Every month The AEGEEan selects a member of the month from the inputs we receive from the Network. In November the choice was Francesca Zorcolo from AEGEE-Cagliari. She has been a member of our association for some years, being in the team of Agora Cagliari 2014 organisers and President of the board of the Italian local 2015-2016. In November she was the Main Organiser of the Network Meeting (NWM) in Cagliari, the first in the history of the local, and was selected as SubCommissioner of NetCom Gabriele Scollo (AEGEE-Firenze) helping Italian and Maltese locals in FR. 

The AEGEEan: Who is Francesca in AEGEE?
Francesca: I have been a member of AEGEE since February 2014, and my passion for it has been growing since the first Agora I have been to, Spring Agora Patra, and even more with Autumn Agora Cagliari. I was part of the executive board for two years and my mandate has just expired. If people ask me who I think I am in AEGEE I always answer that I feel like I am kind of a mom to AEGEE kids. This year I am SubCommie for the Network Commissioner Gabriele until Autumn Agora Catania.

Who is Francesca outside of AEGEE?
I am a desperate economy student, a basketball referee and the former founder of a local LGBT association, as well as the founder of a start up about lateral thinking.

You have been nominated as Member of the Month of November. How do you feel?
I am embarrassed… Ahahha, just kidding, I feel very honored and proud, and I really want to thank everyone for it!

Your term as President of AEGEE-Cagliari just finished. How would you describe this year? What do you think is your biggest achievement with your board?
This past year has been one of the greatest of my entire life. One of the things I am most proud of is the fact that we were able to share more information about the European opportunities for our members and we were lucky enough to create a very well connected group of people!

You were the Main Organiser of NWM Cagliari. How did it go?
It was amazing! We pictured this event so many times before it happened, and when it did, our expectations were exceeded. This was because of the incredible people that participated and worked for it. I especially want to thank former Network Commissioner Lisa Gregis (AEGEE-Bergamo) and Financial Director Zvonimir Canjuga! We had so much fun, but it was also a learning experience for everyone.
What were the biggest challenges in organising the event? What were the biggest rewards?
I always want to keep up with everybody’s expectations. We were really worried about something going the wrong way, or not as we planned. But, as soon as we saw people very happy and proactive, we understood that everything was going in the right direction. I am very happy that we were able to talk about joining forces with other teams and many members have now double memberships. That is how networking works!

Name one good thing in AEGEE and one bad thing.

A downside can be that sometimes we are not able to share our stories with people outside AEGEE, and to let others know what we are, and in my opinion that is one of the reasons why the number of members is dropping.

On the other hand, the thing I love the most is the fact that it lets you feel like home in each part of Europe you are, and that inside AEGEE everyone gets the chance to grow and get experience in what interests them.

Let’s play a game. Describe yourself by using adjectives that start with the letters that compose your name.
Friendly

Reliable

Active

Naive

Curious

Emotional

Skilful

Creative

Altruist
What’s next for you?
I am not sure right now, but after spending these two amazing years working at local level, I think it is time to expand my horizons, and that is why I am very glad to be a SubCommie in Gabriele Scollo’s team, for something else we will see!

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

LGBT+ is still a controversial topic, even if in the last decade the society developed. People are talking about it, but they still discriminate someone on their gender identity or sexual orientation. AEGEE-Amsterdam is organising an event in January with the topic of LGBT+. We asked one of the organisers, Romy Cartiere, some questions about the lovely event they are preparing.

The AEGEEan: Tell us a little bit about the event.

Romy Cartiere: Hi there! AEGEE-Amsterdam is organising and hosting the event “Whatever Floats Your Rainboat” from the 23rd to the 27th of January. The event takes place in different parts of the city, as the activities are scattered all over. Continuous factor is the boat we are sleeping on every night, with real, comfortable beds!

Our local has a special committee, the EventCie, consisting of six lovely people that organise a thematic event in the winter every single year. The topic of the event is often related to one of the Focus Areas. This year it will relate to the newly adopted Focus Area “Equal Rights”!

Why “Whatever Floats Your Rainboat”?

Well, it is like having to explain a bad joke, but alright, I will talk you through our creative process! We chose the topic LGBT+ and then we were looking for a title that would reflect the topic in a not too obvious way. As our participants will be staying on a boat we thought that “boat” should be incorporated as well. Then our board responsible said, “Isn’t whatever floats your boat a saying?”. We were immediately very fond of this expression, because we stand for a society in which someone’s gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation is no longer a ground for discrimination, but would instead be met with a friendly “whatever floats your boat!”. When our chairperson uttered “rainboat” – which sounds like rainbow – our title was born.

What is the topic of the event?

The topic is LGBT+, which is, as ever, still a pressing issue. Discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation still exists in an overwhelming amount within Europe, even in countries where it is not expected. That results in these topics not being discussed within our society, which leads to youth growing up without an idea of the issues that play a part within the LGBT+ community. Ignorance can lead to the dehumanisation of certain minorities, which is a dangerous development. Transgenders for instance have a much higher chance of being assaulted and even murdered for being who they are. A human rights issue we cannot look away from!

What are you looking for in a future participant?

We are looking for a varied crowd! We are very happy to welcome those who do not have the chance or are not stimulated in their home country to discuss LGBT+ rights. However, participants who are already involved in the topic are much appreciated too. During AEGEE events you can learn from each other as well! Our thematic activities are set up in such a way that they are interesting for both newbies and experts.

And last but not least, we want you to mingle, even if you are not single! We expect of course that our participants are open to befriend with each other during the event, and knowing AEGEEans, that should be no problem!

We already selected over 25 participants, which means that there are only a few more spots left!

What activities have you prepared for this event?

Apart from the thematic activities, which include among others a Genderbread workshop and a tour through the very valuable, rich and unique LGBT collection of IHLIA (International Homo/Lesbian Information center and Archive), we have prepared a bunch of activities that will leave you just a bit more Holland loving at the end of the event. We will show you our city the Dutch way. Prepare for tongue twisting, bitterbal eating, nail pooping madness! Do not worry, you will discover that these are descriptions of very fun activities [she smiles, ed].

What do you think that people should get after this event?

Over 30 new friends, a lot to talk about at home, newly learned means of transport, some knowledge in a not so useful language, fun ideas for games at home, a deeper understanding of the issues faced by the LGBT+ community, and of course a big boost of AEGEE SPIRIT.

How and where can people apply?

The main open call has ended, but we have a few places left for those who apply first (given that you write a decent application). We thus encourage everyone who is interested to apply as soon as possible!

Apply through Intranet here AND this Google form.

For updates, visit our facebook event .

Do you have any future events planned regarding the topic of LGBT+?

Not at the moment, but our cultural committee, the CultCie, is soon organising a discussion evening about Gender Equality!

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

AEGEE locals are very sensitive to LGBT+ issues, so much that Equal Rights is going to be one of the focus areas in the upcoming Strategic Plan 2017-2020. Out of all the countries where AEGEE has antennae, The Netherlands is definitely one of the most active in promoting LGBT+ rights and Dutch locals are actively organising events on the topic. AEGEE-Utrecht organised Colours Without Borders back in June and, for this reason, they were rewarded with the title Local of the Month of June. We interviewed AEGEE-Utrecht, more specifically Carina van Hoof, former Treasurer and Board Responsible of the LGBT Event and Bram van Os, President, to talk about this and future plans of the local. 

A moment during the LGBT event

The AEGEEan: Congratulations, AEGEE-Utrecht! How does it feel to be nominated as Local of the Month?

AEGEE-Utrecht: It feels great! It is really nice to see that our work is rewarded in this way, and that members from other locals can now also hear a bit more about it.

Please describe your local.

Our local is very active. We have many members in different local committees organising activities on a local level, and we organise several European events every year. There is always a nice atmosphere during our weekly social nights, where members enjoy a cheap beer at the bar, dance the night away till the early hours or look at our map of Europe to decide where to travel to next. If I could describe our local in one sentence, it would be ‘the local where everything is possible’.

You have been nominated for the LGBT event. How was it? 

The name of the event was Colours Without Borders. We had participants from seven different countries, which gave discussions about LGBT+ issues (for example during our dialogue workshop) an interesting turn, as situations regarding LGBT+ issues are very different in all countries. Think of Turkey vs. Spain for example. We organised several activities, we worked together with Utrecht’s Gay Student Association ‘Anteros’; we organised a pubquiz and a party together with their members. Another remarkable activity was a lecture that was featured on the programme of Utrecht’s 20th edition of the ‘Midzomergrachtfestival’ which is about Sexual and Gender Diversity. Of course, participants also came to our social night, we had sightseeing activities such as a boat tour through the canals, and enjoyed the biggest LGBT+ party of the year in our city.

AEGEE-Utrecht during Agora Bergamo

The event has been a big success for multiple reasons; it was the first time we worked together so closely with another student organisation and this was a very positive experience. We highly recommend other locals to also seek cooperation with associations that can help give your topic more depth. Moreover, participants learned a lot about the LGBT+ situation in the Netherlands and in each other’s countries, and they learned from each other’s personal stories.

In the nomination, you were defined as “always been a super gay-friendly association within Utrecht”. How important are the LGBT+ issues within your local?

It is very nice to hear that this definition has been attributed to us. I would definitely agree. We have quite some members who belong to the LGBT+ community, and as far as I know, the open character of our local has always provided a safe space for every member to be able to completely be themselves. LGBT+ issues are very important within our local, not just because many of us have friends who belong to the LGBT+ community, but also because, as a local, we stand for equal rights for everyone.

How important is this issue, according to you, to AEGEE as a whole? Do you think we are in a good situation in our organisation now, or should we take other steps?

I think giving more attention to LGBT+ issues is very important for AEGEE as a whole; both internally and externally. Internally, I think we are quite okay, but in many cases it still can depend heavily on the country you are from; the level of knowledge on LGBT+ issues and its acceptance. With more workshops or a project we could help educate our members, and create a safer space for everyone to be themselves. Externally, I also think it is very important for AEGEE to take a stand on LGBT+ matters.

AEGEE-Utrecht promoting their antenna

The current (political) situation in Europe shows that LGBT+ rights, as well as human rights in general, are not always getting better, but instead risk to get worse in quite some countries. AEGEE, as a European student association, could give an important message by giving importance to LGBT+ rights, but also to equal rights in general.

What are the new plans of AEGEE-Utrecht?

Well, there is a lot of them, because we are celebrating our VIth Lustrum [30th anniversary, ed.]! We are going to organise a congress with the theme: “Mental Health and Youth”, a European School, a spectacular Gala and many more events and activities. So be on the lookout for us!

Define your local in three words

”Gezellig” [a typical Dutch expression for warmth, cosiness and fun, ed.], Awesome, Active!

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

Two days ago, we published an article (embed link to article) about the latest LGBT+ event by AEGEE-Utrecht, and today we proudly present to you an interview with one of the organisers of the next LGBT+ event! It will take place in Amsterdam from the 23th till the 27th of January 2017. Here to tell us more about it is Romy Cartiere, one of the organisers!

Romy Cartiere, AEGEE-Amsterdam

The AEGEEan: Hi Romy! You are one of the organisers of the second LGBT+ themed event in the Netherlands! Awesome! What motivated you and your local to organise such a themed event?

Romy: Hi! Well, LGBT+ issues in Europe have gained an increasing interest within AEGEE over the past few months with the creation of an Interest Group, ambitions to start a project and to even incorporate LGBT+ rights as a topic in one of the new Focus Areas! But, first of all, we think it is an interesting and important topic, and Amsterdam is a nice environment for such an event. Not so much because of the LGBT nightlife and social events, but also because several LGBT orientated organisations are active here who could help us with the thematic part of the event.

Did AEGEE-Amsterdam do anything on the topic of LGBT+ discussion before?

Yes! Shortly before I became a member, there was an event with an LGBT theme ,and also our Cultural Committee organised a discussion evening about LGBT that happened maybe over one or two years ago. And we just had a transgender themed party about two weeks ago during our introductory period!

Which activities can the participants expect?

Of course the participants will see lots of Amsterdam during the city tour, a red light district tour, a bike ride etc. There will be Dutch-themed activities, and of course a social programme that will blow your socks off (more info on the Facebook page of the event).

Then, apart from this Amsterdam/Dutch madness, there will also be slightly more serious activities regarding the topic of LGBT+. We are still working on this thematic part, but we are striving for interactive activities that stimulate the understanding of LGBT+ issues in Europe. This will range from a workshop about transgenderism, to visiting an LGBT+ orientated student organisation.

We are also thinking of incorporating the LGBT+ theme into the ‘discover Amsterdam’ part a bit. We can, for instance, do this by telling about the transgender prostitutes of Amsterdam during the red light district tour, or by passing the homomonument during the city tour. Also, if the participants are interested in visiting a gay bar, that could be arranged!

For who are you organising this event?

It goes without saying that everyone is welcome at this event. However, this event is organised with a certain thought in mind. We understand that the LGBT+ topic can be quite a taboo in Europe, even in countries in which it is not expected. This results in the fact that these topics are not being discussed within our society, which leads to young people growing up without an idea of the issues that play a part within the LGBT+ community, or even knowing what LGBT+ stands for. Do you, for instance, know that in the + part of LGBT+ there are also asexual and intersex persons? Or that pansexual is also a sexual orientation? We would like to give the opportunity to those who grew up in an environment of restrictions to discover more about gender identity and sexual orientation in a step-by-step way.

What is the importance of this event for AEGEE?

As I mentioned, LGBT+ issues in Europe have gained increasing interest within AEGEE, and not without reason. Discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation still exists in an overwhelming amount within Europe, not only on a societal level, but also on the governmental one. In order for AEGEE to contribute to the debate in a meaningful way, it is of importance that our own members are familiar with the situation and with the community that is experiencing these problems.

Why should people apply for this event?

This event is perfect for everyone! We ensure that you will have a great time in Amsterdam and that you will make friends for life during these five days. No matter if you are a total new in the field of gay rights or the biggest LGBT+ rights activist, we will make sure that you won’t leave this event before saying ‘I hadn’t thought about that!’

So challenge yourself and apply!

Thank you!

Find the link to the Facebook event here and the intranet page here. 

By Mireille Voorendt, AEGEE-Utrecht

Loving whoever you want to love, it seems such a simple concept, but hardly anywhere in our beloved Europe is this concept fully accepted. In a lot of places taboos, restrictions or normative heterosexual laws are still in place. In our diverse AEGEE, lots of people feel the burden of that reality, and that is what motivated the organisers of “Colours without Borders” to organise their LGBT+ themed event. With a new Focus Area on Equal Rights, these kinds of events are becoming more and more important in AEGEE!

The idea for this event came from Carina van Hoof, at the time a board member of AEGEE-Utrecht. She put out an open call for members who were interested in organising such an event. Kiki, one of the organisers, told us:  “Our event focused on a theme and a group of people that in my opinion deserves more attention and acceptation.”

The first day started with a city tour to get to know the city of Utrecht better. Highlighted in this tour where the LGBT+ facts and sights, like the rainbow pedestrian cross-over. The informative and social activities that followed over the following days were all related to the LGBT+ topic in one way or another. Some highlights from the programme were the lectures about sexual diversity, a LGBT+ crazy88 [a city quest, ed.] in Amsterdam, an awareness-workshop, and going to the biggest LGBT+ student party in the Netherlands.

The participants formed a rainbow of nationalities and diversity among themselves: they came from Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain, Ukraine and Germany. Seven of them were men and six were women. Some participants personally connected to the LGBT+ community, some were just interested in the topic. With this wide range of countries, every participant brought their own experiences with them. In the Netherlands people take pride in being one of the first progressive countries to legalise gay marriage. However, the reality sometimes doesn’t reflect this reputation. The word ‘homo’ is still often used as a swearword, and same-sex couples still feel uncomfortable walking hand-in-hand down the street.

The organisers deliberately planned their event during the 20^th edition of the ‘Midzomergracht festival’, during which the city of Utrecht celebrates sexual and gender diversity. For this festival the event organised a lecture on the same topic and a ‘gender in the blender’ themed party, both open for anyone who wanted to attend. Besides this, the participants got acquainted with students from the Utrecht Gay Student Association ‘Anteros’ during a LGBT+ themed pub quiz. Lucia Conde of AEGEE-Bilbao said: “The workshop’s approach was great: before the group discussion, the room was divided into ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ areas and we had to personally answer to LGBT related questions and statements by physically moving to one of them. It was a very visual (and sometimes shocking) way of seeing the reality of the LGBT situation socially and personally for each of us.”

Some participants had a happy message about the situation in their country, others not so much. But all found an event like this to be a safe place to discuss these topics . “Safe clubs can be found, safe parties can be set everywhere. The feeling of being free to be as I am that was supplied by the safe atmosphere of Utrecht and the Netherlands was the best feeling. Of course the parties and the activities were so great, but I didn’t feel as free as I felt in Utrecht in my country”, explained a participant from Turkey. The atmosphere meant a lot to everyone, because they were able to talk freely about their daily struggles regarding this subject. Bali, from AEGEE-Debrecen and AEGEE-Budapest said: “Being able to compare the LGBT+ situation and some of its matters of my home country with several others at one single international event is a special opportunity.”

When asked about the future of the LGTB+ topic in AEGEE-Europe, everyone agreed on one thing: there needs to be more attention to  it and more events like this. Anastasia from AEGEE-Bruxelles agreed that we should discuss more about this topic in AEGEE: “It would be great if events like these were organised in different countries. I can’t imagine what would it be like if there is an event like this in Ukraine”. A few weeks after the event, the official LGBT+ Interest Group was created. Others added that a Focus Area on equality or love would be great (and apparently the Agora agreed, since Equal Rights ranked number one on the Focus Area list)!

The organisers loved the chill and informal atmosphere of the group. One of the yells during the event was ”GAAAAAYYYYYY”, which showed everyone was poking fun at each other. Whoever spent time at the event noticed what it meant to each of the participants and the organisers. A quote from Julia (AEGEE-Frankfurt) uses exactly the right words to reflect on this event:  “If you arrive at an event and immediately feel like you have been with these people all your life, then that’s a good sign. This group turned out as one of the safest and joyful groups I have ever had an event with and I think this was partly because of the honesty and authenticity of each individual” .

 Just a small note to end this article:

A week ago, when writing this article, the world celebrated ‘International Coming Out day’. A day to speak out your support for people who feel like they have to hide their sexual orientation. These kind of events could contribute to prevent anyone in AEGEE to ever feel marginalised. This event has already found a successor. It has been announced that AEGEE-Amsterdam will organise a similar but more informative event on the subject, called “Whatever Floats Your Rainboat!”.

Read more about it in the upcoming interview with Romy Cartiere, organiser of this event, and stay updated on the LGBT+ topic within AEGEE-Europe by becoming part of the Interest Group’s Facebook group.

Written by Mireille Voorendt, AEGEE-Utrecht

At the upcoming Spring Agora Bergamo, beside plenaries, prytania and workoshops, twelve Progress Meetings (PM) will take place. Excluding a Progress Meeting which will be on Friday afternoon, they will all be on Thursday and Saturday, divided in a morning slot and an afternoon one. Progress Meetings are a very important moment in AEGEE since we all can receive information about the current status of certain issues and our members can present new ideas they want to develop in the medium-long term. So go there and discuss about the future of our organisation!

On the second last session of the Progress Meetings, which will be on Saturday 21st of May from 11:45 – 13:15, two interesting PM will take place: “LGBTQ topics in Europe: what can we do?” and “My AEGEE development & White Paper in IT service”. As the titles of them are announcing, the first will be a thematic one, the second will discuss the progresses about an implementation AEGEE is carrying out for some years now.

LGBTQ topics in Europe: what can we do?

Ander Guerrero Ruiz on behalf of the Comité Directeur is the moderator of this interesting debate which will be on the 21st of May, starting from 11.45 in the “S. Lorenzo” room. The main discussions will be regarding the current situation on LGBTQ rights across Europe, analysing which are the countries recognizing and reducing them. But it is not over, during the debate we have the opportunity to take a look at the current situation within AEGEE and homophobia problems people may have noticed within it. The purpose of this Progress Meeting? Launch a huge European project for our locals about this topic!

My AEGEE development & White Paper in IT service

Pablo Hernandez Rodriguez for the Comité Directeur and Fabrizio Bellicano on behalf of the Information Technology Committee are the hosts of this meeting. It will take place on the 21st of May, starting at 11.45 in the “S. Alessandro” room. The topic is a very important one since it regards the implementation of our new online system which will be updated from a system of the 90s to a system of today. At this Progress Meeting, the implementation results of this issue, which AEGEEans really care about, are going to be shown. What is the aim of the meeting? Gather the most possible inputs to finalise the work and shape the system as AEGEEans would like to see it. For more information about this topic you can also read this interview the AEGEEan took with Fabrizio Bellicano who is the IT person developing the system and our Member of the Month of February 2016.

For more information you can download the Agora Agenda and the Workshops and Progress Meetings booklet.

Written by Mattia Abis, AEGEE-Cagliari

Ten years ago, Spain became a pioneer in human rights and broke with many former types of being a conservative and closed minded country. Ten years ago, the Spanish government approved same-sex marriage and adoption. And, everything changed… for a better society.

Many arguments and positions were raised during the campaign for the approval of same-sex marriage for many months. Arguments used went from one extreme such as “the Spanish society will collapse and families will disappear”, passing through “it is fair, it is equality” to “we don’t need same-sex marriage because marriage is an old contract of society”. The approval rates of same-sex marriage in Spain were slightly over 50%. Ten years later, they are over 90%. Spain did not break, it got stronger.

I could continue talking about different positions, arguments and facts, but I just want to share why for me marriage, and same-sex marriage does matter.

First, because, it is a matter of equality. The European Union and, the majority of their members states, consider themselves a stronghold of human rights. However, it still a shame that the European Union has not created a common directive imposing, yes, imposing same-sex marriage to its members.

Second because we are talking about love. Love can be expressed in many ways, but after all, it is one of the pure and more positive feelings of mankind. Banning people for making their love official should be a crime and something we fight against. We have other and bigger problems in society to tackle than to say no to love. Yes, it may seem different if you have never seen it or you have been raised being told that it is not correct, but I consider ourselves clever enough to acknowledge a new type of love that can enrich our society.

Third, it is a matter of law. Some countries have some same-sex couple recognition and protection, but this is not enough for many law related topics. Without an official equiparation as marriage, in many states, being just a registered couple gives you a “second class citizen status” towards many legal side effects (inheritances, children, health care, etc.).

And, last but not least, because, maybe you are just a teenager without any gay references around you, and you think you live in a society you don’t belong to, feeling an outsider and feeling guilty or different for realizing you may have other type of preferences. This is just an example of why same-sex marriage (among other laws) could be important for giving support to people with these feelings.

Ten years ago, I was having this feelings. Ten years ago, I was 14-15 years old, and, as the majority of teenagers, I started to realize many things in my life: what I liked, what I didn’t like and what my preferences were. One of those was who I love. Even though I was lucky enough to have a tolerant education and family, I was feeling lonely for many years. I was feeling lonely because I felt my society didn’t accept or acknowledge me, and therefore, my family and my friends could refuse me for being different.

My story was not that bad. It could have been much worse, but it could have been much better too. If same-sex marriage would have been accepted already in Spain back then when I was feeling like that, probably, it would have changed my reality (and the reality of a lot of people), and that is also why same-sex marriage does matter.

However, this is a battle that is fought step by step, barrier after barrier everyday by, luckily, more and more people that have accepted and embrace all type of love.

Ten years later, today I feel quite proud to be Spanish and of the fact that many people, when I was feeling alone, fought for all of us (gay, lesbian or whoever). I feel proud that Spain made that step and we are a quite open and tolerant society. True, way more things are needed to be done still, but we are on the way. As I said, step by step and everyday, we are more and more people fighting for the cause, and these words are my small contribution to the ongoing fight.

Now, it is time for Slovenia to make this step. In ten years, I want to see  that these words are not needed anymore and my Slovenians friends will feel proud to be the first Slavic and Central European country to approve same-sex marriage directly, embracing all types of love. I really hope so. I could not expect less from such a hospitable and beautiful country that, after all, contains the word love in their name. So, please, sLOVEnians, vote ZA! the next 20th of December!

Written by Ander Guerrero Ruíz, AEGEE-Zaragoza and Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe

As Ireland’s citizens were voting to legalize gay marriages in a what has been called a historic referendum by international media, a group of students from AEGEE-Frankfurt flew over to Dublin to show their support of LGTB rights on this politically significant day for Ireland. “It was definitely a highlight to be in Dublin at the time of the referendum. We could basically feel the enthusiasm and the positive atmosphere of the city, as we saw supporting flags and posters on every corner as well as students distributing stickers” says Carolin Eißler, member of AEGEE-Passau who joined Frankfurt especially for this occasion.

The vote took place on Friday, May 22nd with the results being published the next day, showing a strong 62,07% majority in favour of gay marriage. Despite the positive response from the Irish population, a significant part of voters held on to their rejection of homosexual marriage by promoting the importance of traditional family structures. In between slogans such as This is about love and Equality and nothing else, contra posters with Nothing can replace the love of a mother covered the streets of Dublin.

Therefore, the main focus of the trip, in which half of the board of AEGEE-Frankfurt participated, was to promote sensibility for the importance of equality and human rights within the network and the world, especially because laws affecting LGTB rights vary a great deal internationally, ranging from death penalty to laws recognizing same-sex marriage. “Educational trips like this are a helpful way to bring a certain message across. In this case, it is the fact that homophobia and gay stereotyping are still existing, be it within AEGEE or internationally”, explains Alexander Sieber, who is Special Affairs Officer in the board of AEGEE-Frankfurt.

Julia R. Moniri, president of AEGEE-Frankfurt, who is very passionate about this topic, initiated the four day tour. She thinks that the referendum will fuel a big debate about LGTB rights. “Only 20 countries worldwide offer marriage equality. That’s why I think it’s good that a new debate started and people get the opportunity to reflect and rethink their positions. I can only hope that through new discussions and by spreading emotions, homophobia will get reduced. Anyway, I feel that at the end it is really all about love and equality and nothing else.“

Apart from the excitement of the referendum the local engaged in team building activities by exploring the pub culture in Dublin and the vast nature of Ireland.  “After an adventurous driving experience on the left side of the road, we stopped at a keltic settlement and then walked through a forest to see the upper lake of Glendalough – a breathtaking scenery and a good occasion to rest and calm down after the busy city life”, Caroline fondly remembers.

Frederic Renisch, former member of AEGEE-Mannheim, was exited about visiting the European branch of Facebook in Dublin, where around 1000 Europeans are working at this time. “Thanks to my friend, who works at Facebook for a little over a year now, we were able to enjoy a free lunch and later a guided tour through the offices.”

According to Julia the trip was a big success because everyone flew home with a positive feeling. After the completion of the Dublin trip, the board of AEGEE-Frankfurt is planning to continue their LGTB advocacy work by incorporating their experiences in local debates and events. They are hoping to create more tolerance and understanding within the AEGEE network.

Written by Alev Özdemir, AEGEE Frankfurt

During Autumn Agora Cagliari, Policy Officers were established as a body of our Network. President Paul Smits and Secretary General  Antonija Parat on behalf of the Comité Directeur presented a proposal to formally establish them in order to set some rules. The proposal was accepted with an overwhelming 94.49% of votes in favour.

The position of Policy Officers was launched in 2012 by the Comité Directeur 2012-2014 to  to express the  views and concerns of the Network and bring them up to the policy level. The Network has now four new Policy Officers who will work for one year on the Focus Areas of the Strategic Plan 2014-2017 (Youth Mobility, Youth Employment, Europtimism and Civic Education). But this is not all. The Comité Directeur (CD) 2014-2015 decided to also address two other topics this year, namely Education and Gender Equality. Six positions were created, but the CD strongly encouraged applicants to develop their ideas on a topic that was not mentioned, but could be important for the Network. A lot of applications suggested the topic of LGBT so the CD decided to appoint a Policy Officer to work on that topic too.

Pablo Hernández Rodríguez, Policy Officer on Youth Participation

For the second year in a row Pablo Hernández Rodríguez willwork as a Policy Officer: “Last year I was Policy Officer on Youth Participation, something that helped me to develop skills to work better on Youth Employability now”, he says. Member of AEGEE-Alicante since 2010, he became active in AEGEE right after Agora Alicante 2011 “having strong references like Miguel”. Being a Policy Officer (PO) for the second year is a spur for Pablo: “I decided to continue as PO mainly because now I’m better prepared to work on this position being in the place where I can contribute the most”. As uncertain as it is nowadays, Employment is a big issue for youngsters and according to Pablo “AEGEE understood its responsibility and put this issue on the stage so, now, what we need to do is to give solutions and support initiatives that make us think positive in this field”. He continues: “I think that young people have to have proper internships and future perspectives in their labour live, something that I want to put a lot of effort into. It’s also very important to look for a solution for the lack of local job opportunities so young people don’t have to go to capital and big cities or abroad but also find job places in their home towns.”

Teo Šarić, Policy Officer on LGBT

Teo Šarić is the Policy Officer on LGBT. Member of AEGEE-Zadar, he got motivated to apply for the position of Policy Officer when he “was a member of the Y vote Bus tour in UK, a campaign to engage First Time Voters in the Elections of the European Parliament in May 2014. We were speaking a lot [about LGBT ed.] with people on the streets about this topic”. LGBT is the suggested topic and for Teo “very important to AEGEE because a lot of young people are feeling insecure and do their “coming out” when they are students. So it’s nice to see that there are people who are interested to help, advice and support you and who are working on the topic in your own association”. Teo has a lot of experience with the topic of LGBT issues, being one of the organisers of the Pride Parade in Split (his hometown) and in Zagreb. “The first gay pride in Split in 2011, where anti-gay protesters were throwing rocks, tin cans, tomatoes, tear gas and glass bottles at the LGBT activists, motivated me to be an activist. It was very sad and emotional to me to watch, sit and do nothing. I had to take actions”. For his work as Policy Officer Teo has a clear idea: “I want to make sure that no one is taken down by the actions, language and attitude of others. It is particularly important that everyone demonstrates mutual respect and avoids any attitude that would be hurtful or dismissive. It is important that we are aware of our own attitudes and actions, and that we are willing to challenge our own prejudices in a constructive and respectful manner”.

Alfredo Sellitti, Policy Officer on Youth Mobility

In the aftermath of the deletion of Visa Freedom Working Group, visa issues and youth mobility have never been so important. The Policy Officer on Youth Mobility is Alfredo Sellitti, member of AEGEE-Salerno since 2006. “Youth Mobility is a wide concept. If we want to bring it to our interest, I would say that youth mobility is a great (if not the first) engine to build up a real European civic sense, in the broadest possible meaning”, Alfredo says. “This tool is probably the most powerful to increase cross-border competencies that will influence, besides the natural effect on personal development, a civic development and boost the economy by bringing new experiences and know-how in the system”. When asked why he applied for such a position, he stated that he “has always been interested in the policy making field, and when I was in CD I realised how little support we had from the Network, as the organisation had plenty of great ideas but not a good structure to canalise them. Therefore, when I saw the open call, I thought it was a great opportunity to keep  working on something I like and help AEGEE to improve its structure to better lobby for our interests”

Turgut Tosun, Policy Officer on Civic Education

Former president of AEGEE-Ankara, and member of the local since 2007, Turgut Tosun is the Policy Officer on Civic Education. “After spending years in AEGEE and gaining lots of experience, I decided to transfer what I learnt from my journey to other motivated AEGEE members”, he says. “It was my turn to help youth workers and activists with a subject that I trust myself. Then, I found myself writing my application for being a Policy Officer”. Even if we are living in democratic countries, there are many other theories that Europe is going through an anti-democratic process. “I believe that AEGEE will use civic education for strengthening and supporting members to be active citizens so that we can help Europe be more democratic and have young people who are aware of it”. Says Turgut, “In AEGEE, I think that we can integrate civic education in our local or regional training courses in order to raise the awareness of active citizenship and democracy among our members”.

Sofia Lobakina, Policy Officer on Education

One of the two girls elected, is Sofia Lobakina from AEGEE-Voronezh, who is Policy Officer on Education. Very active on the Local Level, this is her first experience on the European level, but she has “the motivation to contribute, a relevant experience to base my contribution on and an eagerness to learn more and develop the topic of Education in AEGEE”. Even if Sofia feels a huge responsibility in presenting the vision of the Network on the topic of Education, she finds that “AEGEE, one of the largest students’ organisation in Europe, is missing a clear basic position on the topic of Education, though we have some successful projects, like Higher Education Days (HED) and Europe in Exchange (EiE)”. She continues: “What is more important, is to advocate non-formal education and informal learning and their future recognition and quality assurance”. In fact, according to her vision, Education “is like a time bomb, the input you make now will be visible only in years. So the boldest experiments should be time-proved. However some things stay clear, high quality and equality are the basic points of it, and education is an always-going process and not just a place, list of courses or diploma”.

Miha Ilc, Policy Officer on Europtimism

Student of European Studies in Ljubljana, but now living in Estonia for his Erasmus, Miha Ilc (AEGEE-Ljubljana) is the Policy Officer on Europtimism. Tightly connected with his field of study, Europtimism is a “wide field, so it is going to be a really challenging task for me, but I’ll do my best. I usually compare it with a mosaic. There are different pieces that compose the whole picture (politics, economy, welfare, taxes etc.). Currently this “whole” in Europe doesn’t have a nice look and we need to fix it in the interests of all of us. Europtimism is at this point on the lowest level since the establishment of the European Union and the beginning of European integration, which is definitely not good for the future of Europe”. The scepticism on an united Europe is high, but for Miha “just criticising and observing it passively won’t change anything. Therefore we need active debates and discourses about the future of European Union.We have the capabilities and knowledge to improve the general opinion of the EU, to promote Europtimism and shape our future in a positive way. The only thing that we need is will and a long-term strategy”.

Léa Charlet, Policy Officer on Gender Equality

Léa Charlet (AEGEE-Paris) is the Policy Officer on Gender Equality. Member of AEGEE-Paris since September 2011 she was the Project Manager of the Y Vote 2014. Always a strong supporter of the thematic work within the Association, she now works for the Association of the friends of Franck Biancheri, an organisation which aim to promote the idea of our founder. “Gender equality is a topic I am extremely interested in for some year now, and since Agora Zaragoza I am trying to find people interested in the subject to start a project after the end of Y Vote. A lot of people were interested, so when the open call arrived I was ready to go for it and become policy officer”. says Léa. Her idea about gender equality is to reach a perfect equality where “everything is in the nature, let’s just not put people into boxes and accept the combinations around us. When we are dividing the world into Men/women we are taking a lot of people out of the equation”. Regarding her work she see that the mail concern is the awareness. “I think both me and Teo (Policy officer on LGBT, ed)  have this challenge to overcome as policy officer, that before being able to give AEGEE an official position, we need to make people aware of the subject, give the tool for people to think and then finally, ask for an opinion”. She concludes.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia.

On the 4th of February the European Parliament adopted (with a clear majority of 394 in favour versus 176 against) a recommendation for a future road-map against homophobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. This seems to be a step in the direction AEGEE is pushing with the Policy Paper on Homophobia. But what does this road-map really mean? And how big can this ‘step’ be called? The AEGEEan decided to look at this subject with E.G. (AEGEE-Leiden) the previous Policy Officer on Homophobia. 

The recommendation is a non-binding way for the Parliament (which does not have the ability to initiate regulations) to push the European Commission to start developing regulations on a subject. This initiative was based on the fact that the European Union already stated that it disapproves of discrimination based on sexual orientation, becomes clear from international treaties[1] condemning discrimination as well as recommendations, resolutions and guidelines the European Commission and parliament previously developed on the matter.

Ulrike lunacek © EU

However as the recommendation stated, the 2013 EU LGBT survey showed that across the EU “one in two LGBT respondents felt discriminated against or harassed on grounds of sexual orientation, one in three were discriminated against when accessing goods or services, one in four were physically attacked, and one in five were discriminated against in employment or occupation”.

As Ulrike Lunacek (Austrian Member of the EP, author of the recommendation and Co-President of the LGBT Intergroup) states: “LGBTI people face serious problems in Europe today. Despite progress made in some countries, discrimination, violence and harassment continue to occur in all 28 Member States.”

Based on these numbers the European Parliament stated that it “believes that the European Union currently lacks a comprehensive policy to protect the fundamental rights of LGBTI people”.  So they decided to call upon the European Commission and Member states  “to work jointly on a comprehensive multi-annual policy to protect the fundamental rights of LGBTI people, i.e. a road-map”. Such strategies already exist in the field of Roma integration, discrimination on the basis of disability and gender equality.

Gay Pride Brussels 2011

The recommendation specifically looks at several specific places of discimination like employment, education (sharing of good practice throughout Member States’ youth), citizenship, families (all forms of families should be legally recognised), freedom of movement and freedom of assembly and expression (like pride events). So this recommendation is meant to get the European Commission to act.

E.G. (AEGEE-Leiden)

Something also E.G. (AEGEE-Leiden) would like to see: “The EU needs to do more than simply state that discrimination against LGBTI persons is unacceptable and must be addressed. It should, instead, come up with specific and practical solutions to overcome this practice.”

But the question remains whether this ‘road-map’ is a real practical solution. According to Eline “The proposed EU road-map is one more political step in the right direction when it comes to making an end to homophobia and discrimination based on one’s sexual preference. It is questionable, however, to what extent this ‘initiative from above’ will make an actual difference within EU societies.”

So although the Parliament is pushing the European Commission and Member States in the right direction with this road-map, a very long road remains ahead of us before we reach a European society free of discrimination based upon sexual orientation. The problem of discrimination calls for a more bottom-up approach from society. This also means that we as AEGEEans have a chance and maybe even an obligation to try and positively influence society around us, so it becomes more tolerant towards people with all sexual orientations.