AEGEE Sofia has been chosen as ACTive Local of the Month, because during August they organised an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange, and a SU that matters in collaboration with the Civic Education Working Group. We interviewed Elitsa Hadzhieva, president of AEGEE Sofia to know more about those wonderful activities and the local.

ACT: Which emotions did you have when you knew that AEGEE-Sofia was chosen as ACTive local of August?

Elitsa: Total and complete joy! It was a very hard working month for our very small and compact team, so you can only imagine how surprised we were that everything went very good with our events and we even got recognised for it. [she smiles, ed.]

Why did you decide to organise this activity?

We wanted to organise our own Erasmus+ exchange for some time and basically driven by the motivation of one of our members – Ivaylo Bogomilov, we decided to try with the deadline for project proposals in February and luckily it got approved. It was a project that his previous board wrote two years ago but then it was put on the waiting list and we improved it a little bit and applied again. About the Summer University, I have to say that we were very hooked up by the idea of making a SU that matters and from the start when we saw the booklets from SUCT about possible cooperations with some of the AEGEE bodies, we started thinking about doing something more special this summer. And we chose the topic and contacted the Civic Education Working Group because civic education has been a very hot topic in Bulgaria for the last few years. We as a local in Bulgaria feel that it’s a really important issue and of course we should get involved as much as possible, and also our board was very keen on the idea. After we decided the topic and that we would do it with CEWG we were like “Maybe we should make it a summer course+”. So, we took the challenge. We decide to have a meaningful topic, our SU to be an SC+ and at the same time to be a travelling one. It was a big challenge, but it was worth it.

What was the result of your activity? 

We had 50 participants from eight different countries in our Erasmus+ project, which is a big challenge because there are tons of different bureaucratic things you have to do. The topic was about healthy lifestyle and youth empowerment and I have to say that three months after the project our participants are still sharing their experience, like how they challenge themselves, what kind of events they participate to because they were motivated to do so after our project, etc. During our SU we had 25 participants and we did more than 20 workshops about civic education, active participation, European citizenship, politics and policy-making and about Structured Dialogue, which is my personal favourite, about how young people can get active in policy making on a national and European level. Also, we received feedback from some of our participants that have been active in AEGEE for the past few years, they said most of the workshops had very good content, diverse and different from what they had seen until then and they marked it as something positive.

How do you inform your members about the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

We mainly use our LTCs as informative mediums, where we are telling our members what it is. We are planning to get better at this in the future.

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

We will have a project about social inclusion of young people from marginalised groups. And also we have some ideas for organising some training sessions/workshops connected with the four focus areas for students and pupils (that are 17/18 years old).

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

It’s easier to organise an event when you know that you have four focus areas and some guidelines with them that can help you with coming up with an idea that you would like to put into practice. Also, as cheesy as it may sound, it’s always better to have in mind the bigger picture of the whole network when you organise or execute a project.

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

People, just make our network great again! Joke aside, if you think that thematic activities are what your antenna or what you members need – do not hesitate to organise something. Also, the feeling of what you have accomplished can motivate your board and your members to do more and more activities not only related to the Action Agenda.

Can you tell us a bit more about your local? 

AEGEE-Sofia is not a big local, but it is like a family for most of its members. The antenna was established at the beginning of the 90s. In 1992 the local became part of the Network of AEGEE-Europe and ever since that moment, the number of members varies between 15 and 50 people. This mostly depends on the time of the year. Usually, the peak period in the past when most of the members were extremely active was just before the Summer Universities started. We have around five-six active members. Nevertheless, this year we managed to overcome a lot of challenges and we organised a few big events despite the lack of active people but in that way, we had the chance to work with some of the older members who were active two years ago and were our biggest help this year.

Written by Cristina de la Parte, Action Agenda Coordination Committee

Last May, AEGEE-Lublin organised the Aktywator project (Youth Employment Focus Area) and First Aid training (Civic Education Focus Area). For this reason, they were chosen as an ACTive Local of the Month. We spoke with Martyna Jarosz – Advisory Board, Honorary Member and previous Secretary of AEGEE- Lublin, to find out more!

ACT: Which emotions did you have when you know that AEGEE-Lublin was chosen as ACTive local of May?

Martyna: Thank you so much for the nomination! We still can’t believe it. We were very excited by knowing that AEGEE- Lublin was chosen for this designation. We’re pleased that our whole effort is noticed. This gives us even more motivation to act.

Why did you decide to organise Aktywator project and First Aid training?

We decided to organise First Aid training for many reasons. Firstly, I always wanted to promote civic education, so I was the originator and the main organiser of the First Aid training, because is there anything more important in the world than human life? However, there may be situations in which it is threatened. We should all acquire practical first aid skills so that, in difficult situations, we can respond quickly and effectively to save lives. That is why we organised a pre-medical First Aid training to make Lublin’s society aware of the importance of stopping and saving someone’s life. Secondly, there are many such training available but little practiced. Our training was practical, practical and much more practical. [she laughs, ed.]

Aktywator project is a training event aimed at young residents of Lublin, whose main idea is motivation for various types of extracurricular activities and self-improvement. We decided to organise Aktywator project because it is already at its 10th edition. This project was held every year for several years, after which it had a three-year break. A year ago, it got another chance and was reinstated. We hope we succeeded! In addition, it is a good opportunity to promote our antenna in the community of Lublin.

What was the result of your activities?

The First Aid workshop was attended by 25 people. We heard only very good opinions in evaluation from the workshop participants. They liked the practical nature of the course, so I think our assumptions have been achieved. People learnt how important is First Aid thanks to this workshop. And most importantly – they can do it!

This year’s edition Aktywator project didn’t have a lot of participants, but the opinions about this project were very interesting and they want to participate in subsequent editions. Trainers received comments that they conducted very professional training. What’s more, we achieve new partners for cooperation, including a bakery, a cinema, a restaurant and a gym.

In the organisers’ opinion both projects were one of the best decisions we made. And from the results we are proud of it!

How do you inform your members about the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

Our members have been informed about the Action Agenda and Strategic Plan during main meetings, Local Training Courses and the general meetings just before both Agorae. We constantly encourage all the members to explore all of AEGEE’s communication channels and we inform them about every local activity. Furthermore, we talk about European events and inform new members about AEGEE-Europe.

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

Recently, we organised a few Action Agenda activities, such as self-presentation workshops, workshops on how to effectively train, First Aid training etc. We love to talk about it during our weekly meetings. We strongly want to encourage everyone in Lublin to participate in Network Meetings, Agorae or European Planning Meetings, where you can learn more about the Action Agenda or Strategic Plan. In addition to this, you can meet amazing people with whom we develop exciting relationships and make an exchange of experiences which help us grow even further. I see that this year our members are even more interested in active activities, they have a lot of innovative ideas. I hope we will surprise you again soon!

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

The Action Agenda and Strategic Plan help us to build a better Europe, because they set out an action plan.  These activities motivate members to actively engage in projects for common success and development. A Strategic Plan shouldn’t be understood as a restriction or an obstacle. We should all use it, since it is a help for us to work effectively. It’s our inspiration for our ideas to be realised. Every action is beneficial, even the smallest, because it will always leave its sign and will be an inspiration to others. In addition, thanks to the Action Agenda and the Strategic Plan, we can be described as a stronger local, we have goals and we set the course of action.

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

The key is to take action -capital A! Most people do nothing because they are afraid of the problems or challenges that they will face or they are just lazy to do anything. But the way to organise activity is to make one decision. This decision is to ACT! The most important thing is to move on from one place to another without thinking about this as another obstacle to overcome. Then it’s just getting better and better!!!

You should also cooperate according to your plan, which will help you not to get lost during the organisation of a project. We should be open to help others, work with them, listen to ideas, activate and motivate them. This makes work more easier and enjoyable.

Remember! In organising activities, it’s not about being successful but even about getting the satisfaction of what you do, having pleasure and get to know fascinating people. 

Can you tell us a bit more about your local?

AEGEE- Lublin was founded in 1993, so this year we celebrated our 24th birthday. Every week we try to spend time together, both preparing projects and having fun. For us every new member is a new idea. However, every new idea can turn into a fascinating project. We get to know each other better organising such projects, and this creates a great atmosphere between us and generates a lot of positive energy. We learn from each other’s experience and work.

That’s what AEGEE- Lublin is all about.

We currently have about 15 very active members. That doesn’t stop us from doing brilliant things. We create this small Polish Antenna, but we have a lot of passion to work and new ideas to involve. We try to participate to events like Network Meetings and Agorae. The projects that we implement are based on the needs of our members and their ideas. We have a few events which have a continuation. We will not let them die. In May we prepare the Aktywator. This is one more edition of the training project – a few days of practice, workshops and training. Moreover, we want to repeat the First Aid training.

In a small but well-integrated TEAM there is power to work! That’s us!

Characterise your local in one sentence.

We’re the local of inspiration. Just like Lublin has a motto – the city of inspiration. You don’t feel it, unless you come to us.

Written by Elena Efremova, behalf of the Action Agenda Coordination Committee.

Last March, AEGEE-Torino organised Europe Café about Populism. For this reason, they has been chosen as the ACTive Local of the Month. We spoke to Roberto, Gulia and Luca to find out more!

ACT: Which emotions did you have when you know that AEGEE-Torino has been chosen as ACTive local of March?  

Roberto: We were very excited and honored by knowing that our Antenna was chosen for this recognition. We put a steady effort on this activity and I am glad to see that it has been recognized as useful to the objectives our organisation!

Why did you decide to organise that activity?  

Roberto: Actually, this activity as such dates back to some years ago from an idea of Sergio Genovesi. Despite the activity was a little bit neglected, this year, when we had to decide whether to stop it or not, we just gave it another chance and revitalised it because we thought it was worth having also a cultural side in our local!   

What was the result of your activity?

Roberto: We organise the Europe Café on a monthly basis with an average attendance of 15-20 people coming from various parts of Europe (France, Germany, Romania, Poland, to name a few). As mentioned, it is a talk in English open to all those who want to discuss in an international environment. We deal every month with the “hot” topic of the moment: just to give a few examples, we talked about Brexit, the crisis of Schengen, the rise of populist movements,  the impact of terrorism on everyday life. In addition, each time we also have a little focus on the electoral moments in the European countries (General Elections, Referenda, and so on).  We had many good feedbacks: making available a space for relaxed and thoughtful talking gives a real opportunity for free expression to the international (but also Italian) students in our city.

How do you inform your members about the Action Agenda/Strategic plan?  

Giulia: We’re keeping them updated about every activity/news regarding the AA or the SP through our social channels, during our weekly meetings and LTCs.  We are also quite lucky because we can boast the presence of three ACTies in our local, Gabriele Scollo was in ACT in 2015/2016, Marco Daniele will finish his term at the end of July when I will start with mine for the next year.   

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?  

Giulia: As Roberto said the Europe Café isn’t a sporadic activity, but is a regular spot that every month changes its topic taking into account news reports and participants’ interests. This means that a new challenge is waiting for us each month and this is the strength of the event: its flexibility and constant innovation. Besides, this year’s experience increased and stimulated the interest of our members about thematic activities, so maybe we have something on our plate for the next year!  You will see!

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?  

Roberto: The Strategic Plan is sometimes read as a sort of top-down set of orders and, even worst, generally organising activities related to the Action Agenda is too often seen as a constraint. We need to change that! We should take the Strategic Plan as an inspiration for our activities and the AA as an instrument which can help us to put into practice our ideas and to measure their impact. We have the chance to make a real and measurable impact on society, no matter how little or big, and it shouldn’t be wasted. This is the reason why we should all organise this kind of activities.   

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?  

Three fast tips!

First: KEEP IT SIMPLE. If you overdo with the organisation, you will probably not be able to carry out all the details and be disappointed. If you start from the little things however, you will have a lot of room for improvement and development. After all, Europe Café is simply a nice talk with some international friends and it works because it is simple.  

Second: INVOLVE PEOPLE. It is really important to have people involved, not only for the impact itself, but because when people are with you, they help you and your job becomes far easier and effective. In Europe Café, the participants are those who make the discussion great for everybody, our job is just to make it work.

Third: YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN YOUR PROJECT. Always think on why you want to organise your activity and make your cause your landmark. Organising something only because you have to is just not worth it.

In any case, feel free to contact us if you want help and tips about how to organise a Europe Café in your local, we will be glad to help you! You can contact us on our Facebook page or send us an email! (aegeetoboard@gmail.com  or  giulia.melis@aegee.org)

Can you tell us a bit more about your local?

Giulia: AEGEE-Torino was founded in 1992, so this year we celebrate our 25th birthday. We have a long history behind us and among all moments coming from the past we cannot forget 2004, with the Autumn Agora and one of our members, Nicola Rega, as AEGEE-Europe’s President.  Now AEGEE-Torino can count on around one hundred members, forty of them really active. Since three years we’re working hard with the aim of growing up, starting from the local level and now focusing on the European one.  Our efforts led to two strong and stable local events, the “Europe Cafè” and of course the great “Aperitivo linguistico: USE YOUR TONGUE” that attracts each month almost eight hundred students and Erasmus people. In addition six of us are currently involved in European bodies, committees, commissions, interest and working groups.  

Are we tired? Absolutely not! We still have a lot of new ideas and projects in progress. To be continued…

Characterise your local in one sentence.   

Luca: Organised mess brings great results and happy people!

Written by Elena Efremova behalf of Action Agenda Committee.

Last January, AEGEE-Nijmegen organised a workshop about Sign Language (Civic Education Focus Area). For this reason, they were chosen as ACTive Local of the Month of January. We spoke with Daisy Brugman, President of AEGEE-Nijmegen, to find out more!

ACT: Which emotions did you have when you knew that AEGEE-Nijmegen was chosen as ACTive local of January?

Daisy: We couldn’t believe it actually! We were overwhelmed with joy after re-reading the e-mail. Thank you for the title, it makes us even more determined and enthusiastic to organise more activities!

Why did you decide to organise a workshop about Sign Language?

Every year our committee Formal Activities organises different formal activities varying from language workshops to lectures. After brainstorming they came up with a workshop about sign language. One of the members of that committee was following that subject for her studies, so she contacted her lecturer who gave the sign language workshop.

What was the result of the workshop?

We invited a teacher who gives the course ‘sign language’ at our university. During the workshop he first explained what sign language actually was and how it is in practice. Then we started off with learning some basic signs. In the end we even translated parts from our website! So the members who remember the signs can now promote AEGEE in sign language.

There were around 14 members of AEGEE-Nijmegen attending the workshop. We heard only good things about the workshop from the members and the committee was really content with the results! I think that thanks to this workshop more people realise how different it is for a deaf person to communicate.

How do you inform your members about the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

We tell our new members about the Action Agenda and Strategic Plan during our introductory period. During every introduction we always have one information evening about AEGEE-Europe! We also inform our members by our newsletter, Facebook page and website as well as by face to face talks.

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

We organised a few Action Agenda activities this past year. For example we had an improvisation workshop, a first aid workshop and a Dutch course. Our highlight of the year was the Network Meeting in April, which included multiple topics related to the Action Agenda and Strategic plan. I hope we can organise even more activities in the upcoming months!

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

Because the Strategic Plan gives locals a goal to aim and the Action Agenda gives locals a path to follow. It makes us stronger as an association if we have the same goals!

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

You should see the guidelines as a help and try to think outside of the box! It always leads to the most interesting and creative activities! Also, don’t forget to organise something that is close to the interest of your members.

Can you tell us a bit more about your local? 

AEGEE-Nijmegen was founded in 1986 by Bart Kruitwagen. Every now and then he still drops by at our weekly social drink. Currently we have our 31st board, called ‘Infinito’, running the local. We are very active in and around Nijmegen. Last April we welcomed our 200th member and we have about 50 active members spread over 13 different committees this year, who made it possible to organise a lot of amazing activities varying from members’ weekends to lectures about gender equality. Besides these activities we also organise different trips, exchanges and hitchhiking competitions. This year we already went to Brescia, Dublin, Prague, Cluj-Napoca and Sofia!

Characterise your local in one sentence. 

We go to infinity and beyond, we are limitless!

Written by Elena Efremova, on behalf of the Action Agenda Coordination Committee

Last February, AEGEE-Zaragoza organised “DISCUSSION- Facebook Campaign about Sexual Health Day”, which was directly connected to the Action Agenda (Civic Education Focus Area). For this reason, they were chosen as the ACTive Local of the Month. We spoke to Celia Riveres, president of the local, to find out more!

ACT: What emotions did you feel when you found out that AEGEE-Zaragoza was chosen as the ACTive local of the month of February?

Celia Riveres, AEGEE-Zaragoza: We did not expect this. So, after the news, the widespread feeling was happiness and pride in ourselves. Moreover, being chosen as ACTive local of February has motivated us to do more activities. To conduct a campaign like this one is really easy and truly helpful.

Why did you decide to organise “DISCUSSION– Facebook Campaign about Sexual Health Day”?

We realised that the 14th of February, far from being just Valentine’s day, is the European Sexual Health Day, which was for us much more important. So in order to promote it, we decided to take pictures with the sentence “Be Sexual, Be Healthy” and post them on Facebook. The aim was to create awareness about “sexual health” not only as a prevention of STD but also as a way to give visibility of the intrinsic meaning of sexual rights that it entails: sexual freedom, integrity, autonomy and safety.

What was the result of your activity?

Our community manager wrote a post on AEGEE-Zaragoza’s Facebook page with the photos that some members took with the sentence. We immediately received the feedback we were expecting, some of our members even posted their photo in their profiles to give their opinions and create debate. Even the ACT congratulated us for the initiative!

How do you inform your members about the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

We have a person in charge of the Action Agenda who is always coming up with new ideas and activities related to the Strategic Plan.

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

Actually, we are planning to do some activities like a first aid class given by some of our members studying for healthcare degrees or activities including debates about gender equality and chauvinism.

In AEGEE-Zaragoza we used to have a Zineforum every Sunday, we watched a film focused on a topic and later discussed it. This kind of activity was quite popular, especially because it made people think and develop different perspectives and arguments around an issue.

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

It can be very useful to show some members a different view of AEGEE  and a new aspect which can help them learn more and get more involved in a deeper way in the association. We strongly think that AEGEE members are active people who are involved in what is happening in the world, with a lot of interests, that can contribute a lot to the purpose of the Strategic Plan.

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

We try to show every activity as something funny and enjoyable, apart from the fact of learning something new, in order to encourage the members, especially the new ones.

Can you tell us a bit more about your local?

AEGEE-Zaragoza, founded in 1998 (next year we turn 20 already!), is a very active antenna in the centre of Europe. Nowadays, we are a family of 158 members who meet regularly and enjoy organising both cultural and fun events throughout the year. We have more or less 30 active members at a local level; furthermore, some of them are involved at European level.

Characterise your local in one sentence.

We really are a GROUP OF FRIENDS working together! [she smiles, ed.] Because for us, beyond the great non-formal education AEGEE gives you, friendship is the most important thing you take from the years you are in our beloved association.

Written by Elena Efremova, Action Agenda Coordination Committee

Last October, AEGEE-Verona organised the event entitled “Perchè l’Europa unita ieri e oggi?” (Eng. Why a united Europe, yesterday and today?), directly connected with Spreading Europtimism Focus Area (Objective 2). For this reason, they were chosen as the ACTive Local of the Month of October. We spoke with the former secretary Raffaello Corsini, and the ACT responsible Camelia Kajbaf, to find out more!

ACT: What kind of emotions did you have when you found out that AEGEE-Verona had been chosen as the ACTive local of October?

Raffaello and Camelia: We felt very happy, proud of ourselves, but also thankful and grateful to the ones who had made this decision. We are happy to be rewarded for the hard job we are doing as a young and small local. Thank you!

Why did you decide to organise the “Perchè l’Europa unita ieri e oggi?” event?

We decided to go for this activity when we had the chance to organise something in collaboration with other student organisations such as ESN, AIESEC and JFE. We were all interested in this kind of topic. As a single group, we considered that we were able to organise an event all together and with the different ways of approaching it, we could spread the idea of Europtimism more effectively.

What was the result of your activity?

The result of our activity was a conference that gathered 40 participants, who listened to a short lecture from a professor and then discussed about what is Europe today.

How do you inform your members about the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

We inform our members about the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan by spending some time during the member meetings, but we also use to speak about them during our local events, such as the Aperitivo linguistico, or when we promote events related to them (EPM or thematic events).

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

In November last year, we organised another conference about the USA presidential elections with a special focus on how the American political system works and what was its evolution through time.

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

Locals should organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic plan, because it is a good chance to make students aware of the world they live in and to raise their knowledge and self-confidence.

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

Our main tips for organising thematic activities are the following: plan everything in detail and with good care, and start looking for the help of other associations if your local is too small to manage all these things on its own.

AEGEE-Verona Board 2016-2017

Can you tell us a bit more about your local?

AEGEE-Verona was refounded in 2013. At the moment, we are about 40 members and approximately 15 of them are active at the local level.

Characterize your local in one sentence.  

AEGEE-Verona: Very small, but very strong!

Written by Elena Efremova, on behalf of Action Agenda Coordination Committee

At the upcoming European Planning Meeting (EPM) in Zagreb, you will hear more from one of our committees, namely the one that is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Action Agenda and will be supporting the drafting of the new Action Agenda. Who are we talking about? The Action Agenda Coordination Committee, also known as ACT!

Live Meeting in Brussels

The Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) was officially established as a supporting committee of AEGEE-Europe at Spring Agora Enschede 2012. Our most important task is to have an overview of the implementation of the Action Agenda, which is one of the most important documents created within AEGEE and consists of objectives (goals) that we set for each of our Focus Areas. These objectives have to be implemented by the whole Network, so both locals and European bodies. Do not worry though, because our committee is there to give support!

This year we have 10 team members, who all cooperate with a member of the Network Commission.

Speaker Team:

NWM Barcelona

Svenja van der Tol (Loes Rutten’s couple)

Miljana Vulevic (Mareike Ritter’s couple)

Constantine Bakiris (Aleksandra Mojsova’s couple)

Team members:

Theodora Giakoumelou (PR-responsible and Pablo Palazon’s couple)

Elena Efremova (ACTive Local of the Month responsible and Stanislav Mahula’s couple)

Borja Torres Fuentes (Alejandra Piot’s couple)

Cristina de la Parte Rodriguez (Alin Georgescu’s couple)

Erifyli Evangelou (Spyridon Papadatos’s couple)

Juragis Garcia Perez (Kristina Reshetova’s couple)

Marco Daniele (Gabriele Scollo’s couple)

We are true believers in the importance of having a goal and going fiercely towards it, which is one of the reasons we are gathered in this committee. Throughout our term, new ideas just keep popping up and we can have endless meetings on Skype to discuss them. Although we have a lot of work to do, it is always fun working in this team. Laughs, teasing and internal jokes make everything feel easy peasy. No matter the tasks we are dealing with, the good chemistry, spirits and friendship between us turns our tasks into a hobby.

NWM Beograde

This year we have many ideas to implement. First of all, we have a goal to increase the awareness about the Action Agenda (AA) and Strategic Plan (SP) all over the network. That is why we try to promote the new idea of Action Agenda ambassadors, who are people within a local that are responsible for the implementation and promotion of the Action Agenda and Strategic Plan. Besides that, we plan to have regular meetings with our locals on Action Agenda related topics. Moreover, during the Autumn Network Meetings, we delivered seven workshops on the Action Agenda and Strategic Plan and we plan to continue giving sessions at the upcoming Spring Network Meetings!

Secondly, we try to establish close cooperation with other European Bodies of AEGEE-Europe. This year, we give locals the opportunity to cooperate in the organisation of a Summer University (SU).  Moreover, in cooperation with the Language Interest Group we translated the AA and SP into different languages.  Together with the Working Groups, we are also writing articles about activities that were connected to the AA. And last but not least, cooperating with the awesome people of the Network Commission enables us to receive all the information we need and give our very best to the locals.  

Renove VI

Lastly, we have an idea to set up Standard and Reward Systems. We want to make a set of parameters that clarify which activities exactly fulfil the Action Agenda. That way, locals will know our criteria and be able to address them when planning their activities and we will have a set of standards that will ensure a fair and unified assessment of all activities in the Network. As for the Reward System, we want to give out some prizes to the most deserving locals that gave their contribution to achieve the goals we have all set for ourselves in Leiden.

It is easy to dream what you want to be and achieve, but if you do not have something or someone to measure your progress, remind you of your promise to yourself – your goal – and help you go forward, you will fail. That is what ACT does for AEGEE. If we drafted an Action Agenda during the EPM and the ownership over it was left to the already overburdened CD and dispersed among other bodies, we would be in trouble because – structure works best. Having one committee to take care of the measurement and implementation is the way to go and improve, year after year.

LTC Grodno

ACT is vital for the existence of our organization since it specifically deals with the Action Agenda and the Strategic Plan, which constitute the formula and the aim and goals of our activities. An organization that respects itself and takes seriously the steps it follows, the aim and the vision it applies to its members, has to have a Committee dealing with the stuff ACT does.

This year, we set a difficult but serious goal; to make every single member of AEGEE understand the meaning of the Action Agenda and the Strategic Plan by actively participating in their draft and implementing them during their activities. If we want AEGEE to have a bright future, we need everyone to realise the true vision and importance of the organization’s ethics, found in the AA/SP and implement them in their local’s reality.

More information about Action Agenda and Strategic Plan is here and you can get more information on what ACT does from our new video!

This Agora we won’t only elect the new Comité Directeur and members of different Commissions, but we will also vote on the new Action Agenda. If you are asking yourself: “What agenda?”, this article is for you, but also those who already know what the Action Agenda is, are welcome to check out what the new one will look like.

To begin at the beginning, not of the founding of the earth but of the planning in AEGEE, our association is built upon a vision, mission and means, defining who we are, what we do and what we want the future to look like. Based on that, every three years a Strategic Plan, defining Focus Areas that we want AEGEE to focus on, is created at the Planning Meeting (stay tuned for the next one taking place this autumn).

To make sure we can actually contribute to these Focus Areas, every year at the European Planning Meeting (EPM) an Action Agenda is created, which gives concrete objectives that our locals and European bodies have to achieve. Shortly said, you can consider the Strategic Plan as AEGEE’s long term vision, and the Action Agenda as the association’s homework to contribute to the vision. If you want to know more about these two documents, take a look at the EPM booklet starting on page 16.

In Bergamo, you will be voting on the Action Agenda that will start on the 1^st of August 2016 and last until the 31^st of July 2017. As you just read, it was created by participants of the European Planning Meeting, which took place in Leiden this year. After 1,5 day of a thematic conference on migration, members of locals all over the Network took a closer look at the Focus Areas we have and created a draft of new goals to achieve in the fields of Spreading Europtimism, Youth Mobility, Youth Employment and Civic Education.

Based on this draft and the feedback given on the forum, the Comité Directeur created a final version of the Action Agenda that will be presented at the upcoming Agora. Curious what you will be presented? You can find the new objectives here. In case you have any questions or suggestions to improve them, feel free to share them on the forum or come on stage after the presentation of the next Action Agenda!

Written by Svenja van der Tol, Secretary General of AEGEE-Europe 2015-2016

It has been one of the most awaited launches. A few months after the creation of a new project in our Focus Area ‘Spreading Europtimism’ was announced, the Network was eager to know more about an initiative that aims to engage our members and other young Europeans in a discussion on the future of Europe.

We are now slowly getting to know further details: “Your vision for EUrope” will be the official name of the project, and the team members are working hard on planning their activities and a campaign on informing about the impact of the European Union in our daily lives. The AEGEEan spoke to the Project Manager, Lara Killius (AEGEE-München) about the first steps of this newcomer in our Network.

The Project Team meeting in Brussels

The AEGEEan: Lara, you are the Project Manager of the upcoming “Your vision for EUrope” team – Why did you decide to join?
Lara: For some time, I have been very interested in joining a European project. When I heard during Autumn Agora Cagliari 2014 that the Comité Directeur had plans to start this project, I was immediately interested. I think the subject is extremely important, since even in AEGEE there are so many people that don’t know how the European Union actually works, and especially how they can participate. I think everyone should know how the European Union (EU) is influencing our lives and how they can bring their opinion to the higher levels. I would like this project to trigger an active discussion about the EU and motivate people to express their opinion and willingness to believe in it. At the moment, many things are changing in the EU and it is important that the people don’t forget the basic idea and all the positive things it is bringing. I think this project is coming at exactly the right time.

What is going to be the aim of the project?
“Educate young people about the EU and encourage an informed discussion on its current and future state in order to empower them to propose constructive solutions to pressing European issues, as well as to reconnect them to the European integration process”.

It is very important for us to trigger discussions and to make young people think about the EU and to speak up. And an important base for this is education. We would like to bring the voice of the young people close to the EU policy-makers. For example, one way to do this would be to reduce the gap between youth and EU policy-makers by facilitating a dialogue between them.

What does “Europtimism” mean to you?
For me, Europtimism doesn’t mean to be the biggest fan of the EU or to support without exception everything that the EU is doing. For me, being europtimistic means to believe in the basic idea of the EU, meaning to have a Europe with open borders in which we can move freely and to believe that the different countries should help and support each other. A big part of this is also to deal with issues and criticise in a constructive way, because one can criticise actions of the EU without being against the EU itself. I think especially now, everyone, but mostly the youth in Europe, should stand together and show that we still support one another. I also love all the different cultures we have in Europe and I think a united Europe means in no way to give up cultures or traditions, it is much more about keeping your own traditions while being open for others as well.

Which activities do you plan to carry and how would you like to involve the Network?
Is it very important for us to not only work together with antennae in the EU but also with the ones outside of it. The politics of the EU are influencing also the countries around it, and everyone should be informed about how the EU is working. We are planning to create trainings everyone can use. This way, all antennae, also the small ones, can organise events connected to the project. Besides that, we would like to organise two bigger conferences and a campaign, in order to reach even more people. Our team is not complete yet, so a lot of things still have to be defined, since it is important that the whole team stands behind our activities.

Do yo have any plans for the project before Agora Kyïv?
At the moment we try to create the first trainings and, besides that, we would like to apply for funding to make our activities more successful. We are also already planning one campaign so I am sure you will hear from us in the next weeks.

You had your team meeting in Brussels. What can you tell us about it, and about the project team members?
The kick-off was great. I didn’t meet the biggest part of the team personally before and I was very happy to see how enthusiastic everyone was. We were happy that we all had the same ideas about the project and finding an aim we were all happy with was relatively easy. It’s great to work in such a good team and I believe we are all good in what we are doing. Besides that we all live in different countries, some countries that have in general a more positive view about the EU, some from countries in which the basic mood is less good, countries inside the EU and also outside of it. So I think we will be able to cover different views on problems and solutions.

If you want to contact them, check their page on Members Portal or send an email to yourvisionforeurope@aegee.org.

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

A new month comes with a new ACTive Local of the Month. This month, the Dutch local AEGEE-Utrecht was elected for covering all of the Focus Areas of the Strategic Plan within one month organising four different activities. We spoke to the President of the local, Folckert van der Molen, to find out more about this local and their Action Agenda involvement!  

First of all, can you tell us a bit more about your local?
AEGEE-Utrecht was founded in 1987 by a group of local law students. Now we have grown to be one of the largest locals in the network, with nearly 300 members. It is headed by a full-time board of five people. In total there are about 20 committees with a total of 125 members in active positions. This allows for a full calendar of activities, with an average of 3 activities per week.

Which activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan did you organise?
We organised a workshop on professional profiling, an international night, a vegetarian dinner and an outgoing exchange with AEGEE-Budapest. Our workshop, contributing to the Focus Area of Youth Employment, aimed to teach participants how to profile themselves in the labour market. A lot of present people later mentioned they found it very inspirational and helpful.

Our International Night, contributing to the Focus Area of Spreading Europtimism, was organised in cooperation with other internationally oriented student associations in Utrecht and gave us the chance to bring together international and local students for a memorable night.

Our vegetarian dinner, contributing to the Focus Area of Civic Education, contributed to the 40 days without meat action organised by AEGEE-Leuven. One of our committees already organises dinners for our members once every month around a theme. This time they decided to go with a Greek and vegetarian theme. Although the Greek cuisine is known for their delicious meat dishes, they managed to create some outstanding vegetarian Greek dishes.

Last but not least, our exchange, contributing to the Focus Area of Youth Mobility, was organised in cooperation with our twin antenna AEGEE-Budapest. As part of our twin antenna agreement, we hold at least one exchange per year. This time, we also invited AEGEE-Barcelona to join us for five days of sightseeing, fun and new and old friendships.

Why did you decide to organise these activities?
As one of the larger locals, we feel we should strive to maximize that potential. That’s why for every idea for an activity, we ask ourselves a simple question: is this a true AEGEE activity? That means, how do we contribute to the goals we set out to achieve? For all these activities we think we managed to give the real AEGEE spirit to the participants and certainly bring Europe a little closer to home!

What were the results of your activities?
Actually all activities had a great number of participants. The International Night for example attracted almost 500 people. For the exchange we even had to disappoint some people for whom there was no more room. Even the workshop had a pretty good attendance, while we have in the past found it difficult to get a lot of people for that kind of activity.

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda planned?
Our plans mainly focus on getting our members more active in Europe and not only in Utrecht. While not directly related to a specific focus area, this should have a positive impact. That said, we do have a couple of activities planned. For example, a hitchhiking competition in cooperation with other locals, or a trip to The Hague, to visit the Humanity House where you can experience life as a refugee. Also, we are one of the organising locals for the Democracy in Practice training courses, which of course is a big contribution to the Civic Education focus area. There are more examples, but let’s not name them all here!

Do you have any other big plans for the upcoming year?

Always! We are planning to throw the best gala we have ever seen, in the most amazing location available in Utrecht. Shortly after that we will celebrate our birthday and have a lot more activities that together we call our theme month. This year the theme is stories, which gives a lot of room for great activities. In the summer we will organise our Summer University “Meet your new partners in crime”, in cooperation with AEGEE-Delft and AEGEE-Amsterdam. And after that the focus will be on recruitment and introduction, because before the start of the next academic year we hope to find about 100 new members for AEGEE-Utrecht.

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda?
Because any organisation can throw social nights or whatever, but as AEGEE we can do much more than that. Our whole raison d’être is to make Europe more connected and to be the voice of young people. The AEGEE network provides amazing opportunities to make an impact. It would be a waste not to take advantage of that!

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?
Involve as many people as possible! It is tempting to do everything by yourself or even with just the board members, since a lot of times it’s even more efficient that way. A big part of the impact of organising these kind of activities however is in giving people the experience to organise and connect themselves to the European Project. Get some inexperienced members on the team or find partnerships with other associations. The joy of seeing other people grow is just as great as putting all the pieces together yourself.

Which objective of the new Action Agenda do you look forward to working with the most?
Actually I am pretty happy about all of them. As we have many active committees, it is up to them to decide what they think is interesting or important. We don’t need to focus on just one of the aims. AEGEE belongs to all members and I am looking forward to seeing what each of them comes up with on their own. As President of AEGEE-Utrecht I am looking forward most of all to facilitating all the crazy ideas they bring to us and supporting them in making them a reality.

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen