Whether you are a delegate, a visitor or an envoy, you are definitely going to love the workshops planned for the upcoming Spring Agora Bergamo! They are new, they are fresh and interactive, aimed for new members coming as visitors, some of them being for the first time at an Agora, eager to learn valuable things, AEGEE related or not,  from trainers and members with experience. Three of them will briefly be presented in this article and are the following: “Be water, my friend!”, “I was killed by PowerPoint” and last, but not least, “Peace it Up!”. Read more to find out about each one of them and don’t forget to join one during Agora Bergamo! See you there!

Workshop I-A: Be water, my friend!

Held by the Speaker and Vice-Speaker of the Public Relations Committee (PRC), Gerardo Garcia Diaz (AEGEE-Oviedo) and former Comité Directeur (CD) member, Mayri Tiido (AEGEE-Tallin), the workshop will take place on Thursday, 19th May at 12:45 and will end at 14:15. This workshop encourages you to refresh yourself and teaches you how to adapt to different situations, to be like water, as the name suggests, through improvisation theater and role-playing. Although this workshop will be a lot of fun,  a decent level of English is required, so if you are having trouble with that, start revising!

Workshop I-B: I was killed by PowerPoint

As the name suggests, we are all sick and tired of PowerPoint presentations and dull speeches. The means used to spread education & knowledge have changed a lot, the best example for that being TEDx, with events taking place all over, featuring worldwide known trainers, experts and great leaders that inspire us with their speech and stage act. Why shouldn’t you try to be like them? Through tips and tricks presented during this workshop, you will learn how to keep the participant’s attention, leave them speechless and falling in love with your presentation. The workshop will be held by Academy trainer, Ana Potocnik (AEGEE-Ljubljana) and will take place on Thursday, 19th May between 12:45 and 14:15.

Workshop I-C: Peace it Up!

So far, the year of 2016 wasn’t too great when it comes to democracy and peace-making, considering all the terrorist attacks that happened in Paris, Brussels, Istanbul and Ankara. However, it definitely brought us together and motivated us to take our own actions to contribute to a better and more peaceful Europe. The collaboration between the “Democracy in Practice” and the “Your Vision for EUrope”
project has resulted in an interactive and meaningful workshop called “Peace it Up!”, which will offer you this great opportunity to come, share and support your thoughts and feelings about the current situation. It will be held by Noemi Lowy (AEGEE-Debrecen) on behalf of the “Democracy in Practice” project and Adonis Meggos (AEGEE-Peiraias) from the “Your Vision for EUrope” project and it will take place on Thursday, 19th May from 12:45 until 14:15.

For more information you can download the Agora Agenda and the Workshops and Progress Meetings booklet.

Written by Gabriela Geană, AEGEE-București

“This is not in Visual Identity!” – probably a sentence you’ve heard either from PRC, a member of your local or even someone else. And hearing this makes you frustrated. “What? Why do I need to use VI? What is this!?” Say no more our friend! Here you can find eight obvious reasons why using Visual Identity is cool and the most awesome thing you can do!

Reason no. 1 | You Can Create Materials Much Faster.

Locals can simply go to the Members Portal, download some template/element, customise it to their own needs and everything is done in no more than 15-30 minutes.

Reason no. 2 | Design Artist or Not, using Visual Identity Can Make You Look Like A Pro.

You don’t have to be an expert in Photoshop, Illustrator or other programmes related to design. You can make your own VI puzzle just by using the Design Elements and following the Visual Identity Manual.

Reason no. 3 | You Contribute to AEGEE’s Identity.

By using the Visual Identity, you strengthen AEGEE’s identity both internally and externally: you and your local play an important role in building its identity. It’s like the code from a website or app; if just one line in the coding is incorrect, it cannot work properly.

Reason no. 4 | Your Mind is The Limit.

Visual Identity doesn’t limit your creativity. “No, ma’am!” It can be creatively adapted to your own ideas. People who are saying the contrary might have not really worked with it yet. So don’t believe the rumours, just give it a chance and you will see what we are talking about. 

Reason no. 5 | You are More “Ready, Set, Go” to Promote Yourself.

Other international youth NGOs and especially famous companies, also have a Visual Identity and follow their own specific manuals. When you see a Coca-Cola poster,
(think of the typical one with no bottle displayed at all) you know it belongs to them, even before noticing the logo. You can check out the visual identity of every big company and you will see that we are not just saying that to impress you.

Reason no. 6 | Cool Locals Who Use The VI are An Endless Source of Inspiration.

The more the locals who use the VI, the more the approaches are different, showing the diversity inside a common path. You can bring your own cool approach to the table and maybe you can inspire others to follow your example, why not? After
all, we can all learn from each other and form an awesome community. Plus, you will help improve the “design templates archive”, to make Reasons no. 1 and no. 2 even more awesome.

Reason no. 7 | You Look More Professional towards University and External Companies.

When your local is going to fundraising meetings, sending e-mails or delivering presentations using the VI, you are using the power of a network of 13,000 members to support your project. Then, you are not just representing your local, but the whole AEGEE network is there helping you out.

Reason no. 8 | You Save Yourself from PRC Setting You in “red” in the VI Check.

Once you adapt your antenna to the VI, you will mostly forget about PRC chasing after you for having an identity that makes you look like a completely different NGO, and most importantly, the red mark will be magically turned in a lovely emerald green. So, quit the rebellion and start using the VI. You can save a lot of time, energy and resources, but also, you can learn a lot from it, whether you are experienced in design or not!

If you need more information or have any doubts, simply contact us at prc@aegee.org.

From PRC with love! #PRChard

Written by Mayri Tiido and Gerardo Garcia Diaz, vice-speaker and speaker, Public Relations Committee

Since the beginning of January, the Public Relations Committee (PRC) of AEGEE-Europe has a new team of speakers. Read the interview with speaker Jelena Stankovic (AEGEE-Beograd) and vice-speaker Gerardo Garcia Diaz (AEGEE-Oviedo) and find out about their field of work, their aims for the upcoming term and their plans for the Fair at the European Planning Meeting(EPM) in Burgos and the upcoming Agora.  

The AEGEEan: First of all, for those who do not know you yet: Can you briefly introduce yourself?

Jelena: I am Jelena and I am 25 years old. I live in the beautiful city of Belgrade.

Gerardo: This is Gerar, 24-year-old guy from Gijón, at the northern coast of Spain. I am an Electrical Engineer Bachelor and Design Management Master, and right now I am studying an Industrial Engineering Master. I am currently AEGEE-Oviedo’s president and PR responsible and member of The Academy, and I have been the publications responsible of the Summer University Coordination Team (SUCT) since Agora Budapest until Agora Cagliari. Then I got involved in an ambush and became PRC vice-speaker (he laughs).

Maybe not everyone knows what your actual work looks like. How exactly would you define the work as a member (and now even a speaker) of the PRC?

Jelena: PRC is here to give a hand to the network if they have some problems or requests related to PR, such as design, consulting, logo requests, AEGEE Fair, etc. Currently, I am working on the Fair and PRC membership renewal. We are trying to reorganize, motivate and activate our team.

Gerardo: It is kind of funny, but I am a newbie in PRC. I have been Oviedo’s PR responsible since 2011, but with my involvement in the SUCT, I decided not to grab more things than I could hold (Réka wanted to “hire” me in 2012 but I kindly refused the offer due to it). I only joined PRC when my duties at the SUCT were done. Now that I am in the Speaker Team (ST), what Jelena said is my daily work.

What is your favorite part of this work?

Jelena: I can hate what is the least favorite: sending emails.

Gerardo: Well, as in any other “directive” position, the satisfaction of actually doing things for people and being useful makes it a nice thing (you can have that feeling from every position, but the ST gives you more power to achieve goals), but if I would need to say that a “favourite task” would be helping antennae to create or redesign their logos, since it is quite challenging.

Why did you apply for the position of a speaker/vice-speaker? What is your personal motivation?

Jelena: When I decided to join PRC, we had such a great team and time while organizing the AEGEE-Fair at Agora Patra, so I ran for the position in the ST as vice-speaker. This is my second term, because I felt like I had unfinished business in PRC.

Gerardo: When I joined PRC I just planned to be a “regular member” at least for one year, to get to know things and then, maybe, candidate for the ST. But some time after, and specially at the Public Relations European School (PRES), my fellow trainers encouraged me to jump to the ST due to the general ideas I had in mind and that I previously told Jelena when she made me the “welcome interview” to PRC. I like to call it “ambush”, but actually, I was fine with it (he laughs).
All in all, I decided to apply for the ST because from this position it will be easier for me to propose things and be useful to others, and I think I have several plans in mind that are worth the effort.

What are your previous experiences in the field of Public Relations?

Jelena: Currently, I am working as PR in an HR agency and on one student art festival. Before that, I worked in a brand design agency. I am also studying marketing at the University of Belgrade.

Gerardo: I have been helping in the field of PR since the moment I joined AEGEE actively, in September 2010. Shortly after that, I created several materials and videos, and redesigned the logo of the antenna including the “silhouettes” to our Visual Identity (VI). Four years later that element became part of the logo inside of the customizable area. In September 2011, I was elected as PR responsible of my antenna, AEGEE-Oviedo, a position that I have been holding since then, creating several campaigns for local and European projects – Summer University (SU), EiE and Language Working Group (LWG) logos are made by me and I created the SU Maps format two years ago, which now the incredible Ksenia Lupanova (AEGEE-Moskva) is improving for this year’s campaign. I have been a trainer of PRES last year and it all ended in joining PRC!
At the local level, this year I’m sharing the position with the awesome Elena Sicilia Blanco (AEGEE-Oviedo), who is also my fellow co-responsible of the PR at AgorAsturias.

What are your specific aims for the upcoming term? Is there any project you would like to support specifically or any concrete goal you want to achieve?

Jelena: Since the term of a ST in PRC is really short (six months), we have some unfinished things from the past term. Now, we are focusing on the upcoming AEGEE-Fair both in Burgos and Oviedo, and the renewal of the members in PRC.

Gerardo: Internally, we would like to get PRC members active (with the quoted members renewal) and make the Committee more efficient in its tasks creating several teams of work-force for different PR areas. I would also like to modify the internal elections scheduling (so they will be right after Autumn Agora and not at the end of the year) and also to make terms last one year instead of only six months, but that is something that will need to be discussed with all the members.
On the external side, I would like us to be helpful to the network and to show our fellow AEGEEans what our work is really about, and that things such as the visual identity are not “that pain in the ass that limits our creativity” but actually the way the AEGEE-brand gets stronger and recognizable everywhere empowering it.
Do you know why Apple or BMW always use the same scheme of colors and fonts? Because they have a visual identity and follow it to strengthen their brand. Why should we just blame on the AEGEE VI and not take advantage of it now that we have one, then?

What will your job be at the AEGEE-Fair at EPM Burgos?

Jelena: Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the EPM, so I am doing my job from Belgrade as a communication manager, taking care of applications, communicating with the bodies, project teams or locals, as with local organizers.

Gerardo: Since Jelena cannot be there, we will divide our work “in order to be one” – she will take care of the previous work and I will be the one managing the Fair “live”.

What is your favorite PR material or your favorite PR campaign in AEGEE?

Jelena: For sure the SUPS Cluj-Napoca!

Gerardo: I do not want to toot my own horn (well, just a little), but I really think that the SU Maps are quite useful and efficient as PR material (all-in-one map, poster, mini-booklet, flyer… almost 20 more times the units and almost half of the price than booklets). I am looking forward to seeing what Ksenia is preparing with them. But aside from that I would like to mention Kyiv and Mosvka’s NYE campaign (they even had tattoos and wristbands at Agora Cagliari) and the outstanding work that Konstantinos Pappas performed with the Official PR materials that can be found at the Members Portal.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Jelena: I would like to invite people who are creative, motivated and enthusiastic to join our team!

Gerardo: Well, first of all thank you for being interested in us and interviewing us, and, as Jelena said, anybody interested in our work field (including public relations, communication, graphic design, strategic planning & journalism among others) is more than welcome to apply (just go to wg.aegee.org/prc/apply) and get involved in this big family. Have a good day!

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

The Public Relations Committee (PRC), the body responsible for supporting AEGEE-Europe in the field of public relations with the aim of improving the communication within the association, has two new entries in their Speaker team (ST): Ksenia Lupanova (AEGEE-Moskva) and Jelena Stanković (AEGEE-Beograd). Ksenia and Jelena are respectively the new Speaker and Vice-Speaker of the PRC, positions that were formerly held by Réka Salamon (AEGEE-Debrecen/Aachen) and Panagiotis Barlampas (AEGEE-Athina).

Both Ksenia and Jelena have a long-lasting experience in the role of PR in their locals: Ksenia is studying Architecture and was the PR responsible of AEGEE-Moskva for a year and a half, whereas Jelena studies Marketing in Beograd and has a four-year-long experience in public relations in her local. These two energetic AEGEEans are excited about their new roles and really motivated to do their best: “I chose to candidate for the Speaker team because I  realized that for me it is a treasure, exactly what I want to do in AEGEE, where I can contribute the most for now”, says Ksenia. Jelena has the same positive view and thinks that this new experience in the PRC represents a perfect opportunity “to do something creative, inspirational and motivating.”

Our two new Speaker and Vice-Speaker are grateful to Réka Salamon and Panagiotis Barlampas, whom they consider inspiring and one of the main sources of motivation in their new adventure in the PRC. That is why Ksenia and Jelena will “have big shoes to fill”. Anyway, they are not scared about this new challenge because “when you do something that you love, you do it with pleasure”, according to the new Vice-Speaker.

Enthusiasm is fundamental, but so is sense of responsibility. Ksenia and Jelena know that, that is why they are ready to work hard and keep on learning in order to reach new important goals: “We would like to continue with the AEGEE Fair, as it was an amazing experience to make it as a team and we got really good feedback, so based on our try in Patra we will apply again for Agora Cagliari. During the summer period we can concentrate on developing the AEGEE photo Database and intensively keep up with bringing the Visual Identity to Network”, says Ksenia. Another important project is the development of an online platform to support the locals in their public relations activities, by giving tips and transferring knowledge to the AEGEEan PR Responsibles in all over Europe.

They have great plans for the future, but in order to reach their aims, one of the hardest challenges to face is the lack of active members in the committee. In order to obtain new members and motivate the passive ones, according to Jelena, “it is necessary to inform people about the importance of this committee, by promoting the PRC during relevant AEGEE events, like the Agorae”.

If you are interested in working or developing your PR skills, you can join the PRC by visiting their Facebook page or their site.

Written by Larisa Smajlagic,  AEGEE-Verona