Being part of the big AEGEE family makes you want to discover more, learn and share as much as you can. The same happened with Dermanşah, from AEGEE-Istanbul, and he is taking his knowledge to the next step by being a candidate for SUCT. We asked him some questions, and below you can find out more about his candidature.

The AEGEEan: Dermanşah, describe yourself in 4 words, using the SUCT initials. 

Dermanşah Hazar Ersoy Yalin: Solution oriented, Upstanding, Challenge oriented, Tolerant.

What does the Summer University Project mean to you?

For me the Summer University Project is something – does not matter if you are a participant or an organiser – that makes you leave your comfort zone sometimes by going to a country that you never imagined you could visit, by communicating with a mayor that you never thought yourself talking to or being the only one speaking your language in a group of people who are close to your age. For me the Summer University Project is an opportunity to learn a lot of things that you can never learn in any university, plus there’s no other way to learn things by having that much fun.

You’ve been organiser of the SUs of your local for the past four years. What gives you motivation now to be part of SUCT?

First of all in the past four summers, I always tried to take on different responsibilities in our SU every year and I always worked for organising a better SU. And apart from being an organiser I also wanted to be a participant in order to see this project from a “participant”’s point of view [he smiles, ed.]. And for me it would have been a miss if I didn’t see the “helper” point of view, which is between being an organiser and a participant: thanks to AEGEE-Beograd, last summer I also had opportunity to try that experience. At the end I felt like there are few things left that I haven’t done for this project and there is a lot of knowledge and experience I have gained so far. So when I connected these two facts I realised that member of SUCT is the position where I should be.

You mentioned in your programme feedback meetings with local organisers of SUs. How do you see this happening? How much time do you think it will take and what is the actual idea behind these meetings?

Dermanşah: It will happen directly and indirectly. Directly – we will have Skype meetings and also we might contact locals individually according to the evaluation forms. And indirectly – since locals in the same areas have usually similar issues, we might collect feedbacks through Network Commissioners. The reason is of course to help the locals in order to improve their SUs and it will take maximum until the beginning of application period of SUs for the organisers.

Tell us more about the increasing of number of participants on SUs.

Dermanşah: I think if thematic parts are properly implemented on SUs it will bring better fundraising opportunities to the locals and as a result of this we will have SUs with either lower fees or better facilities. As a candidate for member of SUCT I am planning to help the locals in the cases – which I stated above – with the whole team.

You mentioned the visibility of the SU Project and the cooperation with other student organisations. In your opinion, how will that be beneficial for the development of the SU project?

Dermanşah: Different student organisations have different perspectives. In this case with the cooperation by sharing best practices, contacts, different thematic contents etc. And increasing visibility of the SU Project among private companies will create better fundraising opportunities for the locals, because from my experience with local companies, they are quite interested in our work, on cultural integration and also having members from different kinds of disciplines.

Why should you be a member of SUCT and members should vote for you?

Dermanşah: As I stated on your third question, I have been very active on the local level and now I feel like it’s time for a new challenge for me, which is working on the European Level for the SU Project. On the other hand I always try to be a good team member and what I mean is that I never insist on titles, names, positions or anything but I am always focused on tasks, always try to help achieving team’s goals. Last but not least in the past three and a half years, after organising and attending many events, especially after being part of eight SUs, having several golden moments, feeling almost every emotion, now I feel like I gained a lot of experience and it’s time to pay back for the things I gained and that’s why I would like to help the locals and to offer the members the possibility to enjoy this project and experience as I did.

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

As the time passes, we are getting closer and closer to Autumn Agora Catania. The candidates are getting ready and of course we would like to know more about them and the reason why they want to represent us. Lorenzo Ligas is one of the candidates for SUCT, this being his second time to candidate, but he says that “the decision to candidate again was quite natural”, so below you can find out more about his plans.

The AEGEEan: Lorenzo, describe yourself in four words, using the SUCT initials.

Lorenzo: Supportive – I am always willing to support and help team mates.

Unique – Can you find another #PRbear in the Network?

Creative – Writing, designing, managing social media is my daily bread. I can’t imagine my life without it.

Tenacious – Being a candidate for the second time, after the result of Autumn Agora Chișinău, and after a very active year in the association, it’s the proof that no matter how hard it could be, no matter the failures, I run for my goals.

What does Summer University Project mean to you?

Lorenzo: Summer University is love and passion for me. Being an organiser twice in Cagliari as PR Responsible and Content Manager gave me countless emotions, thanks both to my amazing antenna and to the incredible participants we had. I really think that through the Summer University Project young people can experience freedom. Especially for youngsters, it’s a playground where you have fun, get to know people in a very friendly and respectful environment.

You are no stranger to the Summer University Project, but tell us, why do you want to continue in this field and what gives you motivation?

Lorenzo: When I decided in 2016 to candidate at Autumn Agora Chișinău, I knew chances to be elected were low. At that time I had been in AEGEE for about eight months. Current SUCTies were really supporting, and I decided, even before the voting rounds, that in case of ‘’negative’’ results I would become a SUpporter. During this year thanks to Claudio, Lucia, Philipp and Ralitsa I had the chance to be involved in the project with graphics, PR tasks and being trainer in SUPS Skopje 2017. The decision to candidate again was quite natural I would say!

You mentioned in your programme that you would create viral contents. How do you see that helping in increasing the participation of members to the SU?

Lorenzo: As for any brand or company, the Summer University project needs to be more active into social networks. This could be done by both increasing the amount of contents in Summer University social networks and encouraging antennae and bodies to share and create their own contents. The more people you reach, the higher is the possibility to attract new members and to increase the participation to the events.

Tell us more about how would you motivate antennae to promote the SU Project.

Lorenzo: By increasing the understanding that thanks to the Summer University antennae could recruit a higher number of new members, as well as activate more members that are mostly active locally. I would like to share my experience as PR Responsible of two Summer Universities, create specific guidelines on how to promote the project during the different stages of the event: preparation, application period, during the event, after the event. Having an active promotion during the whole stage leads to visible results.

How do you foresee your cooperation with CD to promote SU as a project to possible interested companies (like Small Medium Enterprises or Start-Ups eager to have a large European project to promote their products/services)?

Lorenzo: As I also wrote in my programme, I would collaborate with CIRC for global fundraising and with the Netcom for local fundraising. My goal is to create a network of partners which could provide materials and goods to the antennae, as well as discount codes and services, depending on the partner. Agorae as well could be a good opportunity for partners of the project to distribute their sponsored goods.

Questions from the Network

In your programme you refer to a new format about the collaboration with SUpporters. How can they support you? In our opinion, why SUpporters are not so active right now? Can you explain to us how your new system will resemble the one of the subcommies?

Lorenzo: I think that it’s difficult to be active for the SUpporters because the current system doesn’t include higher responsibilities, or somehow an official position. My idea is to have a subcommies-like task force, with SUpporters divided into expertise (Project Management – PR – FR – Content) supervised by the SUCTies. In my opinion, giving tasks, deadlines, and higher responsibilities such as “mandatory” participation to the SUpporters work could lead to higher results as well as empowering possible future SUCTies.

You can read his candidature here.

Written by Raluca Radu – AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

Do you believe in Europe? Do you see problematic issues in your society and do you think you can be part of the change? If yes, the Summer University (SU) “Call Upon Young Europeans” is a perfect summer event for you.

This SU takes place between the 20th and the 31st of August. It is a perfect mix between a summer course, focusing on learning and understanding, and a summer university, focusing on culture and having fun. The training will merely take place the first five days in Toulouse, organised by AEGEE-Toulouse and AEGEE-Lyon, and will be provided by trainers from Your Vision for EUrope. Afterwards the group travels to Barcelona.

The SU will be focused on European Citizenship and Europtimism and allows for in-depth understanding of these issues through non-formal education. There will be extensive use of interaction between participants. The training will firstly give an introduction to the EU: by interactive workshops, participants will learn about the EU institutions, EU history and the place of Europe nowadays in the world. During the SU, a simulation of the European Council will be conducted. When the required knowledge is ascertained, the training will address issues like the rule of law, democracy and human rights in the EU.

In today’s society, people lose faith in the European Union, and not without reason. The EU is at a crossroad, and its future is at stake. Therefore special attention will be given to identify and discuss factors that endanger the European project and how to tackle and prevent them. The Summer University will enhance understanding and create open-minded citizens, but will specifically focus upon the opportunities offered to European citizens, to all be active citizens and changemakers by spreading Europtimism.

AEGEE-Toulouse and AEGEE-Lyon have taken up responsibility to be active and responsible in society by organising this SU. They will do their ultimate best to make this the best SU ever. Even more, they applied for and got selected as an Erasmus+ project. Erasmus+ is a EU programme to support education and training for youth in Europe. All AEGEE-locals are encouraged to organise Erasmus+ projects, which are perfect opportunities to propose an educative and innovative project and to be active in society!

This SU is a positive sign in the current state of Europe. A dynamic energy is rising in France and has led to the awakening of AEGEE locals in this country. Especially in the context of the recent elections in France, it is not an easy job promoting the EU in France. It can only be encouraged. Therefore the project team of Your Vision for EUrope is happy to support the organisation of this SU. Your Vision for EUrope is a project initiated by AEGEE-Europe to facilitate discussion on European politics and make the voices of young Europeans heard. Their activities aim to raise awareness of European affairs and stimulate debate on topics relevant for young people, and therefore match the theme of this Summer University.

The Erasmus+ programme allows for 15 participants selected from the partner countries, being five participants from Italy, five from Spain and five from Romania. This selection is not bound to the regular Summer University application procedure. Ten other participants will be selected from all other countries over Europe, and this will be done through the regular SU application procedure. Find more information on how to apply for this SU here: http://yourvisionforeurope.com/su-call-upon-young-europeans-aug-20th-31st/.

Written by Elinne Mertens, AEGEE-Leuven

What do you do, if you don’t have many fancy monuments in your city? What do you do, if you don’t have many participants for your event? Do you try to cram your Summer University with parties and cheap liquor, or will you be like AEGEE-Samara? Capitalise on the beautiful environment surrounding your city, heavily invest on interpersonal connections with your participants, and add some things from the Action Agenda, just because you can. Polina Chernova, President of AEGEE-Samara, tells us more:

The AEGEEan: Could you tell us something about the programme of your latest Summer University?

Polina: Our programme was focused on the travelling and sports activities. We tried to combine cultural and sportive events wisely. Our programme were very intense, so in the end the participants told us that they hadn’t had enough free time. On the other hand, I attended a SU, in which participants had too much free time, and that is not very good either. I think, it is a question with no answer – how much free time to give to your participants.

Have you organised SUs like these in the past?

Yes, very similar to it. But, I think, earlier we focused more on the parties and cultural events like festivals, less on the educational and sportive part and the Action Agenda.

Your SU was promoted with a particular emphasis on nature; participants even camped in tents. Why did you choose to emphasise nature?

We emphasised nature, because it is one of the most beautiful parts of our region. We do not have many cultural sights, so we compensate it by doing outdoor activities. Also, the sportive part of our programme was connected to nature.

We’ve heard that you used an impressive PR campaign for your SU. Could you elaborate on this?

Oh, thank you, it’s very pleasant to hear! But, actually, I don’t think it was really helpful. As a sociologist, I made a quick survey closer to the end of our SU and I found out that our participants chose our SU not because of the PR campaign. We used many ways of PR: emails, post exchange, video, FB-group posts. But the participants’ choice was based mostly on their personal acquaintanceship and information on the official SU page, partly out of interest towards the most eastern antenna and Russian language. And only then they peeked at the FB-group. Our Vice President, who has been leading our PR campaign, worked very hard on it, but was disappointed by results.

Do you already have plans for next year’s SU?

No, we don’t. I’m not planning to be in Samara next year, so I’ll leave the new adventures to new people.

Is there anything that I didn’t ask, but that you would like to include into the article?

Yes, one interesting thing: the fewer participants, the stronger connection between them. Sure, it’s really fun to have a bunch of people around you, but it’s also a superficial experience. Connections are stronger in small groups. So if your SU doesn’t have many participants, it doesn’t mean that it’ll be boring, trust me. It’ll be more family-like.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Exactly one month ago, I was enjoying the last days of my first amazing Summer University here in Brescia. Even if I’m just writing about this, it still feels strange… I joined AEGEE-Brescia only shortly before; in May after a pre-Agora event. It felt great to host foreign people from various countries in my hometown; I liked overcoming the initial shyness and having fun during the parties that we had.

Even with these premises, I wasn’t prepared for what was coming! We started planning the SU in every detail (activities, compulsory sessions, booklets and more), and, after a couple of months we were ready to again host twenty-five BEAUTIFUL people for two weeks, that would be rich of events and fun. Here’s my personal review of the best moments in our “Be Green Go Extreme, Just Survive Vol II” Summer University. Enjoy!

In fourteen days, we definitely had many activities, but some of them really impressed me. As the theme was linked to extreme open air activities, we pushed the adventurous spirit of our participants and, luckily, they didn’t disappoint us! In the beautiful location of Lake Iseo, we went kayaking and paddle boarding for a whole day… it was amazing! You might be thinking about a boring group just floating around but, hey, we’re talking about AEGEE people, right? Everyone had fun with some small competitions, games and demonstrations. The best, anyway, was paddle boarding. If you have ever tried that sort of board, you know how unstable it is. Somehow this gave us a nice idea: GLADIATORS FIGHT!!! Someone came out as a winner and others were left without regrets! We may have looked like mad people, but who cares?!

Another activity I really enjoyed, was climbing. We brought the participants to Riva, at the northern tip of Lake Garda, for two days, in order to enjoy some hiking, climbing and, of course, sunbathing. The beautiful mountains surrounding the lake hide amazing vertical rock walls where you can climb safely, which attracted climbers from everywhere… and we couldn’t help but join them! Even though someone had already tried it indoor before, it was a tough challenge! However, everyone enjoyed the activity and reached the top. We also had some super funny moments when a participant got stuck in the only bush growing on that wall (still wondering how…) and another one did a kind of somersault while climbing down. The most surprising thing? Seeing people from the Netherlands, who had never been to the mountains before, climbing up like professional climbers. Go Extreme!

But how can we not mention the most famous event: the European Night! We all know how important it is to show that we respect other countries by tasting what they’ve brought, sometimes it’s food, sometimes it’s something to drink. From now on, we all know how it goes…. By the way, it was an amazing night, our participants cooked many incredible dishes and told us amazing stories about them. The most remarkable thing was not the European Night per se, but what was going to come the following day!

We decided to use the beautiful mountain location where we were, to go for a six-hour-hike (20 km). After realising that maybe (maybe!) it wasn’t a good idea to propose it after the European Night in August in Italy, we offered an easier option for those who didn’t feel like it: a shorter trail in the shady woods. As we felt like their “worried parents”, we tried to do our best to discourage them from choosing the first option and, well, the next day, all the participants amazed us once more: they all got up at 8 a.m. and chose the longest path! But this is not all, they were all very excited and this time it was the Estonian moment: Estonian girls ran (we say: ran!) to the top of the mountain, arriving there well before many organisers and helpers. If you’re wondering: in Estonia, there are no mountains…

It happened again the following day when we went for a via ferrata. What is a via ferrata? Being secured with a rope to an iron cable that goes along otherwise inaccessible mountain trails, walking on rungs of metal secured over a stream or holding on to iron chains through canyons… This is what a via ferrata is, and you know what? All our participants chose the difficult way… No doubt they would make it!

We could go on like this for long, telling you how cool our participants were and how much fun it was to spend time all together hiking, playing some games or, simply, chilling out somewhere. We couldn’t wish for a better group; we couldn’t wish for a better Summer University!

Manuel Volpi, AEGEE-Brescia (Special thanks to Giulia Guerini, AEGEE-Brescia)

It is September and although this month rewarded us with really great weather and an unexpected late summer, we have to admit that summertime and – even worse – the time of Summer Universities is over. But what comes after those two weeks in which you are surrounded by Aeggeans every minute and forget your everyday life? How can you deal with suddenly being alone again? The AEGEEan asked around to find out how to best deal with Post Event Syndrome (PES).

Agoras, Network Meetings (NWM), Summer Universities (SU), European Schools (ES)… Our international network offers many different and interesting events for everybody who is interested. Especially during the summertime thousands of AEGEEans are travelling through Europe to take part in SUs.

The time shared with others is exciting and offers so much: new experiences, new friends, and so much to learn! It is an exciting ride of a few days or weeks, during which you might experience more new insights than you normally do in months. Most importantly, you get to know people and you get to know them well.

Carolina Alfano from AEGEE-Salarno sums it up as follows:  “Adrenaline! During the event everything happens so fast: a lot of things to do, not much time, a lot of people, friends, parties. In this way the adrenaline is on top“.

After spending days after days together, at first shyly playing some energisers together, but a few days after sharing the most intimate stories – you built friendships that will last a lifetime. But, at the end of every event, stands the dreaded moment of saying good-bye. You see your new friends waving while you step into the bus to the airport. You then come home to your empty flat, where you are alone and where it is just too quiet to deal with.

“When you understand you are at home, no gym, no friends, nothing to do tomorrow, you start to be depressed, you climb up in your bed and the only thing you want to do is start to sleep”, Carolina says.

Tekla Hajdu

Tekla Hajdu, Network Director, has also experienced this feeling. She tells us that it does not matter whether it is a fun or even a serious thematic event, you can always be sad after an event you organised. “Most of the times, I felt kind of depressed and I wanted to go back immediately to be part of the event again and have more adventures with the participants and the organisers”, Tekla says.

Some know that feeling from events outside of AEGEE too. Carolina, for example, experienced something similar after her Erasmus semester. Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona, was an exchange student a while back and had more trouble keeping in touch back then, because Facebook was not yet even a thing. This made the situation even worse.

But what about the worst cases of PES when it comes to AEGEE-events? Tekla shares: “I had some bad PES cases after my Network Meetings as Network Commissioner, but my personal worst was after pre-event EPM Leiden: I’ll be AmsterDamned, as apart from missing the people and the memories from the event I also had to go back to my university for an intensive course instead of proceeding to the EPM, which had me really depressed”. Erika’s personal worst case was after Agora Cagliari in 2014: “Once back home it took me more than two weeks to get back to reality, to start to adapt again to my old routine, to even start sleeping properly“.

Erika Bettin

In the end, while taking part in an event, you live in a “bubble” as Erika calls it: “You feel comfortable, you feel protected and you feel loved”. You meet people who think similarly, discover Europe and dream together about making it an even better place. Suddenly coming home and realising that it was just a time-limited bubble, that reality and daily routine have you back is the reason for feeling so bad afterwards. Because it was just so good before.

Moreover, Tekla already mentioned that people who are a big factor too when it comes to PES. You get to know the other participants so well and you experience a lot together. “When the event ends, I think people start to realise that these moments will never be repeated in the same way with the same people again”. It therefore actually is saying good-bye forever, at least in that group dynamic. The important question remains: is there a way to deal with it?

Carolina shares with us that when she felt bad after the end of an event, she just kept to herself in the house for two or three days. But then she “decided to be strong and go out for a walk, call some friends, restart my normal life”. It is you who has to find the right moment to motivate yourself to get up again. Carolina continues: “There will be other events in the future, time is running out and staying powerless is not a solution“.

Erika has a positive attitude too: “The important thing is to keep in mind that in AEGEE and in life there are only ‘see-you-soons’ and never ‘good-byes’. Eventually everybody is going to see each other one more time. You should sleep, turn off the alarm and then try to come back to your old routine as fast as possible.”

Similarly, Tekla agrees that time heals all wounds. She is sure that after some time your symptoms will decline naturally. Especially of course, if you don’t have a lot of time to be nostalgic since you have to start working again. She gives us a great advise: “Look forward and plan your next adventure to have more awesome memories”!

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

Even if you are not from AEGEE-Cagliari, you might have already come across the name ‘Claudio Gennaro’; albeit from either policy proposals or one of the handful of Summer Universities that he already organised. With his involvement in a lot of SUs, it comes to no surprise that he is now running for the highest organ coordinating them.

The AEGEEan: Could you briefly introduce yourself?

Claudio: I am Claudio Gennaro, you might remember me from movies like “Three years in the JC” or “Let’s change all the commas in the CIA”. I am 24, a law student for some more months and AEGEEan since 2011. I live in Agrigento, Sicily, and I am member of AEGEE-Cagliari, Sardinia.

Why did you decide to run for member of the SUCT?

Thoreau would say “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life”; this would easily represent my relationship with AEGEE and its educational possibilities. Moreover, it would be an amazing opportunity to repay AEGEE with and for the skills I gained from it.

What is your past experience with organising or coordinating Summer Universities?

I have been main organiser, co-main organiser and member of the core team of five SUs. I have also been (the best) participant in one (wonderful Break Bad in Madrid) in 2014. Since 2012, I cannot imagine calling this season of the year only “summer” without “university”.

What are your plans to improve or maintain the quality of the SUCT and of Summer Universities?

For what it would concern my tasks, I will focus on a clear communication with local organisers. My previous AEGEE experience taught me how to clearly explain a set of rules contained in the CIA to people who approach it for the first time. Constant availability will also be a priority.

Do you already have plans of cooperating with other bodies of AEGEE as the SUCT?

Cooperation with other bodies of AEGEE is surely crucial to improve the content of SUs (such as better PowerPoint presentations or material for trainers), and I will do my best to strengthen the relationship of the SUCT with them, being proactive with new ideas. Anyway, realistically, I would not only rely on that. This will have to be discussed by the entire new team to come up with a common strategy.

What would you encourage locals to incorporate into their Summer University Programme?

Life changing experiences. Undoubtedly SUs represent our main source of new members and must be appealing to catch as many of them as possible, but we also need to differentiate them from “normal” holidays to maintain their special status of “life changing” events. I would encourage local organisers to let their participants meet the diversities of their cities: a day spent listening to the story of a refugee or a young entrepreneur counts more than a day spent at the beach. Make it count!

How would you propose to make the less applied for Summer Universities become more appealing?

I believe it is impossible to determine a common path for ALL the locals. We need to consider their dimension as association, city, budget, HR and many other variables. Our locals are extremely heterogeneous and it would be a terrible mistake to consider them all in the same way. Being a member of two locals of different shape and having organised SUs with both of them, I believe myself to be in a position of understanding better the functioning of different locals. I would focus on knowing better each local organiser who needs particular help for the preparation of their SU and on how to boost the content of their programme according to their strengths and weaknesses. PR will definitely play a key role for them (but I am the wrong candidate to answer that).

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

He loves PR and Social Media and you can tell by reading his candidature. Lorenzo Ligas is 23 years old and he is from AEGEE-Cagliari, where he covers the role of PR responsible for the Italian local. He has been working on Social Media and Public Relations for three years now and he is a student of Communication Science at the University of Cagliari. After having covered the task of PR responsible of Cagliari Summer University, he aims to take the next step by managing the PR of the Summer University Coordination Team.

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to run for a position in the Summer University Coordination Team?

Lorenzo: I want to challenge myself in a great project such as Summer University.

The current team started a sort of Interest Group about Summer University (Supporters)б in which people helped the SUCT. Would you like to keep it alive?

Yes, having supporters for the SUCT can help the team as well as let more AEGEEans be active at the European Level.

You do not have much experience in European bodies, but your working experience outside of AEGEE is impressive. What are the best assets you can bring to the SUCT, provided you are going to be elected?

Thank you! Yes it is true, I do not have so much experience in European bodies, but I could use my years of experience developed outside of AEGEE for the project. I am a Social Media enthusiast and I love creating PR strategies. This year AEGEE-Cagliari socials had an impressive growth: plus 850 on Facebook and plus 300 on Instagram since I started. I’m confident that the experience I gained as PR Responsible, as well as my non-AEGEE experience into festivals, clubs, cultural events and writing, could be helpful for SUCT.

How would you help locals respect Visual Identity?

Giving them the Visual Identity booklet, as well as to provide instructions on how to add the SU watermark to their pictures. Of course I will also respect the Visual Identity for both local and SUCT materials myself.

You were PR responsible for the last Summer University of AEGEE-Cagliari. What was your strategy? Do you think it was successful? Do you think that it can be applied (with the due changes) to all Summer Universities?

I created infographics for the promotion. Sharing them both on Facebook and Instagram with a weekly schedule, using trend hashtags for AEGEE, Summer University and AEGEE-Cagliari. During the event, I used Instagram and Facebook for images. I used Facebook streams for most of the activities. After the event I edited the photos our photographer made, using Lightroom.

I think it was definitely successful, but of course there’s always something to improve. Since I started promoting the Summer University, our social media had a big increase, and we were pretty satisfied about the number of applications. This PR strategy could definitely be applied to the SUCT.

This is a recurring question when it comes to Summer Universities: the decreasing number of applications and local organisers. What do you think about this issues? 

Cheap travelling has become a trend in the last years since the introduction of tools as Hostelworld and Airbnb in Europe. Therefore offering “low cost travelling” is no longer a selling point for a Summer University. I think that personal development has to be an area to focus on, with the same importance of the social programme and entertainment. And we have to spread the AEGEE-spirit more. We should share the idea that being part of a Summer University is a mind-blowing experience, and being an AEGEEan is a lifestyle.

I think that the reason behind the decrease of local organisers could be found behind many aspects: less active members, weak HR and PR strategies, difficulty to contact local istitutions, lack of funds. These aspects scare locals to challenge themselves into organising a Summer University. A possible solution could be creating Facebook working groups in order to share best practices and webseminars to locals. Creating guidelines on how to organise a Summer University, how to fundraise, promote etc. I think SUCT has to become a strong presence in locals’ lives.

In the application process we often see that certain locals are very popular, while others even struggle to find participants and (in extreme cases) are forced to cancel the Summer University. What are your thoughts on that? Do you have any idea to try to level this phenomenon?

Yes, promotion is a problem for some antennae. Some Summer Universities look more interesting than others, maybe because they build a good promotion or because they are settled in more famous locations. It would be useful to work side by side with the PR Responsibles of the SUs in order to give them advice and look at how to promote the Summer University. As SUCT, you can prepare general guidelines for all the locals and then customise them in case of special needs. Every Summer University has strong points and something interesting to offer, you just have to find the best way to show them.

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

“I got to know AEGEE almost more than one and a half year ago, and since then I’ve always felt like it was meant to happen”. In his own words, Stefano Dal Farra is a 23-year-old Italian AEGEE enthusiastic from AEGEE-Udine. He graduated in Cultural Mediation and after a sabbatical year, where he discovered new realities and started to work within the field of the Erasmus+ programme as a facilitator, trainer and group leader, now he is back in University for a master’s degree in European Studies. As it happened to many, he fell in love with Summer University and now he is running for a position in the Summer University Coordination Team, aiming to cover the task of Content Manager and Fundraiser.

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to run for a position in the Summer University Coordination team?

Stefano: I decided to participate in my first Summer University almost randomly. I left for the SU without knowing anything about this project, without even knowing how to pronounce AEGEE. Once back, I joined the SU of my local as a helper. I really liked the project that I felt like I had to give, I could and I should have given much more to the project, so I decided to become the main coordinator of the SU of my local for this year. In this year, I got to know all different aspects of this project, its strengths and its weaknesses, and I still feel like I can give much more to the project to make it better and to improve it. They key to this decision is the passion. The same passion that gave me the chance to bump into the project, the same passion that drove me to become helper and help my local with their SU, and the same passion that has pushed me for almost more that seven months, to drive once per month for almost more than 100 km from my city to Udine to organise an unforgettable SU for my participants, because I really wanted them to live their best summer of their lives. This is why I decided to run for a position this year in the SUCT.

The current team started a sort of Interest Group about Summer University (SUpporters) where people helped SUCT. Would you like to keep it alive?

Yes, of course. I think that external supporters, along with new and fresh ideas, and external help are essential for the project. The SU doesn’t just belong to SUCT or CD, but to everyone, and everyone should feel free to contribute to the project with their ideas and suggestions. As we say, the more, the merrier, but I would also add the better.

What is your most relevant experience when it comes to Summer University?

I got involved in a SU in all the three possible ways: as a participant on the first time, as a helper on my second time, and this year as the main coordinator. I grew up inside of this project, getting to know it better and better, under every nuance and aspect. I have been to a SU living it in different ways, so I know what every position is about, what to expect or what to do. I attended this year SUPS in Catania, which also helped me a lot for my own SU.

How would you foster good communication/cooperation between locals and Working Groups, The Academy and Projects?

I would set a better and more intense communication with them in order to understand what they would like to do, and what they expect from SUCT, maybe through Skype call or in any other possible way. I would like to set with them some strategies in order to cooperate more closely for this project, underling the fact that the results of the SUs could also be seen and used as results for them.

How would encourage locals to bring more content in their SU? And how would you make participants understand that content is not necessarily boring?

Content is actually of the things I am more concerned about. I got to understand how difficult it is nowadays to provide some content in the SU because it is seen as something boring and useless. I thought the same too, but when I became a trainer I changed my mind. I think that one of the reason for this is that not everybody is aware of the meaning of non-formal education and how it works. I would actually prepare some booklets or any other kind of material to make everybody understand how non-formal education works in the first place. I would like to take care of the main coordinators during the first months of the preparation, setting some Hangouts or personal Skype calls to discuss the objectives of their SUs, to understand what they would like to do, because sometimes people start thinking about the SU without having clearly in mind the message or the objectives that should be behind the project. Then I would give them some suggestions during this initial part about possible content. But most importantly, I would like that all the four areas of the working groups could become compulsory sessions during the SU, maybe for one hour or so, in order to give the possibility to every participant of getting to know what are the focus and the topics AEGEE cares about these days, and then for each session they could do something realistic that can be sent to SUCT as proof that they did it, as well as new and fresh material for the working groups.

In the application process we often see that certain locals are very popular, while others struggle even to find participants and (in extreme cases) are forced to cancel the Summer University. What are your thoughts on that? Do you have any idea to try to level this phenomenon?

I think that this is because people think too much about the destination and not about the content of the SU. I would try to help these locals promoting their SU as much as possible underlining the good aspects of it. Sometimes the local itself is to blame for not being able to promote its SU in the right way, and maybe with some suggestions and little help, things could be different.

Your application is very focused on content, yet you are applying as Fundraiser, task that is not mentioned in your program. Do you have any idea on how to develop a fundraising strategy for SUs?

First of all, I would help locals to develop their techniques of fundraising giving them some suggestions and tips. Sometimes they just don’t know where to start or they don’t have any idea, but maybe they just haven’t thought about other possible ways to fundraise.

Do you have previous experience in fundraising for associations? As Main Organiser of SU in Udine, did you use some sort of fundraising strategy (i.e. for goods, gadgets, funds or grants)?

We decided to fundraise by contacting all the associations and organisations in the region that could help with food or drinks. There were some people who had contacts with some associations and we were able to fundraise a lot last year. I fundraised for some Erasmus+ projects where we needed to have some sponsor for food and gadgets.

You can read his full candidature here.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

I’ll never forget the view of the port of Vigo outside the train’s window. It was simply beautiful with the sea, the morning light. I had just woken up in that instant to this palette of amazing colours. But my story began before that moment, more or less one month before… [This article is sponsored by Interrail]

When AEGEE gave me this amazing opportunity to travel with an Interrail ticket, I was so excited for this great experience. After ten months working hard on the Summer University Project I had the possibility to see its the local management with my own eyes.

My Summer University Coordination Team (SUCT) trip was taking shape slowly, mostly thanks to Interrail.

At the start of my trip, the procedure was not so clear in my head, even after the arrival of the Interrail ticket. Do I need reservations, which trains should I take, by which train companies, will it all be possible, or impossible?!

I felt so stupid and, because I’m not so good at making decisions, I chose my trip very late. I made my reservations on time, but too late for them to be shipped. There was however the possibility to write down the address of some hostel and have them sent there, so I decided to put down the address of the hostel in Madrid, the city where my Interrail trip would begin.

With one fewer task and with one additional concern, I said “Goodbye Italy” and flew to Spain.

When I arrived in Madrid, it was great to understand that the procedure to buy a ticket was not difficult. I bought my ticket to Alicante in two minutes; I was so happy that day!

But after two days in Madrid, I was becoming anxious and nervous because my reservations had not arrived on time at the hostel, so the only solution was to call the mailing company for an explanation of what went wrong.

The final answer was: the tickets were somewhere near the airport of Madrid, and with the help of a Spanish friend we went to pick them up. The problem turned out to be a case of “Destinatario desconocido”, or ‘unknown recipient’. Today, I still wonder why this was such a problem, but, in the meantime my mission was accomplished, and I could finally start my Interrail trip!

Another fantastic discovery was that with Interrail tickets many doors open.

The partner company of Interrail in Spain is Renfe, and for certain trains you do not have to pay for tickets: I cannot deny that I felt privileged a couple of times.

After Madrid, my second ‘Spanish step’ was Alicante. I have been in Spain more than once before, but I really did not know how trains and train stations are organised: passport controls before reaching the train etc. Yep, I am Italian and, for me such great organisation was wonderful. In Italy, it is a mess and I usually am ready for the worst, like waiting an hour-and-a-half for a simple regional train. I slept three comfortable hours on the train and before I knew it I reached hot and sunny Alicante.

I spent three amazing days in Alicante with beautiful people and the organisers of a great event. I have really good memories of my stay there, plus a bracelet! Yep, a bracelet! Because, more or less at the beginning of this amazing SUCT trip, I decided to buy a bracelet in every place I would visit. This way I would have an unusual souvenir at the end of my adventure.

And agan I was at the train station in Alicante.  Another train, another group to meet. Destination: Valladolid.

I went there some years ago, but this time, I found a great city, full of amazing buildings and new people to know. But my most memorable event from this part of my trip was when I arrived at the train station in Valladolid and I needed to take the next train to Vigo. It was during the night. I was a bit scared, alone, and not in my native country. I spent some hours at an empty station, until the train arrived.

Near my seat there was a woman of about fifty years old and, in front of me, an old man. The woman started to talk to me about the train timetable, delays, a new connection, and, only at the end of the conversation, she understood that I was not Spanish. I was so proud of the Spanish I knew and that I managed to make a good impression on her! When I said that my destination was Porto, instead of Vigo, she told the old man that I would help him to find his train. The man started to talk in a strange language: a mix of Catalan, Portuguese, Spanish and French… I really didn’t understand him! The woman confessed to me that it was also hard for her to understand his strange language, which struck me as funny. In the beginning, I was so scared to travel during the night alone, and in the end I felt very comfortable there and I fell asleep.

I woke up in Vigo. The train to Porto would leave in ten minutes, and I needed a ticket. I told the man and his family to hurry up and I ran to the ticket office. In one minute, I had my ticket and, some instants later, I was on the train with the man, his strange language, and his family.

The sun was rising over the port of Vigo, and that image will be forever in my eyes.

I am currently in my room, remembering this amazing adventure, which, to me, was momentous. I grew up during this experience. Travelling is seriously the best way to improve yourself, to face your fears and concerns. “No one realises how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow” (Lin Yutang).

This is a three part article; for part one, click here, and, for part two, click here.

Written by Carolina Alfano, Summer University Coordination Team