Agora Catania is starting in a few days and as always, the AEGEEan will try to help you better understand the Proposals which will be discussed during the Prytania. These following ones are proposed by the Mediation Commission, the Audit Commission, AEGEE-Aachen and AEGEE-Enschede.

Fixed term for the Mediation Commission

Proposed by Damien Lacatz on behalf of the Mediation Commission. This proposal seeks approval for the establishment of a set starting date for the term of the Mediation Commission, which now starts on the day following the end of Agora, implying that previous commissioners lose access rights due to confidenciality and thus making KT very difficult. If the proposal was to be approved, the MedCom would have a term starting on the 1st of December, allowing a timeframe for KT between the election date and the starting date. The proposal would end up in an addition of this provision to the Statutes of AEGEE-Europe, also granting the newly elected members access to all necessary data for Knowledge Transfer purposes.

Gathering of the financial documents of every European event

Proposed by Luca Bisighini on behalf of the Audit Commission. This proposal aims at making the work of the Audit Commission more comprehensive and more respondent to its features in compliance with article 27 of the CIA and articles 13 and 14 of the Financial Rules. The proposed change to the Financial Rules of AEGEE-Europe aims at collecting and checking the financial data connected to events and projects organised by locals (final budget, bank history, bookkeeping), in relation to every European event and project.

Modification of Locals’ Statutes

Proposed by Nils Barkawitz on behalf of AEGEE-Aachen. This proposal is based on the fact that to fulfill Antenna Criteria, a local should have Statutes compatible with the Convention d’Adhésion and the Statutes of AEGEE-Europe in both the original language and English to be presented to the Juridical Commission upon request or upon modification by the local, but nobody checks if changes were made during the last term. Thus the proposal is to delete from Article 6 (1).1. the expression “upon modification by the local or”.

Nomination of the JC member who is in MedCom

Proposed by Damien Lacatz on behalf of the Mediation Commission. This proposal’s aim is to introduce at Article 29, (4) of the Statutes of AEGEE-Europe a provision making it possible for the Juridical Commission to appoint a member different than its president, suitable for mediation and resolution of conflicting issues, to join the Mediation Commission.

Proposal to set all deadlines for publishing official documents at two weeks before the Agora 2.0

Proposed by Steyn ten Kate, Rik Smale and Timo Haarman on behalf of AEGEE-Enschede. Following a previous proposal during Spring Agora Enschede, this proposal aims at setting the deadline for the publication of all official documents of Agora two weeks before Agora. If approved, it would result in the addition of this provision to the Charter of Honorary Members and the Working Format of the Agora.

You can find all the proposals here.

Written by Federica Soro, AEGEE-Cagliari

If you never heard her name in AEGEE, you might have been living on a different planet. Suzan Dilara Tokac from AEGEE-Eskişehir has been very active throughout the nine years of her AEGEE life, going from PRC to being PR for two editions of the AEGEE Day to a term in the MedCom starting at Spring Agora Enschede. She still feels she has a lot to learn in AEGEE, and that’s why she’s candidating again for a full term with the Mediation Commission. 

The AEGEEan: Everyone in the Network must have heard about you at least once, but for those who haven’t, who is Suzan? What drives you to still contribute to AEGEE after nine years? Do you have a secret to keep your motivation always up?

Suzan: Suzan is dinasour member  from AEGEE-Eskisehir and also became a member of AEGEE-Groningen last year, she is 27 years old and just started her phd in Neurolinguistics at University of Groningen this year. She has been participated and contributed to many events, projects, groups, teams, committees with great love and dedication and I am happy to be that person. Actually I am celebrating my 10th year during the Agora, on the 27th of September. However, I have to be honest about one thing, I wasn’t an active member for ten full years. I was active at the beginning and I attended a few agorae and events then I was lost for a while (not very proud of it, though), then my comeback was on November 2012 with the LTC and since then I am doing the best I can to improve the organisation and myself within it. The secret of my motivation is my belief and trust in the value and the structure of this organisation. I always see AEGEE as an association way ahead of being simply a students’ organisation, AEGEE is much more mature and advanced when we know how to make use of it.

You applied to the MedCom at Agora Enschede. Why did you choose this body in particular and what have you experienced there that made you want to continue your work?

From the day that I was chosen as a MedCom member till this day it has only been four months and when you compare it to a proper working period of a commission member, which is usually a year, it is not enough at all. The amount of task and needs of the Mediation Commission need first a lot of time to read and learn; second, concrete planning and action for improvement and resolution. I like to help people and solve conflicts and in order to be a part of the solution I chose this commission. I also believe that my professional background is helping me to understand human nature and psychology, which is very crucial for mediation.

You mention that there are “serious communicational problems” in AEGEE. How do you think this relates to the “lack of interest in AEGEE events, human resources and public relations”?”

It’s a “cause and effect” relation. If you just think about it in this approach you will all remember some personal memories or stories of your friends. My point of view as a MedCom is that we receive many e-mails from individuals, bodies or locals and at a certain point they all stems from communicational roots. When people do not have a healthy environment to develop and participate, they just exclude themselves out and this results in decreased member numbers, thus in less human power. From another perspective, as an experienced member I can say that when people are experiencing some personal issues of course they are sharing this with their friends out of human nature, however sometimes this sharing is turning into influencing and bush telegraphs emerging within and outside of the organisation; this results in negative promotion.

You want to raise awareness about the MedCom. Do you already have some specific action in mind?

Members in need of help may forget or don’t know about our existence. Existence of a single entity whose only aim is to help or support when asked! I am planning to prepare, with my team members, a “How to Use the MedCom” booklet. This will be a really basically depicted booklet of the work and use of Mediation Commission, supported by pictures, examples and caricatures. Moreover, to attend as many events as possible to present the MedCom and give presentations about the commission and related subjects would be really useful to make the Network familiar with the MedCom.

One of the hot topics for the MedCom is data privacy, and you mention it in your candidature. Did you have an occasion to explore the subject in the past months in the MedCom? How would you expand the Network’s knowledge about this issue?

As I mentioned above, this four months were mostly a learning and observing experience for me and I have done my best to learn and read about it. In our MedCom archives there are thousands of pages of documents related to Data Privacy, that’s why I need more time to explore those pages. When it comes to informing the Network of course not everyone has to know about all the jargon and history of the issue. What can be done is to prepare small texts supported with pictures and diagrams and included in the “How to Use MedCom” booklet so that people can be informed properly about their and others’ rights and limits.

Lastly, why should Agora vote for you?

In the end, it is of course Agora’s final judgement to decide if I will work on that position or not but I believe my contribution to this association so far and my AEGEE resume would affect their decision positively. In every position I have been responsible of, first I learnt from it, then fed it and then offered it to the other members. Regardless of years passed and the burden of my professional life, I always give AEGEE the priority and I have never regretted it.

You can read her full candidature here.

Written by Federica Soro, AEGEE-Cagliari

One more application for the Mediation Commission was made by: Matteo Lai. He, amongst other things, has been the IT responsible for AEGEE-Cagliari and an active member of The AEGEEan. Now he wants to give back to our beloved association by joining the Mediation Commission with his juridical knowledge. 

The AEGEEan: Hi Matteo, please introduce yourself for our readers!

Matteo: I am Matteo, from Quartu Sant’Elena, a town very close to Cagliari, capital of Sardinia. I got a master’s degree in law and currently I am an employment and labour lawyer for a very famous law firm in Cagliari centre. Although I have such a serious job, I have a lot of hobbies like dancing, reading Italian literature books, playing football (I was a referee for some regional championships some time ago) and hanging out with friends. In April 2015 I saw some Facebook links about Summer Universities. I did not know what they were, but I had heard somewhere about some holidays only for students and young people. The issue was that I was not a student anymore but a trainee-lawyer. I understood it wes a project of a students’ association, AEGEE. I was not really sure about what I was doing but I decided to approach my University and to get more information. I became an AEGEE member and, until today, joining AEGEE has been one of the best choices in my entire life. Even if I was rejected for the first SU, this association has allowed me to meet new people which have really changed my opinion about Europe and made me help to delete lots of stereotypes. I am one of the AEGEE-Cagliari members who attended more local and European events in a little more than two years. Furthermore, in AEGEE-Cagliari I discovered my second family. Already the first SU as organiser encouraged me to be an active member and that’s why in December 2015 I became the new IT responsible of my antenna.

Why did you decide to run for a position in the Mediation Commission?

AEGEE is one of Europe’s biggest youth organisations where you can talk with people of several faculties and disciplines and, maybe also because of their cultural background, they are not well aware of the legal aspects of the association. I met lots of AEGEE friends that have never heard about the CIA and I would like to transmit them the knowledge of the Statutes, the rules that govern the life of AEGEE and this could be realised especially when the Mediation Commission is addressed to act as a mediator by any person or body in AEGEE. Very often it happens that people violate rules because they don’t know them. Because AEGEE strives for a democratic, diverse and borderless Europe, which is socially, economically and politically integrated, we can get successful in this task if we also respect the rules. Without rules, we would live not in civil society but we would stay in a state of nature where the condition of each person is “bellum omnium contra omnes” (meaning war of all against all), as the philosopher Thomas Hobbes wrote. I would be pleased to do my best, after two years of hard but very satisfying work in my antenna (I also was organiser for the first Network Meeting of AEGEE-Cagliari), in a European body because I believe in the functions of the MedCom and I think both my juridical culture and my previous experience in other organisations could be helpful for the MedCom. I don’t want to impose my personal ideas to the other MedCom members but I want to contribute to find the best solution for all cases that we will deal with.

What do you think it’s the main job of the MedCom?

The main job of the MedCom is to strive for an amicable settlement among the parties involved before considering further actions, serving as mediator. If this is not possible, the MedCom has to take a neutral and transparent decision without being subject to business and friendly relations or love affairs. So if one of the MedCom members cannot be objective, has to abstain for the specific case. Furthermore, the MedCom has the role to make an AEGEE member the future best European citizen with its “punitive” competence to make know and respect the law. Obviously, the MedCom deals mainly with the observance of the statutes but some principles in the statutes are shared in every European state, such as “in dubio pro reo”.

According to you, what do you think is the most important quality to be in the MedCom and why do you see yourself as the perfect person to fulfill the position?

The MedCom requires a lot of observation and knowledge about AEGEE in general and the CIA procedure. I think I gained both of them during my first two years and six months in AEGEE. I like to treat juridical cases and I would like to share this passion with other AEGEE members. Even if there is a psychological side in cases analysis that I have acquired as very active member in my Antenna and in European projects because I know many dynamics that can determine, even just accidentally, the violation of some rules. I am a person that wants to dialogue with members and not just directly to punish them. Even if every final decision, I would like to remind, has to be ratified by the Agora.

What is your idea to strengthen the communication and the cooperation within and between the AEGEE bodies?

The Mediation Commission is expected to co-operate fully with the other bodies of AEGEE-Europe and to use their experience and knowledge. Social networks could be helpful. For example, a Facebook secret group could be created in order to share some cases with some members of the European bodies so that some members not involved in Medcom can express their opinion and offer another point of view. Obviously, the active participation in this Facebook group would be not obligatory as well as uploading all cases by the MedCom. Also some Skype meetings can strengthen the communication between the AEGEE bodies.

Could you sum up your programme in a few clear bullet points? 

I will tell you with some key words: prevention, impartiality and knowledge of the rules. Prevention means that the MedCom should help to avoid conflicts between Locals, in its advisory function, but this is possible only if the MedCom gets a request by any person or AEGEE body. Instead, I think the MedCom can, at least, make some investigations, or also express the advisory function if just one of the MedCom members hears something, or somehow gets some rumours (but not fake news), about any issues between locals, without any request needed.

Impartiality means that the MedCom should take a decision without being influenced by any external element. Every member of the MedCom knows that is working for the good of the association and has to abstain if he/she cannot make the decision.

Knowledge of the rules means that the MedCom should promote the knowledge of the rules by the AEGEE members with its advisory and “punitive” functions, that could be facilitated through spreading the content of the CIA and its practical applications via a new Facebook page, after every decision is ratified by the Agora. In the eventual Facebook page I want to insert some posts about the normal day of the MedCom member, without, obviously, spreading information about the cases. The website of the MedCom has to be updated I would like to take care of it, considered my experience as IT responsible of my antenna and the Your Vision for Europe project.

In you task related experience, you mention mostly your legal work and team experience. Though you also have a lot of experience as the IT-responsible for AEGEE-Cagliari.  Will it help you in the Medcom, which covers tasks concerning data privacy policy?

I will do my best for the issue you mention and I will discuss about it with the team. For sure, my experience will help me in the MedCom for data privacy policy. We can’t use personal data for spamming, selling or giving them to others without consent or abuse them in any other way. This is a rule that is reproduced also in many national laws and so the MedCom has to continue the protection of the personal data. Unfortunately, many companies can spend much money in order to get personal data and there is not a person, in this world, that snubs easy money.

You can read Matteo’s full candidature here.

Written by Mireille Voorendt, AEGEE-Utrecht

After candidating for Spring Agora Enschede and spending these past months working for the Mediation Commission, Daniël Amesz from AEGEE-Leiden is ready to committ for a full term. We reached out to him to discover more about his experience and plans.

The AEGEEan: In Enschede you promised you would reapply for the MedCom and here you are. Did the job live up to your expectations?

Daniël: If anything, it exceeded my expectations. Before applying, you only know which tasks the CIA dictates to the body, but the experience is always much more complicated. During this short term we have been through a lot of different things and I think we’ve been able to help people and that is just the best feeling in the world. Sometimes the situations that you are faced with are emotionally challenging or difficult, but at the end of the day you are there to improve the situation and it are also these moments that let you learn so much.

How would you describe an active day of your life in the MedCom?

One of the interesting things with this commission is that you have no clue what tomorrow will bring. We work on a call to action basis, which means that you can’t plan a lot of the work that you get. It’s kind of like the fire brigade, trying to put out fires all over the network whenever they come up. Of course, I cannot go into details of any cases we’ve been involved in. But it definitely happened that you have a skype meeting until around 1:30 at night with one group and then have the other side of the story scheduled for 09:00 the next morning. Furthermore I’ve been skyping, e-mailing and chatting pretty much everyday of my travels this summer. So yeah, it’s a busy life, but I really like it.

In your previous interview with us, you said “I hope to learn more on (inter)cultural conflict resolution”. Did your work for the MedCom help you in this so far?

Yes, it has. I’ve never had the chance to work so intensively with so many cultures before and you can definitely spot differences. Some are small and don’t require any change in approach, whilst others benefit from using a different tactic or choosing different wordings. Of course, I’d love to be able to get some more experience in this field. [he laughs, ed.]

You mention that there’s “speed to be gained” in the activities of the MedCom. Could you give us an example of how you envision your suggestions put into practice? How would they speed up the processes?

As I mentioned in my application, I think it would be good to immediately appoint a case officer within the commission that takes responsibility for any email that reaches us. That way we can be more organised, prevent doing double work or miscommunication on who would do what. I do not want to cut into investigation time, nor do I want to decrease discussions within the team, as being able to properly look into all sides of a case and using the different points of view within the group is vital to the work we do.

A big point in your application is data privacy policy. One of the problems there, as you mention, is that “people are simply not aware about the rules or ignore them”. What would you suggest to counteract this?

I don’t think there will be easy answers or quick fixes for this problem. It is something that has to grow, but we can definitely help that process. First of all, we should look into the registration forms that people sign to become a member of an AEGEE local. This document should contain the proper disclaimers and statements regarding the data that members provide. Streamlining these forms should already help a lot when it comes to increasing the implementation. Furthermore, it could help the awareness, as everyone should read about the existence of the Data Privacy Policy Statement when they sign up and boards will learn about it when they alter the registration forms. Furthermore, data privacy has been the subject of NWM workshops and that is something that can continue, even by people that are not in the MedCom. Besides that, the Board Knowledge Transfer Template makes no mention of privacy anywhere. These are things we could put more effort on in the upcoming year.

In your previous interview you mentioned the creation of trainings in communication for conflict avoidance, and in your candidature you say that you are working on those. How is the work going? Will they be available soon? 

Last week, I tested out some of the materials during a presentation about the MedCom for the new members of AEGEE-Leiden to see what would and wouldn’t work. That provided some useful insights and I am now working on getting to a stage where the workshop could be given by anyone, not just me. This is, however, a lot of work and probably requires another test some time. I hope to have the materials ready before the spring NWM’s, but it greatly depends on how many cases we get as MedCom whether or not I’ll make it on time.

Lastly, why should Agora vote for you?

The MedCom is a tricky position and something where experience is really important. I am extremely grateful for the help and mentoring that Petra and Damien have provided for Suzan and me these past few months. Without their presence, we would have surely made quite some mistakes. It is this experience that I will take with me to next year and which would help the MedCom have a healthy continuation. Besides that I am still very motivated and would love to be able to keep on doing the work. I’m glad to have been able to learn what I have, but it would be sad to say goodbye to this commission so soon. It is definitely something you need to grow into and it feels like I’ve only just done that. It would be great to do it another year, so I hope the Agora will place its trust in me again in Catania. [he smiles, ed.]

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Federica Soro, AEGEE-Cagliari

Iuliia AgaKulieva found out about AEGEE two years ago. She was president of AEGEE-Tyumen, where she worked hard to upgrade the contact to a contact antenna and she succeed. Her next challenge is running for member of the Mediation Commission. The AEGEEan talked with her to learn more about her and her plans.

The AEGEEan: Can you tell us more about yourself?

Iuliia: I am Iuliia, I’m from Siberia, Russia. I have a masters’ degree of law and now I am a PhD student. The topic of my thesis is “An administrative responsibility of judicial persons for offences in the area of oil and gas.”
In the past I worked in a court as an assistant to the judge. One year and a half ago, my friend offered me a good job in Saint-Petersburg. I decided that it was my chance to be part of the best work team in my life. Now I’m a Court receiver. We are focused on human rights protection, bankruptcy, economical disputes. Although I have such a serious job I’m curious and have many different hobbies such as cheerleading, snowboarding, surfing and working with children. I knew about AEGEE in April 2015, I took part in my first Summer University in Czech Republic and fell in love with the big AGEEE-family. I was the President of our small Contact of AEGEE-Europe in Tyumen one year later. I’ve done everything to upgrade our Contact to Contact-Antenna on Agora Enschede and it is not the limit for us! AEGEE, new people and travelling inspire me to be myself!

What motivated you to apply for member of the Mediation Commission?

I want to be a member of the Mediation Commission because my life is connected with law, justice and tolerance. People don’t only have rights, also they have responsibilities. AEGEE is a really big organisation, geography of new locals is expanding from year to year. The distance between the most western local (Las Palmas) and the most eastern local (Tyumen) is more than 8.000 km. We have more than 13.000 members throughout AEGEE and all of them have their own identity. Actually, I’m from Asia (Tyumen), I would like to share my view in solving cases and bring some fresh ideas. I want to help members to follow the rules and follow the order.

What do you think it’s the main job of the MedCom?
Mediation Commission is an independent body who makes decisions in different issues from time to time. In my opinion, the main aim of MedCom is a discussion with locals, bodies and other commissions and making lists of advice or prevention letters before they will get an official request with a case. It is better to prevent a problem than to solve its consequences.

If you have to explain to a 10 years old child what the MedCom is doing, what would you say?

AEGEE is like a big big big Kingdom with lots of small cities. Sometimes their citizens have fights between each other. The Mediation Commission is like a Department of fairies. They come and solve all problems and conflicts between citizens.

According to you, what do you think is the most important quality to be in the MedCom and why do you have it?

Justice is one of fundamental principles which I am guided by in life. Circumstances can be different, but taking also objective causes into consideration we can find the real reason of the dispute. An independent approach to the situation will allow to make a true decision.

You can read her full candidature here.

Written by Lia Touska, AEGEE-Brussel/AEGEE-Sofia

She started her adventure with AEGEE in 2013 through Summer Universities, then actively participating in her antenna, AEGEE-Budapest. She was in her local board for two times, attended almost every local event and currently she is a member of the Mediation Commission. Recently, she was also main organiser of the conference “Education for the Present, Democracy for the Future”. She is Petra Buruzs, and she is our Member of the Month of April, with her work before and during her last – at least this is what she said – Agora being recognised with this nomination.

The AEGEEan: Can you tell us a few things about yourself?

Petra: I am Petra, from Budapest, and I do love my city but lately you can find me there, if Budapest is hosting an event. I love to organise, or coordinate or help and discover Budapest with participants but I am also addicted to travelling and I am aware of it. Nowadays I am still writing my thesis about AEGEE, and organising Erasmus+ projects.

When did you join AEGEE? Which projects do you work for?

Considering the fact that I kind of grew up in the voluntary and youth work field, it was just a matter of the time when I would be an AEGEE member. The magic moment came in 2013, when I met with Agnes Deme who was organising the SU in Budapest and after it I just went with the flow. My path in AEGEE was step by step: I started with active participation, later on HR mid-leader, then Vice-President of Internal Relations and Secretary as a board member, so basically I was there at almost all the local events and projects. Later on I started to open up more towards the European level as Sub-Com, and lived with the CD54 as CD assistant. Currently I am still a member of the Mediation Commission.

What kind of activities do you usually do in the Mediation Commission?

You cannot specify it, but there are several activities, according to the local’s need. For sure you have to be there and give suggestions, advice, NDAs and sometimes concrete decisions. In my term I would love to create a template which clarifies to members the difference between the advisory and the official cases.

What is your feedback as Main Organiser of the conference “Education for the Present- Democracy for the Future”?

That it was an honour to organise it; the Franck Biancheri award gave the huge opportunity to our local and the Network to organise, cooperate and participate to the conference. To experience that incredible amount of trust from the Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri was already a huge excitement and to find out the learning points of the co-operation was also a nice experience. So I can just suggest to locals to apply for next year!

Can you tell us something about the content of the “AEGEE Alumni event- Back to Budapest”? Which was the aim of this event?

The aim was to gather three generations of AEGEEans and provide a safe space for sharing experiences, memories, points of view and to realise again and again that we can still learn from the past and implement it in future, in terms of structure, motivations, multicultural environment, and creative  co-operational ways as well. Also the General Assembly of the Les Anciens took place and celebrated the years of success that we already left behind us.

Tell me the thing you like the most in AEGEE and why. 

Unconditional trust. – In the way that you have that playground under your feet, you can find several AEGEEans for support if it is needed but at the same time you can realise your crazy ideas and feel the seriousness, even if you are open up for sponsors and externals. In the way that if you would like to visit a city and you are searching for a host, we are able to trust blindly and give our house key to a person, of whom I only know he or she is also an AEGEE member. In the way that after twenty years you could hear a story with perfect details, like it just happened yesterday, and our connections (or babies) keep us together, in touch, in friendship or relationships. In the way that personal conflict might happen, but you still say that you are or you were an AEGEE member and it is a lifelong learning experience. In the way that you know if there is an AEGEE sticker, that place will be cool even if it is on another continent.

Which skills did you develop in AEGEE?

Let me list up with some example:

– Creativity – To create a song together with AEGEE-Budapest for Heidelberg who just stole our flag (during EPM 2017) or drawing flip-charts with closed eyes according to some instruction (during TNT Cluj 2016) or explain to a very strickt russian train conductor that you have a ticket, but you just cannot prove it, because your friend Balint Caesar, who is still not there two minutes before the departure time, has it (during NWM-Moscow 2016);

– Problem solving skills – The police came for a one-by-one check up, since during the European Night we were too loud (during Barcelona-Utrecht-Budapest Exchange 2015) or the canoe flipped over in the middle of the Velence lake and also the police came to rescue our participants (during Funtastic4 Summer University 2016);

– General IT skills – design trainings in Budapest, use of several communication channels (like Slack and Telegram) and during my secretary work with Intranet, supporting the members of my antenna from the background;

– Selective listening – During every event when you are an organiser;

– Communication – Internal and external as well, even if you are little and your voice is really quiet.

And I believe that there are many other skills I have not even realised yet.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari 

For a second the possibility of having the Mediation Commission composed only by one person, Damien Latacz, seemed to be reality. Although it would have been fun to imagine him arguing with himself on the Mediation Commission cases, luckily one more person stepped up. The Mediation Commission 2016-2017 is now composed by Damien Latacz and Petra Burusz. He is a polar bear from AEGEE-Aachen (and also Düsseldorf and Hamburg!). French with an engineering soul, he is in his second term as the President of Mediation Commission and he enjoys cooking, hiking and reading. Petra Burusz is a Sociology and Social Psychology student and she is writing her thesis on AEGEE. Unable to spend more than one week in her home country Hungary (she is a member of AEGEE-Budapest), because she is addicted to travelling. They work closely also with the President of the Juridical Commission, Monika Mojak (AEGEE-Lublin) and CD observer, Maarten de Groot (AEGEE-Amsterdam). What is the Mediation Commission? What do they do? We asked them these questions and much more. 

The AEGEEan: First of all, Damien, why did you decide to run for a second term?
Damien: On a personal level, I really like working in the MedCom. It is challenging, but we take our time to provide convenient help to people. I just like it. And there were still some projects and ideas I wanted to work on.

For Petra, why did you decide to run for the Commission? And why only during the Agora?
Petra: I would say the decisions are the best. Honestly, I climbed up in the ladder at the local level, but I thought I needed more challenge. According to my studies as well, I am pretty interested in solving problems, and there was the Open Call for the MedCom during the Agora. So I just made the puzzle.

Let’s pretend to explain what the Medcom is and what it does to a child. How would you describe your commission?
Damien: When two people are fighting and cannot find a solution alone, they ask us for help. We check that they both respected the rules, we talk to them until we understand them both and we try to make them understand each other. At some point, we have an understanding together and they can both continue working happily, without frustrations. That is basically what we do, at a different level of difficulty! Is that easy enough?
Petra: Imagine there is just one bar of chocolate for five children. These five children are yelling at each other, one becomes aggressive to get the whole bar of chocolate, one of them even hits the other one, a child tells this to the teacher and then the MedCom comes and speaks with all the five children separately and have conversations till they are able to find a solution that is good or acceptable according to their rules as well.

How did the Knowledge Transfer go?

Petra: Right after the elections at the Agora Chisinau we had the last dinner together with the old MedCom and the new MedCom team, and I got to know everything, really everything. First, I thought that there was too much information, but everyone was so kind and helpful to me, and all my doubts flew away. Later on, of course via Skype, we looked up everything step by step. And Damien is there to answer my questions when I need it.

What will the focus of this year be for the Medcom?
Damien: As we are working with only half a team, we had to make choices… So we will continue helping the implementation of the Data Privacy Policy Statement (the Committees are next for Enschede!), we will continue providing support to people asking for our help. We will try to give some workshops and increase the knowledge of the network. But this is already too much for only two people!

How important is the concept of the Mediation, the Conflict Management and the Conflict Resolution in AEGEE?
Damien: I think people underestimate how difficult it can be. Sure, we learn about multicultural communication, etc, but we should go one step further by trying to actively improve ourselves on these topics. I have seen conflict (at least to a small degree) in every team so far in AEGEE. Even if it is not giving damage most of the time, we do not pay enough attention to it in my opinion. It could make us much happier and much better people.
Petra: So many times we are not just able to recognise what the original problem behind is. We can be able to make something differently because the impatient world does not let us stop for a while and think through rationally. Often misunderstanding creates several issues as well and we are just making a mountain out of a molehill. So the mediation and the conflict management lead us to solve the problem and get the point out of it. It is important in AEGEE and in our personal life as well.

What is the typical week for a Medcom Member?

Petra: Our week is from Monday through Sunday. We are both studying and working as well but when we receive a mail, we start dealing with it as soon as possible. But those e-mails are literally unexpected so you never know. Our schedule is also flexible because of it. Furthermore, this year we are trying to attend more events and training so we wake the interest up about this field.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

27 years old and from France, Damien Latacz from AEGEE-Aachen is ready to run for a second term in the Mediation Commission. He has been living in Germany for the past four years and he is studying Metallurgical Engineering. He loves to cook and hike, and he loves winter. One term in the Mediation Commission was very satisfying for him and he found that it was “the balance between self-development and helping the network”. 

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to run for a position in the Mediation Commission?

Damien: I like working in the Mediation Commission. It is both challenging and rewarding. Challenging because you have to adapt yourself to others and modify your perception to be able to help. And rewarding because you can actually help people in difficult situations. This is a job I like, and I want to continue it.

What is the thing (or are the things) you are most proud of in your previous term?

Without hesitation, the team. We are really different people, with different ways of thinking, and we complement each other to get an impartial and objective understanding of situations.  I am also quite proud that we started developing trainings and visuals, but that is more for the long term, and I hope the next teams will continue in this direction.

For several years now, candidates for the Mediation Commission have put “Visibility in the Network” in the programme, without reaching apparent results. What is your feasible idea to reach this visibility?

It is indeed difficult to be visible when we are not allowed to talk about much of our work. This year already, thanks to our workshops, more people know that we at least exist! This year, I would like to find a way to make Data Privacy more interesting. Not just the DPPS, but in general. I hope when people will realise how important and impactful data privacy is, and how knowing about mediation can improve your daily life, they will be more interested in the MedCom. It is something we have to change in our association in the long run, and knowledge about it will bring visibility.

An interesting point of your candidature is “Improve the knowledge of the network about basic mediation techniques” stating that you have already started this in some NWMs. Can you please explain it further?

Mediation is a huge field, with many different theories and techniques. It is a mix between communication, psychology, languages, etc… We all do it at some point, especially in AEGEE, but we don’t realise it. If you know about it, you can improve your work, and the satisfaction you get from it. The workshop we created is really about the basics, but hopefully it helps people think actively about it, not just in AEGEE, but in their everyday life.

Do you think that mediation skills are underestimated in an association like ours?

Absolutely! People usually think of mediation as the last solution in case of a serious conflict, but you can use it every day. In our association, we work in teams a lot, with people from different cultures, and this can lead to some misunderstandings. We also work on Facebook a lot, where the things you can say are limited. Mediation skills help you detect this, and work towards better communication, which means better work.

Once again, there are not enough candidates for Medcom. Since probably this interview will go out when you will still be the only candidate, explain why (motivated) people should apply for Medcom.

Because it is something you cannot have anywhere else in AEGEE. You do not just help people, you also learn a lot yourself. Skills that will be valuable for your employers, for relationships, or even just for yourself. And the challenges and cases we have, push us to improve ourselves to be able to help. If you do your job well in MedCom, you will help the Network and come out a better person! Who would not want that?

Related to that, why do you think people are not applying for such a position?

As I mentioned in previous questions, I think it is a combination of not knowing what we do, and not seeing how impactful it can be on our work in general. I hope that by improving the knowledge of the network about the topics we work on, more people will be interested.

DPPS is very complicated to understand and to develop. What is the status now? Do you think that the timeline you set in Agora Bergamo is feasible? Do you think that, provided that you will be elected, you can push the implementation further?

First of all, a reminder that MedCom is not responsible for the implementation, we just help people respect the rules. Currently, the Commissions do follow the DPPS. The OMS is late, but when it will be there, it will solve many problems. Maybe some parts of the timeline will be a bit delayed, but in general, it is feasible.

The OMS has always been the main problem, because we don’t have that many people interested in creating it, and it is a huge workload. But we are one of the biggest associations in Europe with an IT system that is completely outdated. It holds us back, we need to realise this, and MedCom will surely continue lobbying for a better structure.

What is, according to you, the job of a good Mediation Commissioner?

First, you have to be open minded and patient, to help people in conflict understand each other and work together towards a resolution. Second, you have to keep updated on Privacy laws and agreement, to check if the DPPS is still up-to-date, and help people in AEGEE understand and follow the rules. Two sides of the same job: one more neutral and helping, the other one more active and explanatory.

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

Agora is not just about candidates and proposals, but it’s a place where members of AEGEE can share also their knowledge in different fields and they are discussing the progresses on certain topics, such as Agora or Network Development. Overall, during Spring Agora Bergamo there will be 14 workshops and 12 Progress Meetings. You can check the agenda to see when they will be delivered or the thematic booklet to see the topics. Today we are going to present you all the workshops and progress meetings you can attend on the second day of the Agora, the 19th of May, from 11.45 to 12.45. 

Agora for Newbies is hold by the Chair Team and the Comité Directeur, a session tailored to the needs of who is at his/her first Agora and wants more explanations and clarification on our statutory event.  For who has already attended an Agora and s/he now a delegate, the Chair Team and members of the Agora Reform Task Force will hold the workshop Dark Agora Army: Agora for Experts. This workshop is targeted for members of the Agora who want to deepen their knowledge on the statutory and want to live it to the fullest. The goals of this workshop is to have members to comprehend the real powers of the delegates, to understand the procedural rules of the legislative mechanism of AEGEE-Europe, to know how to propose motions which cannot be denied by the Juridical Commission, to argument yourself upon hidden CIA legal exceptions and, to ask uncomfortable questions.

As we should all know by now, Agora will be in Italy where the official language is Italian. This language is one of the most studied abroad and definitely one of the most loved. Luca Ciucci from AEGEE- Pisa and member of the Language Interest Group will deliver the workshop called The history of the Italian language: a European perspective. In this workshop, Luca will give you an overview of the Italian language, in order to understand the differences built through century of history that resulted in how Italians see themselves and how they perceive their position towards Europe.

Despite approved in Agora Patra, very few are aware of what Data privacy policy statement is, and how it will work. That’s why Atanas Nachkov, AEGEE-Sofia, and Lisette Kunst, Mediation Commission and AEGEE-Groningen, will hold the workshop MedCom Data Privacy Policy. The aim is to clarify and explain the adopted protections and limitations as well as the related procedural matters. According to the holders, after this workshop, you will learn what is the current progress of the data privacy of AEGEE-Europe and what is to come, what kind of information AEGEE-Europe collects from you and your Local, what kind of limitations apply, why the elected people must sign NDA and what it legally means,  what the OMS is, how to get anonymous statistics and what kind of requests can be done to the Mediation Commission.

It’s not a mystery that our Statutory Event has some hidden potentials which are not fully used. From Autumn Agora Kyiv, a task force have been working on this to implement it and in the progress meeting Agora Reform, held by Svenja van der Tol, Secretary General of AEGEE-Europe, and Agora Reform Task Force, these new ideas will be shared. For more than two decades, we’ve spent money on the house rent, money that could be used for other projects and for members. At least what Ander Guerrero Ruiz, Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe, thinks and, for this reason, he will hold the progress meeting AEGEE HQ: looking for the next 30 years. In this progress meeting, he wants to explore, with inputs from the Network, the possibility of a long term financial strategy to buy a house for the association.

You can download the blookets here (login required). 

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

Paolo Ghisleni (AEGEE-Bergamo) is running for Mediation Commission (MedCom). He is a member of AEGEE since 2009, he was a member of the Corporate Relation Committee and now is a trainer of the Academy. We interviewed him and he told us what is the main job of the MedCom and much more.

The AEGEEan: Can you tell us more about yourself? How long have you been in AEGEE?
Paolo: I’m active in AEGEE since 2009. In my first years I was totally focused on the local level. In the latter years, once AEGEE-Bergamo reached a good level of activities and people turnover (thanks to its wonderful crew), I started to pay attention more to the activities at the European level of AEGEE, trying to direct my commitment to the fields in which I believed to be able to give the biggest contribution. So, first, I joined the Corporate Relation Committee, but unfortunately this experience lasted just one year. Then I joined the Academy, where I’m still active (for instance, I was a trainer at the Self Development European School organized by AEGEE-Utrecht from the 22nd to the 28th of March), and the Human Resources Committee, where I’m playing my role in the Mentorship task force.

What do you think it’s the main job of the MedCom?
To me two things are important about the role of the MedCom. First its mission: to strive for amicable settlements of all the situation which need such action within AEGEE and, in case this process fails, to have the firmness to take the due decisions. Secondly and most important, I’ve always appreciated the harmony which I’ve perceived in my AEGEE life within the network, and I’m sure that this stability is due also to the determined role of the MedCom.

If you have to explain to someone what the Mediation Committee is doing, what would you say?
The MedCom has to be like the old, wise uncle of a lucky family: he’s supposed to stay apart and to silently monitor the family’s dynamics. Whenever the discussion gets too out of hand, he will let his voice be heard, and the family will understand that he’ll be acting for the good of everyone. His intervention is as precious as it is rare: few, sporadic words of experience can make more than endless discussions.

According to you, what do you think is the most important quality to be in the MedCom and why do you have it?
A very wide range of values and qualities would make the MedCom a body of excellence. Since all these qualities are too many to be here listed, I’d say experience. The experience, in a member, recalls most of these values, and it’s meant to be both within and outside AEGEE. So this is what I believe I am able to bring in the MedCom: the experience of many lives lived in many different situation, where many solutions have been found to bring problems to a peaceful end.

Were you in touch with the current MedCom or the former one?
I’m still in touch and good friend with some of the current and the previous members of the MedCom.

And some questions from our readers: Why didn’t you run for Mediation Commission at Agora Cagliari?
Like in every life’s aspect, also an “AEGEE career” needs to be taken step-by-step and consciously. This awareness about my life path took me to run for MedCom only now, when some other aspects in my life are freeing the due energies to commit to more challenging activities.

You mention in your candidature your experience as certified life-coach with experience in conflict management. Do you also have some experience in the other tasks of a MedCom, like data privacy policy?
Privacy right has always been a fundamental pillar of the mutual respect and the peaceful living together. Beside this, there is a growing trend of sensitivity about the topic both from individuals and from the legislator. These considerations would like to express my idea about the fact that the MedCom, especially considering its delicate role within AEGEE, would deserve to be composed by specialised personalities which can bring the best of every field. So I can do my best about mediation and conflict management, in the same way I expect the other members of the commission to be reliable on their skills, including data privacy policy.

Canyou, please, point out the most relevant aspects of your candidature?
I want to focus my activity on two aspects: promptness of intervention and physical presence wherever it’s required. Let me tell you a small example: how many times have we been bothered by (or have we bothered) someone for a misunderstood post on some social network? It happens daily, and whenever it happens, it’s up to the “victim’s” wisdom to avoid things to escalate. Moreover, sometimes, the more you think about this post, the more it will seem worse, and the more you’ll grow in anger! This is a demonstration how a direct, face-to-face communication is usually THE solution, and how time is a crucial variable in the conflict resolution process.

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Sofia/Thessaloniki