The upcoming Agora is a place where a new generation of NetCommies is going to be elected. The Network Commission has always been one of the most crucial Commission we had in our Network, but now maybe even more than ever. Celia believes she is motivated enough and ready to take the job. She would like to lead by example her assigned locals, pushing them to fulfill the Antenna Criteria and getting stronger.

The AEGEEan: Who are you? For what do we know you?

Celia: To define myself there are some aspects that I consider essential.
First of all, talking about me inside AEGEE I have been a member of AEGEE-Zaragoza since 2013 and I am active from the beginning. Currently, I am president of this antenna and also subcommissioner of the Network Commission. Additionally, I collaborate with the Gender Equality Interest Group.
Secondly, I consider myself as a hurricane of energy, I love doing always new things and getting engaged with new projects. I am a tidy and responsible girl, but at the same time, I have a lot of creativity and a pinch of craziness, I love enjoying every moment of my life.
Last but not least, as many members of AEGEE, I love travelling and meeting new people and new cultures around the world.

Describe your ideal leader. Is a Netcommie a leader? Why? How can you be that leader you described?

In my opinion, a leader has to be an example to follow, a role model, a person who knows how to develop strategies to achieve common a goal making everyone feel involved and working on the things they are best on. I think a leader is also a person willing to receive feedback and continuously making the team grow.
A Netcommie then has many similarities with this definition: I believe it’s important to be willing to listen to its team and to the different locals. It’s crucial to have great teamwork to bear in mind all the opinions and feelings of the team members trying to get everyone on board, feeling comfortable and heard in every moment.
In my case, I consider myself a person open to feedback and to work within a team. Along these years in AEGEE I have worked in a team in several occasions as leader (being president or main organiser of events for instance) feeling comfortable and trying to get better little by little.

What are the NetCom projects you are more interested to contribute to? Why?

If I have to choose one, I would choose the Mentorship system. I think it’s always very interesting to be able to learn from other locals and to put people in touch so that they can share their experiences and anecdotes. In this way they can develop stronger bonds among locals and learn from each other. Related to this, I would want to work on a Toolkit for contacts to make it more accessible for people interested in founding an antenna to achieve what they want in every moment.

What do you think about the Antenna Criteria Reform introduced at Agora Enschede? Would you like to change something?

In my opinion the Antenna Criteria Reform has been a great method to make the Antenna Criteria more adequate to the reality of the locals. I think this is the kind of revisions that should be carried out constantly getting adapted to the needs of the locals so they don’t become a barrier for the locals to grow but a method to make them stronger. Antenna Criteria currently don’t reflect the needs of the locals and therefore I would not want just to check if all the locals have everything done but also to get to know the reasons behind an antenna not accomplishing them. This would allow me to help them grow and get stronger.

In the Network Status Update email that the Network received some days ago, there were many locals in danger, would you like to comment this? How will you work to change this situation?

It’s truly sad to see that many antennae are in risk to be downgraded but I am aware of the huge work that some people are doing in order to avoid that. I trust in the work of the Network Commission to improve the situation every time and help locals to get developed. With the collaboration of the subcommies, I would like to have a permanent contact with the locals and get more approachable to them to understand fully their needs. This would help us not just to make sure the Antenna Criteria are followed but also to motivate the local to work in the right direction. Many times, antennae don’t fully understand antenna criteria work or which are the AC they have to fulfill. There could be a project to be implemented all along the network to explain properly what AC are, which one each antenna should fulfill and more importantly, how to fulfill them. There could be a very visual manual containing links to forms, KT documents explaining things in details, etc.

In your programme you say that you would like to bring the AEGEE Bodies closer to the members, but the strategy you proposed seems the other way around: to bring the members closer to the AEGEE Bodies. Can you tell us something you would do in order to bring the AEGEE bodies closer to the members?

Actually I think both are important. On the one hand, it’s crucial to allow members to know the European Bodies, what do they work on, how they can get in touch with each other, to show they are friendly and they are willing to help. On the other hand, it’s also very important to work with different European Bodies to be able to help the locals in any issue they may find. As Network Commissioner, I would want to count on the support of the European Bodies and to be able to work with them. To put them in touch I would want them to collaborate not just at NWM but also at LTCs or RTCs for instance.

To ensure continuity and stability, among the other things, you wrote that you would like to continue the projects made by “La Nave” locals called “Connecting Locals” and “Local of the Month”. What would you do to ensure continuity if “La Nave” locals won’t be assigned to you?

All the projects carried out in La Nave locals could be easily transferable to any other local. Having the experience of being Alejandra’s subcommie, I would be able to take those and apply them into the reality of the specific locals or even to the whole Network.
It would also motivate other Netcommies to continue and implement these projects.

Describe the features of “the perfect NetCommie”.

First of all, I would want to emphasise that it would have to be a friendly person, open to new ideas, to receive feedback, to include changes and to improve for the Network. Additionally, I think this perfect NetCommie would have to be a hard worker and proactive person open to try new things, learn from mistakes and not fearing to make new mistakes by changing for the better

How would you like to support the CD in your daily work?

I think it’s important to work in close relation with the CD as they are also aware of the Network status and they are a great source of ideas and information which is very convenient for the work of the Netcom team.
I also like the Netcom-CD pair system that is already in play and I would want to keep it as I think it’s a great way of working together having two European bodies in touch. Furthermore, I want to work closely with the CD to organise the NWMs together with the team of subcommies and the hosting local in order to have a fruitful and nice cooperation. I think it’s also very important to bring closer the work of the CD to the locals and make more visible what they do and how friendly they are to help in any issue the members may have.

Why would we need to vote for you?

One of the most important things I think it’s needed for any position you run for is the motivation and, that, I have way more than enough!
I’m willing to start to work in this new adventure and face the new challenges it brings me. Every time I take any responsibility, I fight until the last moment and I do whatever is in my hand to achieve my objectives. I can’t imagine giving up or not doing my best every day. I would like to bring this motivation to the rest of the team to be able to have a nice working atmosphere and to coordinate plenty of project helping the locals every time. I love helping and being in touch with people, understanding the different cases and trying to empathise, giving always my help and my hand for anything that´s needed. I’m a real doer and I love getting really involved to solve all different sort of challenges!

You can read her full candidature here.

Written by Lisa Gregis, AEGEE-Bergamo

Do you remember the very first time you went to an Agora, and how overwhelmed you probably felt at all the new experiences, new people and new knowledge? Or are you going to your first Agora and curious to find out what will happen? The Agora Mentorship project is here to help you out!

Have you ever wondered why some participants at Spring Agora Enschede 2017 had an “i” icon or a graduation hat on their badges? Well, those were mentors (“i” icon) and mentees (graduation hat icon), participating in the first re-launch of the Agora Mentorship project. Through this project, AEGEEans who were going to their first Agora were coupled with an experienced Agora participant, who could guide them through the chaos we call our general assembly.

Interesting idea, but did it actually work? If we look at the evaluation answers, yes! For the question: “Would you recommend the Agora Mentorship project to others, for example new members in your local?”, 100% of the people said yes, and a large majority (84,4% to be more precise) wanted to participate (and is now participating) in a future edition again too as a mentor.

In the very first edition, 27 mentors took care of 63 mentees, and for Autumn Agora Catania 2017, we are back with 32 mentors and 64 mentees. A good reason to continue this growing project, which is organised by the Human Resources Committee (HRC) again after having its first edition during Spring Agora Asturias 2015, and another edition at Autumn Agora Kyïv 2015.

At Spring Agora Enschede 2017, the project was then officially re-established, and plans to continue in the future also thanks to the incredible hard work of Svenja van der Tol, Andrea Schmelz, Sonia Della Sala, Lyda Michopoulou, and Patrycja Figarska.

The re-launched version of the Agora Mentorship project mainly consists of:

1. Mentor-mentees couples or groups consisting of one mentor and up to four mentees, according to the mentors’ availability.
2. The Agora for Newbies session, which is held in the shape of an Agora simulation.
3. Online preparation of participants via Facebook page through explanatory posts.
4. Live and online helpdesk during the Agora, meant to answer all doubts and questions. The live helpdesk is available during lunch and coffee breaks, while the online helpdesk can be reached through chat on the HRC Facebook page during plenaries.

Missed your chance to apply this time? Stay tuned for Spring Agora Kraków 2018, where we will prove that three times is a charm!

If you want to know more about HRC and have doubts about anything, please approach us during Agora at the Fair or at our Helpdesk.

Written by Sonia Della Sala, AEGEE-Salerno

Agora Mentorship, the aspiring project of the Human Resources Committee, which will be actively reintroduced during Agora Enschede, aims at making the members more aware of what is happening during the big Statutory Meeting. No more people with the “what the hell is going on” face and, hopefully, no more sleeping beauties as well.

Each Agora, we see a lot of people applying without having sometimes any clue of what is an Agora and get easily lost or with the rather confusing AEGEE “slang” that is frequently used, such as “CIA”, “Prytanium”, “proposal”. With the Agora Mentorship System, we dream to make the Agora (especially if it is the first one) a little bit less scary and confusing, enabling participants to fully enjoy and participate.

Agora Mentorship had previous versions in 2015, but now the HRC is bringing it back.  Namely because it  is one of the HRC’s most visible projects, and a perfect example of how the Human Resources Committee wants to tackle the issues AEGEEans are facing, making them more familiar with the structure of the association and preparing them into exploring their potential within it.

Agora Mentorship has had a number of different stages. As you may have already noticed we have launched open calls for mentors (meaning experienced AEGEEans with significant knowledge about the Agora and the whole organisational structure) and mentees (meaning the newcomers or the people who want to learn more and eventually become mentors during the next launch of the Project). Currently, we have 27 mentors and 62 mentees, which are grouped according to the needs expressed by the mentees.

Apart from the pairing, HRC has been working into actively preparing mentors into their demanding job by collaborating with other Bodies, as the Chair Team and the Juridical Commission. This preparation involved preparatory Hangouts/Skype meetings in which we discussed the duties they have, but also the knowledge needed to properly inform and mentor their mentees.

Besides that, we have also sent reading material to both the mentors (more advanced) and mentees (basics) to prepare themselves individually. Next to our Skypes, all mentors also had their own meetings with their mentees, varying from two-hour-long-Skypes to Facebook chat groups.

During the Agora, apart from the pairs, Agora Mentorship Project will be available for every single participant! Yes, you read it correct! We would like to thank the local organisers for supporting our idea of having a live helpdesk, meaning a place where participants can come and meet us, HRC members (during coffee breaks and lunches). Furthermore, we will also provide the possibility to ask clarifications and questions about the Agora through our online helpdesk (during plenary). Just write on our Facebook page (try not to complain about the food or the gym). Speaking of which, we have already started explaining the basics by daily posts. So be sure you pressed the like button! Last but not least, HRC members will hold the Agora for Newbies Workshop during the Agora. So if you are a fresh member, join us.

Closing this article,  we want to invite the participants of the Agora to come and meet us during the Fair or at our live helpdesk, in order not only to learn more about the Agora but also explore the possibilities and support our committee is offering to them and their locals.

Written by Elena Panagopoulou, on behalf of Human Resources Committee

The Network Commission, the commission in charge of caring about the antennae in our Network, is always trying to find new ways for locals to cooperate and grow stronger together. Locals can find their twin antenna and organise exchanges and activities together. There is also the Mentorship System, in which stronger locals can help and advise smaller ones. Lastly, there is a new app called tWinder, which places your local just one click away from the perfect couple. We asked some questions to NetCom Kristina Reshetova (AEGEE-Moskva), who is the current project manager, and former NetCom Mario Galea (AEGEE-Valletta), speaker of the Network Commission Agora Asturias-Agora Kyïv, who created the app.  

The AEGEEan: What is Twinder?
Kristina: tWinder is the matching app run by the Network Commission in order to facilitate processes of finding twin souls, mentors and also exchanges for your antennae.

How does it work?
Mario: After some fast SWOT analysis, locals can start to build their “profile” highlighting their strengths and weaknesses and what they are interested in, they send a group photo and a “pickup line”, and they submit it to the database. When a good number of lonely hearts are wandering in the database, then the Network Commission gathers over an informal video conference (because it is much funnier and more bonding than an algorithm) and starts trying to match the profiles. The ones who clearly match in what both are looking for are contacted directly (and we do not limit ourselves to only couples: the more, the merrier!). The others, who still do not match with anyone present in the database, would have their profile photo with the pickup line, some appealing strengths and availability, posted over a dedicate section of the Network Commission Facebook page, as available and looking for. In this way, other locals can swipe through these pictures and if they find someone they like, they can try to match by submitting their profile and highlighting the crush they now have. Inspired by dating sites and Tinder (which was in vogue at the moment), tWinder brings some spice to the NetCom projects and aims at bringing all locals closer to each other in a fun way, because after all, twinning, mentorship and exchanges, apart from being an opportunity for the development of the locals, are of great fun!

Why did you decide to create such a method?
Mario: As part of our work plan, as always, we wanted to promote more the NetCom projects which were obscure for most locals and difficult to get started with in general. Usually, connections are created between board members during some event, which they later expand to their respective boards and antennae, and they work to evolve it into a twinning. However, this mostly happens with the stronger locals who have lots of active members and capacities, while locals with fewer resources, who would be getting the most out of mentorship especially, find it much harder.  In fact, twinning and mentorship are like romantic relationships, and in today’s fast paced globalised life, society created alternatives for those who cannot afford an intense social life and came up with dating sites. Therefore, in a cold beginning of February 2015, with Valentine’s day looming ahead, I decided to revamp the previous unused form into a funnier and more interesting “dating site” style form which would have created a database of antennae looking for action. Since, as normal, not everyone is ready for long commitments, I decided to include also exchanges as an option, which can either be the first step leading to a more stable relationship, or can just end there, like a one night stand, leaving everyone happy.

tWinder was launched on ANNOUNCE-L early in December. How is it going? Any successful “dating” so far?
Kristina: As it was mentioned, this project was launched some time ago. For this term, I am the new Project Manager, that is why we decided to promote this awesome tool again! We got some applications and we are planning to match them in the upcoming weeks!

What is the importance of having a tWinder antenna?
Kristina: First of all, it can give you priceless experience. You will have an opportunity to exchange your knowledge and experience with another local and also learn something from them. Moreover, having a twin antenna means having a new family and the closest of friends.
Why should a local fill the form?
Kristina: To change their lives! To organise awesome events together, to learn, to share and to have fun! Who knows, maybe you will meet THAT someone through this experience?

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona