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

Daniël Amesz from AEGEE-Leiden candidates for the Mediation Commission. He was interested in the Mediation Commission from the beginning, but he feels that the perfect time to apply is right now. He explains why and answers other questions regarding his application.

The AEGEEan: How would you describe yourself in three words, and why?

Daniël: The three words I’d use are dedication, enthusiasm and hugs. Starting with the last, everyone that knows me will immediately understand what I mean. I am a big fan of hugging and what it represents: close friendships and feeling comfortable with other people. Basically I’m a permanent free hugs dispenser. I realise that almost everyone can be enthusiastic, but the reason I chose this word is that most of my friends will agree that I am often a little bit too enthusiastic about things they might completely not care about. It happens quite a lot that I’m talking about, for example, a random European monarch from the 17^th century and halfway through my story I notice that people are clearly not as interested as I am… Finally, I don’t quit something once I’ve started it and put in a lot of effort to make it as good as possible, that is also why I did not apply in Chișinău, because at the time I wouldn’t have been able to invest the time that I now can.

Why are you interested in the Mediation Commission?

As I said in my application, the MedCom fascinated me from the moment I learnt what they did during Agora Cagliari. Both the theory and practice of mediation is something I find very interesting and would like to become better at. Also, it is one of the most people orientated commissions within AEGEE and you really focus on helping people that have a problem. I find it very motivating to be constantly challenged to find the best possible solution for everyone involved and hopefully make a positive change in every situation.

During your board year, did you have direct experience with conflicts between committees? If so, in what way did you solve these conflicts? If not, what things did you do to prevent conflicts?

Luckily there weren’t any conflicts between different committees. Communication is the magic word here. To prevent problems between groups it is important that they are aware of each other’s tasks and goals to make sure there is an understanding of why. Then it’s important to keep everybody informed about areas where tasks or goals may overlap so that there is an understanding of how. An example would be to coordinate when committees are allowed to promote their activities, to prevent them from being in each other’s way. There were, however, conflicts within committees between the different members. In these cases I would try to mediate and solve the problem. Organising a meeting to discuss the issues or calling those involved to hear the different stories. Team-building is very important in trying to prevent internal conflicts.

You mention regarding your programme that you want to establish frameworks to prevent possible disputes and conflicts such as a training in communication. How do you see these trainings being implemented more concretely?

The MedCom could work on a written guide that explains communication techniques, specifically designed for AEGEE’s structure and culture. This could include tips and tricks on listening, academic theory on team roles and a sort of checklist on how to give feedback. This could then also be adapted into an LTC template that locals can use to train their members and into workshops that can be given during NWM’s and/or even Agora.

You mentioned that you first wanted to gain more AEGEE experience, before applying for this Commission. What kind of valuable experiences did you gain in the past years so that you feel comfortable now to apply?

A lot of it has to do with knowledge about the association and how it works. During a board year you learn so much about the different aspects and relations of both a local and the Network as a whole. This is also aided by just going to a lot of different (statutory) events. Besides that, I have gained a lot of experience in the processes of team work and communication, exactly the type of knowledge that I want to help spread throughout the network as MedCom. Finally, during my board year, but also very much during my time as Chair of the local Agora, I became very aware of the different types of rules and regulations that AEGEE locals and bodies deal with. Getting to know all of these and making sure they are followed in the correct way can be a lot harder than it seems. Especially for a body like the MedCom it is important that you know your way around the rules and have experience with interpreting vague lines of text into a world that is much more complex than the rules can cover.

You would like to learn more about privacy issues within AEGEE and what is possible to improve in this field. Do you think the Mediation Commission is the right platform to do so?

To be honest, I think the MedCom is quite a weird body to be responsible for so much regarding the Data Privacy Policy Statement. Whenever I explain to outsiders what I’m applying for, they go “What?” when I start talking about the privacy part. This might be because I’m not good enough at explaining it yet, but there is some strangeness to it. Regardless, as Ombudsman of the data of our members it is important to know as much as possible about how it works and I always aim to improve things where possible.

Which skill do you think you will develop being active in the Mediation Commission?

I hope to learn more on (inter)cultural conflict resolution. One of the greatest benefits of AEGEE is the diversity of our members. At some points however, this can also lead to challenges. Sometimes a cultural difference between two members or between a member and the Mediation Commission can lead to misunderstandings. Recognising these differences and understanding each other is a skill I would look forward to further develop.

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Susan Nijsten, AEGEE-Groningen

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

Summer seems distant, but AEGEEans, as busy bees, are already in the process to organise Summer Universities. The Summer University Coordination Team gave the future SU organisers the possibility to collaborate with AEGEE bodies and give their Summer Universities a content twist. We asked the bodies involved to give us some more information about how they envision the collaboration. In this second article we will understand more about Drink-wise Project, Language Interest Group, Mediation Commission, Action Agenda Coordination Committee and The AEGEEan.  

Drink-wise is the latest addiction to our pool of projects, and it aims at highlighting the cultural diversity and richness of our drinking traditions, but also promotes healthy drinking habits. And what about the European Night? If you are afraid that collaborationg with them will prevent you from having any form of alcohol in your Summer University, you cannot be further from the truth. Adonis Meggos, the project director, sais that “Drink-wise does not mean that you are forbidden to drink, but to drink with caution. We are a group of drink lovers. But there is not only alcohol. Juices, Smoothies, Coffee and Tea are all welcome! We love to explore all those different tastes all over Europe. To enjoy the traditions of drinking cultures, of course, but also to know our boundaries”.

You can contact them at drinkwiseproject@gmail.com

There are no better places than AEGEE events to test the knowledge of your foreing language(s). The Language Interest Group, a “diverse team of language-enthusiast AEGEEans”, using the words of their PR responsible Eryfili Evangelou, proposes a Summer University related to languages and adds that “the idea of a collaboration with us is easy to implement and can be added to an existing concept”. Not only learning languages, but also speaking about multilingualism in Europe, or the issues related to language policies, minority languages and language diversity. Eryfili continues explaining that the Interest group “can provide you with material and guidelines for the content and cool language related activities during the social programme. The main topics of the SU could be Multilingualism in Europe, courses of the local language or English, and can be adjusted to your needs and wishes!”.

You can contact them at lig@aegee.org. 

The Mediation Commission is the body that helps AEGEE in solving the disputes that may rise. After some successful sessions during NWMs, the commission decided to take them one step further having a Summer University in team management and conflict resolution. Damien Latacz, president of the Mediation Commission, says that the main topic will be “of course conflict solving, but going much deeper than what you would probably think, not just the basic workshop we all did at some point. From the differences in understanding between people and cultures, to how to react in front of conflicts and challenges. We want participants to actively think about emotions and communication. But because introspection is quite demanding… some good fun between session to relax is also needed!”. And if you are looking for yet another reason for choosing the Mediation Commission as “partner in crime” for the Summer University, Damien jokes: “Well… there would not be any trouble organizing something with us, because we would solve conflicts right away!”.

You can contact them at medcom@aegee.org. 

Acties during their team meeting

Act (Action Agenda Coordination Committee) Vice Speaker Miljana Vulevic, when asked why locals should cooperate with them answered: “Because we solemnly swear we are up to no good!”. With this Harry Potter joke premises, resisting them might seem hard, but she continues: “We are cool people, always ready to help and find a solution to whatever. Most importantly – we care. Choosing ACT means having a reliable partner willing to give its best to deliver an unforgettable, life changing SC”.  The main topic of the Summer would be project management, with a little twist: the implementation in an AEGEE context. “As complex as it sounds -Miljana says- it is a quite simple concept really! You have a “layer” of Project Management that teaches you the skills you need to create excellent projects in your local and another “layer” of introducing and discussing Focus Areas they will use as content for their projects. It is actually not a Summer Course, it is an AEGEE cake. Who says NO to a cake? Imagine all those applications!”.

You can contact them at act@aegee.org

Media and press are increasingly important in modern society, thus making more vital to have informed and prepared readers. The AEGEEan proposes local organisers to help their participants to get familiar with the journalism and writing world, by organising workshops about basic writing, editing and proofreading, about the different types of journalism, media platforms, the history of journalism and storytelling. During the leisure time some ad hoc excursions can be organised, for instance to houses of famous writers. Members of The AEGEEan will be there to help you in doing the lectures, but this can be a perfect opportunity to bond and create a network with several youth organisations that deal with press and citizen journalism.

You can contact us at aegeean@aegee.org

You can read about the other bodies you can collaborate with here.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

If you attended Autumn Agora Chișinău, you might have seen this girl with distinctive blonde curly hair and blue eyes giving you badges, running around the plenary hall and always smile to everybody. She is Ana Gancearuc, part of the core team and Incoming Responsible of the Agora. Her efforts, along with the entire team, didn’t stay unnoticed and she was nominated as our Member of the Month of October. We asked her some questions and here is the interview!

The AEGEEan: Congratulations! How does it feel to win this award?
Ana: Wow! I didn’t expect it at all, I’m pleasantly surprised and thankful for those who thought of nominating me! I feel really honoured, thank you AEGEE.

Who is Ana? What is her story in AEGEE? 
Ana has been a member of AEGEE-Chișinău since 2010, after helping organising the Summer University that year, and attended my first Agora in Istanbul, I started to understand what AEGEE is really about.
Then I continued by helping organisng many SU’s (but I had never been to a SU as a participant before), LTC’s, RTC. I was a board member in 2011 and 2015, continuing with MedCom for 2015-2016 and Autumn Agora Chișinău 2016.

What is your life besides AEGEE?
On a daily basis, I work full time for a telecommunication company, Orange Moldova, as a human resources administrator for the International Operations Department. It means that I’m doing HR work for a British telecommunication company and I love it.
Besides work, I’m trying to have a healthy lifestyle. From nutrition to exercising, activities and time outside spent wisely, I’m a runner and a swimmer, I have done a couple of marathons, and maybe one day I will get to do a triathlon – if I get to practice biking more often [She laughs, ed.].

Describe your personality by using the initials of your name(s).
Oh that’s a good one! I don’t know, maybe the following:
Ambitious
Nice
Altruist

You worked a lot for Autumn Agora Chișinău. What was the best moment? What was the most difficult thing you experienced?
It was a lot of work, indeed. And I took the Agora very personally, maybe because being a member for six years now,  I had never thought we would have the chance to organise an Agora in my hometown. I had to do my best and give it all for a successful event. It was my sixth Agora and I had seen how other events were organised before, how tired and exhausted the organisers were from previous events, but never stopped smiling or helping when needed. I knew from the very beginning what I was stepping into, when I accepted to be part of the core team and to be the Incoming Responsible of the Agora.

The best moment was seeing people happy about the event, their unconditional love and support meant a lot for me. The hardest moment(s) were the sleepless nights. I didn’t even know which day it was and for me, Agora passed so fast that it seemed like one long day.

Are you happy about the results and proud of them? Would you change anything, looking back?
I am very happy about the results of my team, my dear local antenna and all the organisers from the All Stars Team that did a great job!
If I would change anything… I don’t think we had major incidents, but if I would change anything, I would maybe like to have had less tension if possible, and I would have loved to have more sunny warm days, but we can’t control that unfortunately. Overall I’m happy about everything and I would do it all over again. It’s post Agora nostalgia!

You recently finished your one year term as Mediation Commissioner. How was the experience? What did you learn?
It was a great experience with a great team on board. As a Mediation Commissioner, you see things from a more inside point of view and you have a better opportunity to perceive things. I can not reveal much, but I think I grew a lot by learning about the situations, issues or conflicts that occur in AEGEE. As an advisor and mediator you have to come up with the best solutions and at the same time not interfere with a personal thought or idea (as mediator you have to stay neutral).

Name one good thing and one bad thing about AEGEE.
Good: AEGEEans, it is because of them that I am still a member of this amazing association.
Bad: Time. We need to allocate proportionate time in order for it to work actively, productive. When you are a student, you can divide your time perfectly, in my opinion. Once you are employed full time, unfortunately you have much less free time and other priorities take over. But that should not be an excuse or a bad thing after all, many of us can combine both just fine and we have many good examples of that in AEGEE.

If you could change anything in the association, what would it be?
At the Agora, I saw many AEGEEans, who weren’t informed at all about what an Agora is and what their responsibilities are as a delegate. Many of them were emailing the incoming team, asking them to explain them their duties as a delegate or what Agora is. It would be very good if each board that is elected in every local, enlighten themselves about everything that is happening in our association, what it is, what we do and why, and then inform their members who go to big events to represent their local. Perhaps more trainings about it, regional training coursed with their elected NetCommie or different exchange workshops where more experienced members can share their knowledge with the newbies.
There’s always something to work on, especially when AEGEEans are elected for different AEGEE positions. New brilliant minds make changes and bring something new and fresh to the association, and I respect that a lot.

What are your future plans for AEGEE?
That is a tough one.
Before Agora Chișinău I was 100% sure that after the event, I would resign from AEGEE and let the youngsters take control over the local. For now, I would prefer to stay aside and perhaps participate here and there in some events. I found an interesting training for this winter and I might go if I get selected. Maybe I will attend one more Agora, the one in Enschede. It’s just that I love the Netherlands and it’s a great opportunity to go back there, especially because Dutchies are great organisers. I can confirm that after participating in the EPM in Leiden this year.
I’d like to focus more on my career and personal life for now, but I’m always available if my antenna or AEGEE-Europe needs me.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

During the Agorae, there are many candidatures for elected offices, for which you can vote. It is expected that the delegates of the Agora have been properly instructed about who they can vote for, and why these functions are important to AEGEE. Nevertheless, two out of every five participants of the Agora have never been to one before, and AEGEE is a large and multifaceted organisation that can be hard to dissect. That is why we have a short list of all the candidatures for all the functions that could theoretically be voted for at the Agora. So, here is something you can share with everyone who would like to refresh his or her memory of what they are actually voting for.

Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the Agora and EPM

The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are two vital people at an Agora and EPM in order to streamline the event. Telling everyone when everything is happening, how long everyone can talk, when everyone can ask questions and to whom, and moreover, they are crucial to prevent a cacophony or even a complete derailment of the meeting. Without a (vice-)chairperson, these meetings might very well take ten times longer, while accomplishing the exact same thing.

Member of the Audit Commission

The members of the Audit commission help by checking the bookkeeping of AEGEE-Europe, and locals of AEGEE, and that of Working Groups, and even of events that are hosted by AEGEE-Europe. To top that, they also need to approve the financial reports of all these aforementioned institutions, except for locals. So, if you ever had to fill in a financial report, it was, in part, for these guys.

If you think these financial detectives are finally done after checking and approving  all of this, you’d be wrong. Afterwards, they need to present all of their findings at each Agora, for which there isn’t, as of yet, any reimbursements for their travel costs.

Member of the Mediation Commission

The Mediation Commission, formerly the Members Commission, is basically like your old primary school councellor on steroids. They are mediators, as the name suggests, between any people or bodies of AEGEE, should this be necessary, and, when they mediate, they can also give requested or unrequested advise.

However, what many members may not realise, is that they are also part of the juridical branch of AEGEE; chiefly operating as its judges. Instead of mediating a dispute, they are also allowed to settle it. In extreme cases this can result to the suggestion of disciplinary sanctions as draconic as the expulsion of an entire local from the network. In short, just like for any other function, it is pretty important to elect the right people for this job.

Member of the Network Commission

At first glance, the Network Commission might seem like that collection of big umbrellas under the even bigger umbrella of the CD; a sort of ‘super board’ of your local and its neighbouring ones. The NetCom actually has mostly to do with communication, furthering cooperation between, and giving support to locals.

The Network Commission was established at Autumn Agora Athina approximately twenty years ago, because by then, AEGEE had become so large that it had become hard to organise it as efficiently as in the decade before. Imagine that, if AEGEE did not decide to create the NetCom, nowadays all of its almost two hundred locals had to be managed and supported by a single person; the Network Director of AEGEE-Europe.

The Network Commission takes a vital role, as each of its members supports only a handful of locals, and thus becomes an important link between the locals themselves and AEGEE(-Europe) as a whole. The decision to break the network down into smaller, more manageable bits  in 1996, allowed it to continue efficiently. It, furthermore, allowed the CD to be reduced that same year from twelve to only nine people. For an ever expanding network, it is important for the NetCom to remain functioning.

Member of the Summer University Coordination Team

The Summer University Coordination Team, or SUCT in short, is pretty much exactly what you would picture, when hearing its name: it is a team of four people who coordinate the Summer Universities. There are a lot of intricate details about the responsibilities of the SUCT, but to keep things simple, one can say that the SUCT is a necessary hub that can aid, advise, encourage, and oversee all teams that are going to organise Summer Universities.

The importance of the SUCT also comes from other factors, such as the fact that the Summer Universities are, currently, one of the most, if not, the most significant recruitment events of AEGEE. Another factor, that ties into this, is the programme of the SUs. Summer Universities can fall victim of becoming ‘cheap holidays’, and students could only join AEGEE as a ‘necessary evil’ to go on this ‘cheap holiday’, without the intention of trying anything else in AEGEE. Members of the SUCT, therefore, always have to remain vigilant that the programmes of the Summer Universities include life changing experiences that contribute to the vision of AEGEE, without being boring or losing popularity.

Secretary General of AEGEE-Europe

The role Secretary General, however, might not be what you thought at first glance; at least, if you imagined it as the highest executive office of the Union of Europtimistic AEGEE Locals. The tasks of the Secretary General can most easily be explained by comparing it to the tasks of your local’s secretary; taking minutes, keeping the archive, be present at board meetings, etcetera. Except for that fact, this secretary is also the secretary of the board that represents the entire association. Hence the suffix ‘general’, in order to clarify that it is the secretary with the highest function.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

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