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

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.

In less than two months, the Autumn Agora in Cagliari takes place and all participants will have the chance to see how AEGEE-Aachen and AEGEE-Warszawa will become twin antennae. To find out more about this German-Polish friendship and the apparent love between their mascots, The AEGEEan spoke to Joanna Pankowska, president of AEGEE-Warszawa.

 It all started as a classic twin antenna love story: AEGEEans from Aachen came to Warszawa for an exchange in May 2013. “Maybe it was the bears, maybe the fact that we were not experienced in doing exchanges. The fact was: it felt like something more than just an exchange”, Joanna tells us. Less than a year later, AEGEE-Warszawa organized a pre-event shortly before the EBM Lublin in February 2014. After a great time with some Aachen people – wearing their famous bear suits, naturally – the two antennae spent even more time together during the EBM itself. It was there, during the last night, that they decided to stay at the gym and chat instead of going to the party. And it was in that night that they came up with the idea to become twin antennae.

So far, AEGEE-Aachen and AEGEE-Warszawa had two exchanges, visiting each of the two cities once – both times having a lot of fun. However, Joanna is sure that the best is yet to come, meaning the next exchange, which is going to take place at the end of September in Aachen. Members from both locals are looking forward to this event, where they will be able to spend time together and get to know each other. Joanna emphasizes that another important fact in the course of the locals’ collaboration will be that they “are trying not to forget about sharing good practices, knowledge transfer and such”. Both locals are quite strong and experienced with organisational duties. It will therefore be interesting to see if they will become even more successful when they can share their knowledge.

Moreover, the twin antennae-to-be have something else in common: they are both proud owners of very beary mascots. While the members of AEGEE-Aachen are rarely seen without a white polar bear costume on them, AEGEE-Warszawa people keep good care of their cute little panda bear called Wanda (the panda). Although this is just a very handy coincidence, one cannot get around the fact that the two bears form a cute couple. The mascots seem to agree and take their relationship to the next level. No one speaks about “becoming twin antennae”, but just about “the wedding”!

One can be curious about what the two locals will come up with to celebrate this moment during Agora Cagliari! All in all, Joanna concludes: “I believe it is just the beginning of our love story”.

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

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

Will there ever be a statutory event in Las Palmas? That question was asked to the President of the antenna, Carmen Martín, when giving her the great news that the YVote 2014 event-organizing antenna has been chosen as Local of the Month of November. 

YVote 2014 in Las Palmas

The AEGEEan interviewed Carmen to get a deeper inside into the antenna and also talked a bit with the current President of AEGEE-Europe, Luis Alvarado Martínez, as well as the former President  of the Audit Commission, Esperanza Rodríguez, about the antenna.

What is the history behind AEGEE-Las Palmas?

Carmen: AEGEE-Las Palmas was re-founded in 2008 by Hektor Oliva and Rocío Gragera. It existed in the 90’s, but disappeared because of lack of motivated members. At the moment we have 30 members of which 10 of them are active. The experienced members are planning to implement a hopefully effective HR strategy to recruit new members and motivate them, to assure the future of our beloved antenna.

European School 1 in Las Palmas

What is special about AEGEE-Las Palmas?

Carmen: I think that the most important thing is that so far, we’ve always been friends in the teams and usually most of our participants say that it’s noticeable we really love each other. I remember that in the European School 1, that we organised in 2010, they usually asked us ‘How can you be so charming?’ which surprised us and made us happy.

Esperanza: Las Palmas is really far away. There are a lot of people there that don’t feel connected with Europe or even with Spain. Canarians are quite open-minded, since we are used to having tourists and foreigners, and also we have been emigrants at different points in time. But the distance can also create the feeling of isolation or make it hard for us to travel. And yet, there you can see a motivated group of European citizens, willing not only to experience what being European means, but also trying to show the world out there to others. And I can tell you, AEGEE-Las Palmas members are truly citizens of Europe and of the world. We have had (and keep having) members playing important roles in AEGEE, and we also have many other members spreading the AEGEE spirit everywhere! Even when I’m away (even as far as Miami)!

What does it mean to your antenna that you are located quite far away from cities across the Network?

It’s not that bad, we always complain about being far away and not being able to be in other cities by bus or train, but if we really want to go to events, in the end we manage. To travel to other cities in Spain, we always have a discount (50% of the flight tickets for being residents of Canary Islands), and on the bright side this also is something good. Everyone is always willing to come to this exotic place, even if the tickets are not that cheap.

TSU Far Far Away Kingdom III by AEGEE-Las Palmas and AEGEE-Tenerife

Do you have any special collaboration between the antennae in the Canary Islands?

Carmen: Unfortunately the only one we have now is AEGEE-Tenerife (since AEGEE-Lanzarote was downgraded in Agora Zaragoza). Our relationship with AEGEE-Tenerife is very good. Every time we organise a Local Training Course (LTC) we invite them to come. Their first European event was a Travel Summer University (TSU) with us in 2011 and it was great to organise a TSU with our neighbours and try to teach them as much as we knew. Personally, every time I meet them in other events, like Agorae or Network Meetings (NWMs) and they tell me how they’re doing, I feel really proud, since I saw their ‘birth’ and I’m really happy to see how they’re growing and doing a lot of things.

People like the President of AEGEE-Europe, Luis Alvarado, and the former President of the Audit Commission, Esperanza Rodríguez, are from Las Palmas. How do you promote the European Level of AEGEE to your members?

Carmen: I think that their motivation is more internal than external, but of course we always promote the European Level of AEGEE in our antenna. We always let our members know that they can do whatever they like and that also counts for the European Level because of all the Working Groups (WGs), projects, Committees, etc. that we have in our association!

After being twins with AEGEE-Riga would you consider taking part of the twin antenna project again, or maybe become mentor of any other antenna in part of the mentorship program?

Carmen: Sure! It was a really good experience for all of us and we want to repeat it for sure. Some of our members are very interested in the Eastern Partnership Project and maybe a good way to contribute to the Bridging Europe focus area of our Strategic Plan would be to have an Eastern Europe twin antenna.

Personally, I really believe in the mentorship program, I think we could help another antenna grow and become stronger, but it would have to be with an antenna which is close, maybe AEGEE-Sevilla would be a good option.

There has been projects like “Tienes un dia? Involúcrate!” (Got a free day? Take action!) in Las Palmas. How do you strive to contribute to the thematics of AEGEE these days?

Carmen: Right now we are more focused on recruiting and motivating members. Of course, if our HR strategy works and suddenly we have more motivated members, I’d personally like to go on with this project. To contribute to the thematics of AEGEE, we usually try to organise events related to the Strategic Plan, since we’re very interested in them. For us it’s not just something compulsory, but something we’re interested in and would really like to contribute to.

Are you continuing with the European Voluntary Service project in Las Palmas?

Carmen: Yes, we’ll have another EVS volunteer from February to July and one of our active members will be her mentor and will help her.  It is a big help for our antenna because she has a lot of skills related to Graphic design and video editing which can help improve our PR. Furthermore, every Tuesday she’ll go to a different faculty of our university to give flyers about AEGEE. We are really aware that she’ll be here to help with PR, HR, FR and IT but not to do our work.

YVote Las Palmas

You recently organised a YVote 2014 event, why did you decide to take up that particular challenge?

Carmen: When I convinced the rest of my team, the main arguments were to organize something big, something different than a SU and something that could really have an impact in our city and in AEGEE.  Moreover, we were all interested in the project and think it’s important that young people vote in the European Parliament Elections. Organising it was surprisingly easy. We had a lot of support from our University, City Council, we also a Youth in Action (YiA) subvention and some sponsors like Red Bull and Canary important brands. With a great team of six people (plus our media responsible and graphic designer) we had everything done three days before the event, meaning we were not stressed or exhausted (something that usually happens to us, we get tired and stressed right before the events). We were really happy because everything went great and the participants were really interested in the topic. Moreover, the communication and relationship with the YVote team was awesome from the beginning to the end.

How will you work in AEGEE-Las Palmas with the outcome of the event?

Carmen: In April/May we’ll start reminding people about the European Parliament Elections, going again to the radios and trying to organize some local actions, as well as promotion through social networks for people to be aware that the elections will be soon and they really have to take part in them.

Summer University organizers from AEGEE-Barcelona and AEGEE-Las Palmas

You also had a very popular Summer University this year. How was it organising a SU with AEGEE-Barcelona? 

Carmen: It was a really good experience. It was of course stressful sometimes, but really gratifying too. The organisers from Barcelona and Las Palmas were learning from each other all the time! I liked the process of working together mostly online at first; with Skype meetings, Google Drive, etc. and then to meet in person and keep on working together the whole event. In the end we’ve become really close friends  thanks to organising the event together, so I strongly recommend other antennae to do so. In terms of SU 2014 we have some offers with other Spanish antennae but nothing is decided yet so we will keep our cards close a little bit longer.

What local activities do you organise to keep members motivated?

Carmen: Besides using sports, we also have a linguistic tandem every Thursday in a coffee shop with offers for us. After that, we usually go together for some ‘tapas’ and we get to know exchange and local students thanks to these activities. In the future we would like to have weekly meetings followed by dinners or social drinks only for members. It would be great to organize barbecues or days on the beach once per month to have some team building for the new motivated members. 

Do you think it would ever be possible to organize Agora/EBM Las Palmas?

Luis: Oh yes, very possible. I think its just a matter of alignment of factors: human resources of the antenna, institutional will and support and so on. But yes, let me tell you that it is not such a crazy idea. One day, you might all just be surprised!

Carmen: Apart from that, our University insists on the idea of organising an Agora in Las Palmas. We would love to, but we really have to think about it and have the support of all the active members. I think it’s not realistic to do it now, but maybe Spring or Fall Agora 2015, who knows? An EBM would be easier, I think, but we have to think about it and make sure that our University really supports us.

Esperanza – Former Audit Commission President

What will your antenna be working on in the near future? Any special plans for 2014?

Carmen: Besides the HR strategy and another TSU, we don’t dismiss the possibility of organizing a Winter University with another Spanish antenna. The Europen Level also gives exciting opportunities for events with the EuroArab project or related to the Sports Working Group. Let’s see what happens, but I really hope this antenna to keep growing and doing a lot of things!

Ending the interview The AEGEEan asked Esperanza and Luis about how they have seen AEGEE-Las Palmas grow in the time they have been members  of the antenna…

Luis: When I started in AEGEE-Las Palmas, the antenna had just been refounded, so in these years I have literally seen the antenna grow very much from the start. It still amazes me how these people manage to keep motivating themselves, and each time go for something a bit more ambitious. This was one of the clear examples of the Y Vote 2014 Convention in Las Palmas. AEGEE-Las Palmas has jumped from the Summer University type of antenna, to the one who looks for something more, seeks influencing and changing somehow things around. Making a positive impact.

Esperanza: When I joined, AEGEE-Las Palmas was two years old and a small team. However, they were really involved not only at the local level. The members were attending all sorts of European events, joining projects, Working Groups… But in Las Palmas, still most people have no clue who we were. Then, an amazing team, with lots of new active members was formed and we really started to gain recognition! And the fact that the older members had been so active at European level from the beginning, made it very easy for the newbies to follow the same path. We all say that AEGEE-Las Palmas is our baby, and it’s been amazing to see all the progress that it has made in such a short time!

It is indeed amazing all the things that AEGEE-Las Palmas dedicate themselves to and it will be interesting to see the development of the antenna and its projects.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

The contact in Foggia is not even an antenna yet, but that has not stopped them for organizing a Network Meeting recently. They even thought it was really easy to organize such an event and encourage others to do the same. The AEGEEan interview Giuseppe Fascia from AEGEE-Foggia about creating the new antenna, organizing the Network Meeting and their future plans.

The AEGEEan: How did you hear about AEGEE?
We are a group of friends. All of us had experiences with other associations. Giuseppe Fascia and Gianluca Marchese were members of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Association in Foggia and they started to cooperate with the International Office of Foggia University and with Erasmus students. But they were not satisfied by the activities and spirit of ESN, so they started to look for something on European Networks and they found AIESEC and AEGEE. They liked the activities, the projects and the structure of AEGEE so much, that they contacted some Italian members to gain more information and a better understanding of what AEGEE is.

What made you interested in creating an antenna in Foggia?
After having gained more knowledge about AEGEE, Giuseppe and Gianluca involved Francesco La Salandra and they decided to create an AEGEE-antenna in Foggia. They believed that Foggia need to broaden its horizons and embrace the European mentality, and  to increase the value of its fantastic province and university.

For how long have you been working on creating an AEGEE-antenna in Foggia?
Exactly one year. In fact we sent our motivation letter to Matteo Scarpa (our Network Commissioner last year) on October 22nd 2012. We started communication from then on about how to build the antenna.

How has the university of your city been involved?
We have a great relationship with our university. Rector and International Office are really keen on this project and they will back up all our projects. We also help them with Erasmus students, promoting their projects because our students are not involved so much in university life, and we help them to develop European projects.

How many members do you have in AEGEE-Foggia?
We are 10 members. We will organize a lot of recruiting days to attract other members.

Why did you decide to organize the Network Meeting?
We decided to organize the Network Meeting because, first of all, we thought that it was a way to get to know other AEGEE members better, as well as the famous AEGEE spirit, and because we wanted to start our journey in the AEGEE world in the best possible way.

What challenges did you have while organizing it?
We didn’t have big problems while organizing it, because all of us had organized events before this one.

Would you encourage other antennae to organize Network Meetings?
Yes because it is a great experience. Organizing a NWM creates a great team spirit and facilitates personal and cultural growth.

How have you been preparing for the Agora in Zaragoza?
ZarAgora will be the most important event for AEGEE-Foggia because we will officially be founded there; we will sign the Convention d’Adhesion. We can’t wait to go there and make another step in our experience in this fantastic AEGEE world. We will be enthusiastic to live another new experience and meet a lot of new people. It is our first Agora.

What lies in the near future for AEGEE in Foggia?
We are ready to make a lot of projects with this Network. One of our purposes is to increase the value of our province and we will move in this direction. Furthermore, we are ready to cooperate with other antennae to create something important. I’m sure that you will hear a lot of people mentioning AEGEE-Foggia in the future.

How do you plan on collaborating with any nearby antenna on projects?
We are planning to collaborate with some other antenna for some important projects, and it does not have to be an antenna which is close to us. We think that collaboration will teach us something new and it will help us and our association grow. “United we stand, divided we fall.”

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

The Network Commission (NetCom) is preparing in many ways for Agora Zaragoza. At this Agora some Netwotk Commissioners will finish their term and new people will join the team. The AEGEEan interviewed some of the Network Commissioners about their time working for AEGEE-antennae across the Network.

NetCom at the fair during Agora Rhein-Neckar

How has this year in the NetCom been for you?

Claudio Armandi: Unbelievable, the best year in my AEGEE-career by far. I can’t really describe how challenging and rewarding a year in the NetCom can be, you have to try it to understand it! It just brings your AEGEE experience at the next level, all you tried before is nothing in comparison!

Andra Toma: Like a rollercoaster ride but with jet rocket attached as fuel. I’ve learned so much more that I ever expected when I first decided to submit my candidature. I won’t lie, it was hard! A lot of patience, long hours but definitely worth all my time.

What’s next for you in AEGEE?

Claudio: I am still motivated to stay at the European level. Since there are people willing to take my place I will not go for another year in the NetCom, even if I will miss this so much. If you want a more detailed answer, just check the candidatures!

Andra: A very good question! Well, as Claudio also mentioned I am still motivated to stay at the European level, so I decided to re-candidate for the Network Commission (candidature coming up soon). As for what will happen we’ll just have to wait and see.

NetCom girls in Zagreb

Why would you encourage others to submit a candidature for NetCom?

Antonija Parat: Working in the NetCom is very rewarding – it’s an opportunity to use your experience in AEGEE to help others, to inspire them and motivate them. Seeing your locals grow and develop is an amazing feeling. You also get to grow and develop – you get to hear a lot of great ideas from your locals, to learn from them, and to work together with them on improving our organization. If you are thinking about running for NetCom, I can only say the best about this experience!

Dominique Lessen: Working as NetCommie is amazing. The contact with locals, helping them wherever you can and trying to motivate  people. Not only the work you do is great, but it is also an amazing experience to be part of the NetCom team. So if you are dedicated, submit your candidature and experience this yourself!

Claudio: NetCom gives you an insight into the Network you can never gain anyway else. You really get to know many different realities and many amazing people that will inspire you. You end up learning more than you can teach. It also gives you a lot career wise: NetCom is the right mixture of HR, management and consulting! Just going on stage to present your candidature is one of the best experiences you will ever get in AEGEE.

Andra: It’s a challenge, but just like for every other thing in life, you have to go for it. Besides the opportunity to meet and greet new people, if you were a board member before, this is like the next step in the chain of evolution, you get to see what it’s like to have not just one but 10-20 locals to take care of. So if you want to candidate, my advice is to just go for it, you’ll get more out of this experience than you can possibly imagine!

Network Meeting Bergamo

What has been your favorite moment so far?

Antonija: I had a lot of great moments, but one experience I am particularly fond of is our NetCom meeting in Brussels. Before I came there, I didn’t know a lot about the other team members, but the moment we got to know each other better we clicked, and I was so grateful for the chance to work with them. We were working nonstop it seemed, and that weekend was my most inspiring and enthusiastic time in AEGEE so far.

Dominique: As a NetCommie, you have a lot of Skype meetings, send a lot of emails and make a lot of phone calls… So when you meet all these people in real life, that is great! My favorite moments so far were thus these meetings, where I was able to meet with my fellow NetCommies, in Brussels and in Zagreb. It is great to talk in real life, which increases the ‘team spirit’ and makes working together when we are back home even easier.

Claudio: I can’t recall just one. Network meeting in Bergamo was surely one. It was the first one entirely organized by me, I really felt the esteem and the love of my locals there. Also the birth of every new local was an emotional moment for me. Each one of them has a different story. Bologna is mainly formed by expat AEGEEans that got in touch with me. Foggia guys also contacted me because they heard of AEGEE and wanted to know more. Verona, on the other hand, was born because I managed to create a group of interested people I gathered from different sources.

Andra: No! Come on! This is like: ‘’please choose between these two chocolate bars’’. However, for me the most rewarding moment is when I get to meet the people of the locals I am responsible for. That moment when you stop being just the replayer on the other side of the e-mail and you start being that person they can call at 10:00 am because they have problems uploading the membership lists or just go for a coffee and tell you their fears or problems or just ask you about your experience.

What are you working on besides antennae?

Antonija: As NetCom speaker, I’m also performing my speaker tasks – which basically means coordinating the NetCom team. I am working a lot with other Netcommies – one of our main goals is to enhance our cooperation – the exchange of ideas between us will definitely benefit the whole Network. I am also working on improving Knowledge Transfer, finishing a manual about it.

Dominique: I am working on a Twin & Mentor manual, so we will hopefully get more twin agreements and a better system for the mentorship of locals. At this moment we only have one twin agreement, but I am looking forward to seeing more agreements signed at the Agora!

Part of the NetCom together with the Comité Directeur

What value does working with subcommies have for you?

Antonija: I am lucky to work with very motivated subcommies – they support and inspire me in a lot of ways. Having subcommies gives me the chance to cover my locals’ needs better, to get useful feedback, and to work in a more structured and organized way.

Dominique: My subcommies give me feedback, help me to stay in touch with my locals, give me ideas and so much more. We are lucky to all live relatively close to each other, so besides our Skype meetings, we meet up regularly. We are not only working as a team, but we are also good friends, so they are really valuable to me.

Claudio: Since I’m the guy with the most locals, the work of my subcommies is pure gold. Each one of them is responsible for a group of locals and they help me keep the communication with them. This does not mean I don’t have a direct line with my locals, but my subcommies help me in collecting reports and sending reminders.

Andra: I haven’t really had sub-commies until now but if I will get reelected it is something I really want to try to see how it works.

All the Network Commissioners are looking forward to Agora Zaragoza: to see motivated Network Commissioners presenting themselves on stage, meet European friends, enjoy the last time with the locals in case for the Network Commissioners finishing their term. All in all, it will be a great Agora for the Network Commission!

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København