEE’s external image?

“Sex, Drugs, and European Nights – and, uhhm, what else is AEGEE about? Oh yeah, we do exchange. And projects. And mutual understanding stuff, and actually even peace-building, they say! We have an office in Brussels and a Comité Directeur working there, telling European politicians to pay more attention to young people. Now that I think of it, I feel kind of proud that I am also part of that. But here at home, in my antenna, I am working hard to organise my events where I will have a good time with European students, and European students with me. And I love AEGEE because it gives me the opportunity to do exactly that!”

Does this sound familiar to you? 

This is the rough transcript of a conversation I had with one AEGEE member during my trip to South-eastern Europe this summer. And in fact, I have heard this story many times in the past few years, or even better: I have seen this story unfold before my eyes, time after time. Many of our members are in AEGEE because here is where they find the positive experience they were looking for. Travel! Have guests and be good to them! Dance! Feel! Love! Europe means a promise to them, a very personal promise of freedom, self-development, friendship, solidarity, understanding, and maybe even love – and AEGEE fulfils it. Unconditionally.

Unconditionally? So what about this annoying demand coming from the “European level” that we should be “serious?” That “fun events” are not appreciated, and that some “content” is mandatory? Of course – if the European Commission thinks that the only thing AEGEE does is called “party,” they may not feel very tempted to give us money in the future. We have a lot of intelligent members with a lot of great ideas, and in order to bring these ideas to the European surface, AEGEE needs to maintain its credibility. We need to show our real value to the external world. But does that mean that we should hide the fact that “organised celebration” is an important factor of our work?

Where does this ambiguity come from?

I believe that the main problem is the following: To the outside, it is not visible whether this or that thing we are doing is actually “serious” or “fun.” On the one hand, AEGEE-Europe is trying to promote everything we do as “serious” because this is the impression that AEGEE-Europe wants the rest of the world to have of us. On the other hand, among our antennae we find different approaches. In fact most of the “local level” promotes AEGEE as “fun,” simply because they believe that promoting it as “serious” will scare new members away. So the Network prepares Summer Universities that are “fun,” but are promoted elsewhere in AEGEE as “serious,” and vice versa. Similarly, the Network organises events that are “fun,” but sells these events to the Events Committee as “serious,” so that it will appear in the AEGEE-Europe Events Calendar, which according to AEGEE-Europe contains “serious” events. What a mess!

The result is that many people are disappointed by AEGEE, year after year: People who wanted to travel and party, but ended up in a group of nerds talking about project management all day, and people who expected to discuss the European elections, but instead found themselves under the kitchen table surrounded by bottles every morning. AEGEE’s offer to the world – meaning to our external partners as well as to our fellow European students and potential future members – is like the Box of Pandora. You can never know what you will get. And this has to change! 

What can we do to make this change?

Basically, we need to do two things: 1) classify our events as “serious” or “fun” (or a few steps in between), so that everyone knows what to expect; and 2) make sure that events, and I would like to stress that this includes the Agora in particular, will meet the expectations that are raised by this classification. Because after all, “being serious” is not about forbidding the party, not at all. Credibility means that you simply deliver what you promised. If you promised party and you deliver party, everyone will be happy – as long as you at the same time deliver respectable discussion where you promised respectable discussion.

If you have any suggestions of how we could achieve such a change, please feel free to start the discussion!

Written by Thomas Leszke, AEGEE-Köln

Photos by Léa Charlet, AEGEE-Paris & Dasha Onokhova, AEGEE-Moskva