The Charlemagne Youth Prize is a honorable prize that is awarded each year to youth projects in Europe for their added value to society. AEGEE is not a stranger to the prize, having been awarded several times before, for example for Europe on Track in 2013. AEGEE-Valletta won the national edition of the Charlemagne Youth Prize for their European Planning Meeting (EPM) the following year.AEGEE-Sofia presented the Night of Seven Antennae (N7A) this year and won the first step, the national one. We asked some questions to Ivaylo Bogomilov, the main organiser of the N7A in Sofia.

The AEGEEan: How did it feel to win the national competition of the Charlemagne Youth Prize?

Ivaylo: If I may tell you the truth, it was great stress till the last moment. Everything that you are expecting is really bad, you have this feeling of impatience, but this time it was even worse, because it was not just AEGEE-Sofia’s project, there were six more locals involved – Aachen, Bergamo, Catania, Eskişehir, Kyïv and Leiden. So after a long time of waiting (at least for us), on a Monday, AEGEE-Sofia got the email that we were the winners. It was really great! I was in Catania and I got the information first, so I called everyone to tell them that we won. It was really amazing, I cannot describe it with words. Maybe one of the best moments was when Kristalina Georgieva (Vice-President of the European Commission and the European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources ) shared the news of winning the National Prize and said that she was proud that in Europe and in Bulgaria there are such youth organisations as AEGEE.

Describe the Night of Seven Antennae, the project you submitted.

The “Night of the Seven Antennae” project was a live streamed conference on the 18th of April 2015 that connected seven simultaneous events happening in seven different parts within and outside the European Union, providing the participants of the event with a five-hour-long live steam, where they could discuss and share relevant findings of their respective three-day conferences focusing on the topic: Europe in me – me in Europe.

The topic of the event in Sofia was “Europe needs youth!”. For three days, Sofia became the place where young people had the opportunity to explore their daily life habits and contributions to society. The event gathered a lot of Bulgarian youth organisations, young people from all around Europe, informal and youth groups, which had the chance to talk about the world, in which they live and of which they dream, and to share for which kind of Europe they would fight for. The event gave an opportunity for discussions with decision-makers, stakeholders, with leaders in youth and  the NGOs sector. The event not only shows structured dialogue in practice, but also shows the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle.

The Night of Seven Antenna was a precious initiative, what was the best moment of it?

For sure the N7A was an amazing event. As a main organiser from AEGEE-Sofia, I know how much effort all locals put in to realise the event. So, there were a lot of amazing moments; it will be really hard to mention just one. The most memorable moment for me was 10 minutes before the live stream, we had to do tests for sound and camera and everything – I remembered how my heart was beating. However, the worst was that our participants were still not at the place where the live stream would take place, because they were running late from the sports tournament. But three minutes before the live stream, everyone was there, so in the end everything went well. [He smiles, ed.]

Still the impact of the event was really great, so I hope that we will not stop expanding on its success. In the Europe, that we are living in now, we need more events like The Night of Seven Antennae, just to remember what Europe is all about.

When will be the final selection? Is someone going to Aachen?

It will be from 2nd till 5th of May and there will be a whole three-day-program in Aachen. I heard that on the last night the party will be organised by AEGEE-Aachen, because they are the best at this. The awarding ceremony will be on the 3rd of May, so be prepared to cross your fingers.

It is really a pity, but only one person can go as the official, representing Bulgaria. But I know that a lot of AEGEE people from all over Europe will come for the award ceremony.

What are the new projects of AEGEE-Sofia?

We have a lot of plans for new projects. For now we know that we will have an amazing Travel Summer University  (Bulgaria: Lost in Time and Space), also two Local Training Courses and we will again organise our local forum, “The Egg”. If you still did not hear about it, last year we won the award for best youth project in Bulgarian, given by the Ministry of Education and science. As for the other projects, we will keep them secret, at least for now [he winks, ed.].

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

April was a very busy month full of different events, from Agora Asturias to the N7A. This month’s winner for the the Most ACTive Local of the Month is AEGEE-Sofia! Sofia was one of the 7 antennas that has organized N7A and proved, yet again, that they are an awesome antenna. They have contributed to the two Focus Areas: Spreading Europtimism and Civic Education by organizing different discussions, one of them was “Why Europe needs youth?, to promotion of the healthy and sustainable lifestyle and active participation among young people. We spoke to Vesela Gerganska, Public Relations Responsible of AEGEE-Sofia to find out more about what they did and what are their plans!

First of all, congratulations! ​As we would like to get to know this month’s winner, could you tell us a bit more about your local?
Vesela: AEGEE-Sofia is not a big local, but it is like a family to most of its members. The antenna was established in the beginning of the 1990s. In 1992 the local became part of the Network of AEGEE- Europe and ever since that moment, the number of members varies between 30 and 50 people. This mostly depends on the time of the year. Usually, the peak period, when most of the members are extremely active, is just before the Summer Universities start. We have around 10-15 active to members. I’m glad to say that in the past year and a half we got some new members who demonstrated their motivation and devotion to AEGEE since day one. It’s hard to define the exact number of activities that we organise every year. We have both local and European activities and events every year.

​You ​were one of the seven locals that ​​organised the Night of the Seven Antennae, which is also the reason you were chosen as ​the ACTive Local of the Month. Can you tell us a bit more about ​your event?

The event was held between the 16th and 19th of April. Our participants got to spend four amazing days in Sofia and share their thoughts, opinions and views with young Bulgarians. The programme of the event was divided into three parts and included various discussions on topics concerning the youth and its role in the changing processes in Europe, sport activities (football competition) and social events. The discussions were held at the National Student House and gave local young people, members of other Bulgarian non-governmental organisations, to interact with local decision makers, members of Sofia municipality and representatives from AEGEE-Europe and Association des Amis de Frank Biancheri. I’d say that the moment that everyone appreciated the most was the livestreaming and the talks with the other six antennae. The seven antennae were able to share their experience and findings from the event.

​Why did you decide to organize this activity​?
The decision to apply as one of the hosts of the celebration of the 30th Anniversary was initially made by the previous board members, but the execution of the project was done by the new one. One of the main reasons was the fact that AEGEE-Sofia wanted to organise something that would be important for the young people; something meaningful, something that could be inspiring, and different from the previous events and projects. The Night of the Seven Antennae was a great opportunity to promote the concepts and beliefs of AEGEE and to spread the AEGEE spirit among as many young people as possible. Not to mention that the main aim was to repeat the events from 1986 which led to historical changes.

What was the result of your activity?
The results of the event were quite impressive. Although the ratio between Bulgarian and international participants was in favor of the host country, all of the discussions were productive. During the World Café, where the participants were asked to interact with local people in the city centre, many ideas were generated. The final findings and conclusions are about to be summarised in a document.

​Why do you think the Action Agenda is important to the Network, and what would you say to another local that is thinking about organising something related to the Action Agenda?
We share the opinion that the Action Agenda is of a great importance for the development and future improvement of the work in the Network. Moreover, the Action Agenda supports the implementation of the Strategic Plan and makes the activities more structured and united in specific thematic groups according to the Strategic Plan. Consequently, the locals can find many useful ideas for their events or activities in the Action Agenda Guidelines.The previous good experience and the practices could be used as a benchmark or baseline for future projects.

Do you have any other big plans for the upcoming months​?
Many things have been planned for the upcoming months but the most important one is the Travel Summer University that we’re organising with AEGEE-Niš – Balkan Beats. Almost all of the active members are focused and working on this event.

AEGEE-Sofia has certainly shown to the Network that it can be an example to other locals. What would you say to other locals that want to be as awesome as you? 
A couple of months ago, a guest speaker at my University gave a lecture about business and success. The lady, Sarah Hall, said many things but one sentence is still in my head and I think it’s completely relevant to the “awesomeness” that you mentioned. She said: “You become what you believe!” Therefore, I think every local can be as awesome as its members believe and want it to be. The key factor here is the team and its spirit. If you believe in something – you can do it! For sure there are many other awesome locals but they still don’t believe it.  Some advices that might be of a use…someday:

1. Push yourself further than your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.
2. If you need help – just ask. AEGEE is a family and family is always there to help!
3. Think big – the greatest ideas are usually outside of the familiar box.
4. If you have great ideas but, nobody takes you serious – try to deliver this idea like the others came up with it (never give up on your ideas!) Then you need just few people to support you and the idea can be turned into reality.
5. Communicate with your team! All the time! And say ‘thank you’.
6. Every experience can be useful and used as a baseline for future projects or events.
7. Don’t forget – you (the local) have the potential to make dreams come true!

Which sentence would describe your local and your event?
There is nothing impossible!

Written by Silvija Perić, AEGEE-Zagreb

AEGEE-Eskişehir was created in 2001 and since then they haven’t stopped being active. They have organised a Balkans Regional Meeting, an Agora and other thematic events, but they also organised Summer Universities and hosted Network Meetings. The Night of the Seven Antennae event in April was one of the reason that they are elected Local of the Month. Do you want to learn more about AEGEE-Eskişehir? Read below!

AEGEEan: Tell us a little bit about the history of your local.
AEGEE-Eskişehir: AEGEE-Eskişehir joined the AEGEE network during Agora Ankara 2001 and has a long tradition of organising events that are open to all AEGEE-members. For example, in 2002 we organised a Balkans Regional Meeting. In 2005 we organised our second biggest event called “What is Europe,” an event on what Europe exactly entails and the role of Turkey during the membership dialogue between Turkey and EU. Furthermore, from 2007 to 2010 AEGEE-Eskişehir uninterruptedly organised Information Technology Schools for AEGEE-Eskişehir members. In 2007 close to 1000 Europeans participated in the Agora that took place in our city. Finally, in 2008 and 2009 we organised the largest thematic events in our history so far: our ‘Disabled People Project Team’ organised the ‘Empathy Days’ – after four years of local success the ‘Empathy days’ were included in the 2013 European Boards Meeting in Valletta.
In addition, we organized Summer Universities, hosted Network Meetings, and are having weekly meetings every Wednesday with a focus on thematic topics. The weekly meeting is organised under a democratic system in which every member (no matter his function or previously hold functions) has the same amount of speaking time.

“AEGEE-Eskişehir is the Local of the Month”. How does this feel?
It feels good to be the antenna of the Month. We worked very hard this year and we all had to make a lot of sacrifices as board members. Also our members worked hard. And I think this is a boost for everyone in the organisation.

How many members does AEGEE-Eskişehir have right now and how many are active?
We have over 150 members and approximately 60 of them are active right now. Our weekly meetings usually include 40 to 50 people.

One of the reasons for your election as Local of the Month was the organisation of the Night of the Seven Antennae. How did the idea to organise it come about?
As board members of AEGEE-Eskişehir, our first aim was to make our local more active and well known in Europe. Thanks to Evrim (one of the board members) and her contacts in AEGEE-Europe we heard and learned about the project. Night of the Seven Antennae was an event unique too all AEGEE members and it was the best option for us to achieve our aim of spreading our reputation. We wanted to be part of this piece of history. That is why we decided to participate in this splendid event. We were lucky because the whole Eskişehir family came together and worked hard, we had an amazing organisation team. And, of course, we should be thankful for the Anniversary Team to give us this chance too.

What was the best thing about organising the event?
The best thing was that everything we wanted to organise was realised as we wanted it. We didn’t really had any big problems during the organisation of this event. And that makes an event always, especially if you’re part of the organising team, much more fun. We also got a lot of positive reactions about the connection to the rest of Europe within this event. I think that is what made this event so memorable.

What are the next plans of your local?
Actually, we were a candidate for the Agora which was held in Oviedo. We weren’t chosen, but of course this wasn’t the only event we were planning on. We have a thematic project ‘Feel Europe’ which aims to take prejudices about Europe and Europeans away from Turkish youth. The project has two steps. At the beginning, the content will be prepared for university students and people who are living in Eskişehir. Then, we intend to spread all those reflections, all around our country. Furthermore, we are organising a Summer University again this year. The name of this year’s Summer University is ‘The Unexpected Green Journey TSU’. We will welcome our participant with the natural beauties of Anatolia. It will happen between the 2nd and the 16th of July and there is still a chance to apply because offered places through open calls. Also, we are in contact with AEGEE-Lviv about an upcoming Exchange Project.

How do you imagine your antenna in a year?
We like to imagine ourselves as a local that is very strong on thematic topics and projects. And at the moment we are working hard, and are close too, achieving that goal. Also, on both the European and the local level we would like to see an increase in active members.

Tell us something that we don’t know about AEGEE-Eskişehir!
You know nothing AEGEEan Journalist… In our humble view, we have the best mascot of AEGEE. People don’t easily forget about Masagor after meeting him.

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Sofia/Thessaloniki

Rather often, the Member of the Month is someone the whole association has seen and heard about already. This might not necessarily be the case with our newest Member of the Month, Damien Latacz, a Frenchman from AEGEE-Aachen. He became a member less than a year ago, but already participated in many events. He is a member of his local’s board, was one of the main organisers of the Night of the Seven Antennae and is already famous for traveling Europe as much as his limited time allows. Read more about him in this interview!

The AEGEEan: Damien, please introduce yourself, your studies and your most famous character traits.
Damien: Hello, my name is Damien Latacz, 26 year old French guy now living in Germany for the last two years. I am doing a double master: metallurgical engineering in Aachen where I live and process engineering in France where my university was kind enough to let me go away. I am quite a cheerful person, and probably a bit annoying too!
I have two passions which are cooking and hiking. I spend hours every day trying new recipes and techniques. And every year I spend weeks alone in the mountains in my tent, preferably in winter because I love snow!

When and why did you become a member of AEGEE?
I became a member last June because one good friend of mine was in the board and told me it was fun. So I went to the weekly meeting to check it out, and it was indeed great. I had the opportunity to be a helper for our Summer University (SU) a few weeks after, which was a good way to get involved quickly.

Was it a surprise to you when you got the information that you were elected Member of the Month?
Yes! I thought you had to be already quite famous to be elected. But I am really happy, it is a real motivation boost.

Being quite a new member, you nevertheless were already active both on local and European level. What gave you the motivation to become so active?
Well, I like meeting new people, talking with them, sharing our points of view. It is the best way to improve yourself and discover something new. And I also love to organise events, there is always something challenging, something you have never done before, and you need to understand it and adapt.

And on the European level you have a chance to discover a new culture, another way of doing things, and you can have a voice in AEGEE. It’s not often that you get a chance to say what you think and try to improve your world on a scale as large as AEGEE.

It might be frightening sometimes, but it’s a rare opportunity, and that’s what gives me motivation: facing something challenging and just thinking “Okay, let’s do it!”.

You are a board member and even the Vice President. What exactly are your tasks in the board of AEGEE-Aachen?
My official position is Internal Relations and Vice President. We have Working Groups in Aachen, they do a lot of work. Part of my job is to help them and make sure they have everything they need, but at the same time make sure they follow the general goals of our association, which is a bit tricky sometimes. But in the last months I also spent a lot of time planning the Night of the Seven Antennae, now I can focus again on improving the structure of our local.

You were one of the main organisers of the Night of the Seven Antennae. What did you like best about the event?
When we knew we were one of the organising locals, we were really happy. For me the event was a bit of everything: celebrating the birthday of AEGEE, debating about our future in Europe, sharing our vision with other cities. I love the fact that it is possible to do an event that includes all of it.

We also had some really interesting speakers in Aachen, from the European Parliament for example. That’s what I liked the most, and I hope the participants did too: having the opportunity to talk face to face with these people, and just sharing our ideas even if we come from two different worlds.

Where there any obstacles during the planning process or the event itself? How did you manage to overcome them?
Oh, there were a lot of obstacles! And planning an event where seven cities spread across Europe have to gather at some point is not easy. What should we do? When? And of course how can we do such a live-stream?

But we managed it because we worked all together. All seven organisers talked a lot and we helped each other a lot during the previous months.

I think the key is not being afraid to ask for help or to take decisions even if it is risky. At some point it doesn’t matter what people may think of you, you just have to try.

What was your best AEGEE related experience so far?
My best AEGEE experience was for sure organising the birthday dinner of AEGEE-Aachen. It is nothing extraordinary but the atmosphere was amazing. 40 people from Aachen and some friends from other antennae were there. Of course I didn’t cook everything all by myself, I had some amazing cooks helping me, but sharing my passion with them, and watching everybody having fun, laughing and even dancing… It was really pure joy for me!

How often can someone expect to see you wearing a polar bear suit?
Not that often actually. I prefer wearing my usual French styled outfit and hugging the polar bears around me. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should: best hug ever!

What would you say to someone who has never heard about AEGEE concerning becoming a member?
Whatever you want to do, there is a place for you in AEGEE. If you like to organise events, if you want to change Europe because you don’t like the way it is, or if you just want to drink a beer with some new people, you can find it in AEGEE.

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

AEGEE-Catania’s Summer University (SU) was elected as the best SU during Autumn Agora Cagliari, but that, for sure, does not mean this Sicilian antenna’s work is done. Not at all actually, because the local is on fire with a Network Meeting (NWM), another Summer University and contribution to the upcoming Night of the Seven Antennae. We spoke to Alfio Koshimanu Bonaccorsi, Main Organiser of the NWM, to find out more about the secrets of this local and their upcoming events.

The AEGEEan: Why did you apply to organize the NWM? When did the idea start?

Alfio: Well, we applied for the previous Autumn NWM, but the network was asking for a meeting in North Italy after many in the south, so we had to wait for Spring 2015 to host this event. We applied because we are proud to be part of the Rainbow and to give its members a great event of reunion. Plus, everyone was asking for an event in Catania, aside from a SU, so here it is!

Who will be responsible for the organisation?

I will be the Main Organiser, but I have a great team of twenty people, including the former and present presidents, Antonio and Elisa.

When will the NWM take place and how many participants will be there?

From the 12^th until the 15^th of March. We started with 45 places, but we extended it to 50 due to the high number of applications.

Do you already have plans for the NWM?

The sessions are fixed by the Network Commission (NetCom), but in the free time we will show some of the icebreaking games and activities that make our SU events so unforgettable. Plus, the participants will have a special dinner, they do not know about yet! And of course, European Night!

You are also organising a Summer University again. What is the plan for your SU, and how do you manage to combine the SU with the preparation for the NWM?

This year we are going to take a risk. We are going to change our winning theme and challenge ourselves again. We are going for a Mythology theme, because Sicily is an island full of myths and legends. The coordination will be difficult, but the team is already active for the SU and we will have our first meeting on the 1^st of February!

What are your secret plans to become the best SU for the fourth time?

Changing the theme and the content of our SU is a risky decision, but it will also give the old and experienced members new energy and enthusiasm. Furthermore, every year we improve something based on our participants feedback, and this year will be no exception.

Next to the NWM and SU, you also signed up to organise the Night of the Seven Antennae. How do you plan to combine these big events?

Fortunately, the NWM and 30^th Anniversary both take place in a weekend and both have sessions that will be hosted in university halls. We are creating a great team to manage both of them, keeping some things similar (lodging, meals, session rooms) to make things easier.

Why should people come to Catania for one of your events?

The applications for the NWM have already closed, but you can apply for the Night of the Seven Antennae event soon. It is a good chance to visit us, to discover this magic city among the volcano and the sea and find out why we organise such unforgettable events. I think it is a great combination of European timing and organisation (every detail is very important), and Sicilian warmth and friendliness. Oh, and we will sleep in a bed and breakfast, so we have real beds, that is important, too!

Do you have any other big events coming up that AEGEEans should not miss?

The Night of the Seven Antennae from 17^th until 19^th of April, the Summer University from the 7^th until the 18^th of August and another secret project for next autumn! Catania is thinking big. We are very optimistic about the present and future.

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen