Most of you, during the Agora, watch the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson preside over the meeting. But how about the Secretary of the Agora? The only thing people witness of him/her, is them typing during the Agora, but being Secretary of the Agora has some privileges!

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1. You are in the spotlight.
Together with the rest of the Chair Team, you are the centre of the attention for a couple of days. You are the one who creates and revise the agenda. So, when people have questions or what to change something, they will come to your table and ask you for assistance.

2. You cannot miss a Plenary.
You are on stage during (almost) all Plenaries, cause it’s kind of your duty to record all the minutes of the Agora. But, if it’s your thing, you have the added benefit of not having to speak. Speaking of standing in the centre of a spotlight, sometimes they literally shine too brightly onto the stage. Luckily, that’s just an opportunity to put on some cool shades.

3. You can skip the queues for meals.
This might sound like something form George Orwell’s Animal Farm: ‘all AEGEEans are equal, but the Chair Team is a bit more equal than others’, but it actually has an important function. As a Secretary of the Agora, you have to be present at a Prytanium before it even starts, and since queuing up for food might take forever, you might not be able to finish you meal, or not have any food at all. Therefore, it becomes sort of necessary to queue barge… sorry, hopefully everyone can understand.

4. You have your own assistants.

You may be important, but you’re not all-powerful. During the Prytania slots, there are three parallel sessions and it is impossible to cover them alone. That’s why you need assistants to help you during the Agora. Also, after the Agora the assistants need to finish their sessions and you might need some proofreaders to help you. Thanks you guys!

5. You have internet access most of the times.

The internet is pretty great; the U.N. even deemed it a basic human necessity. However, while some people will even ask you for the WiFi-password for… personal things, you need an internet connection to access the agenda, which might change considerably during an Agora. You also need the internet to constantly communicate with the rest of the Chair Team and with your assistants. It’s kind of an important tool for chaos prevention; the internet, to a secretary, it’s more than just Tumblr.

6. You know everything that happened during the Agora.

You have recordings, and sometimes video footage, of all the Plenaries and Prytania.
After the Agora, can listen to the recordings or watch the videos in order to deliver accurate minutes of the Agora. You know, for everyone who doesn’t have the photographic memory of BBC’s Sherlock.

7. You don’t  pay the Agora fee.
Also, after you deliver the minutes, you get reimbursed for your trip. A lovely ‘thank you’ for doing a nice, good job.

If you are interested, you can apply for Secretary of Agora Chişinău till the 20th of June.

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Kastoria/Sofia

Whenever you do an internet search on ‘Lia Tuska’ and ‘Agora’, you will find a multitude of articles written by her. She
decided to step out of the fringe and into the limelight as she announced her candidature for Secretary of the Agora. The AEGEEan wondered, whether there is more to know about this honourable member of AEGEE-Sofia and decided to ask her a few questions.

The AEGEEan: People can be as diverse as there are pages in a book. To those who don’t know your story yet, Lia, who are you?

Lia: I am Lia Tuska, currently member of AEGEE-Sofia. I found out about AEGEE more than two years ago when with some other students in Kastoria, we established AEGEE-Kastoria. I already had experience with bureaucracy from other NGOs and I helped a lot there. I was member of the board for two years (IT in 2012 and secretary on 2013). Later, I joined Information Technology Committee and in June of 2013 I got elected Vice-Speaker. On October 2013, I got elected Secretary of Human Rights Working Group. At Agora Zaragoza, I got the chance to be Secretary’s Assistant. After that, I was Subcommissioner of Arsenis Tselengidis(AEGEE-Thessaloniki), responsible for AEGEE-Athina, AEGEE-Nicosia, AEGEE-Patra and AEGEE-Peiraias. That motivated me more to apply as a Network Commissioner myself and now I am responsible for the Dutch-speaking and (after Arsenis’ resignation) the Greek-speaking locals. Last but not least, my passion on Human Rights led me to join the core team of Democracy in Practice Project with the position of the PR Responsible.

People don’t drift coolly out of nowhere and apply for a position on the Agora. Lia, could you tell us something about your experiences with AEGEE?

I have experience of doing Secretary tasks inside and outside AEGEE. I am Secretary of a local cultural center in my hometown, Serres. I was Secretary of AEGEE-Kastoria. I was Secretary’s Assistant at Agora Zaragoza. I kept the minutes of the Prytanium “An Updated AEGEE Identity”. I am Secretary of Human Rights Working Group. I finished my six months internship as secretary’s assistant in a Lifelong Learning Center in May.

Of all the positions you could have chosen from, why did you decide to run for Secretary of the Agora/EPM?

For some people the Secretary’s position might seem boring and difficult, but I really love every moment of that. I was thinking of applying as Secretary of the Agora for a long time. After attending Peace Revolution European Fellowship, I spent a lot of time thinking of what am I going to do next in my life. The retreat helped me a lot to see things more clearly and decide what I really wanted to do. I love challenging myself. Someone told me to follow my dreams. So I decided to do it!

Of course you’re not the first member of AEGEE-Sofia to apply for the position of Secretary, Elena Antova has fulfilled the position of Secretary of the Agora in Mannheim in 2013. Have you two been in touch or exchanging tips?

Elena is one of the members that I admire in AEGEE. When she sent the open call for Secretary’s Assistants, I was really busy with exams so I missed it. The deadline for applying was extended, so I took the chance and I applied. I was so happy when Elena announced me a couple of months later that I was going to be her assistant. It was like a birthday gift (yes, it was on my birthday). She was really helpful preparing me before the Agora. During the Agora, we had some meetings and she gave me some advices. Later, when we met after the Agora, for AEGEE-Sofia’s Birthday Party, she told me that I was the best assistant she had so far.

And now a question from our readers: you are involved in many projects, you are a current Network Commissioner and, should you be elected as the Secretary of the Agora, your duties will extent past Statutory Events. How will you deal with such a big workload?

After Agora Cagliari, my only AEGEE activities are Network Commissioner and PR of Democracy in Practice Project. I have worked with Elena Antova as her assistant and we have discussed, with her and also with current Secretary of the Agora, Danae Matakou, about the workload before the Agora. They both agreed that the biggest workload of the Secretary of the Agora is after the Agora. I have managed to do many things in the same time and I have succeed. After Agora Asturias, my only activity will be being PR of Democracy in Practice and I am sure I can deal with it. After all, I’m not going to work alone. I’ll have my team of assistants.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Miljana Vulevic, former Human Resources Responsible of AEGEE-Beograd, decided to be more active in  the European Level by joining the Chair Team as the Secretary of Spring Agora Patra. Now she’s back from the Chair Team meeting in Brussels and we’ve had the chance to interview her!

Can you tell us about yourself and your experience in AEGEE? How did you join AEGEE?

I am Miljana, 24 years old. I’ve been a proud member of AEGEE-Beograd since 2012, so a bit over two years now. I joined my local after being inspired by our old members in one of our amazing Local Training Courses. After one year spent as HR Responsible of my antenna, I’ve decided to become active in the European level.

What motivated you to apply for the Chair Team?

Agora is my all-time favourite event. It’s like a rollercoaster ride – you go from being so full of energy to feeling miserable over and over again. It’s exciting, it’s inspiring, it’s intense: it’s Agora. Being part of the team that is involved in making that magic happen would be just… fantastic!  So, when I saw that an open call for the position was issued, it caught my attention and after getting the support from my amazing AEGEE besties and my Netcommie, lovely Miss Antonija Parat, I decided to just go for it. Obviously, it worked out fine.

What do you do apart from AEGEE? Studies? Work?

I am studying Management at the University of Belgrade, I’m on my final year and I spend all my free non-AEGEE time with my friends.

Do you plan of running  also for  being Secretary of the Agora in Cagliari?

Honestly, I don’t know. But I have some more time to think about it, so who knows. I just might do it.

 Recently, the rest of the Chair Team and you had a meeting in Brussels. How was it? Are you ready to work together in Patra?

True, we had a meeting last weekend and it was pretty great. As a new addition to the Chair team, my contribution wasn’t epic or grand, I just suggested an idea here and there like it is whenever you’re a newbie. But it has been amazing to take part in drafting the agenda, selecting the participants and just being part of the whole process. It  has also been such an inspiration watching Paul [Smits] and Alberto [Cuesta Noriega] work like a well-oiled machine. It reassured me that joining the Chair Team was a good decision and made me want to give my best on this job. All in all, I can’t wait for the Agora!

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Sofia/AEGEE-Kastoria

Being at a same local with Elena let me know her and the way she works since almost the moment I joined AEGEE (already four years ago). But I got acquainted with her meticulous attention to detail at a Youth in Action event in Bratislava. Once you see her suitcase or her room you will know that you deal with an extremely organised person. The way she was dealing with the finances of the first Summer University (SU) by AEGEE-Sofia made us respect Elena’s bureaucracy in the most positive way. Moreover, she was always patient and kind, working easily with different people, always a team player and never leaving something in the middle. Due to all this reasons I was somehow not surprised when I found her candidature for a secretary of the Agora. Why she finds it charming and what is the normal speed she types with – read further and find out:

The AEGEEan: Elena, you have occupied many positions in AEGEE – Financial Director, Audit, Human Resource Committee member, etc. Why have you decided to run for secretary?

Elena: Every time I have ever decided to run for a certain position, I was looking at my inner motivation. I was making sure it is strong enough to defeat all obstacles on my way. I have been considering the position of secretary before and I can say that it is unfortunately rather underestimated by AEGEEans. But, in my opinion it is charming in its very own way. It provides you the unique opportunity to work together with the rest of the Chair team in collaboration with the local organisers on the next Agora, to keep constant connection with applicants and participants and at the same time you are entitled with the responsibility of preparing the minutes.

What is the most important feature for being a good secretary?

Well, I can’t say that there is a special ingredient you should possess in order to become a good secretary. It depends on the case and on your team. Still, there is something you should have in order not just to leave in the middle of the plenary, because you can’t take it anymore and this is called persistence.

Have you worked with Alla Resheten (Chair Team) before? Are you excited to work exactly with this team?

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to work with any of the members of the current Chair team so far. However, I am really looking forward, if the Agora approves me for this position, to starting my work as a part of the Chair team. I would do my best to support and assist them with everything I can.

According to you, when is it normal for the secretary to publish the minutes of an Agora?

For me the best moment for publishing the minutes of the Agora is when the secretary is 100% sure that she did her best to fulfil her task and there is no other way she could further improve them. Of course, it is always better if the minutes are submitted on time as on them depends the work of different AEGEE bodies, however I think that we shouldn’t forget the quality factor as well.

Get a watch and write us as much words as possible for 15 sec.

Actually, I never tried to measure my typing speed for such a short time. I did it for one minute and it was between 50 and 55 words. So I guess for 15 seconds it will be around 12 – 14 words.

Well, really impressive. Thank you, Elena, and wish you luck in Mannheim!!!!

Written by Liliya Buyukliyska, AEGEE-Sofia