AEGEE Kiev and AEGEE Heidelberg are cooperating to organise a German-Ukrainian Youth exchange on European awareness, participation, identity and vision for the future this autumn. They also presented it on stage during Autumn Agora Catania. 

What does the European Union mean to you?  Asking this question, one will be given fundamentally different answers, depending on age, nationality, profession and mindset of the interviewed person.

Citizens of the EU tend to stress more practical, administrative aspects of the EU, its common currency, freedom of travel or the new Europe-wide abolishment of roaming charges for mobile phones.

But how do people from non-member countries view the EU, this unique and tremendous project of unifying a bunch of diverse countries into one political and economic union?

Particularly interesting is the Ukrainian perspective, for various reasons:

People in the Ukraine started a huge pro-European revolution in 2013, when their former president Janukowytsch refused to sign an association agreement with the EU, facing huge pressure from Russia. This protest resulted in an overthrow of the existing political elite and in intensifying the ties to the EU – at least for one half of the country. The Eastern part of Ukraine has been sinking deeper into a more or less camouflaged civil war ever since, with the Krim-peninsula being occupied by Russian troops, de facto turning it into Russian territory.

Is there something left of the pro-European spirit that emerged in the course of the Euromaidan 2013/14, how do people perceive the EU, its opportunities and challenges nowadays, to what extent do people in the Ukraine seek an association or even membership with the EU?

AEGEE Kiev, together with AEGEE Heidelberg, is organising an international youth exchange on exactly those topics this autumn. It aims at creating a platform for a frank and open-minded exchange of opinions between young students of both countries, continuing well beyond the few days of the actual encounter. What is the vision of young people in Germany and in Ukraine regarding the future path of the EU and its associated countries? What are the values of the EU worth promoting and fighting for? How do the impressions of young people in both Ukraine and Germany compare and maybe contrast to each other? How can young people participate in political decision-making, how can they shape the EU according to their vision of the future?

Ideally, this exchange will create lasting bonds and friendships between its participants and encourage young, motivated people to campaign for the European Union and its values. By exchanging their experience and different background stories, this congress will broaden their minds and also contribute to showing them new ways to get politically involved. Ultimately, the participants will be encouraged to switch perspectives.

Speakers from universities, institutions and governments of both Germany and Ukraine will be invited to talk about their specific involvement in the EU or in its relations with its neighbours in Eastern Europe. As physical outcome, a short movie will be created, documenting the most important issues of discussions that took place, but also highlighting the participants’ enthusiasm for the EU – this way it will be a means to multiply the message of the YOUrope exchange and to motivate more people all over Europe.

The EVZ – Foundation* (Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung, Zukunft), supports the project financially. This is why nobody is hindered to participate due to financial reasons: The costs of the exchange will be fully covered by EVZ.

Written by Theresa Schäfer, AEGEE Heidelberg

* This project was implemented within the “MEET UP! German-Ukrainian Youth Encounters” programme with support from the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” (EVZ). The opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the Foundation EVZ. The author is solely responsible for the content.

“The European Union is a political and economical union of 28 countries. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and regional development. Within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished.” (Wikipedia)

Member states are located primarily in Europe, however not every country from Europe as a continent is in there. Some countries with the strong economy like Switzerland do not want to belong to the EU and those small groups of developing countries bordered by the EU members like Ukraine, Georgia or Montenegro would like to be a part of the EU, but cannot because of their unstable economical situations. 

Let me tell you about most common ways to go to the EU, if you do not possess a European pass, using Ukrainian citizenship as an example. Average monthly salary in Ukraine is 6000 UAH [Ukrainian Hryvnia, ed.] according to Trading Economics and some students get a government scholarship which is not more than 30 Euros. In Ukraine, it is possible to survive for 100 Euros per month, but in the EU prices are different.

1) If you are a student
AEGEE-Kyiv members want to go to AEGEE-Budapest for a Civic Education conference for three days. They are allowed to get a visa when the invitation from AEGEE-Budapest (with all stamps and so on) is provided but only for this period of time. So they pay like 140 Euros for a round trip without an opportunity to stay longer to have a look around, plus they pay a visa fee. The same applies to study trips or any short term trips to the EU for which you can provide an invitation.

2) If you want to study in the EU
Many Ukrainians choose Germany for the universities to have quality education and pay no tuition fees. To get a student visa, you have to bring an account statement of 8500 Euros to the German embassy as a prove that you are not going to beg and have enough money for living. You have to show this bank statement each year to extend your student visa, whereas it does not matter whether you are a good student or not. Not to mention how many years Ukrainians have to spend to gather this amount of money, and once you are enrolled, you are not allowed to withdraw more than 650 Euros from this account since it is blocked while you are studying.

3) If you want to travel around Europe
To get a tourist visa for the EU to travel or to visit your relatives and friends, you as Ukrainian are going to go through fire and water. I am not kidding! To get a tourist visa officially from the embassy you have to provide a bank statement (from 1000 Euros on, depending on the trip duration), plus a сertificate on real estate, plus a certificate of marriage and having children, plus a certificate of employment, plus either booked hotels or an invitation by those who are going to host you, and to top off all of that, booked round tickets with dates. Why? Because the EU government is afraid that all Ukrainians are obsessed with the idea to work illegally somewhere in Europe.

Because of current unemployment and iniquity, many Ukrainians are informally employed, so they cannot provide a certificate of employment to the embassy. To get a tourist visa they go to any tour operator, who writes a fake certificate of employment and also a fake bank statement since it is impossible to prove 2000 Euros on an account while earning 200 Euros monthly. Furthermore, it is actually dangerous to have a bank account in Ukraine, since at any time the bank can go broke and vanish with all your money. The tour operator asks three times the price for a tourist visa compared to the embassy, but for many Ukrainians, it is the only chance to go to the EU.

In addition, you have to travel to Kyiv for fingerprinting (which are actually already in Ukrainian biometric passports), so you need to consider the time and money you will spend for this trip (Ukraine is the Europe’s biggest country if you did not know).

The process for getting the EU visa is super expensive and demanding. Most of Ukrainians are happy to be Ukrainians and do not want to leave their country. Yet, why are they not allowed to travel right after buying a ticket like their neighbour countries and have to spend years for saving money for a bank statement or find illegal ways to visit their friends?

The EU and Kyiv began visa liberalisation negotiations in 2008. At the end of 2015, the European Commission concluded that Ukraine had made the necessary progress and had met all the benchmarks, despite the exceptional internal and external challenges it faced in recent years and presented a proposal to grant its citizens visa-free access to the EU in April 2016. The legislation was signed by the Parliament’s President Antonio Tajani and representatives of the Maltese Presidency of the Council on Wednesday 1st of March and will enter into force 20 days after it is published in the EU Official Journal. Once the change enters into force and provided they have biometric passports, Ukrainians will be able to enter the EU for up to 90 days in any 180-day-period for business, tourist or family purposes.

Of course, Ukrainians will not have the right to work or study in the EU, but at least it will be so much easier for them to visit AEGEE or Erasmus friends and to travel this big world without such strong limitations.

P.S Great MMA Fighter Genki Sudo did not come down to the ring with a flag of his native country. Instead, he had a flag unifying us as equals. What if we all do the same?

Written by Aliona Sytnyk, AEGEE-Berlin

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you “how to discover Ukraine the great way”, also known as “Summertime Madness: Test Your UAdrenaline” by AEGEE-Kyiv. Imagine a rollercoaster with space for thirty people, a vertiginous two-week ride through the best spots of this young country, driven by locals dedicated to enhance this experience in every possible way without a single minute of boredom. If you can picture that, then you may start to understand how exciting this Summer University was…

Arrival in Lviv

Before securing belts and turning the roller coaster on, the participants got introduced to each other and to Ukraine in one of its most beautiful cities: Lviv.

Already during ice-breaking games and teambuilding activities, friendships began to forge. For instance, participants expressed their expectations from the SU in the form of very artistic posters, which included diverse topics such as typical gastronomy, sport experiences, cultural visits, parties and love in all its forms and postures. The organisers gave a crash course in Ukrainian language, after which participants had to show their skills by improvising a theatre scene, as well as singing the traditional Ukrainian song “Pidmanula Pidvela” on the stage. It did not only reveal the talents, but also totally broke the ice between everyone.

Lviv is a charming city, lively but not too crowded, full of picturesque details and distinctive architecture. There are many unique restaurants and pubs, but I would highlight the “Coffee Manufacture”, where you can get your coffee literally set on fire by a blowtorch, creating a crusty layer of caramel on the top; the “House of Legends”, a restaurant which has countless decorations throughout its six floors and a vintage car on the roof; and the “Masoch Cafe”, where you can order not only drinks but also physical punishments (whiplash marks on some participants can confirm that!).

After an amazing nerd party in “Metro” –one of the best clubs in Lviv– the most active participants joined the morning jogging session through the city center, followed by more games, swimming pool and an intense session of paintball. On the way back, all of the participants and organisers (around forty-five people) got in (or should I say “overcrowded”?) one “marshrutka” –the typical Ukrainian minibus–, singing and playing some latin songs through the loudspeaker and improvising one of the most singular bus-parties ever.

Early in the morning, after the first aid workshop with the Red Cross, everybody was ready for the next location: The Carpathian Mountains.

The Carpathian Mountains

At this stage the roller coaster began to accelerate in the form of a train to Yaremche, a long journey that passed quickly between drinks, games and live music provided by the beautiful voice and guitar of Nina Polishchuk, future member of AEGEE-Kyïv. An amazing house in the middle of the greenest nature was awaiting the group, and everybody had a relaxed night gazing at the stars, going to sleep early before the next day’s activity: hiking!

The weather was perfect, and after reaching the top of the mountain, some participants played frisbee, the organisers prepared borsch on fire, others made a wood-cutting competition… Then, and after getting a bit lost on the way down, the group returned to the cottage for another intense activity which is well-known for every AEGEEan: the mighty European Night! Most of the typical ingredients of this celebration were found, eaten and drunk: Jägermeister, Greek salad, Vanna Tallin, Hungarian Pálinka, Spanish sangría and jamón, stroopwafels, a thousand types of vodka… and some special food from China brought by Antonis Triantafyllakis, AEGEE-Heraklio, a.k.a. “Mr. Voice”.

No hurries for the next day, after a long drinking night there was nothing better than chilling by the river, learning to handcraft Motanky –the traditional Ukrainian dolls–, going to sauna and enjoying a massage workshop from the hand(s) of Mr. Voice, a.k.a. Mr. Massage.

Rain decided to show up in the most inconvenient moment, the day of climbing and camping. Organisers reacted fast, and instead of climbing a natural rock they arranged an artificial inflatable wall. Then, still wet, the group took the bus to the camp and mounted their tents. It was so cold and humid, but who cares when you have a sauna in the middle of the mountains? That night it was planned to sit around the cozy fire and play the guitar, but even though rain made fire impossible, it could not stop the music: it turned out that there were a few guitarists and singers in the group, as a good example Jirka Pytela, AEGEE-Praha, and Sara Weerheijm, AEGEE-Nijmegen, played some nice songs. Besides, this writer played upon special request his motivation letter song “Hello Kyïv” and some more (special thanks to Mr. Massage, a.k.a. Mr. Capo). The next morning the weather was not any better, and despite the heavy rain, most of the participants and organizers did not want to miss rafting into the amazing landscapes of the Carpathians.

Half of the SU had already passed when the group said goodbye to the mountains and took the night-train to Kiev. Some partied during the journey and some slept to recover energies for the next episode in the big city, where the roller coaster reached its highest peak.

The Big Kiev & The Big Jump

The day in the Ukrainian capital started with the city tour, in which participants could view numerous golden domes –which are characteristic of the city–, take pictures with pigeons, see the Motherland Monument and learn about the recent Ukrainian history in Maidan Square.

Later in the evening, the participants were divided into groups and distributed in the houses of some organisers to prepare homemade varenyky, one of the most typical Ukrainian dishes. The resulting meals were really tasty, and afterwards the party continued in the “Coyote Ugly”. What really stands out in this club is the long bar on which only women are allowed to go up and dance, so some AEGEEan girls joined to show their sensual dancing skills. Speaking about dancing, the next day two professional dancers gave a salsa workshop, after which everyone could put what they learned in practice in a Latin bar named “Buena Vista”, where a band was playing Cuban songs.
Another interesting workshop took place in the streets of Kiev, this time a modern sport: Parkour. Even if it was something new for most of the people, everybody got addicted to climbing walls, jumping and rolling again and again. However, most of the participants and organisers were already thinking about the following day, the day of the most extreme activity: the solo parachute jump, undoubtedly the highlight of this SU!

It took the whole day to fill the forms, get to know the rules, see the planes, learn to control the fall, train the landing and collect the “macaroni” (strings) of the parachute. Then, the moment came, the moment when the roller coaster began to descend from the high sky. The adrenaline peak of the SU –and probably of our lives– was the sound of the horn announcing the opening of the plane door, contemplating the height of 800 meters during ten never-ending seconds… until the jump! The scenario was marvellous: the silhouettes of thirty-six AEGEEan parachutists over the background of an orange sunset.
Some people forgot to “deblock” so the second parachute opened, five of us failed to land properly resulting in sprained ankles… but it was definitely worth it, and in case someone is doubting, everybody survived! By the time we arrived in Kiev it was already too late to prepare the pirate costumes, but it was not too late to join the amazing boat party. Many members from AEGEE-Kyïv joined the group and got on the boat that navigated through river Dnipro, dancing in the open air while viewing the nocturnal Kiev.

Before leaving to Odessa, one of the most interesting trips took place, this time to Chernobyl. This area is famous for a sad reason we all know, but it is important to keep in mind what happened there to prevent further accidents. Still, it is an interesting place to visit, as it seems that time has not passed in thirty years.

Chernobyl

The rain created the appropriate mood for this trip. It was gray and sad just as at the day of the catastrophe. We had the opportunity to walk those desolate streets and see dead houses, forests, radio station and the power station itself. There were radioactivity signs everywhere which always held the feeling of danger and made the heart beat faster and faster. To exit the exclusion zone, each visitor had to pass several checkpoints; the difference of these checkpoints from many others is that they check if you are irradiated, and if you are authorised to go back to the city. It is a secret, but one of the participants became a bit radioactive, and now he is spreading the radiation somewhere in Europe… so take care on your next AEGEE events; he can be somewhere nearby!

Hello Odessa, goodbye Ukraine!

As the last chapter of this story, the roller coaster slowed down in Odessa. It was perfect to spend a couple of relaxing days in the city of humour: going to the beach and swimming in the Black Sea, visiting the Wax Museum, climbing the famous Potemkin’s stairs, riding a bike during an evening tour –which was surprisingly escorted by the local police– and learning to paint “pysanka”, a traditional Ukrainian decorated egg.

A very special night ended this flawless event, the farewell night. The group spirit had already reached its top by then, moreover, it was not a group anymore but a big family. The suit-up party began having dinner in an elegant restaurant. Then, the secret friends, participants that were assigned at the beginning of the SU to ‘be a friend’, e.g. give gifts or be extra attentive, to you, were revealed. Here comes a special mention to Anna Bortoletto, AEGEE-Udine, who after amusing everybody during the whole event by writing anonymous sexy poems to his secret friend Simon Schnake, AEGEE-Hamburg, revealed the surprise in the most hilarious way with the collaboration of Domitille Simon, AEGEE-Manchester. Anna wrote on Domi’s body “Hello from the threesome side, it was Anna all the time”, so when Simon already believed Domitille was his secret friend, she took her shirt off showing the message and causing an explosion of laughter among all of us.
Later, awards were given; everyone got a different one. Participants nominated organisers and vice versa, resulting in very original titles such as “The best washing machine” for Iuliia Chopenko, AEGEE-Kyïv; “The craziest Eurotripper” for the always active Esther Pérez Palao, AEGEE-Alicante; “The best fake organiser” for Batuhan Çarıkçı, AEGEE-Izmir; “The most damaged popstar” for Ander Fernández, AEGEE-Bilbao (my ankle still hurts while I write this article), and the well deserved “Best and most lovable organiser” for the always smiling Hanna Polishchuk, AEGEE-Kyïv.

After having some drinks in a very fancy club, organisers took participants to the beach, where they had prepared one more surprise: fire balloons. It was a very romantic moment when, in couples, and after making a wish, all these balloons were launched painting the sky orange for a few magical minutes. Then the party continued, and some people stayed even until sunrise, going to the beach to stare at the red sky sharing the horizon with the Black Sea. It was the perfect end for the SU, it was the time to get off the roller coaster…

Although the SU was officially finished, some of the participants took one more train to Kiev. One does not go to Ukraine every day, so enjoying a couple of extra days in the capital was a good idea. Another special mention to the main organiser Hanna Polishchuk, who instead of going home to rest after the hard and successful work before and during SU, decided to host 10 participants at her house. She also arranged an extra program to visit the few spots we had missed in Kiev: the ex-residence of the ex-president (a.k.a. The Museum of Corruption), the Museum of Miniature and the open air gym at the Gidropark area, with a professional workout workshop from Pasha Nykytiuk (AEGEE-Kyïv) and his friends.

Isn’t it amazing how many things can be done in two weeks? How many places visited? How many experiences lived? What else could you expect? If life was a videogame, this Summer University would definitely be the level where you unlock all the powers, characters and abilities. Thank you AEGEE-Kyïv!

Written by Ander Fernández, AEGEE-Bilbao

Have you ever noticed similarities between your country’s and other countries’ traditions for Christmas? There are many symbols attached to this holiday in Europe, and each country has kept its own identity and traditions, while enriching them with influences form various other sources. This diversity and richness prove the importance given by Europeans to the Christmas holiday. This year the AEGEEan asked and found out how people celebrate Christmas in Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.

Let’s start from the place where the festive period begins really early. In Romania, celebrations start on November 30th, the day of Saint Andrew. Customs say everyone should hang plenty of garlic and a crucifix next to all doors and windows of the house to keep evil spirits away from their home. At the beginning of December, the Christmas lights are turned on all over the streets. Moş Nicolae comes and gives children presents. Children receive their gifts early in the morning of December 6th, or late at night on December 5th; traditionally, gifts are put in their laced up boots. On December 20th, Saint Ignatius Day, Romanians start the last preparations for Christmas. On this date, they slaughter pigs for the Christmas Eve supper. “Around this date, people usually buy their Christmas trees from public markets or supermarkets.”, Ioana Nedelcu (AEGEE-Ploieşti) told us.
December 24rd it’s Noaptea de ajun, the day children usually start caroling their neighbours. Music is an important part of Christmas celebration all over Romania. There is a special genre of music, related to Christmas carols but with more traditional/Christian lyrics. These are named colindă, which are also popular in Moldova. On the same date, women bake traditional cookies to give children for their caroling. By this time, the Christmas tree must usually already be decorated. During Christmas, Romanians bake or buy various special dishes, including desserts and sweets. Romanians most usually bake cozonac, a type of sweet bread. You can fill the cozonac with walnuts, cocoa, raisins, Turkish delight and in Transylvania: poppy seed paste (cozonac cu mac). Plates heaped with small pastries and cakes (corni și baclava) are prepared to serve to carollers when they call. A boiled vegetable and chicken salad held together with mayonnaise and decorated with olives and boiled eggs is often prepared. It is called Salată de boeuf (from French), although it usually does not contain beef. Other Christmas dishes include piftie, sarmale and pork dishes.

In Moldova, although Christmas is celebrated on December 25th like in Romania, January 7th is also recognised as an official holiday. On Christmas Day, families are having breakfast and/or lunch together.

In Greece, Christmas caroling is also very popular and there are actually three official caroling days. The custom is that children go from house to house singing the carol, with the accompaniment of a triangle, and residents of the house give them a small amount of money. Greek Christmas carols (calanda) are sung on the mornings of Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and January 5, the Eve of the Epiphany. About thirty to twenty years ago, carolers were getting cookies for singing the calanda.

Homemade kourabiedes

Melomakarona and kourabiedes are the two varieties of Christmas and New Year’s cookies in Greece. The first are semolina, cinnamon, and clove cookies drenched in honey, while the second are fresh butter cookies sprinkled with powdered sugar that are normally served on New Year’s, but many succumb to temptation and begin consuming them earlier. Vasilopita is a cake that is eaten on New Year’s Day. Before the cake is baked, a coin covered in foil is placed in it. The person who cuts the cake makes the sign of the cross three times above it and then starts serving the pieces, one to each person, the house, Christ, The Virgin Mary and Saint Vasileios. Whoever has the coin in his piece of cake will have luck for the rest of the year.
On the 1st of January, Saint Vasileios (Saint Basil the Great) from Caesarea, Cappadocia (Turkey), brings the gifts to the children. People in Greece also celebrate Epiphany on the 6th January. In the Greek Orthodox Church, Epiphany celebrates Jesus’s baptism when he was a man. There are many events throughout the country where young men dive into really cold lakes, rivers and the sea to try to be the first to get a cross which has been blessed by a priest and thrown into the water. Whoever gets the cross first is meant to have good luck during the coming year.

“Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun” this is how you say “Merry Christmas” in Turkish. However, how Christmas and the new year is perceived depends on where you are in Turkey. Christians who live in Turkey celebrate Christmas at churches or with family gatherings. In many districts of major cities the lights, Christmas decorations and trees appear in early December. In Turkey Christmas is of course not celebrated as a religious holiday. It can, in many ways, be comparable to Father’s day, Mother’s Day, Valentines Day and so on. Christmas is brought to Turkey by the major stores and supermarkets who have seen their chance to implement this festive celebration. There are some very natural differences to the way other Christian countries celebrate Christmas. In Turkey there is no dancing around the Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols, just like Christmas cookies and socks over the fireplace are not a part of the tradition yet. But they have Christmas trees and Santa Claus and gifts! In the last years in Turkey they started celebrating the New Year by exchanging gifts.

On the other hand, in Ukraine the festive period starts on New Years Eve. Ukrainians usually congregate in a house of their families and/or friends. They have many dishes at the table, so they start with food, watching different TV shows and chatting. When it is 00:00 the champagne is opened, and there are exclamations “Urrraaaa” (Hurrah) and people wishing everyone Happy New Year. “After midnight, children find their presents under the New Year tree, some other people are just exchanging presents, telling nice words to people. Then Ukrainians call other friends, who are not celebrating with them and congratulate everyone they think is important. Very often the mobile network is overloaded. Then we have parties till the morning, and go to bed at 02:00-08:00 (it depends). In the morning celebration continues.”, says Hanna Polishchuk (AEGEE-Kyiv).
On the 6th of January it is Sviat Vechir (Holy Evening). In the evening, after 6pm all family congregates at the table, which has 12 dishes (obligatory). The main dish is called Kutia (sweet grain pudding), and everyone should eat at least one spoon of this dish first. After dinner, children (and sometimes adults) wear traditional clothes and go around carol singing. People give them sweets and close friends give also money. The next day (January 7th) is Christmas. In the morning people tell each family member “The Christ was born”, and they answer “Glory to Him”. They tell this three times, and each time people kiss the cheek of the person, to whom they tell these words. On this day people continue going round carol-singing. There is a tradition to forgive everyone on this day.

Photo by Szabina Hellinger

In Hungary, Santa is called Mikulás and comes on the 6th of December instead of Christmas. He brings presents to children in their boots in case they have been behaving well all throughout the year. If they have been naughty, they get some rods (for being whipped with) from krampuses instead. “On Christmas night, the 24th of December (Szenteste = Holy Night) we decorate our Christmas tree indoors and “Little Jesus” (Jézuska) is supposed to bring nice presents for the kids untill the next morning, placing them under the tree.”, Balázs Kovács (AEGEE-Debrecen) told us. The Christmas decoration involves szaloncukor, special Hungarian goodies.

Hoping you enjoyed reading this article, the AEGEEan would like to wish you Merry Christmas anywhere you are!

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Kastoria/Sofia

At Autumn Agora Cagliari 2014 the Ukrainian local AEGEE-Kyïv was announced as the organiser of the Autumn Agora 2015. The dates have already been announced, the team is organisers is full of enthusiasm and soon AEGEEans will be able to apply, so it’s time to find out a bit more about this local and the upcoming Agora! We spoke to main organiser Anna Pykhtina, also known as Smailikova, to learn everything you want to know.

Main organiser Anna Pykhtina (Smailikova)

The AEGEEan: First of all, can you tell us a bit more about your local?

Anna: AEGEE- Kyïv was founded twenty years ago and celebrated its anniversary in February. We already organised an Autumn Agora in 2009 and at the moment we have 120 members. In my opinion, our super active and friendly members that always keep a positive attitude make us unique. AEGEE-Kyïv is for many a place where they can find something special. Not to forget the friendship of many generations of our members! People who were active 7-8 years ago not only stay friends while living in different parts of the world, but also advise the new generation on everything we ask for. I believe that human relations is one of the most important things in our life and that’s why AEGEE-Kyïv is special.

And can you tell us a bit more about yourself? Who are you, when did you join AEGEE and what is your role in the core team?

I’m AEGEE-Kyïv’s president and I joined AEGEE three years ago to go on a Summer University in Salerno (an awesome one). I became active in 2013 when I was chosen as the main organiser of Travel Summer University by AEGEE-Kyïv, and I think I’ve tried quite a lot of things in AEGEE, from organising events to writing articles. I’ve been board member, SUCT member, Academy trainer, SUPS organiser and the most difficult so far: Autumn Agora Kyïv’s main organiser.  My role is coordinating, supporting the teams and making sure that this event will happen.

Anna’s speech after the Agora host announcement at Autumn Agora Cagliari 2014

Why did AEGEE-Kyïv decide to organise an Agora?

It was and still is a challenging time for our country. Ukraine is young. We became independent only 23 years ago and the democratic and active civil society is still building. Everything that happened in Kyïv from November 2013 up to now is shaping a new generation of Ukrainians.

We felt that it is the right time to invite AEGEEans from all over the network and what’s more to unite with other locals situated in Ukraine, Russia and other neighbors countries. Moreover, it’s been a while since Agora took place in this part of Europe so there was no doubt that it’s the right idea.

What was your first reaction when you heard Kyïv was chosen to organise it?

Oh, I remember it perfectly. I read the e-mail, closed the laptop, opened it again, read the e-mail, closed the laptop and thought something like “You must be kidding me/Oh My God/No way/Is it a joke?” Better was to see the reaction of the Network when it was announced on stage in Autumn Agora Cagliari – that was a moment to remember!

How are the preparations for the Agora going so far?

It goes according to the plan. Until April, most of the work was done by the core team and in May the teams were formed. Now each team has work to do, strict deadlines and meetings. The busy time will start in August when everyone will come back from our TSU Across the UAniverse and the ones they attend as participants.

Apart from the Agora itself, AEGEE-Kyïv is organising a conference together with the Eastern Partnership project. It will take place one day before the Agora, on 13^th of October and will engage every attendee in a dynamic process, which will include a keynote address by specially invited speakers and three panel discussions to be followed afterwards. Democracy and Security, Economy and Business and Civil Society and Youth Organization are three dimensions that will be discussed. We are inviting not only AEGEEans but also Ukraine’s youth to take part. The team of the conference will update the Network with more information closer to the August when the application period will start, so save one day before the Agora!

How many organisers and helpers do you have right now?

Few of the organisers of Autumn Agora Kyïv 2015

The team is huge now! Thanks to our amazing HR-Responsible, Hanna Poli, we had more than 150 applicants who she personally talked to and together we divided them into teams according to their experience and preferences. Now we have around 100 people, all of them organizers, not helpers. Of course the number will change. The strongest and the most responsible will stay until the time of Agora, which is quite typical for any event, especially with volunteering work.

You have a very diverse team with people from different locals and even countries. Do you have a lot of support from other locals around the Network?

Yes, our team is super international and I love it! Moreover, some organizers are my good friends and I worked with them so it’s a lot easier. 40% of all organisers are not from AEGEE-Kyïv, but from AEGEE-Kharkiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odessa, Moskva, Voronezh, Minsk, Sankt-Petersburg, Dresden, Bergamo, Catania, Groningen, Zaragoza and Valencia. In my view, it makes this Agora very special as not only participants will learn more about the country, traditions, culture, and Ukrainians, but organisers too.

The location of the Agora

Can you tell us a bit more about the locations we will be using during the Agora?

After a successful cooperation with Taras Shevchenko Kyïv National University during the Night of 7 Antennae event in April it was decided that Agora will take place in the buildings of the university. The place for conference will be in the city center, 15 minutes walking from the Independence Square, and the Agora itself in Kyïv Institute of International Relations. The participants will sleep in the university gym and taken by bus every day to the plenaries.

What about your city? What makes Kyïv special?

Everything is special in Kyïv. It’s a big city with a population of more than 4.5 million people. It is a place you will easily fall in love with and that will break a lots of existing stereotypes! Especially if you have not been to this part of Europe before, it will be an absolutely new experience. It has two UNESCO heritage sites (St.Sofia Cathedral and Kyïv Pechersk Lavra Monastery). The architecture is eclectic and shows all the historical periods the country went through, there are a lot of unique places and of course, typical Ukrainian and Kyïv dishes – you just can’t miss the chance to visit it! I love the city I was born in and each time when participants are coming here it makes me feel proud! I advise everyone to not only come to the conference but also stay for more days for the post-event and visit all the famous Kyïv places!

The location of the conference taking place before the Agora

Why should AEGEEans join you in Kyïv for the Autumn Agora?

Autumn Agora Kyïv 2015 is not only a statutory event. It provides the chance to hundreds of AEGEEans to see and to show that things in Kyïv are fine, that Ukraine is not a war field. Together with the conference that takes place on the 13th of October, it will be a good starting point to making our Agorae something more meaningful than just a simple general assembly.

Some of the current organisers were helpers during Spring AgorAsturias. How did you experience this, and what lessons did you learn for your own Agora?

Yes, me, Viktoria (External Communication team) and Hanna Poli (HR-responsible) were helping in Asturias and it was a great experience, we have tried different types of work and saw Agora from another side. A good thing when you organise the next one! I guess the main lesson for me is that people will find something to complain about, not only during the Agora but at any kind of events, so the most important is to fulfill the basic needs.

You are doing a lot of challenges on your Facebook page. What challenges and other surprises do you have upcoming for AEGEEans following?

Yes, the PR-team is working really good together and promoting the event very good so far. I am proud of the way they are taking care of their tasks and the result we have. I cannot tell a lot since they prepare much more than challenges, so follow the page to get to know more!

One of the various succesful PR actions: the Kyïv t-shirt that spread all over Europe

Would you encourage other locals to apply for hosting the next Agora? Why? What should they first take care of?

Apart from the fact that the local will be hosting the biggest and for sure, the best event in AEGEE, which is a huge honor for all your members, it is a huge experience for the whole team that will change their life. It’s a challenge that is really difficult to accomplish but it’s worth it! And how else can you make all your friends to come to your city and country? (laughs)

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen

After officially being upgraded to AEGEE-Dresden, the local has become quite famous for their successful Buddy Programme, their recent Regional Training Course (RTC) and just now for their latest event under the motto “Free Hugs for Ukraine”. Jorge Sánchez Hernández, president of AEGEE-Dresden, spoke to The AEGEEan about this idea and how it was carried into effect.

The reasons behind AEGEE-Dresden’s idea to do something about the current events in Ukraine are easy to understand. “The current and past issues happening in Ukraine are very present in some of our lives. We have a lot of friends from Ukraine, and we felt the need to do something to at least raise awareness and show them our support in times of sadness”, Jorge tells us . Especially since they are good friends with AEGEE-Kyïv and even plan to have an exchange with them soon, AEGEE-Dresden wanted to start an action to raise awareness about the topic.

Although an information stand or giving out flyers might have been an approach to such a street action, AEGEEans from Dresden chose a different method. They gathered to give out hugs! “Everybody likes hugs, and nobody likes war, so this was the best combination to bring up a sad topic but leave them with a nice smile after the conversation”, you can read on their homepage.

First, as so often in our modern times, a Facebook event was created and throughout the week, posts informed about the issues in Ukraine. Members of the antenna talked about the issue, prepared cardboards and markers, and flags were gathered.

On Saturday, 24th of January, the time had come! Four members of AEGEE-Dresden gathered in one of the main shopping streets of Dresden, joined by another girl from the Ukraine and started to give out hugs, spread europtimism and inform people if they had questions.

One of Jorge’s favourite moments was when people were unsure about hugging at first, but then, after hearing what the event was about, gladly came closer to get their hug – some of them running! In general, especially the young people were really open and liked the idea.

The biggest surprise for the members of AEGEE-Dresden was when they were approached by a journalist from Berlin who was already waiting for them! He had come to Dresden to film their street action – without them even knowing about it. Jorge explains: “Teachers had spoken about the street action to their students in class, and some came just because of that. We couldn’t believe the reach of our event!”

All in all, they “gave 438 hugs, raised awareness about the topic, and brought many smiles with it”, Jorge concludes. “It was a very fun morning, and we have many stories to tell.”

The members of AEGEE-Dresden are not done yet! They are planning to do more street actions after the exams period and will for sure organise more events about Ukraine. Their exchange with AEGEE-Kyiv, which will take place in May, might be a good opportunity for that, especially since they will have a session open to all the students and interested people in which everyone will have the chance to hear about what the Ukrainians have to say and to ask them questions. Moreover, ten PhD students from Kharkiv will visit Dresden in June and the antenna is already planning to do something as well. Stay tuned and await more news to come about this local. Or just visit them in person: “Meet us during our weekly meetings! Every Wednesday starting at 20h, the place is always written on our Facebook page”, Jorge recommends.

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

Around 25 participants were expected to come to one of the most important statutory events of the region – Autumn Network Meeting 2014. The NWM in Kharkiv was supposed to be already organized in Spring 2014, but due to the instable situation in that part of Ukraine, it was moved to Lviv, where members of AEGEE-Kyiv, AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk and AEGEE-Lviv took active part in sessions and activities. The situation got better in the East of Ukraine and although other locals applied for hosting the event this autumn, Kharkiv was again selected as the hosting city.

Great promotion and branding, a good program full of really important sessions that would be interesting not only to new members but experienced board members too (for whom coming to NWM is a must), an interesting city and a visit by the newly elected CD member Mayri Tiido – the beginning was promising. We were all motivated to come even despite the fact that the fee and ticket prices were quite high considering the extremely painful changes in the euro-gryvna exchange rate for the last half a year.

Our Network Commissioner, Natalia Ivleva (AEGEE-Voronezh), as well as local organizers assured everyone with a safe situation in the city but from the 25 expected participants there were only three who came from another local. Two more were members of AEGEE-Kharkiv. Should we describe our surprise and especially surprised face of Mayri, who came from Brussels to take part in the NWM?

Two possible participants from another country didn’t confirm their participation and in the end didn’t show up, saying that they had personal problems. And it happened right after the Ukrainian crowd toppled the biggest statue of Lenin in the city. We cannot blame members from Russian locals for not coming as they might be too afraid to be stopped at the border or by the myths told by the majority of Russian TV channels (and some Ukrainian, too). We just hoped that in the country where there are six alive locals (AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk, AEGEE- Ivano-Frankivsk, AEGEE-Lviv, AEGEE-Kharkiv, AEGEE-Odesa and AEGEE-Sevastopol) more members of each of them would be interested to come.

Getting over the sadness in the first minutes of the event we had to face the fact that we live in a really difficult period of time where the values of young people have changed dramatically over the past half a year.  It seemed that after big historic event such as EuroMaidan, where youth was one of the key players, there wouldn’t be a problem to encourage people to travel to other cities and be active in the local level, gather to discuss and share the opinion, but the facts were saying the opposite.  It was always more interesting and easier to collect money and spend it on attendance of European events and meet with other Ukrainian friends there. Looking at Network Meetings in Poland with around 150 participants, famous Spanish event, Renove, that took place several weeks ago and for the fourth time gathered Spaniards from all over the country, we started to analyze the reasons of such a small percentage of members who attend events like Network Meeting in our region.

Let me be honest and maybe someone will blame me for that, but it is not  such a big secret. When the majority of Ukrainians hear about AEGEE, it is all about how to travel cheaper, get visa for free and find friends all over the Europe. That is not only what they hear while attending their first meetings  or presentation in university. Facts about AEGEE’s structure and opportunities are always told and  stories of active members at the European level are inspiring, but «Summer University» is what they usually remember. It is  always the best promotion and therefore fresh members usually come to take part in the project and after coming back they either become active on the local and European level or just become invisible members who only travel. But is it only the fault of wrong promotion?

The political situation, indeed, played a big role in the daily life of all locals. February was the most active time of the year, at least for AEGEE-Kyiv. We organized conferences and workshops aimed to show the power of Non-Formal education and the importance of being an active citizen. By that time, students, who were tired after the cold winter started to wake up, took active part both in the organization and participation. So until April we had +40% of new members who after their attendance at a two-day Local Training Course were ready to rock! This winter was the time where the whole country could think only about the situation in the centre of Kyiv. It was a decisive time as promoting fun and summer events would be considered as really bad taste and as board members we announced that no parties and big events would be organized until the situation got better. And while we were fighting for our future, rumors and bad news spread all over the world and Network as well. Never in our history we had so little applicants for our Summer University, never before we were denied to cooperate with another locals, who we won’t blame as we respect their decision. So another reason is the lack of European projects that were always better than a hundred words said in presentations at universities.

But the political situation and winter events are not the only reason. Ukrainian locals usually do not have any support from universities apart of giving rooms for free for some events. Unfortunately, no one is interested in just supporting, not even sponsoring an association like AEGEE because it is not connected to the studying process. Coming to my own faculty, where most of the professors remembered me as an active, traveling student who was always telling about other countries’ experiences and never failed at any exam, I had been told to pay money to the dean in order to get the room for presentation of AEGEE for students.

It all seemed like a vicious circle: new members hear mostly about the Summer University project as it is easier to organize for a local. Locals cannot have the needed support from government and universities to organize big events. Government and universities are not interested in supporting organizations that are focused on teaching not only students of their universities. Therefore locals have to attract members with the Summer University project.

On the 17th of July this year an airplane departing from Amsterdam crashed, while it was flying over the Ukrainian province of Donetsk, which is currently beset by pro-Russian groups. The crash could be seen as a tragedy on itself, but it could also be seen as a part of a greater conflict.

As the occasionally violent protests in Ukraine show, lines have been drawn between a pro-European and a pro-Russian side. However, by using the words pro-Europe and pro-Russia, people give off the illusion that Russia is not a part of Europe, but rather Europe’s opposite. It also supposes that the pro-Russian faction in Ukraine wants their country to be the opposite of Europe or that the EU Association Agreement is a join-Europe-today signup sheet. When someone believes this to be true or believes Europe stands for benevolent democracies or Russia for a malevolent dictatorship, this person might suffer from a almost 2500-year-old bias that the East is evil.

In the 6th century B.C. Greek explorer Anaximander categorised the earth. He devised it to be surrounded by one large ocean and divided by three rivers, which flowed from the outer ocean to the eastern part of the Mediterranean, thus dividing the earth into three continents: Europe, Asia and Libya. (Side note: according to Anaximander’s map East-African countries like Kenya would be part of Asia)

After the Grecian victory in the 5th century B.C. Greco-Persian Wars, however, the Greeks, mainly the Athenians and their allies, conceived the divide between Asia, home of the Persians, and Europe, home of the Greeks, to be both a natural and cultural one. The East, according to the Athenians, was stained by despotism, decadence and debauchery, whereas the west was characterised by democracy, superiority and decency. This was partially, because they had recently become a democracy by overthrowing their dictator, Hippias, who fled to Ionia (nowadays the west coast of Turkey) and allied himself with the enemy Persian Empire. Victory over the Persians might at the time very well have been seen as victory of democracy against the old ways.

This biased worldview, however, especially for Europe turned out to be a fallacy, since Europe has had its fair share of autocrats in the past: Roman dictators such as Sulla and Caesar, Roman emperors such as Caligula, Claudius and Constantine, the self proclaimed French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and kings such as Charles I of England, Frederick II of Prussia and, Louis XIV ‘the Sun King’ of France might come to mind. In the 21st century it is even hard to argue that concepts like chattel slavery or modern imperialism are indicators of either superiority or decency in the West.

While Russia could be considered to be less democratic than all of the other EU states or candidate members, it does not have to be categorised as a dictatorship or so much as an evil dictatorship. When someone reads about the conflict in Ukraine, western media often tend to view the Association Agreement, between the EU and the Ukrainian government in Kiev to be a ‘haha-in-your-face’ victory over Russia. This discourse, however, actually seems to be nothing but a cocktail of Cold War sentiments, infused with the ancient ‘East-is-evil’ bias. As a matter of fact, considering its elected house of representatives one could argue that Russia is more democratic than other states in the west of Europe such as Vatican City or Liechtenstein. Simply because it lies in the East, it does not mean that Russia or the Russian people instinctively despise either democracy or Europe. As the Anaximander’s map shows, the divide between Europe and Asia seems to be somewhere between arbitrary and non-existent.

Placing the aforementioned bias aside, there is, however, a political and economical divide in the border regions of Russia, which causes the conflict in Ukraine. With the signing of the Association Agreement on the 27th of June 2014 Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have agreed to implement a number of reforms aimed at improving democracy, the rule of law, human rights, fundamental freedoms, and at creating a well-functioning market economy and sustainable development in return for the creation of a framework to aid the enforcement of these reforms.

This Agreement, however, could have already been signed half a year ago by Ukraine’s former president Viktor Yanukovych, were it not for the political and economic alliances that presently fuel the conflict in Ukraine. Yanukovych refused to do what Ukraine’s current president Petro Poroshenko did, because of Ukraine’s shift from a non-associated economy to a politically charged one. In 2001 Ukraine had founded GUAM, an organisation to support democracy and economic development with its other members: Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova. One of the core principles of this organisation was that it was to be neutral, meaning not to the EU or to Russia aligned. However, between 2010 and 2013 Yanukovych not only considered Ukraine to become a member of the EU, but also to become part of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. In response to this, both the EU and Russia declared that Ukraine could not become a member of both economic zones. Subsequently Yanukovych was persuaded by Russia not to sign the Association Agreement with the EU and strengthen Ukraine’s ties with Russia instead. Immediately after this decision protests broke out in Kiev, prompting a regime change, a transfer of the Crimean peninsula to Russia and a civil insurgence in the East of the Ukraine supported by Russia in order to pursue its economic interests with Ukraine and on top of which a plane from Amsterdam crashed.

In short, by signing the Association Agreement the government in Kiev has agreed to aid in conforming Ukraine’s democratic norms as well as its trade and customs regulations to those of the EU and that much of the European market will open up to Ukrainian exports. With the signing of similar Agreements by Georgia and Moldova these countries will receive similar benefits. Furthermore, now three of the four members of GUAM have aligned themselves with the European Union through these Association Agreements, it might become interesting for Azerbaijan to ponder upon a pro-European course as well.

However, as the plane crash demonstrates, when two political bodies fight, in this case for the pursuit of economic interests, civilians die. The fighting continues every day in Ukraine and the Association Agreement is by no means an end to it. However, without bias at least it becomes visible that the insurgence is not a glorified conflict between Good and Evil, democracy against dictatorships or West versus East.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Since last november Ukraine has been in the spotlights because of the happenings in the country. Protests against the government led by former president Viktor Janukovich started in Maidan Nezalezhnosti, but soon spread all over the country. In Ukraine AEGEE is present with seven locals, namely AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk, AEGEE-Kharkiv, AEGEE-Ivano-Frankivsk, AEGEE-Kyïv, AEGEE-Lviv, AEGEE-Odessa and AEGEE-Sevastopol. Most of their members were actively involved in supporting and helping their fellow countrymen during the difficult times. The Network followed the happenings closely and in the month of February, the seven Ukranians local were awarded with the Locals of the Months title. The AEGEEan spoke with the board of two of them: AEGEE-Kharkiv and AEGEE-Kyïv.

The AEGEEan: The whole world is focusing its attention over Ukraine. How do you feel the atmosphere is like? Does this affect the life of your local and your members  and, in general, how does this affects the live of a normal Ukrainians?

Board Meeting AEGEE-Kyiv

AEGEE-Kharkiv: Ukraine is everywhere these days: TV, social networks, media… And, of course, the atmotphere is rather stressful for Ukrainians. We have to adapt our AEGEE life to the situation in the country too. We had to move the spring NWM from Kharkiv to Lviv for example, because of the situation in the eastern part of Ukraine. As for our local we haven’t made big changes in general and we try to keep the situation out of our daily communication, work and projects. Of course we talk about it (it’s the main topic for all of us), but, there are different opinions sometimes. We still have a lot of ideas to realise in the future. In general, Ukrainians didn’t expect so much attention and a lot of people actually began to feel more patriotic and felt this historical moment. But, the life of the majority of Ukrainians doesn’t change: work, holidays, traveling, weekends and other things (except for some eastern parts of Ukraine, it’s a hard time for them).”

AEGEE-Kyïv: Indeed the situation affected the life of all our members and board in general. We, as local from the capital of the country and the heart of the riots, couldn’t stay calm and pretend nothing happened. As board, we had to make a statement to our members about our attitude towards the situation when all this started at the end of November. Living in the capital means having people with absolutely different opinions about the situation, to be honest even in our board (and we have nine people plus three members of the Revision Commission) we had some controversies. That’s why our statement to members was very diplomatic – we asked them not to keep silent and act, if they feel it’s time but to keep a cold head too as the situation was really dangerous. We also had to cancel many of our events, birthday party and some activities – it was just inappropriate to celebrate and party when people were dying on Maidan. The life of AEGEE-Kyiv changed from a local that always had a lot of motivated people, who travel, want to take part in organising their own projects to a local with members who were mostly tired of the situation. Until March we had only social meetings. And now we, as board, are trying to do everything for our members to act, to participate, to travel and open the world. We changed our HR-strategy so that each member could be heard. The same was happening to Ukrainians – after all they were really tired and some lost the hope. Elections and the latest events might change the situation, and we feel that the young generation finally believes that they can be the change and that their opinion, voice and actions are utmost important.

‘Inspired by SU’ social meeting AEGEE-Kharkiv

The AEGEEan: All Ukrainian locals have been selected to be Local of the Month. It is one of the many examples of AEGEE trying to do something in civil society. Do you feel the support from the network?

AEGEE-Kyïv: We were extremely pleased by everything that was done by AEGEE-Europe, many AEGEE-locals, Working Groups and particular persons, especially knowing that most of Europe didn’t have an appropriate picture of what was happening and trusted only our words and what we posted on social networks. It was inspiring. There was a flashmob, changing profile pictures to a black square with Ukrainian flag, donations that were made, reposts of articles written by Ukrainiasn and of course, the fact that Luis Alvarado Martinez, President of AEGEE-Europe, came to Kyïv. It’s a big step forward, and not just a quote from the Statement of Principles about AEGEE’s aims. It’s action, which means much more.

AEGEE-Kharkiv: Yes, during these months we really felt it. Speaking, for example, about Facebook, where we saw the support of hundreds of people every day: posts, photos, messages. It’s really a big thing for us. These things have made our days better for months.Thank you very much. It’s what happens in a big family too: some children get sick and the whole family does their best in order to relieve the suffering of their kids.

The AEGEEan: In the past, AEGEE has been helping with the improvement of dialogue in places as Cyprus and Western Balkans, while always paying special attention to youth. Do you think AEGEE could play such a role in Ukraine?

AEGEE-Kyïv: Yes. But now the most important for us is to show that it is not so dangerous to come to Ukraine as is shown in the media of many countries (of course Russian news as well, but that’s another story). The success of Election Observation Mission, that sent more than 20 members from different locals to our country, shows that coming here and seeing everything by yourself can have a more powerful impact and communication might be the key to understanding.

AEGEE-Kharkiv: We are young and we are open to the future. We learn something, sometimes make mistakes and after it, we become more experienced. And of course AEGEE can help us with pushing the limits of our mind, and to become more serious, responsible adults.

The AEGEEan: Could you say you feel more European because of AEGEE?

AEGEE-Kharkiv: AEGEE shares European values with us that we just began to learn (and they are not about economic and politic matters). We can take all the best from Europe, for example being more law-abiding. AEGEE is a big platform to make yourself more open-minded, to see what the real Europe is and to involve this in your life in your country.

AEGEE-Kyïv: We would even say we understand more what being European is now. AEGEE definitely changed the life perspective and was the reason that we do not have many typical stereotypes anymore. And we cannot say we feel European in a political way, but for sure we feel more open-minded and struggle more to get new information, news. We have feeling that we can not only do something on a local, but also on the European level to help our country.

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia

With contribution of Liliya Buyukliyska, AEGEE-Sofia

As every year, the European Charlemagne Youth Prize (ECYP) took place in the city of Aachen, under its 7th edition. After Europe on Track’s major success last year, some AEGEE members gathered in Charlemagne’s city in order to know which project would be its successor. Youth unemployment, selfies, remarkable guests, journalism and the situation in Ukraine have just been some of the major highlights of this event that took place in late May.

1. Our Europe takes the legacy of its predecessor, Europe on Track

Peter Laugesen (Our Europe), with VP of the European Parliament, Anni Podimata

Denmark was the winner of this year’s edition of the Charlemagne Youth Prize, with the project Vores Europa (‘Our Europe’). This project consisted of a 12-month long journey taken by Peter Laugesen and Elena Askløf, who travelled through 24 European countries and interviewed young people about their expectations and wishes for Europe. They published radio podcasts, films, articles, interviews and pictures on their website, and even took up a experimental Skype session in collaboration with 21 Danish schools, involving 2,800 young students whom the creators talked to. It was a truly outstanding project, self-funded by its own creators and it was certainly one of the ‘favourite ones’ to achieve the biggest prize.

The story of Our Europe might seem familiar to many of you… yes! Many of us recalled the Europe on Track project of AEGEE-Europe, which won last year’s Charlemagne Youth Prize. Looks like the recipe for success in a ECYP candidature is very simple: involve young people from several countries, talk about their concerns and reach the policy-makers with audiovisual material and social media.

2. Youth (un)employment, the hottest topic

The three winners: Denmark, the Netherlands and Cyprus

One of the biggest topics addressed by the Danish Our Europe project was with no doubts youth unemployment, which has reached staggering figures in countries such as Spain or Italy. However, this topic was the main issue by several of the 28 projects presented. Both the second and third place winners of the ECYP, the Netherlands and Cyprus, had youth unemployment as their focus.

On the one hand, JouwDelft & Co., the Dutch national winner, hosted a European youth congress in November 2012 which aimed to find local-scale solutions to reduce youth unemployment in Europe and brought young active citizens and policy advisors from several countries together. The outcome of the conference was a resolution on these recommendations, which was issued to the European Parliament in November 2013. On the other hand, Youth Dynamics is a Cypriot youth organisation that hosted a training course in April 2013 that involved seminars, presentations, workshops and discussions based on the same topic, gathering 26 participants from nine EU countries.

3. EBM Valleta, our AEGEE Representative

Mariella getting the award in Aachen

Mariella Rapa (AEGEE-Valletta) was the representative of AEGEE in the list of nominees for the final Youth Prize, representing the European Boards’ Meeting that took place in Valletta in February 2013, which gathered around two hundred AEGEEans under the topic of ‘the future of Europe’.

Previously interviewed by our journalist Cosmina Bisboaca (AEGEE-Torino), AEGEE-Valletta stated that it was “a very big honour” to be the National winner in Malta, especially taking into account that other strong organisations such as JEF Malta submitted their projects too.

Chucky Bartolo told Cosmina the reasons why EBM Valletta decided to run for the Charlemagne Youth Prize: “The organising team that worked on the EBM spent a lot of their time and energy to make the event as great as it could be. Knowing that we had worked so hard to make an event like this meant that we were able to recognise that the EBM was worth submitting. Inspired by the success of “Europe on Track”, we submitted the project for the Charlemagne Youth Prize”. Despite not making it to the ‘final three’, Mariella got the National Award out of the hands of Anni Podimata (vice-president of the European Parliament), and showed the pride of the whole local for being among the 28 finalists.

4. Youth at the back… but not afraid to ask

The 28 national winners of the Charlemagne Youth Prize were afterwards invited at the Charlemagne Forum, which gathered several ‘top’ guests. Unfortunately, the young representatives were forced to be sitting in the back, whereas the jury and guests were right on the front, sitting comfortably and having snacks and drinks next to them. For many, that was the vivid image that young people were merely playing a secondary role in this Charlemagne Prize, but we were not afraid to take the driver’s seat, ask questions and confront the opinion of the older experts… even if we had to stand up and there was no microphone available for us at first.

Especially significant was the speech given by Luis Alvarado Martínez, president of AEGEE-Europe and representative of Europe on Track as the ECYP winner of 2013, who encouraged the organisers of the Charlemagne Youth Prize to involve young people more actively: “It’s them who should be sitting on the front”. Moreover, he suggested the idea of them selecting the winners of the ECYP – after all, what is a ‘youth prize’ if it is not selected by youth representatives?

5. ‘Top’ guests… taking AEGEEan’s selfies

“A selfie is the picture you take yourself, right?”

Besides Ms. Podimata, who was replacing the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, there were other remarkable guests among the visitors in Aachen. One of them was the former president of the European Central Bank, mr. Jean-Claude Trichet, who was taking part at the panel discussion of the Charlemagne Forum. But specially striking was the appearance in the middle of the Forum of Herman van Rompuy, president of the European Council. During the question round, two AEGEE members (Anna, from AEGEE-Barcelona, and Erik, from AEGEE-Bratislava) were sending their questions to the pannelists, when all of a sudden people started to applause. Van Rompuy arrived, the question round was interrupted and he gave his speech where several topics such as the previous Sunday’s EP elections were tackled.

In fact, Mr. Van Rompuy embarked in a small inter-generational dialogue with our AEGEEans Luis and Mariella, when they asked to take a selfie with him. “You mean, the picture that you take yourself, right?”, rumour has it that he asked.

6. The situation in Ukraine in the Charlemagne Youth Prize

Once Herman Van Rompuy had arrived at the Forum, Luis asked him about the situation in Ukraine, and he gave an answer paraphrasing Tolstoy (“we, Europe and Russia, have one thing in common – Christianity”), that our member of AEGEE-Bratislava, Erik Redli, reported perfecty in his article at Foreign Students.

Those were not the only remarkable guests of the week – in the Charlemagne Prize ceremony, there were the prime ministers of Moldova and Ukraine, Iurie Leanca and Arseniy Yatseniuk, right on the aftermath of the Ukrainian elections. In fact, the event gathered a few hundreds of protesters from Ukraine and Russia in the main square of Aachen, protesting against the war – but from different sides. Both were divided into two blocks and the police had to intervene, as reported by our friend from OneEurope Yuliya Kosharevska, even though there were no major incidents.

7. AEGEE-Aachen and OneEurope, a top cooperation for a ‘top event’

A journalists’ “newsroom” moment

Under the special request of the city council of Aachen, AEGEE-Aachen organised a ‘side event’ for journalists who would cover the Charlemagne Youth Prize for their national media and other internet platforms, in order to give more visibility to a prize which has proven to be of a major importance. Our ‘polar bears’ seeked the cooperation with the OneEurope magazine, who also reported actively about the happenings in Aachen and brought their expertise in journalism.

The atmosphere between AEGEE and OneEurope members was great and it truly felt like a real newsroom sometimes. Moreover, AEGEE-Aachen provided a wonderful social programme with a city tour around the city, a party with the national winners of the ECYP… and the members of OneEurope could experience for the first time what a European Night was. Congratulations, AEGEE-Aachen, and thank you for such an effort!

And next year… it can be you! This year’s Charlemagne Youth Prize event has proven that a project that gathers young people from several European countries, that deals with some of the ‘hot’ topics in European youth and also involves policy-makers and advisors can be eligible to win. It is acknowledged that we have taken part in many AEGEE projects with a big potential that comply with these same characteristics. So, what are you waiting for? Maybe the next Charlemagne Prize could be in AEGEE’s hands again!

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona