The Agora is approaching and that means it is time to elect the Comité Directeur (CD) again. One of the passionate AEGEE members who hope to move to the new CD house in Brussels is Szabina Hellinger from AEGEE-Budapest. The AEGEEan took the time to interview her and to hear about her plans, but first let us introduce Szabina to you.

Besides being a 24-year-old AEGEE-Budapest member, The AEGEEan can inform you that she is spending her time on Erasmus in Bologna (Italy) at the moment. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Educational Studies on the Eötvös Loránd University, and now she is finishing her Masters there in the field of Adult Education, specialising in the lifelong learning process. As if that were not enough, she also has a BA in Italian linguistics and culture.

Because of her studies Szabina has experience with volunteering not only in a retirement home but also with the Hungarian Red Cross, mostly around Christmas accepting the donations for children, and when she arrived to Bologna she joined the Italian Red Cross as well. “I find volunteering my “drug”, because I see how huge successes can be achieved with small actions and how a lot of happiness can be brought, therefore I want to get and give more,” is what Szabina says about her habit of volunteering.

The AEGEEan: Why do you want to become a member of the Comité Directeur?

Szabina: I have a different attitude about it. I would put into the focus not myself, but AEGEE, meaning it is not about being a CD member, but about what I can offer to the association by my work, and the Agora will decide if it is needed or not. True, being in CD interested me since I became active but I did not dare to apply because of my lack of experience. First I thought that it was indispensable to work to get the knowledge and get the experience which is required to be effective for the association. Now after two years I have spent on the European level, I feel I am ready to accomplish the tasks of a CD member.

There are three people from AEGEE-Budapest hoping to go to Bruxelles. What makes your local such a strong local, and what does this “competition” mean in your eyes?

AEGEE-Budapest is a very strong and supportive local and they showed that in Autumn Agora Budapest. Its biggest strength is the family atmosphere, they are really open minded and welcoming to every member without making a difference between newbies, oldies or those who are there only for the Summer Universities (SUs). Since there are a lot of members, they also motivate each other with their enthusiasm – this is also evident by the number of our members active on the European level.

About your second question: it is a really funny coincidence that there are three of us from the same local running for CD. I am more than proud of my antenna because of it, but this “competition” – the way you call it – in my eyes is not different than the one we have with the other candidates, because for me it does not matter where we come from but what we want to achieve, having the same aims, and most importantly, where we want to go.

You have been involved with Project Teams and Working Groups in many ways, but can you please explain your history with them a bit?

On my first professional event in AEGEE (which was the Summer University Project School 2010) I got to learn about WGs and Projects. After going home I started checking out if there is something related to education, since this is one of my biggest interests. I found the Education Working Group (EWG) and I wrote to the former speaker (Jorge Miguel) a shy e-mail with my motivation and interests, and I got a warm welcome as an answer. After this I was the EWG’s HR responsible for half a year, and I represented it on the Autumn Agora Skopje 2011. I am really grateful for the EWG because it gave me many possibilities for work related to my studies, but mostly to unleash my potential.

During my work in the WG I met Diana Yolova, speaker of the Higher Education Days Project, who was talking to me about the project and made me really motivated in it, so I joined. Since that I am the PR responsible, and I represented it on the Spring Agora Enschede 2012, Autumn Agora Budapest 2012, and I will be the envoy of this PT at the Spring Agora Rhein-Neckar 2013 too. Currently we are focusing to the recognition of the non formal education and researching about the Bologna process (leaded by Avgustina Vasilieva).

How do you believe the cooperation can be strengthened between European level bodies?

There are some Working Groups and Projects which have similar topics, just from a different point of view, with or small differences; I would like to encourage them to organise a common event, research or program to help each other, giving each other new ideas or point of view, improving each other and themselves. Moreover I would like to encourage bodies and members to start new Working Groups or Projects according their interests.

The second step of this would happen through the members, because if we want to achieve our goals we need to catch them at most basic level, one by one, since they are the association’s future. The Fair is a perfect forum for it, but it does not reach those members who are not participating in the Agora or EBM. I would encourage the locals to promote the projects and WGs, and at the same time bring the European level closer to the members through the bodies.

There are many WGs and PTs who have trouble with activating members. What is your opinion about this and how would you help them? 

Motivation is one of the biggest problems not just for PTs, or WGs, but all the bodies, meaning not just getting new members but keeping the old ones active. To catch new members, the Fair is a great opportunity, improving their PR materials, but as I mentioned above I would also reach out to those members who are not participating. I would also strongly collaborate with the Network Commission since they have the strongest relation with the locals.

Second step would be helping in their internal HR. I would strongly collaborate with the board of a WG and PT highlight the HR responsible, encouraging them to hold personal meetings as much as possible, like on Statutory Events, or in the CD house, because Skype meetings are useful for working, but not so much for teambuilding.

You have been the Fair Manager once yourself, and mention strengthening AEGEE fair in your program. How do you think this should be done?

Obviously I would cooperate with the Fair Manager(s) as much as possible, with the Speakers too, since this is the main forum where all the bodies can represent themselves in the same time, as mentioned above. I would cooperate with the bodies asking about their needs not just in a material way but also in the sense support. I would hold a meeting before the Fair where their needs could be discussed and I would have a feedback session after it discussing their difficulties, successes, and most importantly their recommendations for improvement.

In case you are elected, you will probably be working with members who have been working together for a year already. What is your opinion about this?

First of all I admire their work and I am sure I could learn a lot of them. It would be a huge opportunity for me to receive and benefit from their experience and knowledge. But we cannot create,  improve and develop without adding anything new. Even a small change can grow into an innovation and every year is a new possibility to prove it. In case I am elected I think we could have a strong collaboration and I could provide CD with some fresh ideas.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

For sure, the biggest and the most successful project in the history of AEGEE is the Summer University Project (SU).  A project that best fits to our association aim for promoting co-operation, communication and integration amongst young people in Europe. A project that strives for unified Europe, cross boarder cooperation and tolerance.

Is this what you have been thinking when you decided to apply for your last SU?

Is this what you have been thinking when you decided to dedicate your summer vacation for organizing the best SU ever? Maybe or maybe not.

Personally my answer would be NO! Or at least I would not try to express it as for an official AEGEE presentation. When I decide to go to a SU or to organize a SU, the picture in my mind that appears is young crazy people, ready to have great party and to see new places, taste new things experience new feelings or even people!

Well, this was till this summer! When I went in Spain for the collaboration between the “Higher Education Days” (HED) project and the Summer Events of AEGEE-Leon and AEGEE-Tarragona. This was the most not so “formal” way of involving the non-formal education (NFE) into HED project. In a way we decided to try to change our target and to make work more for the understanding of the NFE inside AEGEE but in one cool, provocative and interactive way.

The main idea was an introduction with NFE and its overall understanding by both participants on one side, and labor market and universities on the other side. During the 9 days of the SUs participants had the opportunity not only to see the beauties of amusing Spain and party endlessly under the ESpanish sky (or in some moments water sky), but also feed their brains with values and skills important to a young European worker. Through practical approach they were able to improve their communication skills, discuss about the common stereotypes, intercultural understanding and learn the meaning of cooperation and teamwork. What most surprised me was that the participants were much more than punctual for a SU and moreover – they were actively participating! It was more than a pleasure not only to see locals ready to mix they SU with a project that more or less not so easy to be understand for all AEGEE members, working and asking for HED opinion for little details part of the preselection and organization, but also to see smiling and awake participants (even after the European night) ready to collaborate in our workshops.

Why we choose exactly to use non formal learning? Simply because the NFE aims at giving young people the tools to further develop their skills and attitudes. And somehow this is what is special for the NFE – individuals, participants are the actors actively involved in the “learning” process. What better could be for a SU? What better would be for AEGEE? As this is what we all are keep on developing in one or another way every day inside AEGEE!

As I said in Tarragona   our life is like a school. Every day we take our classes, develop ourselves, enrich our knowledge and virtues.  We get promoted to the next level, the next class, by fulfilling one simple goal:  knowledge, improvement and perfection! But even if we make a  mistake,  we are supposed to  learn  from  it,  to be grateful  for  the  opportunities  and  of course  never, ever,   give  up!  NFE is the final ingredient that gives you the possibility to be full and to feel satisfied with what you are doing, with YOURSELF, to be satisfied with life!

Thank you AEGEE-Leon & AEGEE-Tarragona for changing my definition for a Summer University in AEGEE, for putting much more sense in it!

I do offer you another perspective for this summer HED collaboration, too! Just check it below!

Pavel Zbornik, president of AEGEE-Praha:

“I have some experience with NFE, being on several trainings, organizing SALTO training in Prague and lastly NFE experience from SU in Tarragona. It was nice combination of serious discussion with fun part so involved participants get knowledge in interesting way. Thanks to that I got new information in cultural understanding which enriched me and now I understand bit more to my internationals friends.”

Annika Lüdeking, president of AEGEE-Heidelberg:

“I do think that Non-Formal Education is very important for everybody, especially as we dealt with cultural understanding which is crucial for the teamwork in our network. Everybody learns non-formally already by observing his/her surrounding and by talking to other people and often we need some kind of reflection to fully understand the gained impressions and stories. Therefore we as Aegeeans should support our Higher Education Days and participate in some workshop or lessons provided and pass on the knowledge to our antennas. Personally I would have liked to go deeper and learn even more about have to overcome cultural borders, as we only scratched on the surface during our Summer University.”

Tünde Ress, a member of AEGEE-Piliscsaba:

“My first and only experience with Non-Formal Education and Higher Education Days Project was in the Summer University in Tarragona.  Although we discussed obvious things about this theme, after all it was really interesting and exciting. Because you had to express your thoughts about this serious theme in other language and you could talk about it with young people from other countries and maybe you hadn’t had the chance for it before. Thanks to the team works and games it wasn’t boring at all. I liked the idea that such people gave the presentations about for example stereotypes that actually studied psychology and knew about this things even more.  I have taught a lot about this theme and I’m really glad to have known other young people from foreign countries who participated and showed own culture and habits through these trainings. Totally worth it!”

Eduardo Di Mauro, a member of AEGEE-Tarragona:

“I think that Non Formal education is important because it lets people learn in a way suited to their attitudes. In my opinion NFE is valuable for such a student association like AEGEE, since it is a valid, effective and practical tool for students to teach to other students (more or less of the same age) remarkable matters. (For example last week I wrote to one of the “teachers”, Adela, a question about assertive communication, confirming that the lessons were not useless). It would be great to recognize it but since it does not include any exam, I can understand if institutions fear to give their approval  to that (people could just go to a NFE lessons, never talk and finally get some kind of paper). During the HED experience, the workshops were useful in my opinion, since everybody was giving his contribution, depending on their interest in the subject. It is normal that everybody has a different level of interest, but in this sense it is important to create a group of people that all have the same will to contribute to the workshops.”

Liliya Toneva, a member of AEGEE-Sofia:

“As participant at the Summer University in Tarragona I had the great possibility to learn more about the non-formal education. In my opinion non-formal education is and should be main part of the HED project. Non-formal and informal education become more and more important nowadays. Because we learn everywhere and at all times and this experience leads to additional skills, knowledge and competences. I strongly believe that, all of us in AEGEE should work for the recognition of non-formal and also informal education.

“And maybe we are like example of how it works.”

That was just an example how the participants took active role in their environment and contributed to the local student society. This was just another example how AEGEE promote European Integration ……..and may be something more!

Though I still have the question in my mind when we will realise that we are really build bridges for learning – once with the value of the NFE and twice with its recognition?

by me,

Diana Yolova,

AEGEE member !

written by Diana Yolova, Higher Education Days Project