Next week from September 27th until October 5th AEGEE-Barcelona will be hosting Fundraising European School for 18 participants – the best way to say goodbye to summer holidays and stay motivated in AEGEE. And hopefully it will still be sunny and warm!

AEGEE-Barcelona is a large antenna of around 80 members and depending with the level of activity and the academic period, there are usually 10 or 15 people present in the meetings. Moreover, in their Summer University they managed to gather new members who are active, motivated and are ready to rock at the Fundraising European School (FRES). The AEGEEan interviewed the organizing team behind FRES who pointed out from the start of the interview that “the strange thing about our antenna is that many of our active members and even current board members have been working or studying abroad, which made planning things and events a bit more difficult, but with several Skype meetings and fluid communication we managed to get things going”.

The AEGEEan: Barcelona is a very touristic destination, but what do you believe is special about the city?

AEGEE-Barcelona: Yes, it is indeed a very touristic destination and this has its “cons” when you organise such a big event. However, we think that what makes it special is the fact that it has such a rich architecture and cultural legacy. It is colorful and has a truly lively atmosphere. But it also has some places which are less known by the average tourist, and we would love our participants to get to know better “the other side” of the city.

The AEGEEan: Why did you apply to host the FRES?

AEGEE-Barcelona: We have applied for the FRES because we have hosted several events lately (pre-events, Summer Universities…), but these were mostly “fun” events with few learning and training content behind. We had a first attempt of making a more “serious” event, since we planned to host one of the Y Vote 2014 conventions last February, but unfortunately we did not get the Youth in Action funds. Now, the possibility of organising the FRES came up by some of our most active members, and we decided to take a step forward and host a training event that would give an added value to our antenna and can be beneficial for the Network as well. Besides, we have some experience with fundraising but we would like to go more into deep and see which strategies and good practices we can adopt, so the members of AEGEE-Barcelona can also benefit from it.

The AEGEEan: What experience does your antenna have in hosting events?

AEGEE-Barcelona: We have organised every year a Summer University, usually in cooperation with other antennae, and our antenna has usually hosted pre-events for the Autumn Agora in Zaragoza 2013, and also the one in Alicante in Spring 2011.

The AEGEEAn: Are you currently organizing other events as well?

AEGEE-Barcelona: Not so far. We finished our Travel Summer University  this summer with AEGEE-Valladolid and now it will be up to the upcoming board to think whether we will organise a pre-event either for the EPM in Burgos or the Agora in Asturias, as well as thinking of further local events or maybe a Local/Regional Training Course.

The AEGEEan:  What plans do you have for FRES?

AEGEE-Barcelona: Well, we will be mainly taking care of the logistics and the social programme, but what we can advance is that we will be lodged in a hostel right in the city center of Barcelona, and that we plan a very diverse social programme. We will of course get to know the city, included a city tour by bike and places that are mainly spotted only by locals. We will also have a ‘spooky’ city tour by night where AEGEEans will get to know one of our most famous -and scary- local legends. Also the food will be good, of course – hopefully you will manage to taste our widely-famous paella!

The AEGEEan: Will you have any funding for the event?

AEGEE-Barcelona: We are keeping our fingers crossed for that, since due to the economic crisis and especially the budgetary cuts it is not easy to receive financial funding, but we are trying our best. Our main sources will come from in-kind fundraising though, which our local is making a big effort for and we are starting to get the fruits.

The AEGEEan: How will you cooperate with the AEGEE-Academy?

AEGEE-Barcelona: We are already cooperating with the Academy – and we are continuously asked for feedback when it comes to trainer’s selection and the trainings. We are mailing each other quite often, so the communication so far has been fluent, and it is very cool that they are involving us in the training aspects as well instead of only leaving us the local organisation’s aspects. It’s been good so far, we had previously a get-to-know meeting with the Training Manager, Lyda Michopoulou, and we have been doing our best to meet the trainers’ needs. I now some of the trainers coming from the Academy and I am totally convinced that they will share a very valuable knowledge with our participants.

The AEGEEan: The event is just here, how is everything going with the organization?

AEGEE-Barcelona: Well, these days left are being especially tough because we are trying our best for this event to be perfect, to fit participants’ and trainers’ needs and, at the same time, providing a rich social program. It is sometimes not easy to organise this kind of events in Barcelona, which is a bit more expensive than the average… Luckily we have a very strong and motivated team of organisers who are giving their best for this event to be successful, they are taking care of every single detail, and we also have some “newbies” who are learning first-hand how such an event is organised. I think for all of us it is (and it is going to be) a very enriching experience, for each one of us individually and for the local, since it has been a long time since AEGEE-Barcelona has not organised an event like FRES.

The AEGEEan: Where are the participants from? You are have members who aren’t AEGEEans, right?

AEGEE-Barcelona: We luckily have a wide variety of nationalities, and especially, as you have pointed, we have many members who are not AEGEEans. The Academy has now opened their trainings to non-AEGEE members so we have participants from plenty of other organisations, ranging from BEST, IAAS or FDE. Some of our trainers are also from outside AEGEE. We are very positive about it, since sometimes it is good to be out from the “AEGEE bubble” and strengthen relations with other organisations.

The AEGEEan: What will the participants do during the program?

AEGEE-Barcelona: Well, the trainings program is still a secret for participants! But the Academy will of course deal with FR basics, with persuasive communication, public speaking and much more. When it comes to social program, it has not been easy to arrange, since the trainings require lots of hours. But I am pretty sure that the participants will enjoy the Horror City Tour at the Gothic Quartier, biking around the city, and discover a bit of Barcelona.

The AEGEEan: Any interesting matters you can reveal to us about the event? 

AEGEE-Barcelona: A light joke: in AEGEE-Barcelona we are getting quite crazy lately regarding the organisation of the event and words that contain the letters “FRES” have been coming quite many times into our minds lately. We even called our Whatsapp group as “OktoberFRESt”…

Moreover, this is very special for us because, in fact, the Academy was founded in Agora Barcelona 1999, so exactly 15 years ago. Could it be any better way to celebrate it than having it in here?

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza

The ZarAgora ended some time ago but the memories of the fantastic event organized by AEGEE-Zaragoza remain with the participants that now have returned to their respective cities. There is no doubt that, despite being a peaceful Agora and a little bit flat on content for many people, many will remember ZarAgora for the great organization by AEGEE-Zaragoza and their helpers.

The beautiful settings of the Agora

Wednesday October 30th, 2013: AEGEE members gathered outside of the Congress Palace of Zaragoza (Palacio de Congresos) eager to get in and register their participation for the Autumn Agora 2013. A beautiful building where participants had it all in one place: delicious meals, the magnificient plenary hall, workshop rooms and the gym to sleep. As explained in a previous interview with the Fundraising (FR) responsible of the Agora, Ángela Campos, this particular place was the one where AEGEE-Zaragoza wanted to organize the Agora from the beginning and it is easy to understand why. Located next to the Ebro river, in the beautiful area that was constructed for the world Expo that took place in Zaragoza in 2008 and close to the center of the city, this palace made sure that participants had everything close. It was easy to arrive from the bus/train station, there was no need to wake up early in the morning to catch a bus to the place of the pleanaries and it is certain that participants enjoyed this gift of some extra sleep comparing it previous Agorae.

Sara Alcolea and Pablo Ruiz (AEGEE-Zaragoza) at the opening ceremony

As all statutory events, the Agora kicked off with a marvellous opening ceremony hosted by AEGEE-Zaragoza members Sara Alcolea and Pablo Ruiz, where the participants got to see the beauties of the city they had arrived to in a video. There were also several people that had messages for the participants of ZarAgora. To name a few, the AEGEE members present received a message from the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, both in a video as well as in a message given by the Liaison Officers towards the UN.

The President of AEGEE-Europe, Luis Alvarado Martínez. also opened the Agora in a speech where he emphasized the importance of the European youth and how the future has to be affected through raising our voices and striving to be heard and have an impact at the same time! To entertain the participants there was also a musical show as well as a performance by the folklore dancers of Orgullo Aragonés that brought smiles on many people’s lips; especially when serenading the speaker of Network Commission, Antonija Parat.

Organizers and helpers

With the hot topic of the new Visual Identity and branding of AEGEE, which the Comité Directeur and Network Commission are especially focusing on these days, it was fantastic to see how much effort this antenna of “the center of Europe in the middle of nowhere” (as they say) had put into making the Agora a beauty for the eyes as well. Both AEGEE-Europe and AEGEE-Zaragoza had made a big effort in designing for the Agora. From day one, a large part of the participants were proudly showing the new blue AEGEE-Europe sweater and the organizers and helpers were to be seen everywhere at all times in their ZarAgora red t-shirts and hoodies.

Participants also had the opportunity to bring back a piece of AEGEE-Zaragoza merchandise in form of different merchandising that always have received great attention because of its design and quality and that could bought at the Agora as well. Five lucky AEGEEans also won a limited edition of the famous “I love Jamón” t-shirt that won The AEGEEan‘s Choice Awards for best merchandising in 2012. It was a great idea by AEGEE-Zaragoza to gather some money to help reduce the cost of organizing the big event through selling lottery tickets and give away prizes at the closing ceremony. It is definitely worth to mention as well the creation of a small cup “of AEGEE spirit(s)”, thanks to which the participants helped AEGEE-Zaragoza make the Agora more environmentally-friendly as they then avoided using thousands of plastic cups. Jonathan del Castillo Gil from AEGEE-Zaragoza took many hours in designing different items for the Agora, and there are for sure many grateful members for his dedication.

Ander Guerrero (AEGEE-Zaragoza) with the chocolate sponsored for the Agora and Lucia Molina (AEGEE-Zaragoza) with the limited edition of the I love Jamón t-shirt

Organizing an Agora in the middle of an economic crisis must most certainly be a challenge but AEGEE-Zaragoza overcame the challenge splendidly. With a welcome package full of different treats and with the opportunity to enjoy some of the 522 kg of chocolate sponsored by Lindt or energy drinks from Red Bull, AEGEE-Zaragoza also tried to ensure that the participants got the sugar boost necessary to enjoy all the different activities part of the program. Moreover, whenever there were some gaps in the packed program, many participants enjoyed a relaxing time in the spa nearby the Agora where large discounts had been negotiated again thanks to the great fundraising of AEGEE-Zaragoza. Some especially chose this option rather than waiting in line for the rather cold-watered showers. However, not everything can be perfect and providing showers for 800 people is definitely not an easy task.

One of the few energizers

In terms of the Agora itself, it was more quiet than other statutory events in the past. Less questions were asked and this became a topic at the European Level meeting where active AEGEEans wondered about this issue. The dancing remained part of the rich social program and did not draw the attention before the plenaries as the case was for example in Agora Rhein-Neckar. The amount of energizers was also reduced, but nevertheless there were smiles to be seen everywhere at all times. It was a more professional Agora, where punishments for flag and mascot recovery were left to be organized between participants and thereby protecting the image of our association.

Everything started a year ago and it was clearly visible all the effort that AEGEE-Zaragoza had put into the event

This Agora proved that with a strong team of about 70 organizers and helpers led by Chema Rueda (AEGEE-Zaragoza) and with hard work and dedication it is possible to organize a fantastic event and AEGEE-Zaragoza can be proud of having organized an event that members will talk about for many years. As this video says: ZarAgora in our hearts!

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

Thank you very much Jorge Sánchez Hernández (AEGEE-Alicante) and Jorge Barriendo (AEGEE-Zaragoza) for the pictures!

Recently the Comité Directeur distributed the Open Call (OC) for autumn Agora 2014 organisers. In the meantime people in Zaragoza and Patra work hard on preparing the best Agorae ever, despite being organised in two countries where the economic situation could be better. The AEGEEan interviewed Angela Campos from Zaragoza and Costas Deltouzos from Patra to get an update on the two events.

In a recent interview with The AEGEEan Chema Rueda told us that working with FR for the Agora is difficult so The AEGEEan decided to interview Angela Campos from AEGEE-Zaragoza who is the responsbile of fundraising. She tells The AEGEEan that when deciding to organize the Agora they were fully aware of the economic situation and the difficult task it was going to be. “Getting money is always hard work, but the more help you get, the easier it is, and I can tell you we have a really motivated team working on it.”

When getting deeper into the subject Angela recognizes the difficulty of getting money as a big challenge “Actually it’s the biggest problem you have to face when you are an organizer. I think it complicates everything because while you are working on other tasks, money is always on your mind. By the way, I think that fundraising used to be the main challenge for each core team and we will go ahead. Our main goal has always been to organise the best Agora ever, regardless of the economic situation we are living in.” AEGEE-Zaragoza is doing everything they can to make sure it will be an Agora that everybody will remember “We are looking for fundraising everywhere, we are calling all the enterprises we know, asking for help from our region, trying everything, doing our best and we always welcome any help we get. It’s known that hard times make you stronger and every effort is being made to improve the ZarAgora.” One of the impressing deals that AEGEE-Zaragoza managed to get was together with Spanish railway company Renfe and buscompany Alsa to ensure that participants arrive in a great way to Zaragoza.

It is not only ZarAgora organisers who are trying to impress everybody with a fantastic event. Agora Patra organisers are also facing similar challenges but also have manners to overcome them. Main organiser Costas Deltouzos comments “Both Spain and Greece face big problems because of the economic crisis and of course fundraising is not easy in this period. So before applying as a host antenna for the Spring Agora, we wanted to be sure we would be able to do it even with little fundraising in money. We analyzed the basic needs (lodging, meals, facilities) in order to have an Agora in Patra and started fundraising them in kind. When we got the first meetings with University, the Sports Center and the Vice Mayor and got their support, we knew that we can host this Agora! Of course not all of the needs are covered yet, but we have a nice FR team working on it”, he says with a smile.

AEGEE-Patra

Another thing that the two antennae share is the eagerness to prepare of members and helpers in the best way for the Agora. Recently AEGEE-Zaragoza organised a Local Training Course (LTC) and Patra has something similar in mind “We plan to have several team building activities. First is a big Regional Training Course (RTC) with the other Greek locals before the end of the year, either in Patra or somewhere close. The aim will be to both make young members more active and educate the future helpers of the Agora. Then we plan to have close communication with all helpers involved throughout the preparation phase. Finally one month before the Agora we will bring everybody together again and work specifically on team building.”

Up until now it has not actually been official when the Agora in Patra will take place but it seems that the dates are set. “There was a big discussion on when the Agora should take place. Initially we wanted it to be during the Greek Easter holidays, but since the facilities were not available at that time, we decide to postpone it to later. So the dates selected are April 30th to May 4th 2013 and it will not be changed unless there is a huge need.”

Costas at the first Agora Patra meeting in May

In the past hosting an Agora or an EBM has been a cost to antennae financially, so The AEGEEan asked Costas how they in Patra work to assure that they will have enough financial means to cover the big event. “The fundraising strategy aims in several directions. One part has to do with local institutes/foundations and authorities, where our strong point is that we are bringing 1000 European students in Patra, a city that is not known widely abroad. So all these local partners are eager to help us have a memorable Agora. Second part has to do with companies, both local and international, that see this event as a big promotional campaign for their products. The last part has to do with European institutes that want to support us because the theme of the Agora is about youth participation and the European Parliamentary Elections 2014.”

The YVote2014 project kicked off in Valladolid recently and will be organizing another event in Las Palmas in the beginning of October. They will also have a big influence on the Agora in Patra and Costas elaborated on it when asked whether or not they will work together with the YVote2014 project team “Yes, during my visit in the CD house this June, I had a meeting with the project team of YVote2014 and expressed to them our will to have this theme for our Agora. We both agreed that a cooperation between the Agora and the YVote2014 project would be beneficiary for us both! The key person for this cooperation is Alma Mozgovaja that is member of both Core Team of Agora Patra and the YVote2014 project.”

AEGEE-Patra was earlier this year elected as Local of the Month because of being so efficient with HR and distributing work amongst different teams, and talking with Costas it seems that all of  them are busier than ever “After the summer holidays and the exam period of September, all the sub-teams are starting to work hard again on their tasks. The IT team is working on our website, the HR team is recruiting new people, the PR team is creating our visual identity etc. We are working also on creative ideas on how to rock ZarAgora, but I can’t say more at the moment!”

Guess we just have to wait a bit more to experience how AEGEE-Patra wants to surprise us at the Agora in Zaragoza next month!

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

It has been almost two months since Luis Alvarado Martínez moved to the AEGEE headoffice to start working as the Corporate Relations Officer of AEGEE-Europe. Following the announcement of an agreement between Monarch Airlines and AEGEE-Europe, we interviewed him to find out which direction AEGEE is taking in terms of fundraising (FR).

The AEGEEan: What has been your focus in terms of fundraising for AEGEE-Europe?
Luis: The idea from the start was to establish an official FR structure which would be sustainable and could be used in the future. The FR that has been done in AEGEE previously was sometimes very good – for example last year with Mirosław Krzanik and Kathrin Renner for the Study Fair – but never had a constant structure. This is what Marko Grdošić and I wanted to change. We wanted to have a new, official structure and an FR strategy for AEGEE-Europe which can be used both on the European and the local level. This would open a new scope of possibilities for our network and our members.

Types of partnerships offered by AEGEE-Europe

What does the new fundraising structure consist of?
It is about offering different types of partnership possibilities, namely educational, corporate, institutional, career, research, promotional, and supporters.

Besides developing this structure, what other projects have you been working on?
Apart from the FR structure, I have been working on the Study & Career Fair for Agora Enschede, contacting universities and other institutions. I have also worked on the concept of a future FR Committee to be implemented in the network. It would be an independent body working on study fairs, grant applications in cooperation with the CD and the Foundation AEGEE Trust Fund (FATF), managing corporate relations with companies, foundations and charities, patrons, working on merchandising, and arranging internship opportunities for our members. If we have a body which will boost this work, imagine all the possibilities we could have in AEGEE!
The concept of official merchandising for AEGEE-Europe has also been developed. The reason for this is that we are currently lacking common items such as a badge, a t-shirt or a sweater… Something which everybody could easily recognize and identify themselves with.

What can we expect from the Study & Career Fair at Agora Enschede?
This fair is under the patronage of European Commissioner Laszló Andor, who is in charge of Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. During the event we will have Universities like Central European University, Antwerp Management School and University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. La Laguna 2015 as European Youth Capital candidate will also be there to promote their project. We will have workshops organised by the European Personnel Selection Office and by the Youth in Action National Agency from the Netherlands. Once again we will have a questionaire about youth mobility by our partner Study Portals, which our members can fill in and win a prize.

Which agreements have been made since the beginning of your term as Corporate Relations Officer?
We currently have agreements with Monarch Airlines and Brussels Airlines which both give discounts to our members and their friends. We’ve established partnerships with Peace Revolution, Antwerp Management School, EU Careers, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and La Laguna as European Youth Capital Candidate for 2015. I am in contact with Interrail and Eurorail to have them as official partners. Also, we will soon reach an agreement with Hostelworld to get discounts for our members. And there are many more ideas that I would like to develop.

Luis Alvarado Martínez, Corporate Relations Officer of AEGEE-Europe

What is it like to work together with Marko Grdošić and the rest of the Comite Directeur (CD)?
Working with Marko has been amazing! I must say that at the beginning I thought it would be pretty much me doing secondary tasks as an assistant. Marko has given me freedom and flexibility to work, and I’ve been able to contribute with my own ideas, so I am very happy about us working together. He prepared me for the job before my arrival to the CD house, so from day one I’ve been able to focus on my tasks and work properly, without any lost time.
Regarding other CD members, it has also been quite nice. From the beginning I felt like a part of the team which I appreciate very much.

What have you learned from fundraising for AEGEE-Europe?
I’ve learned that we have to start fundraising much earlier before an event. Also, I see that having FR as a task for one of the CD members with other responsibilities is not an option. There are many possibilities for AEGEE but I am afraid that even one person might not be enough. One person can coordinate the process, but there should be a whole team working on FR.

If you will be in the CD the next term, what changes or improvements would you make in order to achieve more results in terms of fundraising?
I would get a Fundraising Committee, a team of FR experts working as soon as possible. We have incredibly valuable people in AEGEE who simply have a talent when it comes to doing FR. There is a long list of potential candidates whom I would for sure love to have in the FRC.
The final aim is to achieve better prices, offers and possibilities which will make the life of our members easier and more fun.

Written by Zsófia Komáromi, AEGEE-Budapest

Photos by Bálint Erdősi and Luis Alvarado Martínez