The AEGEEan recently announced the selection of two new members to the Editors team; Erika Bettin and Cosmina Bisboaca. But why did they decide to dedicate even more time to AEGEE’s official online magazine? The AEGEEan interviewed them about this exact question.

Erika at Agora Zaragoza

Erika Bettin, President of AEGEE-Venezia, has become very active in AEGEE even though being close to quitting AEGEE only a few months ago. Today she is a member of different projects such as the Culture Working Group and the Election Observation Project and her most recent position is Editor of the People section in The AEGEEan.

Cosmina Bisboaca is from AEGEE-Torino, which she joined one year ago, and has been trying many ways to get more and more active. The first thing she did in AEGEE was becoming a journalist for The AEGEEan and today she is the new editor of the European Events section.

What made you apply to become an editor?

Erika: I entered The AEGEEan team officially in late November and I tried to be as active as possible. When I saw the open call for the editor position, I was doubtful, because I was very new in the team, but I took the chance and it paid off. You know, “When I grow up” I want to do this for a living and I’m trying to grab every single opportunity to grow and make new experiences.

Cosmina: I was a journalist for one year now, so when I came to know about the vacancy I immediately decided to apply. I felt like it had to be the next step of my AEGEE experience.

Erika, what made you apply for the People’s section?

I applied for the People’s section because it is my favorite. I’m really into storytelling and I truly believe that our Network is full of inspiring stories to tell. So I’d like to implement the storytelling part, besides the Member of the Month interview. One of my dreams is to reach some of the founding members of AEGEE and some pillars of our association as well. I also have some crazy ideas about some radio podcast or video interview to include in the articles.

What do you like about being part of The AEGEEan?

Erika: If The AEGEEan would ever have an actual newsroom, it would be cozy and colorful, that’s what I like. We are a small group that works hard to deliver good articles. Unfortunately we have never met in person, but I like the fact that no matter at what time I send a message to Anna Gumbau Martinez (the Editor in Chief ed.), she’s always more than fast in answering, and so is the team.

Cosmina: Being part of such a team is great and especially rewarding. It has helped a lot to improve my knowledge about our association and to get to know more about what is happening on the European level and  what the projects, aims and values of our association are.

The strategies and ideas we discuss almost every day help us to develop not only as a team, but also to develop ourselves separately. It’s interesting to see how we sometimes disagree on things as a result of our cultural background and different ideas and how this helps us to be a stronger team than before, facing each other and discussing.

How would you like to see the team develop in general?

Cosmina: I think that more cooperation in a communicative sense and more coordination would be nice. But we are working on that as we have strengthened ourselves a lot recently.

Erika: Journalism never sleeps so I really believe that velocity in publishing is the key. Moreover I think that our Network deserves to have an official journalistic point of reference and I find, unluckily and inexplicably, that our magazine is somehow underrated. In certain periods, you always see the usual names who sign the articles so I’d love to see the team grow further.

Erika, in the People’s section there will soon be focus on the candidatures for the Agora. How will you help ensure that all candidates get the same amount of exposure?

As soon as we have all the candidate names we will surely start to approach them, to give us an interview and present them to the Network. Again, the key is the rapidity, so hopefully we will have them ready some weeks before the Agora. I will encourage journalists to have, whenever it is possible, face to face interviews with the candidates, because it’s faster than you can imagine.

Cosmina, in the European Events section there will soon be focus on preparing for the Agora Patra. How will you help ensure that participants will be well prepared for the big event?

As Erika said we will interview candidates for the Comité Directeur, Juridical Commission, Network Commission and the Secretary of the Agora. There will be information about the workshops and the AEGEE Fair. Moreover, there will be an Agora Live Coverage in cooperation with the PRESS team in order to keep those who cannot attend the Agora updated. After the Agora, we will still share information about what has been decided and what has changed.

Also in general it has been difficult to get journalists to write about European Events taking place and thereby we don’t hear about all of them. How do you think that can be changed?

Cosmina: True. This is a common block that prevents people from knowing how many awesome events are being organized around Europe. I think that just asking the participants to write an article could work, I am sure some will dare to share his/her feelings on a screen. All in all, it’s a nice way to thank the organizers for the great job they have done.

What other type of articles would you like to see published in your section?

Cosmina: Every type of European Event of course: from Network Meetings to pre-events. I would like people to focus more on what the event taught them and how the experience changed their way of perceiving AEGEE and its extended range of opportunities.

It will be interesting to see what Erika, Cosmina and the rest of the editors team will come up in the near future hopefully developing the magazine even more.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza

In my first step in AEGEE, I’ve been trampled by hordes of emotions. A laugh, a new meeting, a teaching, a strong drink from each single event we have been part of something remains firmly impressed into our hearts forever. This privilege that we members experience is as rare, as it is fragile. But honestly how could the association survive and be active for 28 years if its members were not trained about its structure, activities and projects?

To satisfy this formative necessity, AEGEE-Udine with the help of AEGEE-Treviso enthusiastically organized a Regional Training Course (RTC) opened to all the antennae of the Rainbow Network. One year after the first edition, the event was repeated in Cesclans, a peaceful village north of Udine between the hills, and thanks also to the success of the last year, it attracted the attention of many interested students from all the Italian peninsula.

Around 60 participants attended the three days course, coming from all area: from Bergamo to Rome and from Pisa to Venice. Two of them even came by plane, one from Sardinia and the other from Sicily. Fleets of new recruits poured into the embedded pearl of the Carnic pre-Alps, animated by spirit of initiative, intellectual furor and a healthy amount of madness.

Even if the prohibitive temperatures pushed us to hide in beds, workshops were a real success. Day by day trainers tried to explain as many issues as possible, answer questions  and share thoughts.

Mattia Abis (AEGGE-Cagliari), the new Network Commissioner of the Rainbow, developed topics about Event Planning and explained the possible roles and tasks in the board of a Local. Obviously, as the Sardinian Antenna was elected as location of the Autumn Agora 2014, everybody was curious to know the advice of one of the supporters of this deed.

Erika Bettin (AEGEE-Venezia), after a presentation focused on Public Relations, involved all in a striking sale of common objects, stimulating us to find new imaginative utilities. Besides that she succeeded in describing AEGEE in an hour, going over all of the opportunities that our association offers.

On the other hand, Paolo Svegli, professional coach and one of the founders of AEGEE-Udine, was controversial in describing of Human Resources. With a behavior between a pot salesman and a Tibetan monk, this man divided the audience bringing up different opinions. Although many were captured by his mission of “supporting the continuous improvement that exist in any of us, both at individual level and as association, trough methods that spand from NeuroLinguistics Programming to the principles of the total emotional integration”, many remained perplexed on the real utility of such methods since the absorption is not easy nor immediate. Anyway all of the participants followed his session with interest, increasing their self-esteem and learning some self-motivation techniques.

For sure the ones who absorbed the most the concepts, expressed in these three Friulian (the area around Udine) days, were the members of the reborn AEGEE-Verona, that through the voice of its secretary Giulia Recoaro, enthusiastically admitted that: “the RTC gave us the right amount of enthusiasm, motivation and formation to give the best contribution possible to Verona. We promise to pass all this knowledge to our members so that our antenna will grow, involving more and more people who might be able to organize an event like this!” Recognizing in these intentions the joyful trampling impulse of effort, I personally believe that the whole Network will benefit of the contribution and strength of this antenna in Verona.

Dulcis in fundo, how not to talk about the social nights: happy moments of authentic fun. Always preceded by delicious and lavish meals, prepared by two incredible women (Chiara and Patrizia, members of the welcoming antenna, who cooked for 60 people!) in a hall that shifted from conference room, to dining room, to disco, these moments gave us with more smiles and needed relaxation after days so full and challenging. The AEGEE spirit fulfilled creatures of the forest and superheroes (these were the dressing codes of two parties) and Dionysus raised the curtains on scenes of body painting since all the participants could taste wines from all over Italy on the last party, the Regional Night.

So to find a moral, as Patrizia and Chiara taught us with their cake: “the more effort you make, the sweeter is the result”.

Written by Christian Spagnol, AEGEE-Udine

The ZarAgora ended some time ago but the memories of the fantastic event organized by AEGEE-Zaragoza remain with the participants that now have returned to their respective cities. There is no doubt that, despite being a peaceful Agora and a little bit flat on content for many people, many will remember ZarAgora for the great organization by AEGEE-Zaragoza and their helpers.

The beautiful settings of the Agora

Wednesday October 30th, 2013: AEGEE members gathered outside of the Congress Palace of Zaragoza (Palacio de Congresos) eager to get in and register their participation for the Autumn Agora 2013. A beautiful building where participants had it all in one place: delicious meals, the magnificient plenary hall, workshop rooms and the gym to sleep. As explained in a previous interview with the Fundraising (FR) responsible of the Agora, Ángela Campos, this particular place was the one where AEGEE-Zaragoza wanted to organize the Agora from the beginning and it is easy to understand why. Located next to the Ebro river, in the beautiful area that was constructed for the world Expo that took place in Zaragoza in 2008 and close to the center of the city, this palace made sure that participants had everything close. It was easy to arrive from the bus/train station, there was no need to wake up early in the morning to catch a bus to the place of the pleanaries and it is certain that participants enjoyed this gift of some extra sleep comparing it previous Agorae.

Sara Alcolea and Pablo Ruiz (AEGEE-Zaragoza) at the opening ceremony

As all statutory events, the Agora kicked off with a marvellous opening ceremony hosted by AEGEE-Zaragoza members Sara Alcolea and Pablo Ruiz, where the participants got to see the beauties of the city they had arrived to in a video. There were also several people that had messages for the participants of ZarAgora. To name a few, the AEGEE members present received a message from the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, both in a video as well as in a message given by the Liaison Officers towards the UN.

The President of AEGEE-Europe, Luis Alvarado Martínez. also opened the Agora in a speech where he emphasized the importance of the European youth and how the future has to be affected through raising our voices and striving to be heard and have an impact at the same time! To entertain the participants there was also a musical show as well as a performance by the folklore dancers of Orgullo Aragonés that brought smiles on many people’s lips; especially when serenading the speaker of Network Commission, Antonija Parat.

Organizers and helpers

With the hot topic of the new Visual Identity and branding of AEGEE, which the Comité Directeur and Network Commission are especially focusing on these days, it was fantastic to see how much effort this antenna of “the center of Europe in the middle of nowhere” (as they say) had put into making the Agora a beauty for the eyes as well. Both AEGEE-Europe and AEGEE-Zaragoza had made a big effort in designing for the Agora. From day one, a large part of the participants were proudly showing the new blue AEGEE-Europe sweater and the organizers and helpers were to be seen everywhere at all times in their ZarAgora red t-shirts and hoodies.

Participants also had the opportunity to bring back a piece of AEGEE-Zaragoza merchandise in form of different merchandising that always have received great attention because of its design and quality and that could bought at the Agora as well. Five lucky AEGEEans also won a limited edition of the famous “I love Jamón” t-shirt that won The AEGEEan‘s Choice Awards for best merchandising in 2012. It was a great idea by AEGEE-Zaragoza to gather some money to help reduce the cost of organizing the big event through selling lottery tickets and give away prizes at the closing ceremony. It is definitely worth to mention as well the creation of a small cup “of AEGEE spirit(s)”, thanks to which the participants helped AEGEE-Zaragoza make the Agora more environmentally-friendly as they then avoided using thousands of plastic cups. Jonathan del Castillo Gil from AEGEE-Zaragoza took many hours in designing different items for the Agora, and there are for sure many grateful members for his dedication.

Ander Guerrero (AEGEE-Zaragoza) with the chocolate sponsored for the Agora and Lucia Molina (AEGEE-Zaragoza) with the limited edition of the I love Jamón t-shirt

Organizing an Agora in the middle of an economic crisis must most certainly be a challenge but AEGEE-Zaragoza overcame the challenge splendidly. With a welcome package full of different treats and with the opportunity to enjoy some of the 522 kg of chocolate sponsored by Lindt or energy drinks from Red Bull, AEGEE-Zaragoza also tried to ensure that the participants got the sugar boost necessary to enjoy all the different activities part of the program. Moreover, whenever there were some gaps in the packed program, many participants enjoyed a relaxing time in the spa nearby the Agora where large discounts had been negotiated again thanks to the great fundraising of AEGEE-Zaragoza. Some especially chose this option rather than waiting in line for the rather cold-watered showers. However, not everything can be perfect and providing showers for 800 people is definitely not an easy task.

One of the few energizers

In terms of the Agora itself, it was more quiet than other statutory events in the past. Less questions were asked and this became a topic at the European Level meeting where active AEGEEans wondered about this issue. The dancing remained part of the rich social program and did not draw the attention before the plenaries as the case was for example in Agora Rhein-Neckar. The amount of energizers was also reduced, but nevertheless there were smiles to be seen everywhere at all times. It was a more professional Agora, where punishments for flag and mascot recovery were left to be organized between participants and thereby protecting the image of our association.

Everything started a year ago and it was clearly visible all the effort that AEGEE-Zaragoza had put into the event

This Agora proved that with a strong team of about 70 organizers and helpers led by Chema Rueda (AEGEE-Zaragoza) and with hard work and dedication it is possible to organize a fantastic event and AEGEE-Zaragoza can be proud of having organized an event that members will talk about for many years. As this video says: ZarAgora in our hearts!

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

Thank you very much Jorge Sánchez Hernández (AEGEE-Alicante) and Jorge Barriendo (AEGEE-Zaragoza) for the pictures!

The Network Commission is a team full of people that several AEGEEans know due to all the communication they have with antennae across Europe. However, the work of the NetCom would not be efficient without teams of subcommissioners and in this interview you get an insight into what it is like being a subcommie for a Network Commissioner.

Carmen Maria

Alvaro Espinosa (AEGEE-Santander, Pauline Létard (AEGEE-Toulouse) and Carmen Maria Benegas (AEGEE-Alicante) are subcommissioners of Pilar Lop. Silvija Peric (AEGEE-Zagreb) helps Antonija Parat, Maria Arends (AEGEE-Groningen) helps Patricia Anthony and Erika Bettin (AEGEE-Venezia) helps Claudio Armandi. All of them share a deep passion for helping the Network and being part of seeing antennae improve.

For most of the subcommies the reason to help the NetCom team was to be more active on the European Level of AEGEE. For example; Pauline worked together with Lucille Rieux, who herself was a subcommie of Luis Alvarado Martinez at this time, in the Speak Up project. The aim was to develop the French part of the Network by doing a bus tour in several big French cities with one message – “young people, get involve and participate”! Unfortunately, the project did not get through but it was a really good experience for Pauline and her first on European level. Network development and Youth participation had been key topics of interest for her since her beginning in AEGEE. Then Lucille who Pauline refers to as somewhat her mentor in AEGEE strongly encouraged her to become a subcommie.

Alvaro, who is part of the same team says “Being a subcommissioner was an opportunity, this is something that never crossed my mind before. However, Pilar, together with the previous team thought that I could fit because they trust me and in my work on the local level. Receiving that kind of confidence from these great and experienced people was the reason I decided to become one of them.” For Silvija this idea was first introduced by her former NetCom – Ana Dragić, but at that time, she had a lot of other obligations and had just started her term as President of AEGEE-Zagreb. However, she continued with the idea stuck in her brain and when Antonija Parat was elected as NetCom, she decided to apply. What she enjoys is working on European level too, because she knew it would increase her knowledge about AEGEE and give her the opportunity to help other locals as well as improving her own local: AEGEE-Zagreb.

For Maria there are too many reasons, as she says it. She talked with newly elected NetCom Patricia Anthony after Agora Rhein-Neckar about the need for a strong team of subcommies in the Nordic area, because of the problems we are facing (especially in Scandinavia, even though AEGEE does not have many locals there) due to Euroscepticism. The idea arose to try to work on this topic together with the locals in the UK, and that is the main reason she wanted to become involved. Apart from that she believes that the UK, Scandinavia, and the Baltics are wonderful places in Europe, which are, unfortunately, underrepresented in AEGEE, and Maria truly hopes to be able to make a change. Carmen joined when there was somebody leaving the team and she was ready to continue that person’s work as she loves the Network and helping others. She is a big fan of organisation in terms of administration and procedures inside any organisation and selects that as the main reason why she wanted to join.

As one can imagine the subcommies tasks and functions mainly relate to contact with some of the antennae that the NetCom is responsible for. When asked about what they do, subcommie Pauline answers :“First I worked with the members of the antennae I’m in charge of taking care of. I talk with them on a regular basis, at least once a month when everything goes smoothly and sometimes everyday when they need it. I’m trying to take the pulse of the antenna, to find out in there are any problems or tensions but also find out about the assets and richness that the antennae have to make them share it with the rest of the Network when it’s possible. Every month, I send them a reminder saying that they have to fill in the monthly report. I sometimes have to harass them a bit to get them to do it but it is important as when antennae does not submit the reports on time it delays the work of NetCommie Pilar. Then I’m part of the Tripulacion, Pilar, her other subcommies and I form a team. Together we organise the Network Meetings and the Renove, we prepare the delegates for the Agora, and we inform the members about interesting opportunities…”. In the case of Maria it is similar as she has the responsibility of AEGEE-Durham, AEGEE-London and AEGEE-Sheffield whom she also asks for Activity Reports and at times they work on a PR strategy. Basically she is trying to help out wherever they want her, as she puts it, and of course she also helps with the organisation of NWM in Tartu this autumn.

Alvaro Espinosa

Pauline continues the interview with telling us about the differences between the antennae she is responsible for. “In my opinion, an antenna relies mostly on people and on a good team. So the difference is in who is part of this team, who animate and dynamise the antenna. There are little tiny teams that sometimes rely on two or three or more person-teams with around 10 really active people. I’m responsible for AEGEE-Paris, AEGEE-Lyon, AEGEE-Brussels/Bruxelles and the two contacts in Lille and Nantes. They mainly have the same profile of antenna but of course the situation in each city is different. For example, AEGEE-Paris is really famous in the Network and in France too  (more than the other French speaking locals anyway) but as Paris is a very expensive city with a lot of student associations, it’s a bit challenging for them. In my opinion, this year they are all facing the same challenge: their experienced and most active members left or are leaving soon. That’s why together with Léa Charlet (AEGEE-Paris), Louise Pahisa (AEGEE-Paris), Marine Betrancourt (AEGEE-Lyon), Inana Namet(Former member of AEGEE-Toulouse and now AEGEE-Paris), Lisa Fanget (AEGEE-Paris) and AEGEE-Paris’s team, we organize a Regional Training Course in Paris. The objective was to make the newly elected boards meet and train them.”

Alvaro sees huge differences between the antennae: “AEGEE-Santander, for instance, was a challenge. They faced some problems and solved them, they also grew a lot, changed their statutes, created a new online database, a new website. Their members are incredible and the communication with them was really fluent so, at the end, it was a pleasure to work together. Then, we have AEGEE-Zaragoza which was just on another level with all the “Agora stuff”. Finally, AEGEE-Bilbao which in my opinion has also grown the last year thanks to the work of their members and the collaboration with their AEGEE neighbors.”

However, there are some other tasks for subcommies around the Network. For example Pauline is also coordinating the organisation of board meetings in the French speaking locals and the RTC.

Maria Arends (to the right) together with Antonija Parat

The AEGEEan: What do you like the most about being a subcommie?

Pauline: Meeting amazing people who have taught me so much!

Silvija: Working in an intercultural team with great people, having the opportunity to learn and grow more and to help others with my experience and knowledge.

Carmen: Mainly working in a team and getting in touch with different people which is making me learn a lot from others. I also like helping antennae with their problems; if they are solved, that’s the best reward.

Erika: The Rainbow (responsible for Italian speaking antennae) subcommie team is great. We created a very good group spirit. Plus, I learned a lot in this year and more important I helped and I was helped.

Maria: Keeping in touch with the locals, seeing how they work and what we can improve is one of the task related things that I really enjoy. Apart from this, of course, the team is amazing! With Patricia and the three other subcommies, I think we really have an amazing and good working team.

Erika Bettin (to the left)

What challenges do you face as a subcommie?

Pauline: Keeping myself updated, there are a lot of informations circulating in AEGEE, you want the antennae to know about it but you don’t want to spam them.

Carmen: Some locals are complicated to run, mainly because they have not many active members and that is always a problem when it comes to fulfilling antenna criteria, filling out questionnaires, respect deadlines and this kind of administrative stuff. As a subcommie, I try to be properly informed and help them understand the procedures and encourage them to cooperate with other antennae that might be able to help or give advice as well.

Silvija: helping other locals in my Network to become stronger, overcome all challenges they are facing and at the same time being updated and knowing everything about what is going on in AEGEE in order to help them

Erika: I was lucky with locals and there weren’t big challenges to face. Before Agora Rhein- Neckar, NetCommie Claudio Armandi and I tried to do everything possible to save AEGEE-Trieste, but there were no signals from them. It is always sad when a local is deleted.

Silvija Peric (to the right)

What has been your favorite moment as a subcommie?

Pauline: Network Meeting Paris : Back on tracks! The first time I met Léa was in Paris and she is a bit like my sister in AEGEE, we joined AEGEE at the same time and we work together a lot. On top of this, it had been a while since we had a NWM in France, so this event was symbolic for us, it was the result of a strong solidarity between the French speaking locals, but also the success of AEGEE-Paris’ amazing team and also of the Tripulacion!

Silvija: My favorite moment was meeting other people in my team and working with them because they have a lot of great ideas and a lot of positive spirit.

Why would you encourage others to become a subcommie?

Pauline: Because you learn so much, because you give so much to the Network and to the antennae too, because it’s an amazing experience!

Silvija: It is the best place to start working on a European level and get to know things better, also, helping others is something priceless and on top of it all you will meet fantastic people and get a lot of experience.

Erika: Being subcommie is such a beautiful experience. You meet a lot of wonderful people. You share your experiences, your doubts, your fears, and it’s a good way to have a “first taste” of European Level.

Carmen: I would encourage people if they are interested in the organisational and internal aspects of AEGEE. If you have experience in your antenna and feel motivated, you can do it. The best thing is that you will learn a lot from working with that many different people.

As for whether we will see any of the subcommies as a Network Commissioner in the future depends on many things, but one thing is for sure: they all enjoy their work together with the Network Commission a lot!

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Koebenhavn 

The topic of participation in workshops at statutory events was raised recently in The AEGEEan, and we continue to focus on this interesting topic. Questions concerning the quality of workshops, the topics and the golden recipe of a workshop will be answered in this interview that The AEGEEan did with Gunnar Erth, who throughout his many years has participated and hosted a large number of workshops.

He has hosted very different workshops, from simple brainstorming sessions regarding a project to creative ones, where people display their ideas with performances or posters. He describes them as the ones that are the most fun.

In Agora Rhein-Neckar Gunnar will host a workshop but it is no classic workshop. It will be a mixture of a presentation and group discussions and the topic will be the history of the summer universities. Since the Summer University Coordination Team will be at the Agora, the hope is to have lively best-practice discussions with the participants regarding participants’ management and a SU programme design. Hopefully, ending up with the best formula for a SU.

Gunnar says that “a good workshop should not primarily transmit knowledge, but rather be about developing ideas together”, but what other golden rules are there to workshops? Let’s have a look.

The AEGEEan: How many times have you hosted a workshop?

Gunnar Erth: Oh, many times. I did the first one was when I was president of the Human Rights Working Group. We were discussing projects about former Yugoslavia. Most of my workshops were either related to PR matters, antenna management or project management.

And what is it that you like about organising workshops?

It’s the best way to directly involve and motivate people in AEGEE! People see each other eye to eye – and thanks to this aspect workshops add the human touch to discussions, which otherwise would happen online. The most fascinating thing about workshops is that they can get their own life and go to directions that you did not expect. When you organise a workshop then you usually have an idea and preferred outcome in mind. But as soon as the people discuss, they take over, they develop ideas and these can be totally different from yours. This can be great, but also frustrating.

Why is that the case?

Sometimes you have some high goals in mind, which require a lot of work and initiative. And then the participants don’t catch the hint and rather go for a simple solution with less impact. If it’s only a training workshop then it’s not a big deal – you can just tell them what else they could have opted for. However, if the purpose of the workshop was to develop a new project, then it’s a pity. But there is nothing you can do as a workshop leader, since the participants are the ones to carry the project out.

You have organised and been in many workshops. What is the golden recipe to make a workshop good?

First of all, you need a good topic. Without it, you don’t get participants. The potential participants must feel that they can either learn something for themselves or help shaping a great initiative. The second factor is making catchy PR before the workshop. The third thing is the way you structure and lead a workshop – currently Fabian Brüggemann is the best workshop leader in AEGEE. He is brilliant! You need to set out a clear goal of the workshop, keep in mind your own ideas and nudge the participants in a certain direction – but you have to let the people develop the idea. Because if it’s theirs then the chance is high that they catch on; if you present a ready-to-use idea, the chance is lower. You need to be able to adapt the workshop to the ideas of the participants, if things go in a different direction.

To give an example, I can tell you that in the Network Meeting in Mainz some years ago we discussed PR ideas in a workshop. Nearly all participants were from the Rhein-Neckar region. Some people suggested a printed AEGEE magazine for the region as a joint PR tool. That was in 2004, so before people made WordPress blogs. Since there was so much enthusiasm, I changed the workshop right in the middle and we discussed the form and content of this magazine. After the event we kept on discussing the idea online, but since no one wanted to coordinate it, the idea died.

That’s a pity.

Yes. And this leads us to the final ingredient of the recipe for a great workshop: a good follow-up. In every workshop you should discuss concrete steps how to follow-up, if you developed new ideas. But as you can see from the example, even then success is not guaranteed.

It is sometimes difficult for workshop organisers to get participants of the Agora to take part in their workshop, because it is not compulsory to go. How do you face this problem, and what is your advice to other workshop hosts?

Good PR, before the event. During the Agora it’s too late, because unfortunately there is only little time to present the content. There were so many Agorae where I didn’t really know what the next workshops were about so I just followed my friends – sometimes we went to just any random workshop or we had a coffee… So the participants must know about the workshop before the Agora. You must promote it like a big event. Social media help a lot. You can create a Facebook event and invite people, you can create a Facebook group, you can present the workshop in The AEGEEan or Golden Times, and you can even present it on AEGEE-L. If the topic is related for example to current issues, for example human rights, you can use existing discussions in AEGEE to make people aware of your workshop. There is no limit.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

The EBM comes closer, and now it is the chance of AEGEE-Valletta. This year, the Maltese antenna, known for its best Travel Summer University 2012 and for having hosted the spring Agora “A vision for our Future” in 2007, gives a try to celebrating its second EBM, -the first one was held in 2005-. It would be a tremendous mistake to call them “newbies” in organizing international events but, as it is said, every time it is a new adventure. Martha Mifsud, public relations responsible of AEGEE-Valletta has shared with us some of the questions that might come up when setting up a statutory event.

-How do you manage to coordinate more than 300 participants?

-300 participants…yeah that’s quite a lot! However, we believe that together we achieve more. That is the main thread for the Maltese organizing team, that is what links us all together. Coordination is however, the art of good leadership. The most efficient way we thought of going about this event is to have various teams, each chaired by a specific person. To illustrate it better, I am for instance the Chair of the Marketing and PR team.

– When promoting the EBM, which tools do you use to make it better known?

-The strategy adopted was that of making use of all technological means at our disposal. Facebook nowadays is a major asset. On the other hand,  we also have the EBM Official website which is quite prestigious. Moreover, we used local newspapers and radio stations to make the general public aware of AEGEE-Valletta.

-When it comes to money…How do you achieve to get all the financial support needed for covering the costs of the EBM? Do you give something  in exchange?

-Funding is one big headache! The best solution I found is to be persistent and never lose hope! The plan we adopted was to apply for any funding application possible and ask for the sponsorship of any company or even a corner shop you come across, which also help us to invest that money in local events to encourage more people to join us. At the end, we managed and finally the picture started to get to its place. Obviously, nothing comes for free. However, it is only fair on our part to promote our tiny island on behalf of government entities, after all, we are very proud of our home.

-Once you get the funds, how do you distribute them? Which things are more expensive and which ones can be done in a humble way?  

AEGEE-Valletta has always been known for quality events. We want to present the whole package. We don’t believe in having good accommodation while providing for want of a better word ‘barely decent’ food. The solution is to try to get as much money as possible. This requires hard work and sacrifice and months of preparation.  AEGEE- Valletta tries to find the equilibrium between saving money on the one hand and investing in human relations on the other.

-With your minds fully set on logistics, do you have a little space dedicated to the environment? Are you eco-friendly?

-With regards to being eco-friendly, yes, we do our best to protect the environment. We believe that the world is our home and it needs to be safeguarded. In fact, one of the policies I adopted in the EBM Marketing and PR team was to refrain from printing materials and send documents, including sponsorship proposals strictly by email.

-Which advices would you give to other antennas that might be interested in hosting a European statutory event?

-Being one of the main organizers is a memorable experience. It is self-enriching and educative. With the right attitude, it could be the event which defines your life towards professionalism and practical training in view of a successful future career.

* The EBM Valletta will take place under the sunny sky of Malta from the 28th February till the 3rd March.

Photos courtesy of Martha Mifsud.

Written by Ana Valiente, AEGEE Tenerife

Renovar is Spanish for “Renovate”, which, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary means:

1: To restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding)

2: To restore to life, vigor, or activity : revive <the church was renovated by a new ecumenical spirit>

Years ago, the Spanish government started a plan called “Renove” which consisted of giving an amount of money to everyone who wanted to change his car for a new one, renovating the fleet of cars and trying to get more environmental friendly ones. Later on, many projects were called “Renove”, all of them with the same spirit: restoring something to a better state. Of course AEGEE couldn’t be an exception.

AEGEE is pretty strong in Spain, but let’s not forget that in many antennae the same group of people have been working throughout many years, without a proper generational change. That’s why the idea of renovating the boards surfaced at the NWM in Granada, and one antenna was the perfect place to put it into practice: AEGEE-Madrid.

Opening ceremony

The idea was to have one event right after the period of Summer Universities (when most of the new members are willing to hear more about AEGEE), with a big amount of fun and the correct amount of information about AEGEE, mixed with some time for the antennae to bring together oldies and newbies and create a team.

The event itself was so succesfull that people were asking: “So… where is it going to be next year?”. The seed was sown and no one could stop it, we needed a Renove 2.

After some months, Sergio Oliveros, from AEGEE-Madrid, the person trying to create once again the antenna of AEGEE-Valladolid, came up with the idea: “I have the perfect place to hold Renove 2!”, and at the NWM in Burgos, the same event where he signed the Convention d’Adhésion for AEGEE-Valladolid, he shared the great news: they were willing to organise Renove 2.

Of course, it’s not easy to organise an event like this one (200 participants is like a small EBM!), especially for a newly created antenna, with a main organiser (Sergio Oliveros) experienced in AEGEE, but an organiser for the first time nevertheless, and most of the other organisers as newbies, with no experience either. It wasn’t easy, but just like last year, many people from all around Spain offered to help. This is the AEGEE spirit, and this is how we live in our Network.

The gym with the 210 participants

The event started on Thursday, with the first people arriving in Valladolid, but the main programme started on Friday, when the 200 participants and organisers were all together in Serrada (the village where we stayed). Due to the magnitude of the event (for a new antenna like AEGEE-Valladolid this was like organising an Agora), they decided to start the event with a special opening ceremony: singing! With the guitars of Anita and Consu (from AEGEE-Coruña and AEGEE-Valencia, respectively), the amazing voices of Olga, Cristina and Espe (AEGEE-Oviedo, AEGEE-Santander and AEGEE-Las Palmas) and the… let’s say “crying-cat-like” voice of Sergio Oliveros.

Right after the show, since we were in the land of wine (Serrada is in the middle of a Protected Designation of Origin area of wine), we enjoyed some wine tasting (12 different wines in total) with “tapas” (small complement of food usually offered with wine in bars). This was right before the European Night, which was, actually, the strangest I’ve ever been to, since the place was so small that we needed to go from table to table and ask “Where are you from and what did you bring?”.

On Saturday, after a really cold night in the gym, we woke up to enjoy the morning activity: visiting a wine cellar and a vineyard. And right after lunch, the most famous part of Renove: the group games. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the place where we were supposed to enjoy the games and the organisers had to change the location to a wheat field, which was full of stubble. Due to this, the organisers had to change most of the games (which included running barefoot or crawling) in the very last moment, which was far from easy.

At night, the main event: the wedding of the mascots of AEGEE-Bilbao (a sheep) and AEGEE-Valladolid (a lamb). In my opinion, the most incredible fact of the wedding was that a truce was agreed before the event and most of the mascots attended the wedding without anyone trying to steal them (at least for few minutes). Of course, the different groups of the event, this time based on the different characters that can be found at a Spanish wedding (aunts, grandmas, drunks, gatecrashers, etc.), dedicated poems, dances, and even hip hop songs to the couple (yes, this is weird, but it’s AEGEE, and we sing French songs in European meetings…).

Finally, on Sunday, we enjoyed the training part of the event, starting with the amazing presentation of “What is AEGEE”, held by Fernando Campo from AEGEE-Santander. It was his last event in AEGEE and he wanted to say goodbye somewhere where the sky was the limit. Although this presentation was usually held by Juan Hernandez with huuuge success, Fernando chose to hold it this time, and it was more than amazing. Everybody enjoyed it quite a lot.

To finish the event, everyone was grouped in antennae and talked about their future and what people could do for the antennae. I’m pretty sure many new members will be active after Renove… once again!

Games during Renove

My congratulations to AEGEE-Valladolid for being such a new antenna and having the courage to organise such a big event like this one.

See you at Renove 3!!!

Written by Juan Sordo, AEGEE-Oviedo