Summer seems distant, but AEGEEans, as busy bees, are already in the process to organise Summer Universities. The Summer University Coordination Team gave the future SU organisers the possibility to collaborate with AEGEE bodies and give their Summer Universities a content twist. We asked the bodies involved to give us some more information about how they envision the collaboration. In this second article we will understand more about Drink-wise Project, Language Interest Group, Mediation Commission, Action Agenda Coordination Committee and The AEGEEan.  

Drink-wise is the latest addiction to our pool of projects, and it aims at highlighting the cultural diversity and richness of our drinking traditions, but also promotes healthy drinking habits. And what about the European Night? If you are afraid that collaborationg with them will prevent you from having any form of alcohol in your Summer University, you cannot be further from the truth. Adonis Meggos, the project director, sais that “Drink-wise does not mean that you are forbidden to drink, but to drink with caution. We are a group of drink lovers. But there is not only alcohol. Juices, Smoothies, Coffee and Tea are all welcome! We love to explore all those different tastes all over Europe. To enjoy the traditions of drinking cultures, of course, but also to know our boundaries”.

You can contact them at drinkwiseproject@gmail.com

There are no better places than AEGEE events to test the knowledge of your foreing language(s). The Language Interest Group, a “diverse team of language-enthusiast AEGEEans”, using the words of their PR responsible Eryfili Evangelou, proposes a Summer University related to languages and adds that “the idea of a collaboration with us is easy to implement and can be added to an existing concept”. Not only learning languages, but also speaking about multilingualism in Europe, or the issues related to language policies, minority languages and language diversity. Eryfili continues explaining that the Interest group “can provide you with material and guidelines for the content and cool language related activities during the social programme. The main topics of the SU could be Multilingualism in Europe, courses of the local language or English, and can be adjusted to your needs and wishes!”.

You can contact them at lig@aegee.org. 

The Mediation Commission is the body that helps AEGEE in solving the disputes that may rise. After some successful sessions during NWMs, the commission decided to take them one step further having a Summer University in team management and conflict resolution. Damien Latacz, president of the Mediation Commission, says that the main topic will be “of course conflict solving, but going much deeper than what you would probably think, not just the basic workshop we all did at some point. From the differences in understanding between people and cultures, to how to react in front of conflicts and challenges. We want participants to actively think about emotions and communication. But because introspection is quite demanding… some good fun between session to relax is also needed!”. And if you are looking for yet another reason for choosing the Mediation Commission as “partner in crime” for the Summer University, Damien jokes: “Well… there would not be any trouble organizing something with us, because we would solve conflicts right away!”.

You can contact them at medcom@aegee.org. 

Acties during their team meeting

Act (Action Agenda Coordination Committee) Vice Speaker Miljana Vulevic, when asked why locals should cooperate with them answered: “Because we solemnly swear we are up to no good!”. With this Harry Potter joke premises, resisting them might seem hard, but she continues: “We are cool people, always ready to help and find a solution to whatever. Most importantly – we care. Choosing ACT means having a reliable partner willing to give its best to deliver an unforgettable, life changing SC”.  The main topic of the Summer would be project management, with a little twist: the implementation in an AEGEE context. “As complex as it sounds -Miljana says- it is a quite simple concept really! You have a “layer” of Project Management that teaches you the skills you need to create excellent projects in your local and another “layer” of introducing and discussing Focus Areas they will use as content for their projects. It is actually not a Summer Course, it is an AEGEE cake. Who says NO to a cake? Imagine all those applications!”.

You can contact them at act@aegee.org

Media and press are increasingly important in modern society, thus making more vital to have informed and prepared readers. The AEGEEan proposes local organisers to help their participants to get familiar with the journalism and writing world, by organising workshops about basic writing, editing and proofreading, about the different types of journalism, media platforms, the history of journalism and storytelling. During the leisure time some ad hoc excursions can be organised, for instance to houses of famous writers. Members of The AEGEEan will be there to help you in doing the lectures, but this can be a perfect opportunity to bond and create a network with several youth organisations that deal with press and citizen journalism.

You can contact us at aegeean@aegee.org

You can read about the other bodies you can collaborate with here.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

In AEGEE-Moskva you can find a large board, which not only organises very interesting and original events during the year, but also is full of energy in order to carry out plans with the twin antenna, Izmir, and prepared an amazing New Year Event (NYE) in collaboration with AEGEE-Kyïv. We spoke with Maria Kochkina, 23 years old, External Relations Responsible, and the Board of AEGEE-Moskva who told us about how AEGEE-Moskva’s 24^th birthday was celebrated.

The AEGEE-Moskva board members are: Daria Lovkova (President), Christina Reshetova (Secretary), Maria Zharikova (Treasurer), Sergey Agaltsov (PR-Responsible), Anna Cherezova (HR-Responsible), Ekaterina Popova (FR-Responsible), Ivan Lukomskiy (IT-Responsible), Kirill Grigoriev (University Responsible), Maria Kochkina (External Relations Responsible) and Ekaterina Kalinina (Local Events Responsible).

Two of the current board members were in the previous board 2014-2015: Ekaterina Popova and Maria Kochkina as President and PR-Responsible accordingly. Most of Board members are quite AEGEE-experienced: “the most experienced one” – says Maria – “is our Treasurer with five years in AEGEE and the newest one is Kirill Grigoriev who joined our antenna in October 2015”. Almost half of the Board visited Agora-Kyiv, where Sergey Agaltsov won the Summer University photo contest.

The antenna is very diversified when it comes to studies, work or hobbies. For example, the President teaches English and the HR-Responsible both studies and teaches languages, meanwhile the Local Events Responsible and University Responsible study law and the FR-Responsible studies economics.

AEGEE-Moskva, currently composed of 116 members, has ot a mascot called “Zvezdun”. Its full name is “Zvezdun Grigor’evich”. “Zvezda” means “star” in Russian. The last part of the name is after its “father”, one of the members of the local antenna, Grigoriy Frolov. It all started a long time ago when an AEGEE-Moskva member bought a T-shirt of his antenna in 2012. That T-shirt has seen both Agorae in 2012, one SU in Greece, has been at the Baikal Lake with Transiberian Dream vol. 4 and also visited AEGEE-Moskva’s 21^st birthday party. “After that great AEGEE-spirit absorption”- adds Maria – “the owner of this T-shirt, Ksenia Lupanova, sewed it into our mascot – Zvezdun. Our current mascot is resewed, but it has the heart of the previous one, literally made out of that T-shirt full of AEGEE-spirit”.

About plans with their twin antenna, AEGEE-Izmir, the Russian antenna has already had monthly Skype-calls, made knowledge transfer and tried to get as much as possible from the relation. It started to organise some activities such as postcrossing and so on. Two of the AEGEE-Izmir board members already participated in the pre event in Moscow.

About the current bad situation between Russia and Turkey, Maria says, “we signed a twin-contract with the amazing guys from Izmir, but not with the politicians. So, nothing can stop us to make it real”. AEGEE-Moskva already made an announcement about it in cooperation with other AEGEE locals from Turkey and Russia. It was said that whatever happens in politics , whatever the media shows, AEGEE antennae will continue to love each other.

There are some perks of having a twin antenna like Izmir. According to Maria, the Izmir antenna is special because of the different way of thinking, for example. If you understand people’s minds, it will give you more power in organising events or just the daily work of the antenna. In their opinion, AEGEE-Izmir is good in fundraising, HR and social work. AEGEE-Moskva members were so much inspired by their colleagues, that they also started to try doing some steps in that area. For example, AEGEE-Moskva found a new general sponsor whose name is Teremok. It is a fast food chain of homemade Russian food. Teremok supported the antenna with its NYE Capital Cities # 2 and helped to present Russian cuisine to foreigners. AEGEE-Moskva got 35 certificates for NYE and every participant could enjoy their tasty pancakes and other food for free. “It’s a great achievement for us” says Maria.

AEGEE-Moskva members create a calendar with themselves almost every year and try to make them thematic; this year was no exception. This time they stuck to the traditional Russian style, which actually became very popular in their antenna last autumn. They also launched a Russian tea party project on their Agora Kyiv pre event. That’s why the calendar as well is full of members wearing colorful traditional clothes. About twenty people took part in the creation of the calendar and they chose the best shots to be printed.

A few weeks ago antenna celebrated its 24^th birthday. For this event, they organised a superhero party. “That was a crazy celebration” says Maria. They gathered in a cafe, had a presentation of their antenna’s achievements, different games and ate a fantastic blue cake (the birthday cake) which looked like an AEGEE star with the mascot Zvezdun on top. Everybody came in astonishing costumes including Winter Soldier from Captain America, Wonder Woman, Buzz Lighter and others. There were also some creative costumes like Captain Obvious. All the members wore superhero costumes and the award for the best one was won by Katja Sokerina: truly the most stylish.

Recently AEGEE-Moskva has organised an EDL for the third time. The name of this one was “La Pelicula” and, as it can be guessed, the theme was connected to films and movies. For example, during the coffee-breaks AEGEE members showed different TV-series like Friends and Scrubs and pieces of movies in corresponding languages. This time they provided lessons on French, Italian, Spanish and English. Most of teachers found with help of the members and the English language session were provided by the President Daria Lovkova. There were around 100 participants and it was really a fun!

About “The Market of Possibilities” which took place at The People’s Friendship University of Russia, Maria explains, “from the 30^th November till the 4^th December 2015, thirty young future leaders and specialists from Germany, Russia and Ukraine came together in Moscow to try to resolve current complications and discuss prospects of the trilateral relations. The highlight of the forum was an open panel discussion with experts from the three countries”. In particular, the Russian Local Antenna presented its organisation and participated in the discussion called “Two years after Euromaidan – Challenges and prospects for future cooperations”.

AEGEE-Moskva has already started working on the next Summer University (SU) and has a coordinator, Sergey Agaltsov. For now it has a general concept and theme of the SU, possible activities and budget. It is doing this SU for the 8^th time and gathering all the experience it gained so far, to try its best to make it really amazing. Keeping suspense about AEGEE-Moskva SU, it will have a history and culture thematic with great twists (at least 8 of them).

AEGEE-Moskva has organised the NYE of 2015 with AEGEE-Kyiv. “The last minutes of the year”- adds Maria – “are always special. We are all standing together, kissing and hugging each other”. In Russia they have a saying: “How you celebrate NYE will show how you will spend the whole year”. So, it means that the participants will spend New Year in the AEGEE family. In fact Europeans are still interested in Ukrainian and Russian experience. Maria does not exclude to make a NYE with an Italian antenna like AEGEE-Cagliari. According to her, it would be a really nice experience and an occasion to compare culture and share traditions. Also it would be great as we could experience cold and warm weather at the same event. “We are always open for new projects and ideas!” says Maria.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

One of the best existing events is called Summer University. AEGEE-Thessaloniki organised one for the first time in seven years. 25 participants from the whole of Europe were the lucky enough, to enjoy this Travel Summer University through Greece, where they had an amazing time in the four destinations.

Thessaloniki

The sun was shining bright, the mineral water was cold, and the gym was ready next to a school in beautiful Thessaloniki. This was the place and city for the Summer University, which was promising to be a great one. As more people arrived, beds were set up and games were played in order to get to know each other. The beautiful day turned into night and everyone had a Greek dinner, then moved to the dock and the salsa bar, where we could show either our dance moves, or our nerves.

The next morning we woke up and we showered at the gym, which would be our home for three nights. After a great breakfast, in the city centre of Thessaloniki, where the white tower is always lighten, we had a city tour. We learned about the history and landmarks of the second biggest city of Greece. After a great learning experience, which included a boat trip, we went to party and destroy all the newly developed brain cells. We discovered that it was not a lie, when the Greek talked about their amazing nightlife.

To ask for indications in Greece, some Greek language lessons came in handy, but what we mainly learned were bad words and how to hit on guys/girls, which was actually more useful. A scavenger hunt, combined with a pub crawl made the group become even closer, and international friendships were created. The day after the crazy European night, the planetarium and eating next to the city wall, where is the best view of Thessaloniki, we packed our stuff, and tried to get some sleep before the next crazy destination, Possidi.

Possidi

After the exams all the students from Thessaloniki grab their tents, swimsuits and booze to spend some time in Possidi, which is a student camping ground full of music, pretty girls, cute boys and a lot of “yolo”. The moment that we arrived, we ran directly into the sea.

The awesome time in Possidi was full of parties and hanging out with each other. We got to know each other so well, you couldn’t tell we had met half a week ago. The theme of the Summer University was environment issues which were covered in a workshop. The four groups, in which we were divided, had created instructive presentations, videos, interviews, posters and even a renewed garbage can. Just like in Thessaloniki, some more games were played which involved random people. For the last and most artful activity, we walked the beach during the amazing sunset. We got some paint and energy to “go totally Picasso” on our new friends. The result was a mixture of paint on all of us, which looked like anything from good paintings, to funny things, to a toddler’s creation. After some fun, running, fooling around, and some bottles of paint, the result was awesome. We ended the night with wishing balloons, and then went to drink and party. To be totally in the Possidi spirit, the amount of sleep that night was even less then we had before. With a lot of καλημέρα [Goodmorning in Greek, ed.] screaming from one tent to the other, at six in the morning, we packed or stuff and went for our next destination, the amazing city of Volos!

Volos

The old city looks over the sea as many beautiful cities in Greece do. Even better than the time we spend there, was the place we stayed. For two nights we had the luxury of our own room. Of course that’s not what Summer University is about, but it gave us the opportunity sleep and get some rest for the days that followed. In Volos we had a little city trip which presented us the atmosphere, history and life of Volos. After a water balloon fight and a lovely day spend in the boulevards and in the city, we had a resting evening to gather energy for the next amazing thing. Volos has mountains where at night light shine, which create a gorgeous view. A tour guide showed us the way up via an old stone path which the locals where using in the past to go from the mountains to the seaside. During the adventures and tough climb, we could slowly see Volos becoming smaller and the authentic villages becoming bigger. It felt amazing when the walk ended, and we reached, our literally, high goal. It was breathtaking! Next on our schedule was a party in a bar with in tequila, dancing and some real Summer University romance. When everyone was tired, we got on the ferry and went to, sadly, our last destination called Skiathos.

Skiathos

The island of Skiathos, full of beautiful places and beaches, was a good destination to slowly get to the ending of our amazing trip. The water was blue, the sun was hot. Some people were lucky enough to see dolphins jumping in the water on the trip there. The first night in Skiathos the positive words about the Greek night life were again confirmed. After came the city trip. We walked around the city and learned about it, we saw the great sightseeing places and crystal clear waters.

One if the most amazing things was the boat trip. It wasn’t the boat that was so special, but the places we went to. The first stop was a beach so beautiful that it was like a postcard. An all-white beach with rocks and water more clear than the liquid which flows from the tap. We climbed on the rock, to jump from a high point into this postcard sea. It was amazing! Next stop was a beach which was located next to the old town. The only one hour we could spend there, was not enough to fully see it all. We climbed up a hill with stones and some demolished stairs, which brought us to the top where in the past used to he houses. The town was full of old houses and little churches, and at the end of the hill there was this view from which you could see as very far. The view was of gorgeous beaches, mountains, the sea and rocks.

During our time on the island, we visited a museum, more beautiful beaches, clubs and parties. The most popular beach, Bananistas was also on the list of the beaches we visited. We saw many people wearing merchandise from this beach and the beach club that came with it.

The two weeks were almost over, which was a big pity. Back in the gym, which was our home on this island, we had a workshop about national stereotypes. After that, the graffiti party was on. We wrote on each others t-shirts as a way to say goodbye, and imprint the great memories we had experienced with all these people. The result were t-shirts full of text, jokes, names and love.

The worst part about the Summer University was here: the goodbyes. One by one people said goodbye to the others. A lot of hugs, kisses and exchange of numbers. The last persons to leave thanked the organisers with all their hearts.

The Summer University was amazing, two weeks of meeting people, travel, gaining knowledge and love. We hope that the organiser felt the same, and we are forever grateful to them. Those where the last words we said/thought as we waved them goodbye. Thanks so much!

Written by Midas Veraart, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Firstly, take a wonderful country, then scatter some beautiful cities on its surface. Mix three antennas and sprinkle them. Finally, add 26 participants from all over Europe and bake under the Italian sun for two weeks. In the end, you’re gonna taste the most spicy, delicious and delightful Summer University (SU) you could ever imagine!

The Pisa Part

The first stop and first impression of what would follow was Pisa. The organisers greeted the participants with cold beers and snacks, and as the participants were settling in the gym, an exciting atmosphere was promising new friendships. By dinner time, the ice was already broken and everybody was ready to live this adventure to the maximum. The next day was dedicated to discovering Pisa, and especially the secrets of the Square of Miracles, which is full of strange things: a leaning tower, devil’s nails on a wall and some crazy people running around after city rally hints. After such an eventful day, a BBQ party recharged everyone’s energy, and emptied many bottles.

Next station was the small city of royalties, less than half an hour by train from Pisa, Lucca, full of churches and legends, which were narrated in a very vivid way by the best guide a participant could ever ask for, Luca from AEGEE-Pisa!

The Firenze and Tuscany’s Countryside Part

The second stop was the main part of this extraordinary trip: almost six days right in the heart of Tuscany’s culture to admire romantic bridges, grandiose sculptures, marvellous paintings and, of course, probably the most fascinating sunset in Italy, from Piazzale Michelangelo. Maybe this was the reason why so many couples were created during these days and why the gossip box was on fire, full of confessions. This flirting mood was enhanced by some salsa and bachata dancing lessons by the master of salsa, Matteo from AEGEE-Firenze. Furthermore, there were Italian language courses so everyone could learn some useful phrases to charm others, by talking in the most seductive language.

If the days were full of activities, the nights were full of relaxation and entertainment, so the time spent in the hostel was limited. The perfect mix between calm evenings at lakes, pubs with BBQ, karaoke nights and crazy parties in the clubs was definitely a sign of a perfect organising team. Every evening was unique, but everybody agreed that the swimming pool party was a night to remember: cold drinks, warm water and hot bodies dancing around.

The next days were spent in Tuscany’s province. The calm scenery of the countryside was interrupted by the most amazing European night that could ever happen. Tables full of food and beverages anywhere from Spain to Russia. One could try Spanish paella, Greek tzatziki, Russian oladushki, Polish pierogi, Hungarian ragout, and many more dishes from all over Europe. But, of course, there’s no European night without drinks, so everybody cheered at least in fourteen languages, while trying typical drinks from each country.

A piece of advice for you: be careful while drinking Georgian cha cha, because then you’re going to try some Hungarian palinka too, and the combination will drive you crazy! Also, if you have the guts, do not resist releasing the dragon living inside you, by drinking Sambuca the Roman way.

After this grand night, Siena and Castiglione della Pescaia were the next destinations. City tours were followed by elegant aperitif dinners with prosecco, beach parties and many kisses. Tuscany’s highlight was the trip to Giglio and Giannutri islands: blue sea, sandy beaches, a jacuzzi inside the boat and as a participant from AEGEE-Patra, Ellie, said “Holidays inside holidays”!

Everybody returned totally tanned or sun burnt to the camping from where a bus transferred all the participants and, sadly only one organiser from AEGEE-Firenze, to Grosseto in order to take the train to the eternal city. So many goodbyes were said and so many hugs were exchanged that one would assume that these people are going to meet each other again, somewhere in Europe.

The Rome Part

The trip to Rome was full of happiness and expectations. Actually, nobody realised how quickly the time passed on the train, because some people were playing games, while others were sleeping. However, Rome’s greeting was an unexpected incident which delayed the metro, but a great gym with air-conditioning compensated for everything. The days in Rome were full of food: endless buffets with six meters of pizza and pasta.

Later two great guides took over the city tour. Dino presented the Vatican City and Matteo, from AEGEE-Roma, showed every unexpected aspect of this magnificent city. It felt quite cool walking next to the place where Caesar was murdered, or watching three different states from just one keyhole. But, of course, Rome has not only landmarks to see, but also a spectacular volcanic lake and a long beach full of people.

Nights were dedicated to parties, even inside the gym, and of course the nominations: nominations for the best kiss, the best couple, the best smile, the drunkest, the laziest, and anything else one could imagine. Federico from AEGEE-Firenze was voted as the best organiser for this Travel SU, and Alisa from AEGEE-Voronezh as the best participant, as they were always ready for everything with a huge smile on their faces!

The goodbye day was the hardest for everyone, but wait… with AEGEE there are no goodbyes, just “see you soon!”.
To conclude, this is exactly what it takes to make an incredible grand tour! So now you know that some well-prepared organisers, some fresh participants from all over Europe, who are travelling in one of the most beautiful European countries, are the right ingredients to carry out an unforgettable Summer University.
Written by Katya Galiandina, AEGEE-Peiraias

Have you ever thought you can get to know one culture by experiencing its dark side? Have you ever thought you can learn so much about something by being evil? Have you ever wanted to be bad for at least a moment, to escape everyday life and go crazy, and that nobody would know? Well, we had a chance to do all of that for two whole weeks in Madrid!

You know that awkward moment when you meet someone new and you do not know how to act or to talk? Well, that did not happen to the participants of the Summer University (SU) of Madrid. It was like an instant bond between the people, like everyone could sense the rotten part inside of the other person and find something in common. Even though people did not know each other and the first night was supposed to be the ‘quiet night’, we went together to a bar to discover more about the bad side of each other. It was like we were friends for a long time.

In the following days, we learned more about the Spanish history suring the history workshop and sightseeing. Among other things, we learned about the most famous kings of Spain and how the Spanish Inquisition functioned. We visited the Royal Palace and learned more about it and its history. Also we made a trip to the famous residence of the royals, El Escorial, and learned more about Felipe II, the king who built it and was famous as a villain king, so he was closer to the heart of the participants than the other kings as we were as evil as he was.

Beside of the historical sightseeing of the city, we visited Museo del Prado, an amazing museum filled not only with paintings of Spanish painters but also with works by Rembrandt and Caravaggio.

After some sightseeing of the city, we went and enjoyed nature in the parks of Madrid, like Parque del Oeste and Retiro, where we played various games, relaxed and had some Spanish siesta time after hard partying the previous day. For sure the favorite game was the one called ‘ninja’, which was played also on train stations while waiting or wherever we had a chance.

One of the workshops we did on this SU was the sangria workshop. The organizers decided to teach the participants how NOT to make sangria. But as they are evil and rotten to the bone like the participants, their real plan was to make us “kill” each other with poisonous sangria. One of their tricks was to give onions as one of the ingredients for making sangria. Yes, it was a really good choice, because some participants fell for it and “poisoned” the other participants. Their evil plan worked. Also, there were sangrias like sugar bombs, which were as poisonous as the onion ones. In the end, the evil organizers showed how to make real and good Spanish sangria, so the participants will “poison” their families at home in a proper way. A lot of fun was also the salsa workshop. We learned a lot of killer moves so we were even more ready to discover the amazing clubs of Madrid and to heat things up a bit.

Water fights in part of Madrid called Vallecas were a complete revelation for a lot of participants, as many of them did not experience such an adventure. Vallecas was closed for the traffic and became a real battlefield, so evilness of the participants could rise to the maximum. Some people brought water-guns, some bottles and the games began! Everyone was splashing each other and having a lot of fun. There was also a DJ, so while splashing each other, people were dancing like there was no tomorrow.

For a lot of people the water fights were a treat, but also for a lot of them, especially for the male participants, the football stadium Santiago Bernabeuwas even better. The participants got to go through the halls filled with the football cups and pictures of the players and to sit in the press conference room of one of the best football clubs in the world. Inspired by the stadium and feeling the energy of it, we felt ourselves like a dream team.

Probably one of the best days for the participants to express their inner craziness was the day spent at the amusement park. Going on various roller coasters and feeling the adrenaline made our inner devil come out and a lot of us spent almost twelve hours on the rides.

Beside experiencing Madrid, we visited Toledo and Segovia. We felt the ancient and religious spirit of Toledo, learning about it and its importance for Spain through history. In Segovia, we enjoyed the architecture and monuments like the Roman aqueduct and Gothic cathedral which are UNESCO heritage sites. For sure people could feel even more the spirit of Spain while learning about this cities.

The SU Break Bad in Madrid was the best mixture of the past and the present. While we were learning about the history of the country and of the cities Madrid, Toledo and Segovia, we experienced the modern life of Madrid. We tasted the food (tapas, montaditos), drinks (sangria, tinto de verano and, of course, beer) and everyday life of people of Madrid. We got the full experience of Madrid so we almost felt like home. Then we can only say this Spanish saying “de Madrid al cielo”, which means “from Madrid to heaven”.

Written by Emilija Kesic, AEGEE-Beograd

“Be aware! Leadership Summer School (LSS) may change your life! – and they are not even sorry…”–  says Helene Winnecke Jensen and this caught me on the hook. What is so unique about the LSS everybody is talking about? The AEGEEan is here to investigate for you.

Firstly I go to the website and find out that Leadership Summer School is an intensive learning and networking experience, aiming to increase quality and readiness of youth NGO leaders, sharing best practices and improving leadership skills among prominent members of each participating organisation. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

The enthusiastic OC

Second – it will take place from 21^st until 30^th of July and will be organised by AEGEE-Sofia together with Zero Generation. Sofia is a destination with many low-cost connectionS and there are more than 100 places, not only for AEGEE but for more than 25 students’ NGOs. Sounds really promising to me.

Third – I asked former participants what kind of experience it is. From David Čechlovský I hear ‘My past life (before LSS) was one huge grey color. But the LSS has influenced my perception and now I see colors everywhere! Love, passion, trust … everything seems so correct now!’, then Bogdan Burtescu is telling me ‘My world is a better place now’. Is this really happening? Is it really so cool? OK. Let’s check with the organisers: Herve Tunga from BEST, one of the establishers of LSS, currently member of the Supervisory Board and Trainer at the event and Cafer Saatchi from AEGEE-Sofia, Main Coordinator of LSS 2013. See what they told me…

The AEGEEan: Herve, what is your position towards LSS? You are part of the Supervisory board, trainer or a Main coordinator? Could you tell us more about this?

Inspiring trainers from LSS 2012, Budapest

Herve: When we were creating LSS, there was no position. I am working for the development of the project. Therefore I contribute on every level and as much as possible. I joined the project to develop the Training and Learning side. Then I continued to facilitate the organisation of LSS and to ensure it stays an event that delivers the best learning environment and experience  possible. Despite all the roles I use to take, I am fundamentally a Trainer at LSS.

And what is the role of the Supervisory board?

Herve: The role of Supervisory Board is to support the organisation of LSS, to monitor the progress of the team working on the LSS edition. The Supervisory Board is also expected to ensure that regular activity reports are produced and communicated to all stakeholders of the event (Zero Generation, partnering Organisations, Organisation Committee, Trainers, and Participants).

Cafer, why Leadership Summer School?

Cafer: We, in AEGEE-Sofia like to take up challenges. Such a challenge for us is to organise Leadership Summer School 2013. There were different reasons that led towards our decision. Among them was to provide the opportunity for 100 young people from all over the world, coming from more than 25 students’ organizations, to lead and learn from different trainings in a non-formal environment, shaping them to become the leaders of tomorrow. We are giving our best together with our partners from Zero Generation to organise one of the most significant annual trainings for the NGO world.

And why just not simple Summer University?

Cafer:I really appreciate what Summer Universities are providing to AEGEE and its members talking about cultural exchange and non-formal education. This is the reason this year AEGEE-Sofia is again taking part in the Summer University Project, organising “My AEGEE Balkan Beach Fairytale”. However, as I said earlier, we like to rise to challenges and we want to provide to AEGEE and the members of other NGOs a high-quality training.

What is an event without participants

Your antenna has organised SUs last three years. What is the difference in the organisation for the moment?

Cafer: There is a huge difference between organising a Leadership Summer School and a Summer University. The first is the size of the event. LSS will get together more than 100 people, which is three times bigger than any Summer University we organised so far, which means that we will need much more people involved in the organisation. Other difference is the concept of the event. The priorities of LSS are the trainings and the opportunity for exchanging ideas between the NGOs, compared with the Summer University where the social program is prior. Among our tasks is to provide the best training facilities for our participants.

Herve, How many Leadership Summer Schools have you organised so far?

Herve: Being present since the beginning, I can say I contributed to organise all  the LSS so far, which means 6.

What keeps motivating you?

Herve: LSS is an amazing concept. As a trainer, given opportunity to empower your participants, to facilitate their learning with innovative methods, to help creating a supportive environment is amazing. Being able to do that together with the most professional, skilled and caring trainers is a blessing. Sharing of best practices also contributes to each other’s development.

What could people expect this summer?

Herve: If we are able to improve the learning experience, to initiate and/or strengthen career paths and to empower every single LSS participants, then we all would have levelled up as group and as individuals.

Cafer, what is the biggest challenge for you?

Cafer and his devoted OC from AEGEE-Sofia

Cafer: To be honest, personally for me the biggest challenge is working and cooperating with partners from more than 25 students’ NGO at the same time. Though as part of AEGEE we have good experience and have been cooperating with different partners through the years. Therefore, I can say that I have a positive feeling towards the outcome of the event.

Tell us how is organised – you provide logistics, Supervisory Board provide content? How do you collaborate?

Cafer: The main task of AEGEE-Sofia is to provide logistics, good PR and FR of the event and the task of the Supervisory board is to help and lead us to the best outcome. The content part will be taken care of by the Trainers team and I can say that after really had selection (63 great applications) we will have the best possible trainers team this year. However, except the logistic part our local is engaging also a lot of emotions, sleepless nights and efforts to make this LSS the best so far.

Thank you, both I wish you success with this great event!

Keep in mind –  Application period will be open until 14^th of April!  For more information visit us on: http://leadershipsummerschool.org/2013/03/apply-to-participate-in-lss2013/ and on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/leadershipsummerschool

Written by Liliya Buyukliyska, AEGEE-Sofia. Prepared in cooperation with Elena Antova, AEGEE-Sofia.

AEGEE-Napoli seems unstoppable this year! After a New Year event and the Spring Network Meeting in May, they prepared another event, “2 Eat, 2 Play, 2 Love”,  the second edition of last year’s successful summer event. Like last year, participants had the chance to visit Naples and its surroundings, like Caserta, Salerno (where they joined the ongoing Summer University and created an amazing group) , the Amalfi coast and the nearby islands. Anyway many things changed since last year. For example, accommodation. Instead of a classic gym, participants and organizers had the chance to stay in a deconsecrated church in the heart of Naples’ historical center.  The church still shows its crucifix and the sepulchers of some Neapolitan citizens.

If one of AEGEE’s aims is bridging Europe, sometimes it also works in bridging countries within themselves.  One of the many examples is Northern and Southern Italy. Annibale Cianci from AEGEE-Treviso was one of the participants in the last New Year event in Naples and he decided to come back for the summer.

Annibale, how long have you been an AEGEE member?

It has been almost one and a half year. I  found out about it after I quit university. I hoped to make up for it.

Why did you decide to go back to Naples just a few months after your last event there?

It was a lucky coincidence. I was not chosen for any Summer University and I was not able to find any suitable open call. All of a sudden, while I was in Rome with my family I read about the event in Naples. I had such a nice time in Naples last time so I did not want to lose to opportunity to go there again! As Latins used to say: “Carpe diem” (“Seize the day”). The people there are so wonderful – it takes just a few minutes to become their friend. They are very productive as well; I contacted them at midnight and in half an hour my trip to Naples was perfectly planned!

How does it feel to sleep in a deconsecrated church?

Some participants were afraid of the sepulchers. I had no problem about it. Now I feel ready to sleep in Dracula’s castle! I was a scout and I also know being in AEGEE will lead you to sleeping in strangest places in the world.

What was your opinion before visiting Naples for the first time?
I have already been there some years ago on my own so I had no prejudice about the city at all. I discovered new things, but I had only positive experiences, all my expectations were confirmed. My family used to live there, so luckily I am not that kind of northern guy with strange ideas about the South.

Now that you have seen Naples – both in winter firing up to welcome a new year, and in summer under a blistering sun – is there any chance you would like to go there again?
Definitely. It is not all about visiting places and museums, I will go there to meet those people again, I promise! On the other hand, I would also like to visit some new European countries with AEGEE.

Written by Claudio Armandi, AEGEE-Napoli

On July 19^th  the event “Sunshine on the land of love-Calabria coast to coast”  startedin the wonderful village of San Lucido, Calabria (Italy), an event lasting for ten fantastic days of sun and fun for the 45 AEGEE members that participated. These participants were able to enjoy more than sand, sun and fun. Different trips as the visit of the Monastery of San Francisco de Paola and the touristic places of Diamante, Reggio Calabria or Fuscaldo were done during this fantastic event.

The different workshops that were done during the event were related to the languages of Europe, the different dialects of the region of Calabria, Italian gestures, Mafia, or the most useful one about “Typical homemade Italian Pasta and Pizza” how to cook your own pizza. After learning the Italian gestures most of the participants decided not to speak more English and to just use their newfound knowledge to communicate with their hands, saying things such as “I am hungry”, “What the fuck?” or “I will make your ass like this if you continue with your behaviour”. During this workshop the participants also learned the different gestures used along Europe to communicate in the different countries. In the Mafia workshop the historical reasons behind the rise of this kind of organisations was explained; concerning the aspects that the Mafia organisations are conservative, related to the religion and the control of the different economical sources of the regions of the south of Italy as well as the control of the harbours, the agriculture or other more dangerous issues such as drugs and prostitution.

During the city tour in San Lucido the invasion of the city by the Turkish pirates in old centuries was mentioned many times, but our friend Hasan Özcan from Ankara (Turkey) did not really get it until the end of the city tour, as he was  talking on the phone the entire time, maybe planning a new invasion for the future. That night as well as the following nights of the event, our Czech participant Pavel Jíša started to sing his name after some cocktails. At the end of the event his song was used as war song for each day of party. During the first days also Annabell (Belgium), Zsofi (Hungary), Paula (Spain) and Patrícia (Spain), also started to arrive to each palace singing “Bara Bara Bara, Bere Bere Bere, Bara Bara Bara….” That also became another song signed everywhere that the group went to.

The first Saturday, when all the AEGEE people were full of nice spirit that we bring everywhere we go, the participants celebrated the amazing Carnival of San Lucido, where the party did not stop until late in the night. In this carnival, the participants met the Hulk, DuffMan, many bearded ladies and a lot of more crazy costumes brought by the participants from all around Europe. Next night was the European Night with plenty of Palinká, Limoncello, Ouzo, Orujo, Anis, Vodka, and many other typical drinks and foods from all around Europe. The European Night was organised in a Lido – a private beach that becomes a club at night, with DJs, professional dancers and singers. Our great organiser Danilo Carnevale from AEGEE-Ferrara did a good job singing and dancing with all the participants as he did throughout the event.

On 25th Manuela Nostro, from AEGEE-Reggio Calabria (from the well known family in AEGEE-Reggio Calabria of the Nostro’s), proposed a trip to the city of Diamante, one of the most beautiful cities in the coast of Calabria, where more than 80 artists have painted the wall of this city leaving really nice and well known frescoes. This city is also known as the capital of the Pepperoncino, the red chilli typical from Calabria. The next day the group visited the small village of Fuscaldo situated on the mountains. Here the participants enjoyed not only the amazing view of the Calabrian coast, but also a traditional Italian night full of games and fun.

Great was the evening of the treasure hunting, when all the participants ran up and down from the village of San Lucido to the Lidos, where all the parties were made during the night, searching for messages to find the final treasure, 24 bottles of the great “Birra Peroni”. After getting dressed as pirates, been completely wet and kidnapping some natives from the village, all the participants shared the beer, and also the Sangria made by the Spanish participants during the night at the bonfire, with the live music played by the participants with their own instruments brought form all around Europe.

The next day the participants went to the Aqua Park near Paola, where they also spent the whole day and enjoyed fantastic aqua aerobic lessons and a nice workshop in Italian Cuisine given by an expert chef from Napoli. For dinner they ate their own pizzas as well as the ones made by the chef. After the dinner they enjoyed a party in the Aqua Park with good music and the possibility of enjoying the water facilities during the night as Lukács Szabolcs from Budapest (Hungary) also known as PartySzabi and Angel Rodriguez from Oviedo (Spain) did.

Early in the morning, after the party in the Aqua Park of the day before, the group went to visit Reggio Calabria, not many participants decided to attend to this trip due to the energy spent during the two last days. During this day, they enjoyed the nice Pinacoteca Civica from Reggio Calabria, as the tour around the whole city and the new Parliament of the region of Calabria, where the participants were able to see the recovery efforts of two Greek bronze statues. After that the participants had free time in the city that was used by Bata Marcell from Hungary to visit the city of Messina in Sicily. This crazy idea made the group arrive to San Lucido one hour late. When they arrived they had the last party all together at the Lido “Calura” until the party was over.

The last day was to enjoy the last hours of beach with a nice barbecue. During the night, the participants who had not yet departed received their diplomas and prizes to the best kissers, craziest, drunkest, most beautiful eyes and best participant, which was earned by “PartySzabi”. The party continued in the Lido “Azucar” until the early morning with a continuous departure of participants to their countries or other AEGEE events.

In short, this event was great because of the participants, but we have also to report that some of the organisers from AEGEE-Ferrara were more interested in parting than in organising. Some of the participants said that the words of the event were “cinque minuti” (five minutes) or “aspetta” (wait). The accommodation was not the same for all the participants, which broke the group spirit, one group in a residence and others in flats all around San Lucido. A lot of participants did not have breakfast during the entire event, because the organisers did not want to wake up in the morning, after partying, for getting ready the breakfast in the residence. On the other hand, the organisers from AEGEE-Reggio Calabria did a nice work for this young antenna, special remark for Manuela Nostro from AEGEE-Reggio Calabria and Guido Cagnoni from AEGEE-Ferrara, who did a great work during all the event a take care of all the participants.

Written by Martha Mavrommati, AEGEE-Athina & Angel Rodriguez, AEGEE-Alicante