The winner of Local of the Month of May is none other than AEGEE-Bergamo! The organiser of the spring Agora 2016 hosted 1000 people, a huge number of participants even for an Agora. We had a talk with the board of AEGEE-Bergamo about the challenges encountered for organising AEGEE’s biggest statutory event, about their antenna and of course, about their next plans! If you attended Spring Agora Bergamo and want to know more from the organisers’ point of view, here you can read all about it.

The AEGEEan: To begin with, congratulations for organising Spring Agora Bergamo! What was your overall impression as organisers?

AEGEE-Bergamo: First of all, it is an honour for all of us to be named Local of the Month. Organising a statutory event is a very complex goal, trying to do it hosting 1000 people is an even bigger challenge. Now that Spring Agora Bergamo 2016 is over, we, as organisers, can only say that it has been a success and we are really proud of what we achieved. We really worked hard last year preparing everything, and then, on arrival day, everything seemed to finish in the blink of an eye. It was great, especially because there were 1000 smiles surrounding us during those days.

What was the biggest challenge you faced before and also during Agora?

While we were organising the Agora, I guess the most difficult part was the FR, and not because our team was not good enough, but because we actually needed a lot of money to guarantee a unique experience for 1000 people. Actually, the FR team did an amazing job and thanks to them we did not have any problem. The problems we faced during the Agora were not enormous; the logistic team had the hardest job, especially by night when they had to deal with 1000 people who wanted to reach the club and were waiting for the buses to come, or during meals, for example.

What could you have managed to do better and why?  

Our team was very focused on small details, thanks to Paolo who did an amazing job as Main Coordinator, and due to that I think we considered all the small things, which can make the difference between a great event and an unforgettable event (which was our goal). Also, there is a thin line which separates an unforgettable event in a positive way from an unforgettable disaster. Anyway, although we did a great job, there is always something that might have been done better.

How many active members does your antenna have?

Actually we have 100 members and 40 of them are active. It is a good number and I am happy we have grown a lot in the past 2 years.

Had your antenna organised a statutory event before; if so, when?

Well, before this Agora we organised a NWM in 2013, but this was the most important event we have ever organised in the history of our Antenna. Will it be the last? We will see, but I am sure it won’t.

What would you say are the strengths and weaknesses of your antenna?

The strength of our Antenna is in the group, we can work together and we are a big family. Nevertheless, the strength and success of our projects is also due to the great help given by the City and the University. Something we can improve is our level of activity, not only at the local level, but also at the European level. We can always work harder, try to improve ourselves and our home: Europe.

What are your next plans for this year? 

After the Agora, we took a little break to relax after a year of hard work, but now AEGEE-Bergamo is coming back to work and has a lot of surprises for you all. Stay tuned, we will demonstrate to you that there is Life after Agora!

What would you recommend to antennae who want to organise a statutory event?

We were a very untrained and small group only a few years ago, but with hard work and perseverance everyone can reach any goal. My suggestion is to work on the cohesion and the strength of the group; skills are important, but unity comes first. If the organisers are well trained and work as a single body, your event can only be successful.

Written by Gabriela Geană, AEGEE-București

More Intercultural! Your Participants can Learn Even More!

Jorge Miguel Vielva, Civic Education Working Group, is the moderator of this workshop which will be on the 21st of May, starting from 15.45 in the “S.Giacomo” room. 

One of AEGEE’s main ideas is intercultural exchange. The organisation creates a space for members of different backgrounds to meet and learn about cultural differences, in order to foster mutual understanding, to break stereotypes and strengthen tolerance, show respect and solidarity. This is possible to achieve with the help of Summer Universities and other AEGEE events. The topic might seem easy, but given today’s reality it is very complex and crucial. During the workshop the participants will dive into the intercultural communication theories and reflection exercises. This will help to embrace differences, diversity on a deeper level and truly understand other’s and your own culture. You might learn not only how to say “Hello” in any language, but also how to co-live peacefully in this dynamic and fast changing world with people from all around the globe.

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

Written by Dariia Kogut, AEGEE-Kyiv

Agora is not just about candidates and proposals, but it’s a place where members of AEGEE can share also their knowledge in different fields and they are discussing the progresses on certain topics, such as Agora or Network Development. Overall, during Spring Agora Bergamo there will be 14 workshops and 12 Progress Meetings. You can check the agenda to see when they will be delivered or the thematic booklet to see the topics. Today we are going to present you all the workshops and progress meetings you can attend on the second day of the Agora, the 19th of May, from 11.45 to 12.45. 

Agora for Newbies is hold by the Chair Team and the Comité Directeur, a session tailored to the needs of who is at his/her first Agora and wants more explanations and clarification on our statutory event.  For who has already attended an Agora and s/he now a delegate, the Chair Team and members of the Agora Reform Task Force will hold the workshop Dark Agora Army: Agora for Experts. This workshop is targeted for members of the Agora who want to deepen their knowledge on the statutory and want to live it to the fullest. The goals of this workshop is to have members to comprehend the real powers of the delegates, to understand the procedural rules of the legislative mechanism of AEGEE-Europe, to know how to propose motions which cannot be denied by the Juridical Commission, to argument yourself upon hidden CIA legal exceptions and, to ask uncomfortable questions.

As we should all know by now, Agora will be in Italy where the official language is Italian. This language is one of the most studied abroad and definitely one of the most loved. Luca Ciucci from AEGEE- Pisa and member of the Language Interest Group will deliver the workshop called The history of the Italian language: a European perspective. In this workshop, Luca will give you an overview of the Italian language, in order to understand the differences built through century of history that resulted in how Italians see themselves and how they perceive their position towards Europe.

Despite approved in Agora Patra, very few are aware of what Data privacy policy statement is, and how it will work. That’s why Atanas Nachkov, AEGEE-Sofia, and Lisette Kunst, Mediation Commission and AEGEE-Groningen, will hold the workshop MedCom Data Privacy Policy. The aim is to clarify and explain the adopted protections and limitations as well as the related procedural matters. According to the holders, after this workshop, you will learn what is the current progress of the data privacy of AEGEE-Europe and what is to come, what kind of information AEGEE-Europe collects from you and your Local, what kind of limitations apply, why the elected people must sign NDA and what it legally means,  what the OMS is, how to get anonymous statistics and what kind of requests can be done to the Mediation Commission.

It’s not a mystery that our Statutory Event has some hidden potentials which are not fully used. From Autumn Agora Kyiv, a task force have been working on this to implement it and in the progress meeting Agora Reform, held by Svenja van der Tol, Secretary General of AEGEE-Europe, and Agora Reform Task Force, these new ideas will be shared. For more than two decades, we’ve spent money on the house rent, money that could be used for other projects and for members. At least what Ander Guerrero Ruiz, Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe, thinks and, for this reason, he will hold the progress meeting AEGEE HQ: looking for the next 30 years. In this progress meeting, he wants to explore, with inputs from the Network, the possibility of a long term financial strategy to buy a house for the association.

You can download the blookets here (login required). 

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

Matteo Lai has been a journalist in the AEGEEan magazine since October 2015, but he is also active locally by serving his antenna, AEGEE-Cagliary, as its IT Responsible. His experience and passion for Law, though, motivated him to run as a member of the Juridical Commission for the upcoming term. Here are all the questions, that the AEGEEan and the Network had regarding his candidature.

The AEGEEan: Can you tell us a few things about yourself?

Matteo: I have been an AEGEE member since April 2015, when I decided to spend a vacation outside of Sardinia, because I wanted to try new experiences. Then I saw a Facebook the advertisement about Summer Universities, so after getting information from different websites, I went to the Faculty of Economy in Cagliari and joined AEGEE-Cagliari. Becoming an AEGEE member has been one of the choices, which have revolutionised my life. I am a 27-year-old Sardinian guy, who obtained a Master’s Degree in Law from the University of Cagliari back in October 2012. I love speaking foreign languages because I think they represent a way to open your mind and to meet new people. I also like football very much. In Italy, like in many European countries, it is the most followed sport and also a good conversation subject among young people. When I was 14 years old, I played in a local football team as a midfielder, and after two years the President of that team proposed me to sign a contract. Unfortunately for the President, I chose to stay focused exclusively on the school studies and left the team. During the following years I practiced many other sports, such as volleyball, basketball and karate. At the age of 22, I discovered my passion for dance and, in particular, for Salsa. Then I met a Brazilian girl, Alessandra, who helped me to learn that dance. I like to hang out with my friends during every weekend and have a lot of fun, as most of the guys at my age. Another hobby I cultivate is informatics, even if I am not an hacker, but not for case I am the IT Responsible in my Antenna.

What is your relevant experience to this position? 

I don’t have any relevant AEGEE experience to the position as a member of the JC, but I have studied Law since I was 19, I have done a traineeship in a Law firm and, currently, I am preparing for a competition to become a judge, so you could say that I have quite an experience in the field, especially considering that you need a very deep juridical knowledge to be successful in that completion. The written rules quite often can not regulate every actual case, making it hard for the jurist to understand which rule is better to be applied in each specific case. Previously, I have been a scrutineer in the European Parliament elections in 2014. Lastly, in collaboration with the law firm where I made the traineeship, I have been the first legal advisor in Cagliari to have managed to sign a divorce contract without the homologation of a civil judge.

Why did you choose to become a candidate for the Juridical Commission?

I chose to become a candidate for the Juridical Commission, because I love my association and I would like to contribute by putting together my passions for Law and AEGEE. A friend of mine, who was a helper for the last Summer University in Cagliari, suggested that I should present my candidature for the JC, because I have a doctorate in Law so I, probably, wouldn’t find any difficulties in solving some juridical problems. I think an eventual experience as a member of the JC (maybe also a President) would increase my knowledge of legal English and it would also allow me to do the job I normally do every day, but this time, for thousands of people from a lot of different European countries. Don’t you think it’s amazing?

In your opinion, what is the most crucial thing in the work of the Juridical Commission and why?

In my opinion, it is not very easy to transmit the importance of a set of rules for a very big students association like AEGEE, mostly because within the association you can find not only Law students, but also young people from various academic backgrounds. Law is often considered as a very boring subject, but as you can imagine, an association, other than people, also needs a set of rules. An example of rules is represented by our Corpus Iuridicum Aegeense. These rules are not unrelated to us, because they deal with our volunteering activity inside the association. Without a set of rules, we could not do anything because the CIA tells us, in the articles 2 and 3, the purposes of the same association.

Have you actually read the whole CIA? If so, what does it mean to you?

I have read the whole CIA and I think that it sets a good example of democracy, simply because it is voted upon by the antennae representatives. The CIA has got the same value as the rules of a town, a city, a region or a country. The association cannot work without rules. Without rules, we would be in a state of nature and in that state, each person would have the freedom to do anything in the world, which would lead to a “war of all against all”.

How would you make it more friendly to the members?

To make the CIA more friendly to the members I have thought about a collaboration between the JC, antennae, Working and Interest Groups (such as the Language Interest Group), mostly for the translation of the CIA into other European languages. I think it would be a great way to involve the entire network in the work of the JC. To begin with, we could try with French, Spanish and Italian.

Is there something that you would like to improve in the current version (v.26.1)?

Yes, as always things can be improved. Once I will start my term, I will discuss it with my team and, of course, with inputs from the Network.

Do you think that there’s somehow room for collaboration between other European Bodies and the Juridical Commission?

I think the JC should not work by itself, but it can enjoy the knowledge and experience of all European Bodies. I think, that one of our aims is to promote the collaboration with every European Body, which wants to make a contribution into our awesome association. We are open to all collaborations which can support the growth of AEGEE.

If you were elected tomorrow, what would be the first thing that you would do?

I would start with the preliminary activities in order to bring my program to life.

Questions from our readers:

In your program you’re saying that you want to translate the CIA into 3 other languages, one of them being French, which is already used since 1992. According to which criteria you want to translate it into the other two, Spanish and Italian? What about the other languages?

We will begin the translation of the CIA into Italian, French and Spanish. If the plan goes well, we can think about the translation into other languages, such as German or Russian. To make the procedure clear, I came up with an example: if I have to translate the CIA into Spanish, the JC sends a different number of articles to all the spanish antennae. To verify the authenticity, after each antenna (or the Spanish Subcommissioners) has sent its translation to the JC, the commission will be sending the already translated parts to different antennae, in order to make the comparison. In every case, we are ready to receive any suggestions from the Network.

In your opinion, what makes you the best candidate for this position?

Up until now, I have spent eight years studying Law, so I think I can execute the tasks of the JC, because I know the Law in theory and in practice. In addition to that, I am also used to a huge amount of work.

What is the thing that makes you the most excited as a candidate?

Becoming a member of the JC would allow me to be in contact with many people from different European countries, whom I would not have a chance to meet otherwise.

You can read his full candidature here

Written by Theodora Giakoumelou, AEGEE-Athina

Monika Mojak, a Subcommissioner of the Juridical Commission, is ready to become a fullfledged member of the JC at this Spring Agora in Bergamo. She states that she is hard working, and possesses a very keen and nuanced interpretation of the law. To find out more, read the following article in our ongoing coverage of the various candicates for elected positions at the Agora.

The AEGEEan: Could you introduce yourself a bit?

Monika: Despite the fact that this should be the simplest question, it always brings me some difficulties but I will try to manage. So, starting from the beginning, I am 24 years old and I have been a member of AEGEE-Lublin since October 2013. Currently, I am a student of International Relations on the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. I have now successfully graduated a couple of months ago.

I am full of energy, an open-minded person who is always on the move, I hate being bored, that is why I do a wide range of things in my life; looking for new ideas, experiences and friendships. I am an AEGEE addict, who loves travelling, art and chocolate. In the future I would like to work in the field of human rights and protection of animal rights.  One day I will set up a foundation whose main goal will be supporting those, who seek the helpless – especially children or animals, who cannot speak for themselves – , as I believe that we live not only for ourselves, but primarily for others.

Which tasks have you done, or which positions have you fulfilled that have sufficiently prepared you to become an excellent member of the Juridical Commission?

So far I have been a Subcomissioner of the Juridical Commission for two terms and now I am a Legal Assistant for Poland, where my main task is to support Polish locals with legal advice, help them with resolving their problems, revising contracts and drafting legal documents. I also have quite a wide experience in AEGEE that can be very useful for the work in the JC.

Could you tell us a bit more about your tasks, duties and experiences as a Subcommissioner for the Juridical Commission?

Getting involved in JC  was the best decision I could ever have made. When I started my work as a Subcommissioner, I was still a newbie in AEGEE, and I didn’t know a lot about the organisation, its structure, aim, and vision. However, during the last two years, my knowledge about the JC and the whole Network rose from a low to a super high level, of which I am very proud. Nevertheless, coming back to my duties, in the JC, I was helping to check the status of the locals, I was organising and supervising the elections of the Working Groups and  Committees, I was taking part in Skype meetings with the Commissioners, working with them through the mailing, and I was assisting the JC during the Agora with their tasks.

Could you name some of your best qualities, especially those that are relevant for a member of the Juridical Commission?

I am ambitious, hardworking and a conscientious person. I have highly developed interpersonal skills, ability for teamwork, as well as making independent decisions. I carry out all my duties in a responsible and efficient manner. When I decide to get involved, I am engaged for 200 percent, and dedicate all my time and heart to this. I am also a perfectionist- everything I am working on has to be refined in every detail.

What would excite you most about being a member of the Juridical Commission?
Being a member of the Juridical Commission is very challenging, as the JC is a relevant body in AEGEE and carries a huge responsibility on its shoulders. I love facing challenges and difficulties, learning how to deal with them, resolving problems, coming up with good solutions and breaking ideas. Moreover, the tasks of the JC are very interesting and developing, so you do not have any time to get bored. Also, it is a fabulous feeling when you have the awareness that you are a part of something very important, that you can contribute to the improvement of the whole Network, your hard work can have visible effects, and you can help other people. Share your knowledge, passion and experience, co-operate with the other awesome, experienced people, who have a huge knowledge and motivation, and thanks to whom I have been able to learn more about AEGEE and that together we could make a lot of profitable and valuable things.

What specifically sets you apart from the other candidates who are running for Member of the Juridical Commission?

I do not like to compare myself with others. I believe that every candidate has qualities that make him or her special and eligible to run for this position and thanks to that that we are all different, have various experiences, views and ideas.  Together we could develop an efficient cooperation and learn a lot from each other. This is what I like the most in the AEGEE. I personally think that, after getting familiar with our programs and motivations, people will be able to evaluate on their own. What makes each of us a valuable and an appropriate candidate to take up the position in the JC.

One of the larger tasks of being a member of the Juridical Commission is to verify the conformity and application of the Statutes of each local with the model defined by AEGEE-Europe. How are you going to tackle this herculean responsibility?

I am not afraid of verifying the conformity and application of the Statutes as I have an experience in working with legal documents and dealing with complicated legal cases. This does not change the fact that this is very crucial and a responsible task that demands a lot of effort, knowledge and good communication – not only with the JC, but also with the interested bodies. I can assure you that I will do everything to carry out this duty the best of my abilities.

Questions from our readers: 

Have you ever read the whole CIA? If so, how many times?

I suppose that this is the rhetorical question [she smiles, ed.]. I could not imagine my work in the JC without knowing the content of the whole CIA. The first time I read the CIA, was before I decided to apply as a Subcommissioner. I wanted to be familiar with all the rules and the way AEGEE is operating. I have to admit that it was very fascinating for me as I mentioned above; I was a fresh member during that time and it was a moment when I could explore the knowledge about the network. During my term as a Subcommssioner I have read the whole text several times, for example after the new versions of the CIA were released or when I just wanted to refresh my knowledge.  It is really important to be up to date with all the changes when you are involved in the JC, and we work with the CIA all the time, so I often look into it quite frequently. I posess two copies of the CIA; one on my computer and a printed one, to have it with me: always handy.

I personally think that every AEGEEan should read the CIA at least once in his life to understand our organisation better. How could I be an aware citizen without knowing the constitution of my state? It also applies to AEGEE.

In your program you stated that you want to continue the work done by the previous Juridical Commission. How do you place yourself regarding the proposals about removing the Comité Directeur from the work of the commission? And would you continue with the idea of presenting proposals only during Autumn Agora?

Yes, that is right. The current JC is doing a marvellous job that I admire a lot, and I cannot imagine a situation, in which the next JC would not like to continue the position and tradition that is worked out by the current and previous generations of the JC members. This does not mean that I agree with all the statements of the current Commissioners.
In my opinion, we can discuss the proposal about “Removing the appointed Comité Directeur member as an observer and advisor of the Juridical Commission” from two different points of view. On the one hand, we would all like to consider the JC as an independent and impartial body, but, in the situation presented in the proposal, it is impossible to maintain that position, which would create a confusing situation for the JC. I understand and support it, but, on the other hand, the JC and the CD have to maintain a very close communication with each other and the presence of a CD member seems to be relevant in many cases. The situation is far from ideal, but and I am strongly in favour to find a good solution, and to regulate it in the way that would satisfy both the JC and the Network. Nonetheless, removing the CD member from the JC is not the best option, in my opinion.

If talking about the idea of only presenting proposals during Autumn Agora, I would say that the idea as a whole is good and I like it. Agora spends too much time discussing modifications of the CIA instead of focusing on the topics that are important for the improvement of our organisation. So, as it was suggested, the Autumn Agora would be dealing with the CIA and the Spring Agora should concentrate on the current issues, problems and goals of AEGEE. This makes sense. Nonetheless, we should also consider how it would work in practice. Here I have some doubts, like for example waiting with presenting proposals for a long time, the big amount of proposals gathered during the whole year, and not equally dividing the workload, this may raise some problems and difficulties. That is why I would reconsider it once again, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages that can influence the functioning of the Agora.

How would you make the CIA closer to the Network?

I understand that legal language seems to be black magic and for me ‘making the CIA closer to the Network’ means to make people familiar and more confident about what the CIA exactly is. CIA cannot only be treated in a way of being a legal document, despite that, for many people, it only seems to be a set of the rules. This is the base of AEGEE and it has to be “alive” and visible in practice.  Furthermore, many members still do not know what the JC is or what its tasks are: a liaison between the CIA and the whole Network. That is why, when being in the JC, I would like to be available to every member who seeks help or needs clarification of the CIA and support them in other legal aspects; not only by exchanging emails, but also in online or personal meetings. I want to reduce waiting times for answers, quickly solve the problems and cases submitted to the JC. The interpretation of the CIA should be clear and rules should be applicable. I would like to introduce trainings during Network Meetings and other conferences, where members could gain knowledge about the CIA as whole, and about the most important regulations that everybody should know well. This should be accompanied by some practical cases, to make it more interesting and easier to understand. As I said before, I am thinking about preparing a guide that would help people to better understand the CIA and its regulations. In my opinion, the JC should be more active in social media, sharing some useful information and staying connected with the average members. I am sure that during my term in the JC I will find some other ideas to make the CIA close to the Network, and I will put them into practice.

You can read her full candidatures here. 

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Tekla Hajdu, a 24-years-old Hungarian student of Leadership Management, is one of the candidates for a position as Member of the Comité Directeur. She joined AEGEE-Budapest almost four years ago becoming their PR responsible and then Vice President. She got elected as Network Commissioner during Autumn Agora Cagliari and chosen as NetCom Assistant from Agora Kyïv until now. Preferred task? Network Director but not only…

The AEGEEan: Many people already heard your name: former PR responsible and Vice President of a big local, former Network Commissioner and Vice Speaker of the team, currently NetCom Assistant. Now you are running to become our new Network Director or, if needed, Communications Director. Why would you prefer to cover the first one? What motivations lie behind that preferred task?

Tekla: I applied as a Member of the Comité Directeur, where there are no fixed positions, but of course we can have preferences about the tasks that we would like to cover. My European Bodies experience as former Network Commissioner and Vice Speaker mostly covers tasks connected with the position of Network Director. I am currently also a member of the NetCom team, where I really enjoy the work and the initiatives of the team, so further supporting them and the newly elected Network Commissioners is the main motivation that encouraged me to apply. Also, I have now a deeper understanding of the problems and challenges the Network is facing, and together with the Network Commissioners, I would like to continue working on the projects. However, due to not having fixed positions I would also be open to accepting other tasks, if the team requires me to do, and my local level experience and educational background allows me to take over some Communication tasks as well.

As mentioned before, you covered several task related positions and your deep NetCom experience must be a good starting point for this new possible adventure. What do you think you achieved during your NetCom term? What did you achieve during your NetCom assistant  experience?

I honestly think that I developed a lot during my NetCom term, as the position is challenging, but very rewarding: I started as a person with a lot of enthusiasm, but with less general knowledge about what the locals are facing, and I have ended my term as a member of a team who is always thinking about new ways how to improve the work of locals with many initiatives and successful projects – I am glad that I could be a part of such an awesome team like ours was. I think my biggest personal achievement, during my term, is that my former locals have started to regain their trust in the Network Commission and their assigned Network Commissioner. In this part of the Network there were many resignations and changes, and I was the first one after a long time to fulfill my term and provide continuous support for the locals. My experience as NetCom Assistant rather deepened my knowledge in the overall situation of the Network, and my focus is more directed to the internal work of the Network Commission, of the current NetCom team, so my biggest achievement in this period is rather learning how to support them and with what tasks I can ease the enormous amount of work that is facing Network Commissioners, as working with the locals is only one (but very important) part of NetCom work.

One of the most immediate task you would take care of is our Network Development. There are different ways of development, probably the most taken paths have been found new locals or strengthen the existing ones. In your program you looked more oriented in opening new ones. Is this the best path at this moment for AEGEE?

Actually, opening new locals is the third pillar of my programme. My first and most important initiative would be to evaluate how the Network’s current situation is, as within the Commission we have certain knowledge and information regarding how we see it, but it would be also important to know the Networks’ input regarding their roles and their perception of the current situation of the Network. The NetCom team has already started to take initiatives towards this (come to our Progress Meeting at the Agora where we are going to talk about the current situation and number of members plus active membership in AEGEE). I would like to continue with this direction and make a research out of the information I can get with the survey I plan to launch together with the NetCommies. I would also like to look for more opportunities to support current locals with looking for other ways of financial support and improving the Internal education within AEGEE. But to answer your question, I believe that especially in the recent political atmosphere and situations that we are facing it is important to welcome people who would like to join our organisation with open arms and give more support to Contacts to be able to become Contact Antennae (and later Antennae).

In case you will find yourself in opening a new antenna, do you have any previous experience? What are in your opinion the problems a new contact or you and the Netcom can face?

During my term with my SubCommissioners we have started to map the possible locations and finding interested people to found a new contact, but at the end we did not reach any concrete outcome by founding a new local. However, due to the preparations we have made I am well aware of the process that a person has to go through when founding a new local, and I have been part of the Pro-active local founding NetCom project where we were looking for ways to actively support opening new contacts, so I believe that with the knowledge transfer received in case I get elected I will be able to participate with sufficient knowledge and experience. Also a lot depends on the founding team’s enthusiasm and former AEGEE knowledge when they decide to open a new contact in a city within Europe. In my opinion, the biggest problems are lack of support from the University at the early stage for getting new members for the contact, and local regulations regarding the Statues and the operation of the contact– in some part of the Network legal environment and regulations are still a problem for even Antennae and Contact Antennae as well. If the Network Director, the Network Commissioners and other bodies and locals of AEGEE can provide support for contacts to overcome these problems, I think they can develop faster and tackle these challenges.

Some time ago the NetCom and CD faced some problems about using logos and AEGEE related names for contacts, that was banned. Will you be strict or do you think something should be changed in this procedure?

I think that recently there is an improvement in this field: contacts are now provided a toolkit that contains not just information, but also visual elements that they are allowed to use thanks to the collaboration with PRC. The key factor here is informing the contacts: in some cases they are not entirely aware of the elements of AEGEE they are allowed to use (such as logo, and AEGEE- name), but we should definitely watch over this carefully and remind them what is correct and what should not be followed. In general I would like to be rather strict about this, but it depends on the situation, and the NetCommies’ (and other European Bodies’) input about the status of the case is also quite influential, so I would consult with the relevant European Bodies in each case to be sure in making the best decisions.

One of the biggest problems of a Network Director is the definition of its role and it got frequently confused with the NetCom Speaker. Are you going to better define what is your role maybe with the Network Commission in order to work better during the year? Or maybe it is possible to find a balance without creating new rules and definitions?

I personally think that the Network Director should be also part of the NetCom team, not just the CD member appointed for Network Development and communicating CD decisions to the locals. However, Network Commission is an individual body, and the Speaker team is the one who is responsible for managing the Team. Therefore, I believe that the Network Director’s role should be rather an observer regarding internal decisions of the NetCom and a link between NetCom (and the locals) and CD to provide the interest of the Network to CD decisions and get information, but also to give information and the necessary materials to the NetCom and the locals (so to have this link for both ways). In my opinion new rules are not necessary to set in case this agreement is made at the beginning of the term and respected throughout the collaboration.

Talking about Antenna Criteria: the number has increased in the last years. Are the locals respecting them or are they struggling? Are you going to be strict or flexible about their fulfillment?

Due to my Non Disclosure Agreement, I cannot fully answer this question – what I can tell is that in general I would say the locals are trying to respect them with their available resources and capabilities. I am in favour of pursuing the locals to fulfill most of them, but, if the exception request is viable, I am of course going to grant it.

Since the Local Training Courses (LTC) are now Antenna Criterion, as Network Director how will you encourage local in organising them? Will you solicit the Financial Director to grant more money to locals in need of trainers or funding?

In my opinion, organising an LTC can help the local educate their members, train new trainers and develop the local activities of the antennae, contact antennae and contacts. They are already used as recruitment tools in some locals, others consider them as an educational tool for members, while some of the locals have just started to put emphasis on organising them. However, apart from being an Antennae Criteria, I would try to provide financial help (to see a way to give financial support to LTCs as well, not just to Regional Training Courses (RTC)) and giving more support for how to hold trainings (as sometimes this is the biggest problems for locals) with improving the current internal education guidelines for LTCs in collaboration with the Academy and other European Bodies (such as videos, suggested session outlines, etc.).

How do you plan to bring Action Agenda closer to the Network initiatives?

How I see it currently is that some locals who are interested in/well-educated in the Action Agenda are contributing a lot to it with many events, others have even problems with grasping the concept of it. The key again, in my opinion, is information and education, and with a strong collaboration with Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) I think this can be improved – also relying on the locals’ input and giving the chance of changing a field, if the Network does not find it viable.

What do you think about the current Network Meetings (NWM) situation? Should its definition be modified again or do you think too much standardisation can also be dangerous in such a beautiful and multi-coloured network?

With the former and current team, we have already worked on reforming NWMs in terms of content and organising, and I believe that we are going in the right way, but I think the definition since Agora-Cagliari does not need to be changed much as it is quite clear and distinguishable from other events (such as RTCs). I think that in regards of NWMs the most important should be always the locals’ needs: there should be some sessions which would be the same in other NWMs as well, but the program should always adapt to the participants’ needs regarding sessions.

There are five candidates but only four positions as members of the Comite Directeur. It means at least one of you will be out: why should our readers vote for you?

Because I am a reliable and a hard-working person who strives for the best to achieve in her work, and has sufficient experience in the organisation’s functioning, how to lead a team and how to be a good team player. Also I would like to see AEGEE as a wonderful place for finding what you like to do most, and I am willing to devote my energy to make this dream come true for others as well.

QUESTIONS FROM READERS:

How quick do you answer e-mails?

Usually within 24 hours due to being used to NetCom policy and the internal policy we used in our Board in Budapest, and when I’m abroad or less available, I try to check them as much as I can and respond if super urgent (depending on wifi connection). In general I try to be as available as I can in many communication channels.

If you could only make one big change in AEGEE’s current state, what would you want it to be and how would you contribute to it in the position you are running for?

I would try to bring the members and the European Bodies closer. I really liked the period when the CD was able to visit the locals personally, I feel like that currently the European Bodies are sometimes further away from the locals then ideal, and I would really like to have this approach back to the Network. I would try to have more occasions for European Bodies to meet with locals, not just mostly Network Meetings and Statutory events such as case study trips or providing financial opportunities for organising international teams to be able to meet face-to-face more often, not just virtually.

From your own experience, you know that NetCom is a huge amount of work. If you’re elected as Network Director (ND), what ideas do you have to improve the cooperation between ND and NetCom?

In general due to being aware of the workload a NetCom is facing, I would try to have the cooperation as supportive as possible depending on the Network Commission’s request. I also think that appointing Assistants for coordinating the internal work of the Network Commission helps to ease this workload (in our case it worked well). I have some other suggestions as well, but I think this is a topic which should be discussed with the Network Commission first before coming up with more concrete ideas.

In your candidature we can read a lot about researching, evaluations, etc. Don’t you think that we already had enough about this kind of reporting and control during the last years? Why should the Network again be handled in this bureaucratic way? Is it the solution or the cause of our issues?

I think that for my plans my research would be necessary to make in order to get an objective overview of the Network’s current status and to make statistics that have not been done for a while. I believe that in order to keep objectivity and be able to rely on data and facts, not just assumptions, sometimes we need tools that are more strict and reporting. I would try not to do too much controlling as we also have to respect that we are volunteers and contributing to many things out of our own interests, but there are some things where you can only get input by using more bureaucratic tools or sticking to the rules.

You can read her full candidature here. 

Written by Mattia Abis, AEGEE-Cagliari

You might have recognised Réka Salamon from AEGEE’s website where she is already in the team page as Vice-President and Project Director. She decided to take it one step further, using all her previously acquired knowledge in several teams and projects to take the next step and run for President of AEGEE-Europe. Her journey started in 2011 in AEGEE-Debrecen, where she was Vice-President & Public Relations Responsible. She then became CD assistant on three occasions and Speaker of the Public Relations Committee. Meanwhile she moved to Germany, becoming member of AEGEE-Aachen, she was the Project Manager of the award-winning project Europe on Track and last year she finally succeeded to fulfil her dream: working in the Comité Directeur. 

The AEGEEan: Please introduce yourself.

Réka: I am that person who called AEGEE her boyfriend. Slowly turning 26-years-old, originally from Debrecen, Hungary, having lived in different parts of Europe from Finland to Germany, and I still always joke about being from Eastern Europe. I studied English and American Studies & Communications before AEGEE started teaching me more than any of my professors. I am driven and question the way things work, I love challenges including myself and others, I fight for things I believe in. I hate Twitter because it symbolises everything that is wrong with society nowadays. And my favourite job so far was being a kindergarten teacher.

What is your vision for AEGEE?

I got this question during question time in the beginning of my term in July as well. See, the thing is: no one can have a vision for AEGEE that is universally applicable because this organisation means something different to each and every one of us. I could say I want AEGEE to be the strongest actor on the political field or have the best projects all over Europe. The path I chose in AEGEE has made me realise the power that lies in the diverse thematic work of the organisation, and how it can be placed into the societal context, the so-called external world.
But AEGEE is essentially a place for learning, a playground where you get to choose how you want to develop, who are the people who inspire you and essentially, AEGEE becomes the time of your life. My vision for AEGEE is a network where members understand and choose their path in the organisation that suits them the most – and lots of individual contributions will become collective action and the identity of the association.

After a year spent in Brussels in the CD working for AEGEE, what do you think is the strongest asset and what do you think is the weakest, therefore the one you need to take care of as soon as possible?

We need to reestablish AEGEE’s strong learning opportunities. Non-formal education is becoming a concept not widely understood, while teaching your members from the basic things on “how to manage a local” to developing entrepreneurial skills during a European School could be the reality of the organisation. Members who understand and want to learn more will build us together as a stronger network. Check  NFE’s impact in society, or how AEGEE faced Bologna process and its challenges, and check the era of European School courses to know what I refer to.

AEGEE’s strongest point is being a playground for pragmatic idealists. The organisation has worked and is working on all possible fields that the society around us could find as an important cause or problematic case. From refugees to visa regulations, from employment to peace building, from political anticipation to human rights education, we offer the space for everything our members find interesting and would like to learn more about. We are just not very good at communicating these opportunities in a simple way, but instead in a maze of an overcomplicated internal structure and intimidating levels in our work. Let’s clear up this mess so we can focus on the things that really matter to us!

What are, according to you, the fundamental features of a President?

Understanding people. It takes time to get to know someone what the artificial environment of the AEGEE headoffice does not allow. You work and live together from day 1. It takes empathy and understanding to see what drives every person in the team, what triggers their reactions and what is the way to truly respect and trust each other with them. Lead by example. The president is ultimately the person the other people rely on for direction and support, let it be moral or work-related support. This weight of responsibility can only fall on a person who proves to be the pillar of the team by deed and not only by words.

A president is able to take one step back to look at the bigger picture. The President of AEGEE-Europe is president of two very different entities: the group of seven people in Brussels and an entire organisation. Both have different needs and expectations, and finding the balance between is probably the most challenging task each year. The President of AEGEE-Europe however, can influence the sense of direction of the rest of the board and take an approach that does not allow the CD to forget about its most important task: supporting the network (and be less caught-up in the everyday reality of Brussels).

What was your biggest achievement in you first term as CD?

AEGEE Day was the main thing we have scheduled for ourselves as an objective for the whole team, and while we took different roles in the implementation in the network and in the external world, it is turning out to be a huge success. A tradition we should establish to be a yearly celebration, bringing our network together.

What is the status of the recognition of Non Formal Education (NFE) and Volunteering? Do you think it is possible to create a standardised procedure that can have AEGEEans’ skills recognised (i.e. Credits for University or trainership granted)?

The Council of Europe has drafted a recommendation to all member states of the EU to implement the first practices of volunteer recognition by 2018. Since CoE is a strong actor in the institutional sector, this recommendation is going to urge other institutions for actions as well, which means youth organisations are also likely to gain more support in the improvement of quality, accuracy and credibility of non-formal and informal learning.

With less Brussels-jargon, basically: the recognition of volunteering is a decade-long debate that has been on several tables. With so many different levels of knowledge, unclear map of competences, different youth organisations delivering different trainings, it is hard to find a universal solution. AEGEE has been, however working on the Quality Assurance for Trainings project and the GR-EAT (Guidelines for Recognition: European Advanced Tool) project that drafted guidelines for youth organisations to develop their own internal recognition tools. We have worked on researching the needs of companies and universities when it comes to volunteering and we have come up with a system that could really work.

The work on these projects is probably the most invisible one of my portfolio, yet the educational sessions taking place this spring NWM are trying to highlight the importance of non-formal education and the global struggle for the recognition of NFE. I work closely together with the Lifelong Learning Platform, the strongest umbrella organisation on the field of education, and the strategy we have drafted for volunteer recognition could move social and political recognition forward in the next two years. For further info, please ask and I can go on…

What is your idea of a bottom-up approach to the Strategic plan?

A planning meeting / idea factory with 100-150 people with at least one representative from at least 80% of our locals coming to attend a four full days event of learning about AEGEE and defining their locals’ interest and involvement in our work in the next three years. The bottom-up approach is when you bring people together and give them the space to define what AEGEE means for them and where they can and want to contribute to the organisation.

Our current structure of learning and training, the strategic plan and action agenda resembles more the structure where a small part of the network is telling the rest of the network what they should do and the official procedures impose certain topics to be worked on, but do not give them the support (financial and human resources) to properly implement their obligations. The current structure is a result of 5-6 years of paying more attention to planning than our locals’ capacity and the actions we can actually realise. We can reverse this trend and get back to the roots when idea + action was dominating AEGEE’s work and not the official documents, reporting and paperwork.

You want to bring some pioneering actions back to AEGEE, such as study trips or more thematic conferences. How would you do that?

Case study trips brought theoretical work and online discussions to their action, by actually visiting the country and exploring its reality (not from a tourist perspective). Case study trips break down stereotypes and create educational materials for the future. Thematic conferences were supported by working groups and projects but essentially they were bringing benefit for the AEGEE locals as well. Thematic conferences were all over to discuss important issues in a more meaningful way than passive-aggressive Facebook comments.

I have one more! Mini Universities. Another thing from the past, Mini Unis offered a five day long crash-course with one topic explained from all perspectives. Combined with European School trainings on Project Management, projects have emerged with strong teams who knew a lot about the topic and also knew how to manage the project. How would I do it? Explaining the benefits of the thematic events on the local level and applying for funding from AEGEE-Europe for all of these in order to support the quality events of our locals and strengthen the brand of AEGEE also on the local level.

You want to help locals to organise more thematic activities with the help of projects and working groups. How would you envision this passage? Do you think the European level is connected enough with the local level?

The talks about bringing the European level closer to local level are endless. In my view it is all about the presentation and the crucially important simplification of the information towards our members. By naming all the internal bodies differently and creating different procedures around all of them, we have given them the false image of being something “better” than the local level. I would discuss our internal knowledge management with the rest of my team and start simplifying the structure of AEGEE to make knowledge as accessible and easy to understand as possible, both for locals and for members.  

You can find the questions from the readers here, her portfolio article here and read her full candidature here. 

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

During Spring Agora Bergamo, we will also vote to elect five members of the Network Commission and one of the candidates is Aleksandra Mojsova from AEGEE-Skopje. She is currently a SubCommissioner for Jovana Trajkovic and Assistant Coordinator of the Youth Activism and Youth Policies Programme of YouthCan. Now the 23-year-old Macedonian feels ready to cover a position on the European level.

The AEGEEan: Do you think becoming a member of the Network Commission can get you more experience in AEGEE?

Aleksandra: Most definitely. However, my basic motivation does not come from gaining more experience. I simply feel like I have been very close to the matter, and after all the knowledge I have accumulated, this is the field in which I can leave a mark and help the network to develop further. Of course, this is not necessarily the only way to get more experience. I believe that there are more experienced AEGEEans that not only did not apply for this, nor for any other position, and this did not happen because they are less competent or capable, but simply because they have a different idea and have their own authentic way of applying and transferring their knowledge or expressing themselves. However, personally I feel that I caught the vibe of our network, its passion and motivation, that are driven by the AEGEE spirit that got me at once.

Besides, having the recent problem of the lack of NetCom candidates, provokes a sense of responsibility in me. The good work of the previous AEGEEans, who invested so much of their time for the network, should not be simply let go of, it must be continued – the show must go on.

What were your tasks as Jovana’s SubCommissioner?

First thing about a Network Commissioner is availability for your respected antennae. Reliability and having your locals know that they can always rely on you with any difficulties that may arise is simply a must. Subsequently, a SubCommissioner must be reliable at any time for the assigned locals he or she is responsible for. Therefore, my tasks as a SubCommissioner are primarily to push my locals for the monthly activity reports, inform them on a regular basis about upcoming events, answer to any questions they have and encourage them to apply for events or to join different European Bodies, co-organising Network Meetings (NWM) in the process of choosing participants and content development, helping with organising extra activities such as ‘Stafeta’ as well as helping my NetCommie in promoting events in the online group for the active members of our locals. Finally, I have socialized with my locals and I became good friends with them so much so that I became a member of one of the locals I was responsible for, AEGEE-Niš. I have always seen my task as a pleasure and not as a job to be done. In that sense, I really managed to identify the challenges they might be facing and offer my support in working them out.

Can you explain to us what “Stafeta” is?

The name ‘Stafeta’ comes from a Yugoslavian huge event, roughly meaning a marathon. ‘Stafeta’, however, does not have anything to do with running. ‘Stafeta’ is a mixture of Network Meeting and training course, mainly for newbies, where participants actually share best practises but also acquire some knowledge. The idea behind it was to have the Balkan version of ‘Renove’. This was firstly implemented by our previous Network Commissioner Ana Potocnik, mainly because of her idea to integrate Balkan locals, getting them closer to each other, namely, the newbies with the older, experienced members, but also for Balkan youngsters to get to meet each other. Although twenty years ago we were living in the same united country, now we hardly know our similarities or differences.

However, the event is open for everyone who would like to know more and therefore meet the Balkans, because with the ‘Stafeta’ we cover subjects that can be of everybody’s interest. This year, though, the ‘Stafeta’ had a more intercultural accent, so it was more or less like an exchange. ‘Stafeta’ is an event that adapts the needs of our locals, and I support it very much.

Why do you say several locals get highly demotivated every once in a while? What would you do to avoid it?

Unfortunately, we had to downgrade some locals due to the lack of criteria fulfillment. This was not easy for us, for our NetCommie, its SubCom team or the Network Commission in general. This can however happen for various reasons: financial problems of the local, lack of human resources, or lack of information and motivation. Often it happens that the main reason behind extincted antennae is that experienced members simply did not take care of having motivated successors, or any successors at all, which leaves the local in shaky hands, or no hands. Primarily, I would set an equal distribution of tasks between my SubCommissioners, in order to ensure that every local gets the attention it needs. I would support and centralize the struggling locals during my mandate. I would give priority to communicating richly with the members of the less strong locals first, set expectations and mutual goals, ask and give feedback, speak with every board member separately, advise them on what could be done towards a certain problem they are facing, and help them to organise creative events that would motivate the students and create a bigger visibility at the same time. Different strategies might bring different solutions for different locals. But once they learn, feel or even sense the AEGEE spirit, they shall become way more driven to keep standing, keep going, keep growing.  I could supervise, support and guide them in the process, which is not easy nor promising to necessarily bring a success, which would make the effort all the more rewarding if we manage to do so.

What are you going to transmit to locals with online trainings?

Online trainings are certainly going to be voluntary and only for those willing to participate. I am very much aware of the pros and cons of an online trainings. This is not the ideal solution compared to a live-trainings, but putting a warmer accent on it, might help for sure. I would like to cover various subjects, depending on the local needs and what we have to offer. It might be a perfect possibility to connect locals to European Bodies, Working Groups, Projects, Interest Groups, or Committees. It should be useful and also funny, nonetheless if it is a one-time or a series of training sessions would remain to be decided. Board trainings come first, however. Every newly elected board will get their online training at the beginning of their term from an experienced Board member (a part of my SubCom team) that has been in the board for at least two years. Afterwards, assigned locals will be able to choose a subject they would like to get training for, choosing from a not too long, but sufficient list of trainings available, which they will be able to choose every once in a while, say, every season, depending on their weaknesses. My SWOT (strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats) analysis of the Balkan area locals, show that more or less, we all have similar, if not the same problems, which certainly helps the situation.
The purpose of the training is to focus on strengths over weaknesses, moreover, to turn the weaknesses into strengths. And put the accent not only on knowledge exchange and constructive dialogue between Board members, but also for non Board members, as they make a great deal of each local. “Whole is when it has it All” is my motto for providing a bigger engagement of non Board members for their merits that could only encourage and motivate them in helping their local Boards, which would lead to developing of the antennae, having self-development as a rewarding outcome. However, this could be applied not only between members of locals, but also between a local and an European Body. I would not set a number of required trainings, though, it will all be dependent based on an antenna’s needs.

Which kind of events do you have in mind in order to increase visibility of the locals?

Encourage them to apply for statutory events. If however, I get to understand that this is not very feasible for the next year, I would still encourage them to apply for thematic conferences, European Schools, and training courses. I would like to see at least two Regional Training Courses (RTC) during my term, which would be enough for all interested members to attend. I can say from my one experience, that this will only motivate and encourage them to go forward, depending on the trainers of course, but also on the topics covered with the given RTC. It will include the Academy, cooperation with all the projects and Working Groups in AEGEE.

Which “best practises” do you want to share?

From People to People. From AEGEEans to AEGEEans. This is something that is an ongoing thing in AEGEE, especially at the Network Meetings. There are some quite strong locals in the Balkan network, which can offer their experience. The current NetCom team already is taking care of this, namely they have started with Sharing Best Practices Skype meetings, the first one focusing on Human Resources, on recruitment strategies specifically.

Can you tell us the benefits of Twinning Antennae?

Well, as cheesy as it might sound – “the more, the merrier” and “united, we are stronger” I find it as a rather valid saying. In cooperation with another antenna, it is maybe more demanding, and more challenging to organise an(y) event, but it is more powerful and rewarding. Events, especially those that can contribute to the Strategic Plan as part of the Antenna Criteria, sound amazing by having the parallel impact in two cities, countries or even continents. Twinning Antennae help the locals to cooperate, achieve greater deals together by helping each other. It also increases the feeling of belonging – which is a natural human inclination. Furthermore, it helps to create and develop personal connections that might help the social well-being of the members individually as well as of the locals as a whole. But first and foremost, it is the santa-ice-breaker of stereotypes. Not to mention that you can learn about one’s local’s culture for a whole wonderful year followed by memories, or long-lasting connections.

Do you feel really ready to cover the position as a Commissioner?

After being a SubCommie for more than a year, I feel naturally inclined to take a bigger step forward towards a more responsible and engaging experience. I have met the last three Network Commissioners of my area. I had the chance to get a deeper knowledge not only from our current NetCommie, Jovana Trajkovic, but also from Ana Potocnik and others from the current Network Commission. Helping locals to understand their responsibilities and helping them in achieving those and even more, will help both them and myself to fully grasp our roles, and be ready for bigger achievements in the future.

Questions from readers:

How much time per day would you dedicate for the internal tasks of the Network Commission?

As much as needed. I have learned how to deal with my priorities a long time ago, and AEGEE has been at the top for quite some time now.

Given the fact that there are no fixed regions, which locals do you want to work with?

Well Balkan locals is something that naturally comes to my mind when I think of becoming a NetCommie. Of course, it might be easier in terms of having no language barriers and sharing the same Balkan spirit. Moreover, as a current SubCommie, I would like to be here to continue with Jovana’s work. I do prefer to work with Jovana’s locals, as I know them the best, I have all the required information and SWOT analysis for each and every one of them. However as I consider myself to be of a flexible nature, therefore I am sure that I can also be a very decent NetCommie even with another region. Since all of us AEGEEans are striving for a borderless Europe, I would not strictly keep my borders in only one region, in case I must.

Your program is very local oriented, but how about the work within the Network Commission? How do you think you can contribute?

I must say that though it is apparently not very clear in my candidature, both our locals and internal work of the Network Commission are of equal importance for me. As I very much support the NWM Reform, and I can so far only see the pros of its implementation, I would continue with the collaboration with European bodies in order to make sure that we support a comprehensive overview in the Sharing Best Practices continuous process. Furthermore, I would choose to focus on the NetCom newsletter or collaboration with European Bodies with the current NetCom team, and from June, per se, the new term, we will set our new plan for our term, so I would be happy to work it out with my fellow Network Commissioners.

What do you think is the thing you, as a Network Commissioner should work more with the locals in order to improve their lives?

Allow me to quote John Donne and say that “No man is an island”. This goes for me as a NetCommie, NetCom as a body, or any other body within AEGEE. In that respect, I would say that for sure I am not going to come out as a life saviour, a ‘never seen before NetCom’. It is mutual work and understanding that I would initiate. But, what I can devotedly offer is simply communication. Rich communication. With the locals, but also the locals between themselves. Communication prevents the possible misunderstanding between any personal or professional contacts. Once I get in contact with the members of my locals, I can be very supportive and act very motivating both for my closest and wider circles. Continuous mutual feedback, setting expectations, evaluating and re-evaluating, sharing and exchanging ideas, thoughts, encouraging and appreciating.

You didn’t mention Local Training Courses (LTC), despite the fact that it recently became a criterion. How would you ensure that locals will organise one?

One thing I am sure of, if I get to become the successor of Jovana Trajkovic, is that our locals have always organised LTCs. They have seen it as a criteria even before it officially become one at AgorAsturias.

As it is the best recruitment tool there is, I will make sure that all of my locals will have this information in mind, especially if they have any recruitment issues. We can work together both with the SubCom team and my locals for a PR strategy, that I believe would ensure a bigger turnout from the LTCs.

What do you think about the Network Meeting Reform? Do you think a standardized NWM will bring more pros or cons?

It is the best thing that could have happened lately. As much as I seem spontaneous at times, and act accordingly, when is up to my work, I prefer to have everything planned in advance and follow a certain structure, meaning that the NWM Reform might be also one of the many reasons that influenced my decision to run for a NetCommie.

You didn’t mention the Action Agenda (AA) or Strategic Plan (SP) in your program. How do you think the AA and the Strategic Plan can be more present in the activities of locals?

It might have not been very clear from my candidature, but I do not like changing it now, as the space for improvement should be shown, not written. Thе Strategic Plan, and the Action Agenda, is what I, we, and AEGEE consider an imperative. Though my experience (through working with different locals) shows that locals are free to do what they want, it will be much more relishing if, as a starting point, a common ground for all of us, antennae, contact antennae, or European Bodies, was found and we plan and share accordingly to the SP and AA, all-together looking at the same horizon, moving in the same direction. As I would not like to sound demanding, I would give each local the ability to choose their interest area of action.

You can read her full candidature here.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari.

Organising an Agora is a huge effort in terms of human resources, time, but also economy. Hosting and feeding more than 1000 participants can be challenging and AEGEE-Bergamo found a way to raise some funds, especially for their helpers. We asked some questions to Silvia Cannarozzi from the PR team of the Agora.

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to create the crowdfunding campaign?

Silvia: Organising an Agora, especially at the very beginning, when you face the budgeting phase, can be quite scary. Bergamo is placed in one of the most expensive regions of the continent, having the effect of a relevant increase of cost compared to all other recent Agora. So, as we always do in AEGEE-Bergamo, we tried to find various and creative ways to sustain the whole project. Crowdfunding came us in mind in an early stage of the project. It sounded a really interesting way to mix FR and PR and to get in connection with our community.

What is the goal? Since you decided for a platform that returns all the money in case the goal will not be reached, what you are going to do if you don’t reach it?

The goal is 3500 euros. It’s just a drop in the sea of the expenses we are facing, but for us it’s more valuable because it’s a great proof of closeness and support from our network. What we are going to do if we don’t reach it? We will embrace the failure and learn how to do better next time.

What will the money be used for?

The money will be used to cover part of the expenses of the meals for all the over 100 organisers and helpers which will donate fully their time and energies during the the event.

What are the rewards for those who are donating?

We wanted to do something more than the usual merchandise. If we’ve expected people to believe in us and support the campaign, we have to show them our commitment.

So we put ourselves on the plate proposing unique activities that were peculiar of each organizer. For example: as backer, you can choose between a wine tasting experience with Filippo Consoni or a portrait by Tiffany Pesenti. Having a romantic dinner with AEGEE-Bergamo president Davide Viero or choosing the profile picture of the main organiser Paolo Ghisleni during the Agora. More “serious” rewards: there’s the chance to get a booth in the AEGEE-Fair ((just for AEGEE antennaes or non-profit organisations) or one hour of consulting on many subjects with the most proficient members of AEGEE-Bergamo.

What is the target?

During our researches on the ingredients of a successful crowdfunding campaign, we discovered that most of the backers are primarily the people you know (friends, family) and secondarily, the network you belong to. They are called the 1st and 2nd circle of supporters. There’s also a third circle made of perfect strangers, but they are very difficult to reach, especially in a project like Agora. You’ll may be surprised to know that a lot of AEGEE-Bergamo organisers have already donated to the campaign. That shows how much passion and caring they are putting in it. That’s the target.

Agora fee is 55 euros and the statutory will last one day less than the previous Spring Agora, do you think it’s fair to ask more money to AEGEEans and Agora participants?

Sadly, the fees cover just a small part of the entire budget of the Agora. But crowdfunding isn’t about money, it’s about community. People don’t donate to a crowdfunding campaign to gain a gadget, they donate to support an idea they believe in.

We, as AEGEEans, have the great advantage of being part of a huge international network that’s a unique value to which the campaign is addressed. We wanted AEGEEans to connect with us and feel part of the organisation even before the Agora kicks off. We wanted the network to feel involved in part of the responsibilities that comes from a big event like this.

If the crowdfunding campaign succeeds, it will be a win not just to AEGEE-Bergamo and Agora, but for the whole network to prove that we are strong and willing to help each other. And that’s what matters to us most.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

The core team of Agora Bergamo is restless in preparing the Agora and letting the world know. Their next hit is a little wooden plane that, they hope, will travel all around Europe like an Olympic Torch. We spoke with two lovely ladies, namely Lisa Gregis, who is also responsible for the fair, and Silvia Cannarozzi, part of the PR team,  and this is what they told us.

The AEGEEan: What is the Agora Plan?

Lisa and Silvia: We were inspired by the Olympic Torch. Before the Olympic Games start, there are people all around the world, who are passing it as a baton, from one to another, and the final destination is the Opening Ceremony of the Games. The same for us, we thought that the AEGEEans could have an active role in Spring Agora Bergamo, even before the beginning of it. So there will be the AGORA-plane (a wooden plane symbol of this Agora)  travelling around Europe, thanks to the AEGEE members who would like to support our initiative. It will be delivered at the Opening Ceremony of Agora Bergamo, on the 18th of May 2016. It’s a symbol which states that the Agora is in Bergamo, but it is made by every member in Europe.

When was this initiative born?
We thought about it when we met the Gruppo Giovani Artigiani Bergamo (Young Artisans Group Bergamo) a few months ago, which is a collective of young artisans of our province. They were very enthusiastic about the event and wanted to take part in it since the beginning. They are different kinds of workers: mechanics, carpenters, smiths, bricklayers and so on, and they were willing to help. So we decided to create this plane (that required a customized inlay work made by Davide Aresi) and we are very happy about the result!

When will the project be launched and where will be the first stop?
The project will be officially presented the 8th of January, but the Agora Plane has already left, riding the wave of NYE events. In this moment, it’s in Skopje and has already stopped over in Movska and Kyiv. Then, from there we expect that a lot of AEGEE members will take it to their cities and that the Agora Plane will travel a lot around Europe!

How locals and/or members can be Plane carriers?
They will just have to fill a form and then we will match all the transfers. It’s easier than it seems, since there are many AEGEEans travelling between the Locals every day of the year (due to the european events of our network) and the plane is designed to easily fit in every hand luggage.
What do you expect from this?
We expect a lot of members willing to participate, send us their pictures with the plane in the cities where AEGEE is present and bring the plane back to Bergamo. We want the Agora Plane to travel through as many Antennae as possible, to connect us all towards a common European spirit.

Who are the partners?
The partners are Gruppo Giovani Artigiani Bergamo and Confartigianato Bergamo. We’ve just started to collaborate and we are already planning to do many other things together in the next future!

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona