Europe on Track is a project by AEGEE-Europe, run by young volunteers who aim to raise awareness, to create a space for discussion and to capture the opinions of youth in Europe on important social issues. Now this is, in a nutshell, what every edition of Europe on Track aims to achieve.

Each year, the topic of Europe on Track is different, and this time the theme was “Europe on Track 6: Which Track? Looking for the Future of Europe through Youth Participation”. Throughout the whole duration of the project the Project Team and the Ambassadors worked hard in order to both identify and discuss critical issues in Europe and empower young Europeans to be the actors of today’s democracy.

The sixth edition of Europe on Track began already one year ago, when the new project team was selected. After thorough work dividing the portfolios, selecting the hosting cities, setting up the routes, choosing the Ambassadors and much more, EoT was officially launched on the 11^th of March in Istanbul, Turkey. There, a training of 10 days took place, the longest one in the history of the project, which translated into the most prepared Ambassadors in the history of the whole project.

The end of the training marked the beginning of the routes, and Team Blue headed to Bergamo whereas Team Red travelled to Ankara. It would be after an intense one-month-long voyage that all the Ambassadors met again, this time in Brussels, for the closing event. However, they would not be the same people as when they took that first train in the colossal metropolis of Istanbul. What they learnt, and attempted to share with the rest of the world, was more than words can describe: the colourful canvas of perspectives on current issues in Europe; the diversity of problems faced in each country; the dreams and concerns of youth in different corners of the continent.

Words cannot describe what Europe on Track 6 meant, but numbers may provide a more accurate description. What made Europe on Track 6 so special?

Everything started with

1 project team consisting of
10 young volunteers working for
1 full year with the support of
200+ local volunteers

Everything was made possible thanks to

6 Ambassadors selected out of
413 applicants from over
83 countries

The teams visited
20 cities all over Europe in
10 different countries for the period of
1 month while travelling with

40+ trains

Ambassadors reached a total of
1011 participants  
80+ hours of workshops in multiple events and conferences

Finally, we cannot finish this article without thanking Interrail and the  Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union for supporting us, and of course, all the AEGEE locals and local volunteers that made this edition a huge success.

There are many ways to make a change and make the voice of youth heard in society. And Europe on Track is certainly my favourite one.

During EPM Zagreb, the Civic Education Working Group organised a debate competition, which prize was an Interrail Pass. Domen Brus from AEGEE-Osnabrück was the winner, and he wrote this report of his interesting journey for The AEGEEan.

I started my journey in Ljubljana where I boarded the train headed for Frankfurt, final destination of the day being Konstanz. On the platform, I ran into an old friend of mine who was taking the same train so I was in for a fun drive. However, at that point I had no idea about the “real Deutsche Bahn experience” that was about to follow.

First, we stopped somewhere just across the German border as there was some accident on the tracks. Waiting time: two and a half hours. Luckily such accidents really connect people, so I got to know many nice people and actually had a great time waiting. Fast forward to a couple of hours later, the train stops at Augsburg train station. The board next to the train reads: Delay of 170 min. As I thought things couldn’t get worse the sign changed to: The train is cancelled. So, I boarded a new train and continued my way towards Konstanz. I miraculously caught a connection on the wrong side of Lake Constance and I thought I would actually make it there. As soon as this thought went through my mind the lights flashed and went dark, the train stopped in the middle of a field with a creaking noise and the emergency lights came on. At that moment, it also started to rain. It was already midnight. I knew that if we wouldn’t start moving in exactly eight minutes, then I would miss my last connection and be stranded in a village in the middle of nowhere. Two hours later we were still there. Due to some regulation, they couldn’t let us off the train but sadly they had no actual updates regarding our trip. Finally, a new train arrived and took us to the next station, where a friend of mine awaited me and the first day of travelling thankfully finished.

I spent the next four days in Konstanz. We planned to enjoy the lake, do some kayaking etc. I somehow forgot it’s Germany that I’m talking about so naturally it was more or less raining for four days. Nevertheless, we had a great time. We explored the city and its surroundings and also made some cycling trips to Switzerland. On Monday morning I took the train to Berlin. Due to the experience of the first day I was really paranoid but the trip was actually very enjoyable. I stayed in Berlin until Friday. I was visiting a friend who also lent me her bicycle. I think I made about 150 km in those three days. I was really lucky with the weather so I was able to explore the streets and parks of Berlin thoroughly. I found awesome beach bars, rooftop parties, open air cinemas, dusty record shops, cheap awesome food, cool graffiti and intriguing small galleries. Those few days really reminded me why I fell in love with the city many years ago. I was actually really sad to leave on Friday morning but new adventures awaited me!

It was then that my first class Interrail ticket came in most handy. I took the train to Osnabrück that continued to Amsterdam. When I arrived on the platform there were about 600 young people waiting for the train and for a second I thought I’d have a problem. Well, there were almost no people in the first class and you also get Haribos! I made it to Osnabrück, the best city in the world, just in time to join the local antenna for the canoeing trip. It was really great to see the familiar faces of my old antenna. The canoeing was also just as I remembered it – very rainy but still awesome! Someone mentioned that Osnabrück was the rainiest city in Germany – definitely not something that I knew when choosing my Erasmus destination! After the canoeing, we enjoyed a nice barbecue in front of the city castle and then toured the city till late hours. Next day I first went to the non-existent city of Bielefeld to meet a friend and then finished the day in Verden, a small town close to Bremen where I stayed with a fellow AEGEE friend for a couple of days. Of course, there were again delays and cancellations so yet again I spent many, many hours waiting aimlessly. I used that time mostly for relaxation and to plan my next trip. My original plan was to spend that weekend in Hamburg which turned out to be a horrible idea due to all the craziness that surrounded the G20 meeting. After a few days, I decided to go to Sweden, to Uppsala. When I checked the connection, I saw that I had to change five times and that it would take 14 hours to get there if it all went according to the plan. Since I’m not a smart man I decided to take my chances.

All went surprisingly smooth up until the very end, I was even pleasantly surprised by our whole train taking a ferry. I was asleep at the time so I was quite confused when I woke up inside a ship. I was almost in Stockholm, when there was another “incident” on the tracks so yet again we had to wait for an unknown amount of time. I somehow made to Uppsala by 1:30am, when the night was almost ending since it’s so far up north. The train drive across Sweden was absolutely breath-taking. There are hundreds of little lakes, vast forests and beautiful solitary farms on the grassy fields. The next days I spent too much on bad coffee and overpriced beer. Jokes aside, it was a really nice experience to see a small Swedish student city and the friend whom I was visiting proved to be quite a good city guide.

Only after two days I had to leave again. I travelled to Hamburg to see what the riots did to my beloved Schanzenviertel. To my surprise and amazement there were almost no more traces of the chaos that went on just a few days before. I had a great dinner and too many beers with an Italian friend that I was visiting so I took the morning train almost directly. Not a good idea, I really do not recommend this. I was supposed to be home in 12 hours but by that time I should’ve known better. After many hours of confusion and chaos I made it to München where I took the bus to Ljubljana, since there were no more trains for the day. It was 2pm. After getting home I slept for about two days to recover a bit and set my head straight.

Despite being really unlucky with the trains I really had an amazing time. I saw many people that I hadn’t seen for a really long time, explored many new places, met great new people and generally gained a lot of valuable experience. The only thing I regret is not making my trip longer and seeing even more things.

Written by Domen Brus, AEGEE-Osnabrück

Everything starts in Chisinau, Moldova when I won another Interrail Pass thanks to the AEGEE Lottery. Another, because AEGEE had given me one just a few months before the first Interrail Pass for my SUCT trip. Surprised, lucky and happy I came back to Italy dreaming about my future adventure. 

I checked the map of Europe, and I started to plan which countries to discover this time. 

Before I die, I want to visit all countries of Europe, so the choice was a bit hard. However, in the end, the winners were Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. 

The problem was my availability to travel a lot. I spent around Europe all my free days between exams and university courses. 12 days in total, deeply lived. 

My first stop was Berlin. Colourful, extravagant, free and determined.

A city that knows how to tell stories, its history and the history of those who lived there.

No art museums for me, but a route through historical monuments, to retrace the history that for years I had only read on school books. I felt deeply guilty reading on the walls how much cruelty the human being has been able to show. 

After Berlin I went to the Czech Republic, visiting the charming atmosphere of Praha. There is a mysterious air around the Czech capital; too much touristy for me, but wonderful. I saw Praha and its Charles Bridge for the first time in the music video “Numb” of Linkin Park, and since 2003 it has been my desire, finally fulfilled, to walk on that bridge.

The reason why I decided to visit Brno is called Giulia: my amazing AEGEE friend, Agora mate and sweet lady. It was a pleasure to spend some hours with her and her beautiful smile, telling stories and remembering all past moments spent together. A night city tour, a beer, a dinner with her, and the following day I was directed to Austria.

Vienna. In my mind, there is a fixed image when thinking about Vienna: a very small Irish pub, full of objects everywhere. The owner told me: souvenirs gifted by customers. There was a guy singing and playing guitar in the pub, and the music component convinced me to enter in that strange place that night. Listening to music and drinking beer, I do not know why I started to write words, then thoughts, in Italian and in English. It was a great and peaceful moment for me. I did not feel lost in the world, but cosy in a place that hugs you with its atmosphere.

I was curious to visit Bratislava, so during my stay in Vienna one morning I took the train and in one hour another country was ready for me. I really enjoyed the old part of the city and the food. Yes, because in every city I have visited, I tried to taste all typical plates: Brezel, Spätzle, Weißwurst and Currywurst in Berlin; Czech Goulash, Dumplings and Trdlo in Praha, Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna; Gulášová polievka and Bryndzové halušky in Bratislava and beer, litres of beer everywhere. Souvenirs from Slovakia: pictures, magnets and my personal bottle of Tatratea!

It had been easy to reach all cities until that moment. It was complicated to understand how to go to Poland from Czechia. I spent hours with a headache analysing the best solution without too many changes and “x” hours of duration. That is why I decided to say “Hello” to my Sardinian friends in Ostrava … and of course drink mirto with them.

I felt really lost outside the railway station of Warszawa. I did not expect a city that big. I spent one hour trying to find out the right way to reach my hostel, but just one hour later, I felt super happy eating a wonderful and delicious plate of pierogi. The day after I had just some hours before my flight to Italy to discover the Polish capital. In Stare Miasto, I met a free city tour in Spanish and I joined the group, and it was very interesting. A funny guide told us history, curiosities, legends about the old place, and thanks to him I had the chance to taste another typical food: Placki ziemniaczane.

The end of a journey is always sad. Saying “Goodbye” to friends, places, feelings… and I am asking myself if I left a part of me there or if I returned home with something more.

“Travelling through stories centuries-old, and in touch with my young sense of survival”

This was for me, my Interrail trip.

Written by Carolina Alfano, AEGEE-Salerno and AEGEE-Verona

Soon upon my arrival from Passau to Heidelberg, I was welcomed by Viola (from Your Vision For Europe) and Mareike (from the Network Commission). They showed me the beautiful city of Heidelberg, and after having lunch with them, we joined an evening meeting with the members of AEGEE-Heidelberg.

All members that were present at the meeting shared their experiences and impression about AEGEE. They also offered me an insight in the work of AEGEE-Heidelberg. They have around 50 members and they are structured in teams. Their board members are mainly new members in general, but motivated to work in management of the local. Their main work is focused on European events and the work that they do with Erasmus students is their biggest recruitment tool. Also a few of their members are active in European Bodies of AEGEE. They have several planned exchanges (e.g. with AEGEE-Cagliari, their Twin Antenna AEGEE-Budapest and with AEGEE-Kyïv) too.

My last stop on this journey was AEGEE-Düsseldorf. I met Maja and Jonathan, both board members, and during a very interesting city tour, we managed to discuss the situation in their local.

AEGEE-Düsseldorf is a small antenna, but an active one. Currently they have around 15 members, of which half is active. In the last year they managed to organise more activities and they even organised an RTC a few weeks ago, which gave them the insight in event management and gave them ideas for new projects. What is beneficial for this local is that near them, there are several bigger locals that they can cooperate with.

The local is facing some issues with recruitment, which is pretty normal when there is lack of a proper knowledge transfer. Another big problem for this local is the change of generations, which is a problem for all locals, but is mostly visible in the smaller ones. My chat with Maja and Jonathan generated useful food for thought.

My trip ended with AEGEE-Düsseldorf after more than three weeks on track. Thank you all for your hospitality.

Written by Zvonimir Canjuga, Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe

Zvonimir in Passau

After the superbly organised EPM in Zagreb, and a short break with all CD members in my hometown, it was time to move forward with the second part of CD on Track. After eleven hours of train, my first destination was AEGEE-Wien. I spent my short stay in Wien with Bernhard and Christian, current and ex-president of AEGEE-Wien. In the discussion with them I got to understand that AEGEE-Wien is a small, but stable local. They have around 20 members, but they expect to have twice as much after the SU application period. They have around ten active members throughout the year and five former members that are helping when or if needed.  In last years, they organised mostly fun local events, but recently they got involved in meeting events with migrants, and events about environment and sustainability. They also shared their views on AEGEE as an organisation today and concluded that we are focusing on finding the identity and becoming more professional, but AEGEE is still offering more than enough place to have fun and AEGEE is open to everybody.

After a short morning trip from Wien to Passau, I was welcomed by Dominic, president of AEGEE-Passau. We were joined by more members for a nice city tour and we managed to discuss the local context in a nutshell.

I was planning to go to Passau for a long time, as I heard many stories about the local and how well they perform concerning antenna management. AEGEE-Passau has almost 200 members with around 40 active members, working mainly with international students. They have a close and good relation with the International Office of the University from which they receive most of the support. Also, a few members of the local are employed in the office. Dominic arranged the meeting with them where we discussed the collaboration of AEGEE-Passau and the International Office, but also the potential collaboration of the International Office and AEGEE-Europe.

Later in the evening, we had a meeting with the rest of the board and a few more members. They described how they see their local now and what they would like to see in the future. I am happy to see that board is listening to its members and more activities are in plans to be organised.  Also, we discussed the current political situation in Europe and engaged in an interesting discussion after it. After the meeting, we concluded our visit by checking the AEGEE-Passau office, in which I saw nice memories from the past years.

You can check here the interview with Dominic, President of AEGEE-Passau.

Written by Zvonimir Canjuga, Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe

19th and 20th of February – Réka, Tekla and Zvonimir

Next stop on my route was AEGEE-Udine. On my way from Bologna to the Udine, I stopped in Mestre to have a short meeting and discussion with Erika Bettin, our lovely support from The AEGEEan and Interim Vice-Chair. Yet, let’s go back to the AEGEE-Udine, whose Summer University was the best in 2016, and I expected to see enthusiastic and young people, new leaders and plans for new Summer University that will be one of the best again. Those expectations were met, even if the local is facing a change of the generations. As soon as I arrived I was welcomed by Filippo, president of AEGEE-Udine, and we went to the city tour where I reunited with Tekla, and later with Reka. During a nice Italian dinner, we had some informal talks about events and European Schools.

On the 20th, our day started with a meeting of the representative of the International Office at the University of Udine, where we gave a short overview of what AEGEE’s contribution is in Brussels, and what the possibilities are to collaborate with both AEGEE-Udine and AEGEE-Europe. Before the meeting in the afternoon with members, through some adventures, we managed to enter our host’s place and work/prepare a bit. In the afternoon, we had a meeting with the whole board and with some of the active members of AEGEE-Udine where we introduced our work in CD, discussed some upcoming plans of the local and gave some recommendations on how to collaborate with nearby locals, how to improve their collaboration with the university and with other possible partners, and how to activate their members. The evening was closed with the birthday celebrations of AEGEE-Udine, as the local turned 25, and for us to take the next train towards Ljubljana, our next stop for CD on Track.

In addition please check the short interview with Filippo, president of AEGEE-Udine.

Written by Zvonimir Canjuga, Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe, and Tekla Hajdu, Network Director

Day 17 – 18 – 19 – Köln, Mainz-Wiesbaden and back to Brussels (3rd – 5th March)

Tekla with AEGEE-Köln

As all good things come to an end, CD on Track is also finishing soon for all of us: for me, the last two stops were in Köln and in Mainz to visit AEGEE-Köln and AEGEE-Mainz-Wiesbaden, which are among the older locals in our Network.

My second to last stop was Köln, where I spent a nice Saturday brunch with the Board and the members of AEGEE-Köln. We mostly focused on how to plan the semester for the members to keep them active and how to participate in Erasmus+ exchanges and trainings as a local. The afternoon continued with a trip to Mainz, where I observed the General Assembly of AEGEE-Mainz-Wiesbaden and introduced who is in CD 54 and what are we doing in Brussels.

Tekla with AEGEE-Mainz-Wiesbaden members

In the evening, I returned to Köln to discover the city a bit and to prepare for my last train ride back to Brussels on Sunday in order to return to office work from Monday.

Even though the trip has ended for me, it brought a lot of experience, memories and things to reflect on for the upcoming months of my term. I would like to thank once again all the locals and AEGEEans who took part in this journey, hosted us, had a meeting with us, showed their cities or just dared to ask questions and be open to know more about AEGEE.

Written by Tekla Hajdu, Network Director

Tekla: Day 5 and 6 – Brescia (18th-19th February)

The next stop in my track was Brescia, where I arrived early Saturday afternoon. As the weather was nice and timing was good, I had the city tour in the afternoon with some members of AEGEE-Brescia who told me many fun facts about their city and their sights – we even managed to bump into a running competition while visiting the castle [She smiles, ed.].

The day continued with the evening meeting in the office of AEGEE-Brescia, when firstly I introduced the work of the Comité Directeur and who is doing which portfolio this year. After the introductory part, we continued with the topic of Summer Universities, the upcoming AEGEE-Brescia Summer University and some tips for compulsory sessions for the SU. We also covered some best practices for recruitment and how to prepare the members for the SU – both for organising and applying to one. The evening was closed with the open space part, where there was interest about Agora reform and a few questions regarding Membership fees. It was very interesting to see how the Summer Universities, as the biggest project of AEGEE, have a significant impression for locals, as for the members of AEGEE-Brescia this is one of the biggest motivations to join the organisation – either as a participant or as a helper.

The night continued at the house of Michele Minuti, former President of AEGEE-Brescia and Treasurer of the Academy, where we spent a nice evening with pizza, pirlo (similar to Aperol Spritz), some nice talks and some games. As a surprise, I also received a T-shirt of AEGEE-Brescia – once again, thank you guys for the nice surprise!

The next stop for all of us is Udine, where I will reunite again with Réka and Zvonimir to have a joint session about the future plans for AEGEE, what has been done by the CD in Brussels so far and about the opportunities AEGEE offers for members and for externals.

Stay tuned and follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Written by Tekla Hajdu, Network Director 

Tekla with AEGEE-Milano Members

Tekla Day 4 and 5 – Milano (17th-18th February)

After parting again to continue my journey, my next stop was Milano for the evening after a rather short train ride from Torino. We spent a nice dinner together with some of the Board members and the active members of AEGEE-Milano, when we discussed several topics: first of all, how to manage a local next to having a full-time job, as the majority of the members and the Board are already working in a full-time position, and they organise their events and activities next to their jobs. Second, we also talked about the upcoming Summer University of AEGEE-Milano, with AEGEE-Bologna, AEGEE-Treviso, AEGEE-Pisa and AEGEE-Bari. It will be the first Summer University in Milano after a long time, thus providing an opportunity, but also a challenge at the same time for all the locals, as the SU will cover both the Northern and Southern part of Italy.

Milano by night

We also discussed how recruitment faces challenges in big international cities such as Milano, where there are many opportunities and huge competition regarding students’ organisations and NGOs – again we agreed that the power of people and having a friendly environment can keep the members within AEGEE. Last, but not least, I mentioned some opportunities for Erasmus+ and how the locals can use the programme for their activities.

The evening continued with a special night edition of the city tour in Milano where the guys showed me the city centre in a nutshell – it was a really special experience as I was able to get a less touristic view of the city and more the inhabitants’ perspective of the sights and the nightlife. The next day started with packing and departing as usual for the next stop, Brescia – but not before getting useful tips about how to cook pasta the best way [She smiles, ed.].

Zvonimir Day 5 – Firenze (17th of February)

Zvonimir with AEGEE-Firenze members

After very long travels to Leon and Torino, and after talks and activities with those locals, it is time for shorter travels. The third local  I visited was AEGEE-Firenze. Shortly after I arrived to the city, I met with Marella, president of AEGEE-Firenze. After a conversation with her and a city tour around the beautiful city of Firenze, we met with the rest of the members.

AEGEE-Firenze has around 100 members, but we discussed that not that many members of the local are active. Firstly, we started discussing potential solutions on how to tackle this problem and involve more people, because this is not something that is universal and that is not easy to implement.

Zvonimir with Marella

The local is doing quite a lot activities with Erasmus students in the University, such as parties, trips  and other local activities. In the group there were also Isidora and Nico, presidents of AEGEE-Beograd and AEGEE-Pisa, but two potential members of AEGEE-Firenze, too. We all shared our experiences: why we joined, what motivate us to work in AEGEE, and we manage to get two new members for AEGEE-Firenze. Guys, welcome in our big family!

Lastly, we concluded our meeting with a chat with Marella, Nico and Gabriele about the structure of AEGEE, antenna criteria, and how we can make our structure more flexible regarding decision-making and engaging for members, concerning Network Meetings, European Planning Meeting and Agoras. You can also check the interview with Marella and see what she has to say about AEGEE and what is her message for you!

The next local that I will visit is AEGEE-Bologna, so stay tuned for more information from them.

Written by Tekla Haydu and Zvonimir Canjuga, Comité Directeur

From the biggest student festival an AEGEE local has organised to redrawing the structure of AEGEE: reasons why AEGEE-Toulouse is the odd one out, but in the best possible way!

I was excited to go to Toulouse not only because of the Erasmus Student Festival I have heard about previously, but also because in the AEGEE context, we know that the French-speaking part of the network has been going through difficult times. There are great people in Lille, Paris, Lyon and Toulouse, but how can we really anchor the work of our organisation for the long-term when the French student society already accommodates so many other organisations?

We can start focusing on fewer things from the “everything” that AEGEE tends to do, and anchor ourselves with impressive results our work can bring. And this is exactly what AEGEE-Toulouse has been doing recently. The antenna has been on the rise for the last two years especially, and they even openly talked about how being downgraded to a contact antenna in Agora Kyїv has actually given them the chance to grow: with less criteria to follow, they could focus on building themselves stronger.

The spirit of AEGEE-Toulouse is definitely coming from the unofficial headquarters of Karim and Khaled, where members meetings, board meetings and all the “crazy ideas brainstorming” is a frequent thing. We always needed that element of crazyness in AEGEE, haven’t we? An idea like the Erasmus Student Festival that was born two years ago, collecting 2000 local and Erasmus students in an open air festival. 2016 counted close to 6000 participants and in 2017, AEGEE-Toulouse with the support of the city hall is getting ready for 10.000 people, setting up the festival to be the biggest celebration event of 30 years of Erasmus.

You would think this is the most exciting thing that the visit can bring, but there was more. Because sometimes it only takes an honest conversation to better understand the supportive link between AEGEE-Europe and the locals, and the right questions to realise that between many different groups and bodies, what we should really do is to sit down with a clean piece of paper and draw the structure of AEGEE from scratch.

Following the latest news blast targeting Agoras and other processes, and based on the never-ending research I have been conducting for the last year when it comes to the organisational development of AEGEE, I was more excited than ever to bring a fresh new perspective into the discussion: drawing a structure based on analysis of the needs of a very complex organisation, and the result is quite drastic. Yet, the need for change is in the air, and we need to put all these ideas together and rethink how we do things in order to make them work better: for the AEGEE that is ready to take on all the challenges of the 21st century; for an AEGEE 2.0.

If you want to be part of the development, and want to bring your piece of paper with something that looks like the craziest idea first, contact me [she smiles, ed.]. Never be afraid of change, and afraid to test new things and explore our limits, embrace our problems and grow stronger together. How? Well Toulouse is not the only place for crazy ideas, but AEGEE-Toulouse breathes everything that our spirit is: challenge, idealism, hard work and making the city of Toulouse so much better for so many young people.

Special thanks to Karim and for everyone in AEGEE-Toulouse for the welcoming atmosphere and the great experience! See you at the European Planning Meeting in Zagreb – or everywhere around Europe!

Written by Réka Salamon, President of AEGEE-Europe