About one and a half year ago, AEGEE-Budapest went through a structural change, and the previous board wanted to gather as much information as they could to implement this change as smoothly as possible. Their board had eight positions previously, and they wanted to change that. They gathered information about other locals’ boards structure, one of them being AEGEE-Utrecht, a big antenna too, which already had a well functioning board with only five people in it. That’s how the idea of an exchange came up, just like the idea of being twin antennae.

At the Spring Agora in Patra, another three contracts were signed to become twin antennea. From now on, AEGEE-Utrecht and AEGEE-Budapest, AEGEE-Leon and AEGEE-Catania and AEGEE-Napoli and AEGEE-Lviv are heading forward to a great time. But what exactly are twin antennae? And what are the advantages of having a twin local? The AEGEEan spoke to AEGEE-Delft and AEGEE-Passau, who have been twin antennae for about one and a half year now.

Every AEGEE-antenna can become a twin antenna. All you have to do is finding another antenna that wants to collaborate with you. The main aim of a twin antenna is to get closer and create a greater sense of friendship between the antennae, but also to help each other. Of course, this helps improving cooperation and communication within the AEGEE-Network. Being twin antennae creates the possibility to organise common activities, support each other and solve problems together, as forces and experience are combined. It basically means that two locals have a special relation. As AEGEE-Passau tells us: “It means experiencing cultural differences, but also working together, having tons of fun and making new friends.”

For the twin antennae AEGEEan spoke to, the idea of forming a twin local was formed at Agora Skopje. After meeting again at Agora Enschede, they decided to make a contract, which was signed at Agora Budapest. Last spring, their second contract was signed in Patra. It was AEGEE-Passau who was looking for a twin local and they decided to ask Delft. AEGEE-Delft: “The main reason to try a twin local agreement was the feeling that, while it’s amazing to meet new people all the time, a lot of the time you tend not to meet them again. Having a twin local ensures you that you can meet the same amazing people more often!”

So why did they pick each other? First of all, Delft and Passau had an exchange before, which was awesome, so they already knew they could get along with each other very well. But it is working out so well especially because the antennae have a lot in common, but at the same time differ at some points. AEGEE-Delft: “AEGEE-Delft and AEGEE-Passau are both quite active locals, with a nearly equal amount of members. The two cities are comparable in size, yet have a different focus in university. This makes it so that you meet people from a different background, yet you are still connected by being in AEGEE, which is a great thing.”

Having a twin local has many benefits and both AEGEE-Delft and AEGEE-Passau absolutely recommend it to other antennae. AEGEE-Passau: “You always have a place to sleep and you get invited to really cool events.” According to Delft becoming a twin local is a great way to forming a bond with people from other countries, and sometimes people even get romantic together. Besides, you can ensure cool activities for your members. Of course it also has more serious advantages. Twin antennae can learn from each other in different ways, as every local has strong and weak points. AEGEE-Delft: “You get to help each other with knowledge transfer and promotion of each other’s events.” AEGEE-Delft learned a lot about fundraising from Passau, and without AEGEE-Delft, AEGEE-Passau wouldn’t have changed their working structure. AEGEE-Passau: “We changed the working structure of our antenna a bit after we heard about the amazing committee system of Delft. Although there are still voices saying that we could have improved it even more, we are actually quite content with how well it works for us. They definitely gave us the first impulse.”

The AEGEEan also asked about their activities and experiences together. “We have at least one exchange in the semester, but we also try to have skype meetings with the current boards,” says AEGEE-Passau. AEGEE-Delft: “We have a yearly riverboat party and Christmas dinner together, which we usually couple with an exchange.” It was hard for both locals to pick one experience with their twin that was their favorite. AEGEE-Passau: “We just get along together so well and we always have a blast together. Every event with them is a fabulous experience, so it’s hard to tell which one is the best!”

So, it goes without doubt that Delft and Passau really like being twin locals. The AEGEEan asked them if they could mention one thing they find most special about their twin antenna. AEGEE-Delft really admires the overwhelming enthusiasm of AEGEE-Passau’s members. “They always have so many people joining the exchanges, they can always host a great number of people and the parties they organise are super!” In return, the most special thing about AEGEE-Delft according to Passau is that they work hard and are really successful with what they do. “They have so many great local events and we just love all their committees!”

Written by Isa Beukema, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Being a member of AEGEE-Moskva since 2007, I joined AEGEE-Valencia and later became  Public Relations (PR) Responsible of the Spanish antenna but continued to travel between Russia and Spain.

One evening, having a nice time with my friends in Moscow I got an idea from the ex-fundraising responsible (FR) of AEGEE-Moskva, Alexander Orekhov, to create an agreement where both antennae would be able to have more opportunities to develop themselves and to motivate our members. Next day I sent an e-mail to my board in Valencia and Alexander contacted the board in Moscow. Our Network Commissioner Olga Iatsyna helped us to design the agreement on paper. In less than two months our agreement was signed and it was the first experience of such international cooperation for AEGEE-Valencia and AEGEE-Moskva. Along with this agreement we created a plan of events where members of our antennae would have a possibility to get to know each other better, exchange ideas and thoughts. Not everything came true, but it was a good step to develop our antennae and a new challenge for all of us.

Based on the experience of AEGEE-Valencia I would like to share with you some thoughts on how to get as much as possible from the twin agreement:

– Your antenna should be a strong group of friends where everybody can take responsibility and support this agreement any time needed. It is a long-term commitment.

– Members should be interested in exploring a new culture, be able to take part in the common events and travel to the country of your twin.

– Before making an agreement be sure you know someone from this antenna very well and that s/he is still active and can help you in case of some problems.

– Be ready to encounter problems since you are going to work with people from a different culture for a long period of time. But do not be afraid, you will find a lot of fun behind it, get a new experience and find many new friends.

Board of AEGEE-Valencia.

Alexander Orekhov, FR of AEGEE-Moskva (2010-2011) says: “Having a twin antenna is, in my opinion, one of the most effective ways to share experience, solve visa problems and inform people about your projects. Therefore, “to find a twin” was my goal for several months. I told about it to Ekaterina Malysheva and some time later, AEGEE-Moskva and AEGEE-Valencia officially became twin antennae.”

Ekaterina Kudryavtseva, project coordinator of AEGEE-Moskva, gives her opinion: “The agreement with AEGEE-Valencia brought a breath of fresh air to AEGEE-Moskva. The event in Pamplona became the most vivid impression of this summer. My friends and I went to Valencia some days before the event to get to know our twin antenna better and to see how they prepare for an event and interact with each other. I was impressed by their patience, perseverance and solidarity. To see the real work of another antenna was a good experience, impossible to get from e-mails or Facebook and is usually hidden from the participants. This event left an overall impression – we have a lot to learn! That is why I was so happy to see those guys again in our Travelling Summer University Transsiberian Dream! We still keep in touch and, of course, it would be great to do more exchanges with our twina ntenna, maybe in spring because we do not want to freeze them in winter.”

Written by Ekaterina Malysheva, AEGEE-Valencia