At the upcoming European Planning Meeting (EPM) in Zagreb, you will hear more from one of our committees, namely the one that is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Action Agenda and will be supporting the drafting of the new Action Agenda. Who are we talking about? The Action Agenda Coordination Committee, also known as ACT!

Live Meeting in Brussels

The Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) was officially established as a supporting committee of AEGEE-Europe at Spring Agora Enschede 2012. Our most important task is to have an overview of the implementation of the Action Agenda, which is one of the most important documents created within AEGEE and consists of objectives (goals) that we set for each of our Focus Areas. These objectives have to be implemented by the whole Network, so both locals and European bodies. Do not worry though, because our committee is there to give support!

This year we have 10 team members, who all cooperate with a member of the Network Commission.

Speaker Team:

NWM Barcelona

Svenja van der Tol (Loes Rutten’s couple)

Miljana Vulevic (Mareike Ritter’s couple)

Constantine Bakiris (Aleksandra Mojsova’s couple)

Team members:

Theodora Giakoumelou (PR-responsible and Pablo Palazon’s couple)

Elena Efremova (ACTive Local of the Month responsible and Stanislav Mahula’s couple)

Borja Torres Fuentes (Alejandra Piot’s couple)

Cristina de la Parte Rodriguez (Alin Georgescu’s couple)

Erifyli Evangelou (Spyridon Papadatos’s couple)

Juragis Garcia Perez (Kristina Reshetova’s couple)

Marco Daniele (Gabriele Scollo’s couple)

We are true believers in the importance of having a goal and going fiercely towards it, which is one of the reasons we are gathered in this committee. Throughout our term, new ideas just keep popping up and we can have endless meetings on Skype to discuss them. Although we have a lot of work to do, it is always fun working in this team. Laughs, teasing and internal jokes make everything feel easy peasy. No matter the tasks we are dealing with, the good chemistry, spirits and friendship between us turns our tasks into a hobby.

NWM Beograde

This year we have many ideas to implement. First of all, we have a goal to increase the awareness about the Action Agenda (AA) and Strategic Plan (SP) all over the network. That is why we try to promote the new idea of Action Agenda ambassadors, who are people within a local that are responsible for the implementation and promotion of the Action Agenda and Strategic Plan. Besides that, we plan to have regular meetings with our locals on Action Agenda related topics. Moreover, during the Autumn Network Meetings, we delivered seven workshops on the Action Agenda and Strategic Plan and we plan to continue giving sessions at the upcoming Spring Network Meetings!

Secondly, we try to establish close cooperation with other European Bodies of AEGEE-Europe. This year, we give locals the opportunity to cooperate in the organisation of a Summer University (SU).  Moreover, in cooperation with the Language Interest Group we translated the AA and SP into different languages.  Together with the Working Groups, we are also writing articles about activities that were connected to the AA. And last but not least, cooperating with the awesome people of the Network Commission enables us to receive all the information we need and give our very best to the locals.  

Renove VI

Lastly, we have an idea to set up Standard and Reward Systems. We want to make a set of parameters that clarify which activities exactly fulfil the Action Agenda. That way, locals will know our criteria and be able to address them when planning their activities and we will have a set of standards that will ensure a fair and unified assessment of all activities in the Network. As for the Reward System, we want to give out some prizes to the most deserving locals that gave their contribution to achieve the goals we have all set for ourselves in Leiden.

It is easy to dream what you want to be and achieve, but if you do not have something or someone to measure your progress, remind you of your promise to yourself – your goal – and help you go forward, you will fail. That is what ACT does for AEGEE. If we drafted an Action Agenda during the EPM and the ownership over it was left to the already overburdened CD and dispersed among other bodies, we would be in trouble because – structure works best. Having one committee to take care of the measurement and implementation is the way to go and improve, year after year.

LTC Grodno

ACT is vital for the existence of our organization since it specifically deals with the Action Agenda and the Strategic Plan, which constitute the formula and the aim and goals of our activities. An organization that respects itself and takes seriously the steps it follows, the aim and the vision it applies to its members, has to have a Committee dealing with the stuff ACT does.

This year, we set a difficult but serious goal; to make every single member of AEGEE understand the meaning of the Action Agenda and the Strategic Plan by actively participating in their draft and implementing them during their activities. If we want AEGEE to have a bright future, we need everyone to realise the true vision and importance of the organization’s ethics, found in the AA/SP and implement them in their local’s reality.

More information about Action Agenda and Strategic Plan is here and you can get more information on what ACT does from our new video!

With the event of the month of September, we leave behind an era full of Summer Universities and we start to deal with serious matters. AEGEE-Lviv’s event “Let’s Talk” is a clear example of hard work. This local is filled with motivated and hard-working young people, striving for the future of their country. ACT spoke with Nastya Hirnyak, President of AEGEE-Lviv.

​ACT: Congratulations! ​As we would like to get to know this month’s winner, could you tell us a few words about your local?

Nastya: AEGEE-Lviv was the first antenna which was born in the former USSR. We are an active antenna with around 100 members, and 40-50 of them are really active on both local and European level. We organise five or six international events per year and as many as we can on a local level. For example, during last year, we organised an exchange with AEGEE-Budapest, a Travelling Summer University, we hosted an Election Observation Project in Lviv, a pre-Agora event; on a local level, we took part in a volunteering clean-up programme and a marathon advertising antenna. We have also started a new project called “Let’s Talk” for the local students and members of AEGEE-Lviv.

​You have organised the “Let’s Talk” workshop. Can you tell us more about this project?

We started this project in February 2015. The main goal of this project is to involve students, to encourage active youth to join AEGEE, and to give young people an opportunity to express themselves. “Let’s Talk” project is a monthly event covering different topics, ranging from self- development to the European integration process in Ukraine. Each event hosted around 15 young people with common interests.

​ Why did you decide to organise this event ?

The theme of September’s “Let’s Talk” event was the European integration process in Ukraine. We decided to choose that topic as we think everyone, especially youth, should have some basic knowledge regarding what is going on in our country. During the event, we discussed about the relevant reforms that are already happening nowadays (pension, health, education and tax), from a practical point of view, but also about how each Ukrainian can help his or her country to become closer to Europe.

What was the result? 

This meeting was attended by about 13 people. During the meeting we had an interesting discussion on the implementation of certain reforms. It was interesting to observe that young people are interested in this issue and have their own opinion about it.

Why do you think the Action Agenda is important for the Network, and what would you say to another local that is thinking about organising something related to the Action Agenda?

First of all, AEGEE is all about the Action Agenda. It is important to organise events on a local level, to help members grow, and encourage newbies to join AEGEE. For the Network, it is great to know about different kinds of projects done by the antennae. Through that we can share our experience and borrow ideas from each other, as the famous AEGEE slogan says ‘Sharing is caring’.

Do you have any other big plans for the upcoming months?

As I already mentioned, the “Let’s Talk” project is conducted every month. This month, we are planning to organise a workshop on developing interview skills. We also hosted an unofficial New Year celebration in Lviv for those who did not have any plans.

AEGEE-Lviv has certainly shown to the Network that it can be an example to other locals. What would you say to other locals that want to be as awesome as you?

This is one of my favourite quotes: ‘World changes, be part of this change’.

​Which sentence would describe your local and your event?

Our local has always been famous for being crazy but serious at the same time. So, our events reflect this belief, too!

Written by Tugce Carpaz, AEGEE-Eskisehir

April was a very busy month full of different events, from Agora Asturias to the N7A. This month’s winner for the the Most ACTive Local of the Month is AEGEE-Sofia! Sofia was one of the 7 antennas that has organized N7A and proved, yet again, that they are an awesome antenna. They have contributed to the two Focus Areas: Spreading Europtimism and Civic Education by organizing different discussions, one of them was “Why Europe needs youth?, to promotion of the healthy and sustainable lifestyle and active participation among young people. We spoke to Vesela Gerganska, Public Relations Responsible of AEGEE-Sofia to find out more about what they did and what are their plans!

First of all, congratulations! ​As we would like to get to know this month’s winner, could you tell us a bit more about your local?
Vesela: AEGEE-Sofia is not a big local, but it is like a family to most of its members. The antenna was established in the beginning of the 1990s. In 1992 the local became part of the Network of AEGEE- Europe and ever since that moment, the number of members varies between 30 and 50 people. This mostly depends on the time of the year. Usually, the peak period, when most of the members are extremely active, is just before the Summer Universities start. We have around 10-15 active to members. I’m glad to say that in the past year and a half we got some new members who demonstrated their motivation and devotion to AEGEE since day one. It’s hard to define the exact number of activities that we organise every year. We have both local and European activities and events every year.

​You ​were one of the seven locals that ​​organised the Night of the Seven Antennae, which is also the reason you were chosen as ​the ACTive Local of the Month. Can you tell us a bit more about ​your event?

The event was held between the 16th and 19th of April. Our participants got to spend four amazing days in Sofia and share their thoughts, opinions and views with young Bulgarians. The programme of the event was divided into three parts and included various discussions on topics concerning the youth and its role in the changing processes in Europe, sport activities (football competition) and social events. The discussions were held at the National Student House and gave local young people, members of other Bulgarian non-governmental organisations, to interact with local decision makers, members of Sofia municipality and representatives from AEGEE-Europe and Association des Amis de Frank Biancheri. I’d say that the moment that everyone appreciated the most was the livestreaming and the talks with the other six antennae. The seven antennae were able to share their experience and findings from the event.

​Why did you decide to organize this activity​?
The decision to apply as one of the hosts of the celebration of the 30th Anniversary was initially made by the previous board members, but the execution of the project was done by the new one. One of the main reasons was the fact that AEGEE-Sofia wanted to organise something that would be important for the young people; something meaningful, something that could be inspiring, and different from the previous events and projects. The Night of the Seven Antennae was a great opportunity to promote the concepts and beliefs of AEGEE and to spread the AEGEE spirit among as many young people as possible. Not to mention that the main aim was to repeat the events from 1986 which led to historical changes.

What was the result of your activity?
The results of the event were quite impressive. Although the ratio between Bulgarian and international participants was in favor of the host country, all of the discussions were productive. During the World Café, where the participants were asked to interact with local people in the city centre, many ideas were generated. The final findings and conclusions are about to be summarised in a document.

​Why do you think the Action Agenda is important to the Network, and what would you say to another local that is thinking about organising something related to the Action Agenda?
We share the opinion that the Action Agenda is of a great importance for the development and future improvement of the work in the Network. Moreover, the Action Agenda supports the implementation of the Strategic Plan and makes the activities more structured and united in specific thematic groups according to the Strategic Plan. Consequently, the locals can find many useful ideas for their events or activities in the Action Agenda Guidelines.The previous good experience and the practices could be used as a benchmark or baseline for future projects.

Do you have any other big plans for the upcoming months​?
Many things have been planned for the upcoming months but the most important one is the Travel Summer University that we’re organising with AEGEE-Niš – Balkan Beats. Almost all of the active members are focused and working on this event.

AEGEE-Sofia has certainly shown to the Network that it can be an example to other locals. What would you say to other locals that want to be as awesome as you? 
A couple of months ago, a guest speaker at my University gave a lecture about business and success. The lady, Sarah Hall, said many things but one sentence is still in my head and I think it’s completely relevant to the “awesomeness” that you mentioned. She said: “You become what you believe!” Therefore, I think every local can be as awesome as its members believe and want it to be. The key factor here is the team and its spirit. If you believe in something – you can do it! For sure there are many other awesome locals but they still don’t believe it.  Some advices that might be of a use…someday:

1. Push yourself further than your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.
2. If you need help – just ask. AEGEE is a family and family is always there to help!
3. Think big – the greatest ideas are usually outside of the familiar box.
4. If you have great ideas but, nobody takes you serious – try to deliver this idea like the others came up with it (never give up on your ideas!) Then you need just few people to support you and the idea can be turned into reality.
5. Communicate with your team! All the time! And say ‘thank you’.
6. Every experience can be useful and used as a baseline for future projects or events.
7. Don’t forget – you (the local) have the potential to make dreams come true!

Which sentence would describe your local and your event?
There is nothing impossible!

Written by Silvija Perić, AEGEE-Zagreb