The closing of Agora Asturias 2015 brought the newly elected Comite Directeur with it, composed of seven people who will begin their mandate on the 1st of July: President Aleksandra Kluczka (AEGEE-Kraków), Secretary General Svenja van der Tol (AEGEE-Nijmegen), Financial Director Ander Guerrero Ruiz (AEGEE-Zaragoza),  and as Member of Comité Directeur: Anna Gumbau (AEGEE-Barcelona), Pablo Hernández Rodríguez (AEGEE-Thessaloniki/Alicante) and Réka Salamon (AEGEE-Aachen). In this article you will find out a few personal details about them and also about their program plan for AEGEE.

  President: Aleksandra Kluczka (AEGEE Krakow), 24 years old, describes herself as “an experienced passionate of youth work and AEGEE in particular, willing to unleash AEGEE’s potential together with the team and the Network”

She has been a member of AEGEE since 2009, the organization that empowered her through every passing experience. Her ascent in AEGEE went on as she joined nine Agorae and three EBMs/EPMs, advanced from being a CD assistant to being the current Vice-President & External Relations Director of AEGEE Europe. She was also the Vice – President and Fundraising Board Member of AEGEE-Krakow.

Aleksandra expresses her plans in the Candidates Booklet: “I decided to run for the position of President of AEGEE-Europe and devote one more year of my life to AEGEE, in order to ensure the development and continuity for the organisation. I have a vision for the organisation that I would like to offer to the members and develop it together with the elected team. I observed that one year of CD term is relatively short, as you do not always see the results of the processes that you start. I am running for this position, as I want to have a feeling of a fulfilled mission and that I did everything I possibly could to improve AEGEE, before I leave it.”

Secretary General: Svenja van der Tol (AEGEE-Nijmegen), 22 years old,  who describes herself as „a happy, optimistic, honest fluff puff” girl full of energy who loves rainbow unicorns, talking, eating, laughing and travels.

She has been a member of AEGEE since 2012, the organization which has changed her life a lot in many positive ways.

The most relevant experience which recommended her for Secretary General was the practice she gained as Secretary of AEGEE-Nijmegen (2012-2013), member of the Advisory Board (2013-2015), being a Chair of the Internal Formal Committee and being in the Chairteam of AEGEE Europe. Currently, Svenja is the Secretary of the Agora/EPM, a member of the Advisory Board and also a journalist and Proofreader at The AEGEEan. One of the most important aspects on which Svenja wants to focus during her term is the communication, not only among the CD, but also in the Network.

  Financial Director: Ander Guerrero Ruiz (AEGEE-Zaragoza), 24 years old, who describes himself as “a positive, idealistic, down-to-earth, smiling guy from Zaragoza (Spain) who really believes in the potential of AEGEE and who expects to improve the association next year in Brussels.”.

The experience of AEGEE, after joining in 2012, taught him that there is always an opportunity for everything, you just have to look for it.

The experience Ander gained as an AEGEEan, being the Treasurer for three Erasmus Trips in 2012 and 2014, member of the Core-Team for Autumn AGORA Zaragoza 2013 and Corporate Fundraiser, recommended him for the job. Also, he is currently the CDs’ Fundraising-assistant and President of AEGEE-Zaragoza.

Asked by The AEGEEan about his plans for AEGEE Ander replied: “I want to continue ensuring the financial stability of AEGEE in the short and long-term in order to keep on carrying out our activities, looking for more funds and using them wisely, and also dedicating my time and ideas to increase our activities.”

Member of Comité Directeur: Anna Gumbau (AEGEE-Barcelona), 22 years old, who describes herself as “someone caring, idealistic, a good listener, extremely clumsy, and enthusiastic”.

AEGEE made her feel like home since 2011 and, according to her candidature, she wants to give back to AEGEE all that has been given to her.  She was Editor-in-chief at The AEGEEan (2013-2014), a CD-assistant, Vice-President of AEGEE-Barcelona and responsible for Human Resources (2013/14, 2014/present).  Her focus lies on communication and motivation of the members.

In the interview for the candidates, Anna declared: “in terms of internal communication, I want to strive for transparency and to ensure that our members are well-informed what these seven people in the CD are doing in Brussels, as well as to strengthen the dialogue with our members and locals.”

Member of Comité Directeur: Pablo Hernández (AEGEE-Alicante/AEGEE-Thessaloniki), 24 years old, considers himself as “another European citizen who wants to actively contribute to the development of our society and the defense of youth rights.”

After joining AEGEE in 2010, his evolution began quickly: from being the Secretary of AEGEE-Alicante (2011-2012) he became President the next year and in 2014, he moved to Thessaloniki and became a Member of the Advisory Board of AEGEE-Thessaloniki. He has been a Policy Officer since 2013.

In the interview for the Candidates taken by The AEGEEan, Pablo speaks about his programm: “In my candidature I have tried to transversely show three different aspects: First, I am confident about my knowledge, abilities, experience and motivation to assume the responsibilities linked to the position I am applying to. Second, as I exposed in my programme, I have ideas to improve the current organisation of this association in order to maximise our impact.” 

 Member of Comité Directeur: Réka Salamon (AEGEE-Aachen/AEGEE-Debrecen), 24 years old, defines herself as a meticulous and perfectionist person who “became the right balance of realistic-idealist over the years”

After joining AEGEE in 2011 she became the Coordinator of the ‘Europe on Track’ project 1st and 2nd edition, joined the Public Relations Committees’ Speaker Team (2012-2014) and she has been a CD-assistant three times.

She reveals her thoughts for The AEGEEan on being a CD Member: “The main role is to keep an overview of a hopefully ascending line of improvement on a certain field the CD member is responsible for.

Being one of the ‘directors’ means a constant load of intertwined tasks, from developing strategies to being in constant contact with the network and answer its needs. No matter how different things could seem in the Brussels bubble, the CD members always have to act representing the network’s opinion and keeping its best interests in mind.”

We were able to ask two questions to the elected members of the CD:

How do you feel about your new team? 

Maria Arends resigned from her position in June. After launching several Open Call, the newly elected Comité Directeur and the current one appointed Maryana Semenyak (AEGEE-Lviv) as interim member of the Comité Directeur.

 Written by Gabriela Cioată, AEGEE-București

Pablo Hernández (AEGEE-Alicante/AEGEE-Thessaloniki) is a candidate for the position of External Relations Director of the Comité Directeur (CD). He has a bachelor and masters’ degree in law and considers himself to have a lot of experience in the field of External Relations, due to his professional practice and activity in AEGEE, both on local and European level. The candidate wants to focus more on the unemployment problems among young people nowadays. 

Hello, Pablo! The Agora is just around the corner! How are you feeling?

Pablo: Excited, so excited! There are many factors that make me feel this way. One of the greatest things is that I will be able to present my Policy Paper. I have put a lot of effort into it and I wish it will be helpful for the network. Obviously, an Agora in my country makes it also very special. I was not able to attend Agora Alicante nor to go to ZarAgora and finally, as they say, third time’s a charm! In Gijón I will have the opportunity to host hundreds of AEGEEans at home.

What makes you think you are a fit candidate for the job?

Some years ago I started participating actively in AEGEE. At that time, there was a member of my local that was very active on the European Level and I tried to learn the most from him. After all this time as an active member, I feel like I fully understand the needs of this association and I want to be one of the main actors finding solutions for those current challenges.

Regarding my preparation for the job, I have studied already my bachelor and master degree in law having a strongly-related educational background. I have also been very active not only in AEGEE in these past years, but also in some other places, founding my own association and carrying out some big projects. From these experiences I got complementary skills that I would need as a CD member.

What makes you think you are a better candidate than your opponents?

I would not want to call the rest of the candidates “opponents” as we are not fighting against each other but giving opportunities to our members to choose the best possible CD team. If I can rephrase the question I would try to answer why I should be elected.

The position I’m running for is External Relations Director. I have had the same position in Alicante this year, dealing with all kinds of institutions while representing AEGEE-Alicante toward policy-makers, the University and some other bodies. In my candidature you can read all about my related experiences but I would want to stress that this is not the only field in which I feel I could contribute to AEGEE, as my profile is broader, including also skills in team management, project management, communication skills and many others.

May you, please, point out the most relevant aspects of your candidature? (question from the AEGEEan readers)

In my candidature I have tried to transversely show three different aspects: First, I am confident about my knowledge, abilities, experience and motivation to assume the responsibilities linked to the position I am applying to. Second, as I exposed in my programme, I have ideas to improve the current organisation of this association in order to maximise our impact. The most important point of it is having an added value in all of our activities so we can stand out among the rest of the international non-governmental youth organisations (INGYOs) and be a real stakeholder in the environment AEGEE should have a say in. Third, it is crucial to have great team-work, as one CD member cannot cope with all the tasks alone. The success of every proposed activity or idea lies in the ability of the team to communicate, share knowledge and collaborate.

How will winning the elections affect your activity in your local?

Being elected as CD requires full attention and I would quit from every responsibility that I could have in my local. Luckily, in Alicante I already started the transition when I left the presidency two years ago so now they have a strong team capable to take the responsibilities I have now and they are doing an awesome job. In any case I would work on a good knowledge transfer trying to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Which is your nearest great project for AEGEE?

If I get the question correctly, the most important project that AEGEE has now is the Youth unEmployment project (YuE). All of them are crucial for our association as they are the ones that really define who we are and what we do but the YuE project goes, in my opinion, further than that. The European youth is struggling with high unemployment rates which is dramatically affecting the principle of social equal opportunities and in many cases, it is causing severe family problems. In this sense, AEGEE should work towards the development of strategies that solve, to the extent of our ability, the unemployment issue.

Together with YuE, Democracy in Practice project stands out among the others. I believe that especially this initiative gives an added value to AEGEE as supporter of youth rights. Tackling transversal rights, the so called Human Rights, our association is building a strong society teaching on the very basic principles of its foundation.

How would the loss of the elections affect your activity in AEGEE, on the European and local level?

If I am not elected I will continue working in AEGEE in the Democracy in Practice project, find new challenges for me as well as spaces to share what I have learnt during all these years in this association. On the local level there is always something to be improved and undone projects that I could take on. Anyway, if I’m not elected, it would not be a drama for my personal-professional situation as there is a complementary master degree that I have always wanted to study and I could also find a job but with no doubts, the idea that seduces me the most is working full time for AEGEE.

Who are the people behind Pablo Hernández, candidate for the position of Member of the Comité Directeur?

Well, I would say that everybody that I have met in my life has had an impact on me and has shaped me to become the way I am now. Focusing on my main backers or my main inspirational references, I would start from my family as they are the ones that no matter what I decide to do, support me. I would mention, too, that the people behind Pablo Hernández are my best friends but also the people I’ve worked with. I’ve been lucky finding my place in every team, surrounded by very different people that have made me grow into the person that I am now.

Who is Pablo Hernández? 

This may be the most difficult question for me to answer. First of all, Pablo Hernández is another European citizen that wants to actively contribute to the development of our society and the defense of youth rights. Second, I like finishing what I started, so I work as hard as needed to successfully complete my tasks. Third, I like putting everything in order (as you can see here, listing who I am). Fourth, I’m passionate about Greek culture and their people after a year living in Thessaloniki. And last but not least, I can’t leave my plate with food, no matter how much quantity or quality there is (you can test me).

Written by Gabriela Cioată, AEGEE-București

From the category of Candidates for Agora Asturias 2015, we bring you another candidate who has big plans for the Network Commission. Özgün Kaplama, AEGEE-Istanbul, is a very motivated AEGEEan who will not give up easily and has an addiction for the organisation he has been working for since 2011, both on the local and European level.

The AEGEEan: The clock is ticking. Are you all set for the Agora?

Ozgun: Yes! Everything is ready and I’m waiting now for Agora time.

Why should we vote for you?

I am a well experienced member of AEGEE and I know this organisation very well. I can be very useful in improving the local’s activity, therefore I have prepared a strong plan for that. If I must say something about my region, I must say that I know its major problems and I also know how the system works in universities, municipalities, the private sector etc.  Regarding my experience with AEGEE, I have worked both on the local and European level. I also keep my motivation alive and all the things I believe in. One of my major qualities is that I never give up. If selected, and in case I will encounter a failure, I will push myself for always trying again, because it is a social leadership position and a leader must keep his/her motivation alive all the time especially during though times.

One of our readers asked: Can you, please, point out the most relevant aspects of your candidature?

I want to work on the Turkish speaking region, therefore I’ve prepared my programme for this area. One of the most important aspects, why which I chose it, is that I know the area very well, I am familiar with the key institutions and their thinking style. I am aware of some problems such as cultural differences and visa regulations, a reason why most members can’t feel as part of a huge family, even the active ones. This must be normal, but I don’t want people to accept this. I want to make a bridge for this integration and realise a big impact. I don’t see this responsibility just from the  AEGEE perspective, it is also important for the member’s future life. AEGEE members must be important actors in the business area with their experiences, leadership skills, team work and personalities. Members must be active in politics with their visions, points of view, brilliant ideas… Members must be active citizens in society with their hearts, cares and social responsibilities. I want to be a part of that change.

How would winning the elections affect your activity in your local?

It will affect it, of course, but not in the negative sense. If I would be elected, I will be working with locals very closely, therefore I will also be working with my local too. Working with the European bodies of AEGEE will affect, in a positive way, my local and this positive impact will continue if I will win the elections. I want it to continue.

How would the loss of the elections affect your activity in your local?

I will be very sad, of course, but as I’ve mentioned in the second answer, self-motivation is really important for this type of situations. I saw a lot of people who, when they didn’t get elected for a mission, they chose to not be active in AEGEE anymore. I consider that a bad decision, because with this attitude they are showing how they can handle their emotions. So, if I lose the elections, I will continue my journey in AEGEE because I love AEGEE as a whole organisation, and not just for a title.

Which are your nearest plans for AEGEE?

I’m planning a two days round-table discussion event about education in Istanbul with the Education Working Group and the EurStory Project. We must talk about the education system in Europe. It will not be just about education, it will be about life as well, as you know that one of the focus areas of AEGEE is youth unemployment, so I think this is one important subject at the moment. You can visit our table at the Agora Fair for detailed info.
I also want to organise debates about world politics in AEGEE.

What do you do when work becomes too stressful?

I face stressful times all the time. I live in Istanbul, the major stressful factors come from traffic jam to population and it gets very hard sometimes. If I get into this position of stress, I wait a moment and try to focus my brain to work. After I do that, I remember my motivation and my aims for work and this helps me to keep my strenght in order to return to work. Business life teaches me great skills for tackling stress.

How would your best friend describe you?

I don’t like the “best friend” term, but my close friends describe me as creative, emphatic, friendly, funny and charming. Charming is an interesting characteristic, but last month one of my friends told me that and so I want to add it to the list. [he laughs]

Who is Özgün Kaplama?

I was born in Istanbul, and graduated Public Relations & Advertisement. Currently I’m continuing my studies in Fine Arts. I attended many national and international events. On the other side, I am really interested in business life and international politics. Also, I am trainer of youth politics and career managements. I’m working on the youth marketing sector for about five years now. Before that I also worked for some national TV channels.

I joined AEGEE in 2011 and I consider myself addicted to this organisation. I think it is not only about students, it is also about creating big perosnalities for society, because as volunteers we have responsibility  to society for a better life. I believe this and I’m working on this motto. As a person, I am motivated, understanding, flexible and of course (for my job) a creative person. I like working with people and in teams, because I believe in team power. Nobody can win alone. I also know the importance of listening to people. When you talk you repeat what you know already but if you listen to people you can learn interesting things. I like helping people in order to help the improve themselves. I think this is a responsibility of every person to society.

Written by Gabriela Cioată, AEGEE-București 

24 years old, from Belgrade, student of Greek philology and an AEGEE addicted ready to support the development and cooperation among Balkan locals. The upcoming Spring Agora Asturias 2015 will host the elections for the next Network Commissioners, and Jovana Trajković will be one of the candidates. Just a few days before the Agora, The AEGEEan got to know better her views on the work of the NetCom and her priorities for the Balkan locals!

The AEGEEan: First of all, please introduce yourself! Who is Jovana Trajković, and how did she join AEGEE?

Jovana Trajković: I’m a 24-year-old student of Greek philology at the University of Belgrade. Hopefully, this year I will graduate! I joined AEGEE in 2010. My story may be one of the typical ones. As a person who is addicted to travelling, I was searching for some unconventional way to travel. My friend, who was very active member of AEGEE at that time, suggested I join the organisation. And here I am! (she smiles)

What made you take the decision of running for Network Commissioner?

First of all – Balkan locals. During my years in AEGEE I had a chance to meet many people from our area and to discuss with them about the situation of their locals, especially about their strengths and weaknesses. At one moment, I realized that I want to help them somehow, not only to discuss about it. I made a step forward and became Subcommissioner. When I look back, I can say that my responsibilities as SubCommie have prepared me for the next step. Now, after one year of being SubCommie, I feel ready to take another step forward. Therefore, I am running for the position of Network Commissioner. What I see as really important is support of, not only the locals, but also of Ana Potocnik, our current NetCommie, and the rest of SubCom team. And I can say that those girls are awesome. Beside the support, they also encourage me and believe in me. Sometimes even more than I believe in myself!

Which vision do you have of the work of a Network Commissioner?

The work of the Network Comissioner always seems interesting to me. Working in the SubCom team of Ana brought me more closely to the NetCom and its work. On the one side, there is work with the rest of NetCom team, and on the other side, working with locals and SubCom team. Thanks to Ana, I am aware of the amount of work which comes with this position. Furthermore, I see it as inspiring, joyful, responsible, interesting work which requires lot of time, mutual understanding and patience.

As you mentioned, you are currently subcommissioner of Ana Potocnik – what have you learnt during this time as NetCom?

First and foremost, this position taught me how to take care of locals and help them in the best possible way. Talking about locals and revising their activity reports helped me to create a better picture in my head about every local. Next to Ana, I have also learnt a lot about contacts and how to help them grow. Also, I realized how important is to have SubCom team on which you can rely and count on if you need its help. Finally, I can say that motivation and dedication are the most important for the position of Network Commissioner in order to handle all the work.

Which are the strengths of the Balkan region, according to you?

Our locals are close to each other and we speak more or less the same language. This makes our cooperation easier and increases the chance to have new common projects or events. When it comes to organising events, I can say for sure that Balkan locals are very good in project management. Each member involved in organisation of some event takes seriously his/her role. You should come to our NWM in Zagreb to check if this what I’m saying is true!

And its weaknesses?

If we talk in general, I can state only two weaknesses. Unfortunately, even if we are geographically close, we don’t know each other very well. If I get elected, I will try to change this in the future. The second one is lack of knowledge in different fields, depending on the local. The solution for this should be online trainings, as I stated in my candidature.

And which is going to be your top priority as NetCom, if elected?

Actually, I have two priorities – improving the cooperation of Balkan locals and establishing the online trainings.

How would you strengthen the cooperation with the antennae in the region?

My plan is to create a database which will include the strengths, weaknesses and interests of all my locals. Once this database is created, all locals will have access to it. In that way, locals could find their potential partner for the next project or event. If locals agree, I would organise one more meeting of our area, beside the NWM. That meeting would be more relaxing, with few workshops, because the purpose will be to bring locals closer to each other.

You have just mentioned some interesting ideas from your program, such as the on-line trainings. Can you tell us more about it, how is it is developing and how do you plan to continue them?

For the moment, we made a plan how we want it to look like. First of all, we would ask locals which kind of trainings they need. Those trainings will be organised for locals so their opinion is crucial. Afterwards, the plan is to organise trainings once or twice per month, depending on the locals’ needs and availability of trainers. About the material for trainings, we would use already existing toolkits of AEGEE-Europe. Also, Academy can help us here by providing us with their materials which we can adapt to our needs.

Being a Network Commission takes usually a lot of time – how do you plan to handle it?

When I decided to run for this position, one of the first questions which came to my mind was – Will I have time for it? It took me quite some time to think about it well, but my answer was, and still is, yes. Also, it’s not just about having time for it, it’s also about time management. Good time management, which I think I have, can save a lot of precious time and help to finish all the work on time. Also, I’m used to put my own deadlines in order to achieve goals which I set to myself. Furthermore, I’ll have an amazing SubCom team to help me in realization of my ideas and achieving goals.

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

As the Agora Asturias 2015 is approaching at a high speed, our ‘Proposals for Dummies’ series is still ongoing! Today we are taking a look at three proposals which mainly concern Statutory Meetings, namely Agorae, European Planning Meetings and Network Meetings, and which aim at introducing some changes to the Antenna Criteria and the Working Format of the Agora.

The first one of the proposals that we will analyse today, Proxy voting for locals, has been proposed by Léa Charlet from AEGEE-Paris, Olga Rivero from AEGEE-Oviedo and Ruben Navarro from AEGEE-Tarragona. It addresses a problem that some of our locals are facing since some of them don’t the money, time and resources to send their delegates to the Agorae. It means that these locals cannot participate in the decisions taken at the Agora, as they are unable to cast their votes. The proposal suggests that locals who cannot attend the Agorae can delegate their votes to another antenna, who will cast it on their behalf.

The proposers argue that smaller locals often face disadvantages, as they usually have lesser chances to send delegates to Agorae. Moreover, they argue that often, the city where an Agora takes place “is also decisive for a candidate to be elected or a proposal to be approved, just because the attendance from the nearby antennae is bigger” than others.

However, this doesn’t mean that antennae who delegate their votes to others will fulfil the antenna criterion of being present at Statutory events. It will only mean that some other antenna will vote on their behalf, so they will not be in any way present in Agorae. According to the initial proposal, antennae who would like to delegate their votes would have to inform the Juridical Commission two weeks in advance, and approve their decision of delegating the vote in their own local Agora. Find the proposal here.

The second one of the proposals we will take a look at today concerns the attendance to statutory meetings, too. It aims at Changing Criteria for Representative Attendance during Meetings, referring to Agorae, European Planning Meetings (EPM) and Network Meetings (NWMs). Mario Galea (AEGEE-Valletta), on behalf of the Network Commission, proposes to change the current criterion of attendance to plenaries (currently stated as “full attendance”) and set a minimum percentage of plenary attendance instead (80% of them), and as many prytania per slot as it has representatives – so, if a local sends only two delegates, this local should send these two delegates in two prytania slots.

Concerning Network Meetings, Mario argues that the current criterion implies that locals have to send a participant at a Network Meeting, but this presence is not usually counted – meaning that participants can be free of skipping the sessions or simply visiting the city. The proposal aims to avoid this by setting a minimum percentage of the sessions to be attended in order to make this criterion fulfilled. The full proposal can be found here.

Our last daily proposal, Providing Room for Deliberation on Motions, is proposed by Gijs van Amerongen and Maarten de Groot, from AEGEE-Amsterdam. Currently, there is enough space for deliberation before voting candidatures and proposals. However, this doesn’t happen when it comes to motions, which are proposed during the Agora itself and often voted on within the same plenary session, with not enough space for discussion.

As the proposers from AEGEE-Amsterdam suggest, sometimes delegates do not have the time to deliberate and to discuss before making a decision. Because of that, they propose a minimum of three minutes during the plenary session in order to provide the delegates with some time for deliberation among one another and the members from their local. The full proposal can be found here.

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

The second roud of Proposals for Dummies deals with three proposals regarding the Network, aiming to make it more efficient and organised. If accepted, these proposals will be affecting not only the Network Commission, but also the AEGEE antennae. Firstly, we will deal with the proposal ‘Upgrading and Deleting locals’, secondly we deal with ‘Fixing a Date on which the NetCom should start his or her mandate after the Agora’, and last but not least, we deal with the proposal ‘Allowing contacts to exceptionally sign Convention d’Adhesion’. 

The first proposal, ‘Improve the dynamic of Upgrading and Deleting locals’, was proposed by Holger Schmitt on behalf of the Comité Directeur and Jorge Sanchez Hernandez on behalf of AEGEE-Dresden. They are proposing that the upgrade from Contact Antenna to Antenna or downgrade of an Antenna should be done in the passing time of two Agorae, not by a calendar year as it is written in the CIA now: “Upgrade can only take place at least a year after the contact has signed the CdA.” With this rule, a Contact Antenna or Antenna that has been created, for example at Autumn Agora Cagliari 2014, can not be upgraded at Autumn Agora Kyiv 2015 if the dates of Agora Kyiv are earlier than Agora Cagliari’s. The proposal therefore aims to make the process of upgrading less dependent on the exact dates of the Agora. At the same time, the locals which have been downgraded from the status of Antenna (in case of complete inactivity and abandoment) can be deleted at the first Agora after the decision was made, and not at the second, thereby helping to reach a better and complete AEGEE Network. If you wish to read more about this proposal and the comments of the members, you can click here.

The second proposal, ‘Fixed terms of the members of the Network Commission’, was submitted by Ana Potočnik and Mario Galea on behalf of the Network Commission (NetCom) of AEGEE-Europe. They are proposing to change the date a Network Commissioner starts his or her term, because right now he or she is supposed to start right after the election without having had a Knowledge Transfer. Therefore, the proposal suggests to have the mandate start on a set time after the Agora. In the time between the election and the start of the mandate, the newly Network Commissioner can receive Knowledge Transfer and have some extra time in order to get to know his or her locals (with the information provided by the outgoing NetCom without violating the non-disclosure agreement) and create an acivity plan. This way, the Network Commissioner will be better prepared, but also the locals will benefit with more support from their NetCom. For more details and reactions about this proposal, click here.

The last proposal, ‘Allowing contacts to exceptionally sign Convention d’Adhesion’, was proposed by Paul Smits, on behalf of the Comité Directeur and Boudewijn Steenhof, on behalf of Network Commission. They are proposing that there should be an exception for the to-be Contact Antennas from the rules of Motion on the Contacts and the decision established at the Agora Budapest 2012 (namely that the Contact should attend at least one Network Meeting and afterwards attend the next Agora where the members should expose their plans and should also be prepared to answer to the questions asked by the delegates). They believe that the Contact shouldn’t need to wait for an Agora in order to become an Antenna in cases in which they would have a strong benefit of the AEGEE name. Officially being part of AEGEE, the to-be Contact Antenna will grow faster and with more efficiency as the usage of the AEGEE-logo and calling oneself AEGEE is often very important for recognition in the specific city. This exception would also increase the quality of the AEGEE Network. For more information about this proposal, click here.

Written by Gabriela Cioată, AEGEE-București

Each year, the Days Without Meat (DWM) campaign is organised in Belgium and lasts for forty days. During these days, people join each other to eat less meat and raise awareness about the impact our eating habits have on the environment. This year, AEGEE-Leuven thought it would be nice to join with a group of AEGEEans, and they invite you to join too! We spoke to Tom Etienne, President of the local, to find out more about this initiative and how AEGEEans can join.

The Days Without Meat logo

The AEGEEan: Where did the idea to join the Days Without Meat campaign come from?
Tom: The ‘Days Without Meat’ campaign (DWM) runs every year in Belgium for forty days. This year, two of our board members suggested we take part as a local. We came up with the idea to make this a European event that everyone can participate in from their own homes. It also serves as promotion for our awesome Summer University that we will organise together with AEGEE-Tilburg on the topic of sustainability. This is important to keep in mind: we’re not pleading for total vegetarianism, but for responsible eating habits!

When does the challenge take place?
It is a forty days campaign starting on the 18^th of February and ending during the Agora on the 4^th of April!

How can AEGEEans join you, and how many already have joined?
Joining is a very easy thing to do. In the event on Facebook you can find a detailed description, but you basically just have to make an account on the website and then join the AEGEE group in order for AEGEE to become the biggest participating organisation! We have nearly 100 participants in the Facebook event, but in the actual group there is definitely room for growth! We are currently fourth in the organisations category, but we could easily climb up to the first place!

Why should AEGEEans join you?
This is not a hard question to answer. First of all, it is a perfect opportunity to show that AEGEEans care about their environment. Second, it’s something that we can all do together, and to top it off, the campaign ends during the Agora, which will definitely make for an unforgettable closing party! There is one last thing: everyone who participates gets a free veggie meal in a Greenway restaurant in Leuven (or Ghent, Antwerp or Brussels). Another reason to participate and to visit us in Belgium!

What do you think will be the biggest challenges for people joining you?
I think the name of the campaign might sound rather frightening, because it’s called days without meat, even though that is not the main objective at all. We’d like to raise some awareness about our eating habits and their consequences on our environment, not to rule out meat in its entirety.

Do you have any tips for people who want to eat less meat?
Sure, it might seem like a hell of a job to cook vegetarian if you have barely ever done that before, but it’s totally fine to simply leave out meat for once. If you’re skipping meat for several days in a row, there are very tasty meat replacements, but for instance eggs would also do the job (and they’re so much cheaper!). We will keep the campaign very active during those forty days, so you can expect lots of information, motivation, suggestions, recipes etc. so that you will never feel discouraged! No worries, AEGEE-Leuven will take good care of you.

Since your challenge takes place during both the EPM and Agora, are you thinking of some kind of cooperation or actions to bring attention to the challenge?
We have only recently contacted AEGEE-Oviedo and AEGEE-Burgos to see what it is that we could do to cooperate, but we are aware of how big and difficult it is to organise such a huge event, so we don’t want to interfere with everything they’ve done. We’ll try to make sure you can eat vegetarian though! We would very much appreciate if locals could post this wonderful campaign onto their pages and into their groups, so that we can grow to become a big and friendly group of caring and engaged people. Oh, wait… A big and friendly group of caring and engaged people? This sounds like something we all know. This sounds like AEGEE! So I have only one more thing to say to you! Show that AEGEE cares!

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen