The AEGEEan has been interviewing several locals throughout the year for theirs outstanding achievements. Some of them have organised big events, like Statutory Events or European schools. Others have been rather small locals in the Network who have made big accomplishments. However, there are other locals which have been regularly organising both local and European events throughout the year and have traditionally been very active antennae in our Network.

AEGEE-Kraków’s current board

One of the latter locals is AEGEE-Kraków, with a lot of active members both in the local and European level and well-known around the Network for having organised a wide range of high-quality events. The activity for AEGEE-Kraków has not stopped since last April, with the organisation of an AEGEE Business Conference, a Model United Nations, a Management Training Course and a Travel Summer University.  The AEGEEan has interviewed the president, Ela Krótka, in order to get to know better AEGEE-Kraków’s secrets.

Please, tell us a bit about your local. When was it found, and how many members does it have? And how many are active?

AEGEE-Kraków was reactivated in 2000 by the students of Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland. Since the early beginning, the members of our local were very active what made us a strong antennae in just a few years. Our local has a good reputation in Kraków, this allows our members to work in well-known companies after graduating their universities, but also during their studies. Nowadays, we have about 130 members of which the majority is active.

What do you think makes AEGEE-Kraków so special?

The people, of course! All of us are like a big family – we know each other well, we love spending time together. We go to all the projects like NWMs or Agorae in about 30 people what makes us very motivated. We feel the AEGEE-spirit all the time, we do not forget why our organisation is so great and important. New people are warmly welcomed and they feel a part of the group instantly. The members are the ones who create and run our organisation and they are the most important – everything is for them and from them.

We know that there are several working groups within AEGEE-Kraków. How are they organised?

We have two sorts of groups – project and working groups. Working groups carry their tasks all the time in order to take care of our antenna. They are the PR Working Group, FR Working Group, HR Working Group, Culture Working Group, International Politics Working Group and IT Working Group. Our members have the possibility to get knowledge of the topic they are interested in when they work in the groups above. Later, they join some “project working groups”, where they can put into practice the knowledge they earnt. Project working groups are made to organise special events. Our members work in teams using their abilities and showing the strenght of our organisation!

From the TSU “Think different: Get out of your comfort zone!”

In May and June you have organised many activities and events. What is the secret of succeeding in organising so many?

I would say that passion is a key factor for organising successful events. We are a welcoming and open-minded group, with common ideas and ways of thinking, these characteristics help us to create something dynamic. We are always flexible and take everyone’s point of view into consideration. Members listen to each other and reach an agreement together. Everything is like a chain of creativity and we never break it. We realise that all of us are needed and what we do is for a whole organisation, not just for one person. Mutual motivation and working in groups create a strong bond amongst all members. All of that causes good projects and the feeling that we want more and more!

We know you recently organised an “AEGEE-Business Conference”. What can you tell us about it?

The aim of the AEGEE-Business Conference “Close the deal!” was to create a platform of co-operation between members of students’ organisations and business. It was our intention to give the participants practical information on how to make their student projects more professional, how to interact and engage with partners and sponsors, and also how to present themselves properly. The training conference was followed by a networking meeting where every attendee could expand their social circle. The participants gathered knowledge about building a network through business contacts, cooperating with partners and investors, and developing practical abilities.

The topics of the conference ranged from self-presentation, including elevator speeches, networking as a tool for communication and building networks of contacts through, interacting with stakeholders in CSR, establishing dialogue between business and students recommendations, business etiquette, ethical sales and negotiations, Cialdini’s art of persuasion, and humor in business and sales.

The Conference was met with resounding success – the number of applications exceeded the participants limit by 50. Participants included 100 representatives of 52 student organizations and academic clubs from all over Poland (from Gdańsk, Warsaw, Poznań, Łodź, Wrocław, Kraków etc.) and several other associations.

What about the Model of United Nations organised in late May? Which topics were covered this year?

AEGEE-Kraków’s Model of United Nations was an international interactive conference. Every participant had a chance to represent a country (member of UN) and discuss global political and economic issues. The main goal of the conference was to promote the knowledge about the role of the UN in the modern world and its engagement in solving international problems. The conference was a great opportunity to develop diplomatic skills. This year the main topic was the crisis in Ukraine. Twenty young people from every corner of Europe were debating and exchanging opinions regarding the current situation in Ukraine.

Which were the highlights of this event?

The highlights of this AEGEE MUN definitely were three things. First of all, the UN simulation which included lively discussions, numerous alliances, unexpected twists, sleepless nights, hundreds of hours of hard work. Other highlights include the City Game, the nocturnal sightseeing of Kraków, and the Diplomatic Party, which was a simulation of a diplomatic banquet. During this part of the event participants had a chance to see how unofficial talks really looks like.

AEGEE-Kraków has also organised a training course related to Management. Which was the aim, and who were the trainers?

We organize Management Training Course twice a year. It’s aimed to provide young people with knowledge of PR, FR and Team Management as well as communication skills: public speaking and negotiations. It is very useful for our members as it prepares them for future challenges. Every graduate of this course is prepared to coordinate a project or working group in AEGEE. The trainers work in the related fields and provide real case scenarios, furthering the preparation for future projects. This gives the course a high standard and allows the participants to develop their inner managers. Each MTC-course is a three day long period of hard work and new experiences are guaranteed.

And in order to achieve so many things, how do you motivate your members to be active on the local level?

The goal is to give every student an opportunity  to develop, more importantly, an opportunity to relax, find new friends and share opinions. As a HR manager, the main focus is on creating a good ambiance for every member and participant through motivation and generating passion. Each member is different and possesses different qualities and as a HR manager the role is to appropriate each challenge to the individual’s aspirations.

Some AEGEE-Kraków members at Agora Patra

You have also several members involved on the European level. How do you “bridge” the gap between local and EU level?

Since some time our members are interested in EL. For us, it is very important to make AEGEE-Kraków members aware of achievement and expansion possibilities into European Level. There are many opportunities to develop ourselves, and noteworthy, anyone can work on EL from the local area. We believe that this year Cracovians will get good and trustworthy information regarding EL from CD member and AEGEE-Kraków member Ola Kluczka who is well-equipped for the task.

Hopefully, in the nearest future European structures will be supported by next AEGEE-Kraków members.

Does your local have any future plans?

Every organisation should have a realistic plan for the future! For the upcoming academic year we are planning to organize 16 events, few of them through EL. Projects are the basis of every unit and all individuals involved develop themselves and their thought processes. We conscientiously increase the amount of members and diversity of AEGEE. Fundraising and interacting with more universities are two of the many focuses we have established for the next step. The future is looking bright for AEGEE, we keep expanding and growing and if the sky is the limit, we are approaching space.

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

The last Member of the Month of July left many exceptional nominations and AEGEE members that stood out – one of them, Laia Garcia Montufo, is currently President of AEGEE-Tarragona, member of the Pool of Representatives and Liaison Officer towards the United Nations.

Laia has been nominated due to her involvement in several youth platforms. Moreover, she is now fully absorbed in the Travel Summer University organised by AEGEE-Tarragona and AEGEE-Valencia, which is due to start on the 15th of August. And still, she is currently working on her thesis, as she has studied Architecture and Urban Planning with a minor in Sustainable Development.

Presenting a message from the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon at the   Autumn Agora Zaragoza

Like many other members in our Network, Laia joined AEGEE right after her post-Erasmus blues. “Erasmus is a lifestyle, which I suppose many AEGEEans know. During my exchanges I got to know a lot of people around the world, I made friends, I travelled and I learnt how to live on my own or with other nations in a foreign country”. But Erasmus also has a difficult side, as she says: “After returning, I was missing the international vibe so much that life back home seemed utterly boring. Soon I realized that in my city there were also a lot of Erasmus students, so I started looking for them and I found out about the existence of a group who helped foreign students. Of course, I joined it right away!”.

And it was not long until she got in touch with the European level of AEGEE. It was back in May 2012, at the final conference of the ‘Where Does Europe End?’ project in Utrecht. According to her, it might be the best event she has ever been to: “I remember thinking to myself: I am skipping a full week of classes before the finals… but after a while I just understood there are times when the benefits of skipping class are greater than the negatives as I was actually learning more than at the university! These trainers taught me how powerful Non Formal Education (NFE) can be and that learning experience triggered in me a strong desire to become active at European level”.

The Spanish Youth Council (CJE) and its situation

Laia has been very involved in the past year with the Spanish Youth Council (CJE in its acronym, from Consejo de la Juventud de España), mostly in the Structured Dialogue process, an instrument to ensure that the opinion of young people is taken into account when defining youth-related policies of the European Union by bringing together young people and the policy makers across the EU. She was involved at the national consultation in Palencia last January, and she was also chosen as Spanish National Youth Delegate to attend the EU Youth Conference in Thessaloniki in March.

On holidays!

“Unfortunately, the Senate has just given green light to its closing as it has definitively approved the text of the draft law concerning the Rationalization of Public Sector, which regulates the closing of the Spanish Youth Council with the support of the comfortable majority of the People’s Party and the abstention or the vote against from the rest of the opposition groups”. Laia explains about the situation concerning the CJE, which was threatened of being closed by the Spanish government. However, she adds, “at the very last moment, two amendments proposed by the People’s Party and endorsed by the rest of the parliamentary groups were passed, where two important points concerning the regulation of the CJE were modified, so the framework improved with regard to the initial proposal”.

She adds that, luckily, none of the more than 60 organisations that are involved in the CJE have given up: “A new framework must be found, but until the creation of the new organism that replaces the CJE, we must be careful not to have a period of time without a platform that canalizes the youth participation.”

The World Youth Conference in Sri Lanka

Moreover, last May Laia took part at the World Youth Conference in Sri Lanka, where young people from over 170 countries gathered together with Ministers of Youth from around the world, high-level officials from the UN and other civil society organisations and the private sector, around the topic of the next development agenda beyond the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) which expire in 2015. The outcome of the conference was the Colombo Declaration on Youth.

According to Laia, for the first time youth representatives were included as equal stakeholders: “In my opinion, WCY 2014 was unique with regard to the degree of youth influence over official negotiations. Rather than youth meetings in advance of negotiations and producing separate outcome documents, this conference produced a “joint declaration” endorsed by both youth and governments. It was definitely a compromise between these two ends: but an important one at that, because now we have a commitment from governments to implement the recommendations enshrined in this declaration”.

She adds that, as a result, “the declaration has strong language on youth engagement: for example it calls for the establishment of a permanent youth department within the United Nations with representations in member countries to support and follow up local youth programs and also calls on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to establish a permanent forum on youth, for youth and governments to facilitate a sustained dialogue including on the Post- 2015 Development Agenda”.

3rd Council of Members of the Great Silk Way

The Great Silk Way organisation

If all of her activities and involvement have not been impressive enough, Laia recently became representative of the Great Silk Way International Youth Union, an organisation established in 2012 in Azerbaijan which connects more than 30 youth-led organisations from Asia, Europe and North Africa based on and designed for strengthening intercultural dialogue, cross-border cooperation and increasing role of youth in these issues on a global level.

She was elected as the focal point of GSW in Spain. These focal points are youth organizations or active young individuals “who coordinate the activities of GSW in that particular country. This means we ensure participation of local young people in international projects organized by GSW, make sure to disseminate information on opportunities (youth exchanges, volunteering, internships etc.) that can be useful for young people”, Laia explains. “In addition to this, the focal point has the right to initiate and coordinate national or regional level projects and events with the support of GSW. Basically we become the voice of GSW in our country at the same time feedbacking on the needs of local young people to be then reflected in decisions taken by the organization on high level”.

…and still, time to devote for AEGEE!

AEGEE-Tarragona members at the Agora

Laia’s involvement in youth platforms doesn’t stop her from being very active in AEGEE. As president of AEGEE-Tarragona, she is currently very busy organising the Travel Summer University in cooperation with AEGEE-Valencia. She has done a big task by promoting the European level in her antenna, since there are some AEGEE-Tarragona members that have become active in bodies such as the Language Working Group, the Eastern Partnership Project and the Action Agenda Coordination Committee. “I try my best to minimize the gap between my local and the European level. Therefore, I keep the members updated about all the relevant information on the many opportunities our association offers throughout our local meetings and social networks”.

According to her, AEGEE-Tarragona has around 30 members, “but the core team of the most active ones is smaller, so it is easy for me to be in contact with them and try to motivate everyone to contribute. Also, the fact that I am active on the European Level  makes things a bit easier when it comes to promotion as interested members can always come to me and ask for personal advice. And you know what? Some people just need a little push!”

When asked about her future plans, Laia says she is currently finishing her tasks as Liaison Officer towards the UN and the Pool of Representatives, but she plans to keep involved both in the local and in the European level. “Wait, I forgot something!”, she adds. “I do know one of my next steps in AEGEE! After having organized two Summer Universities and one Summer Event… I think next year will be about time to apply for my first Summer University as a participant!”.

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

You might have heard of them quite often in our Network. The Liaison Officers are the contact people of AEGEE-Europe towards different institutions and organizations. However, you might be wondering: who are they and which are the organizations they are dealing with? The Liaison Officers are introducing themselves and their work in the following article.

The Liaison Officers towards the United Nations

The UN is interesting for AEGEE, because they have a lot of initiatives related to youth (participation). Very often the UN is asking NGO’s for their opinion on youth issues or offering opportunities for youth participation that can be interesting for our members. The purposes of the United Nations, as set forth in the Charter, are to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of people; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these ends. The Charter established six principal organs of the United Nations, which are: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and Secretariat. The United Nations family, however, is much larger, encompassing fifteen agencies and several programmes and bodies.

The Liaison Officers Team of AEGEE-Europe towards the UN is working with the following UN bodies:

• ECOSOC, UN Youth Delegates Programme, Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth: Alin-Florin Calin (alin-florin.calin@aegee.org)
• UNEP, UNESCO, UN Education First: Andrew Bartolo: (andrew.bartolo@aegee.org)
• UN HABITAT, UN Volunteers Programme, UN WOMEN: Laia Garcia (laia.garcia.montufo@aegee.org)
• UNDP, UN and Civil Society, UNDEF: Álvaro Espinosa (alvaro.espinosa@aegee.org)
• WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA: Sygrit Andringa (sygrit.andringa@aegee.org).

If you want to know more about this team, read this article published in The AEGEEan, where part of the team was introduced in detail.

Fenia Megremi – Liaison Officer towards the OECD

My name is Fenia Megremi, I’m studying International and European Relations and I’m currently a member of AEGEE-Paris. Recently I became Liaison Officer towards the OECD, a significant partner organization of AEGEE.

What is the OECD? 

Its acronym stands for the Organization for the Economic Co-operation and Development. It brings together 34 countries with the aim of developing better policies for better lives. In fact, in the OECD, the governments co-operate, share experiences and seek solutions to common problems that affect the lives of ordinary people around the world directly.

Bram Houterman – Liaison Officer towards the World Bank

My name is Bram Houterman, from AEGEE-Amsterdam. I am now finishing my studies in International Economics and Political Science in Amsterdam. People who wrote a thesis already know what a delightful process I am facing at the moment. I have served in several positions within AEGEE and I feel honoured to be selected as Liaison Officer towards the World Bank.

I think the World Bank (WB) could be of key value for our network. The core operation of the Bank is to provide loans to less developed parts of the world with the goal of reducing poverty. The loans come with a lot of conditionality, therefore the Bank enables and stimulates transition in many areas of the society. Lending also takes place in Europe as the Bank provides many loans in Eastern Europe.

For students from over the whole continent the Bank may be interesting because of its large database and interesting studies that are conducted. The Bank also organizes many events related to youth and participation, which may be very relevant for our members. An example is the annual Global Youth Summit in October.

I will keep you updated on interesting events that are organized, but also on other topics such as essay competitions and interesting research. In case you want to have more information about this institution (or about other international financial institutions such as IMF, EBRD, EIB), please do not hesitate to contact me (bram.houterman@aegee.org).

Marko Grdosic – Liaison Officer towards the European Youth Forum

I’m Marko from AEGEE-Zagreb and this will be my second mandate as the Liaison Officer towards the European Youth Forum. My interest in the organisation started even before my year in the Comite Directeur, and during that period the work done and connections developed gave a good background to further develop the cooperation between AEGEE and YFJ.

The European Youth Forum (YFJ) is the platform of youth organisations in Europe. Representing 99 youth organisations, both National Youth Councils and International Non-Governmental Youth Organisations, we believe youth organisations are the tool through which we empower, encourage, involve, represent, reach out and support young people. The Youth Forum brings together tens of millions of young people from all over Europe, organised in order to represent their common interests.

Ermanno Napolitano – Liaison Officer towards the OSCE

I’m the new Liaison Officer towards OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe). I have covered many positions in AEGEE-Europe, such as President of the Juridical Commission and Mediation Commissioner, but this new position gives me a different experience, because my task is also to build and mantain external relation with this important organization.

Do you know what OSCE is? Here is a small introduction:

OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses political-military, economic, environmental and  human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities.

All 57 participating states enjoy an equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

Security touches on many aspects of the way we live and are governed. The OSCE’s comprehensive view of security covers three “dimensions”: the political-military; the economic and environmental; and the human dimension.

The OSCE’s activities cover all three of these areas, from “hard” security issues such as conflict prevention to fostering economic development, ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources and promoting the full respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Here is the complete list of what OSCE covers:  arms control, border managment, combatting human trafficing, combatting terrorism, conflict prevention and resolution,  economic activities, education, elections, environmental activities,  gender equality, good governance, human rights, media freedom and development, military reform and cooperation, minority rights, policing, roma and sinti, rule of law, tolerance and non-discrimination.

Why would OSCE be interesting for a student? As you can see OSCE covers an impressive number of thematics, there are a lot of opportunities to develop new projects and ask OSCE support, or to participate in OSCE  projects and conferences.

Furthermore this year the Human Dimention Implementation Meeting (HDMI) will be organized again, which you can read about in this article published by The AEGEEan.

Whoever is interested to participate at HDIM or in general to some project related to OSCE please don’t hesitate to contact me at ermanno.napolitano@gmail.com

Ante Sellis & Nina Gustafsson – Liaison Officers towards the Committee of Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee

Nina Gustafsson

This year, our Comité Directeur decided it was time to incorporate two other European organisations, namely the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), to the already very impressive record of organisation dealed with by the Liaison Officers-team of AEGEE-Europe. Since both of these organisations are official advisory bodies of the European Union and both increasingly touching upon subjects, which are relevant for all AEGEEans, it was obvious for the CD to appoint two Liaison Officers to these organisations.

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the EU’s Assembly of Regional and Local Representatives, giving a voice to the regions and cities across EU member states. The CoR is a political assembly counting 353 members from 28 member states who are regionally or locally elected representatives, for example mayors or municipal council members. The CoR is an advisory body of the EU and must be consulted by the European Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament throughout the EU decision-making process on issues that are relevant for cities and regions.

The 353 members sit in one or more of the six Commissions within the CoR, where they prepare opinions based on the European Commission’s legislative proposals and bring out the perspective of cities and regions on a certain issues. The Commission where AEGEE has most interest in is the Education, Culture, Youth and Research (EDUC) Commission, although it will also be of interest to follow the developments in other Commissions, for example in the fields of employment, equal opportunities, environment, citizenship and fundamental rights. If the CoR feels that a certain issue needs further action or should be paid attention to by the other EU institutions, it can also issue an own-initiative opinion. Another important task of the CoR is consultation with stakeholders across the EU, such as local and regional authorities, associations, non-profit organisations, and networks.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls itself the bridge between Europe and organised civil society, which means that its basic task is to enable the civil society of Europe to be heard at the European level. Since this organisation is an official advisory body of the EU, the EESC must be consulted by the EU institutions on certain issues. In addition, like the CoR, it can also issue an opinion towards these institutions on its own initiative.

The EESC currently consists of 353 members, which are selected from various economic and social interests groups in the member states. Furthermore, the EESC has six different sections that cover more specified issues. The Employment, Social Affairs and Citizens (SOC)-section will be the section where AEGEE has most interest in as it is covering topics such as employment, education, health, gender equality, culture, and citizenship.

As said before, this year two Liaison Officers will work closely together to cover both organisations. These Liaison Officers-teamies are Nina Gustafsson and Ante Sellis. Nina is a 25-year-old recent graduate in Public Policy from the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, and also holds a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies from Maastricht University. She was an active member of AEGEE-Maastricht between September 2007 and August 2012, and President of the XXIInd Board of AEGEE-Maastricht in 2010-2011. Currently, Nina is a member of AEGEE-Brussels and recently finished a traineeship at the Joint Directorate for Translation of the CoR & EESC in Brussels. Ante is a 23-year-old master student in International Relations and a member of AEGEE-Groningen since August 2009. After being active in several committees on local level, she was Secretary of the XXIVth board of AEGEE-Groningen in 2011-2012. This year she also became active on European level by being a proofreader for the ‘Key to Europe’.

Written by the Liaison Office of AEGEE-Europe

The Member of the Month of November is Alin-Florin Calin.  He is an AEGEE member that was born in Western Romania and grew up in Eastern Austria, currently studying international law and history in Vienna. He got involved with AEGEE through local board activities in Vienna, the first experience that awoke his passion for AEGEE, followed by his first Agora in Alicante and the involvement in Juridical Commission – all this within one year.

He knew from the very beginning that the European level of AEGEE was the perfect place for him. He explains that the path became clearer when he got a better insight of the full structure of AEGEE. That made him aware of the fact that he wants to focus on the external relations body of AEGEE, the Liaison Office (LO), and deal more with international relations. He has just finished his term representing our Network in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and at the same time joined the team which represents AEGEE in the United Nations (UN). Since the last activities were very close to international relations, he also decided to join the International Politics Working Group (IPWG) board while doing his UN-related work.

Alin joined AEGEE because of his desire to be involved in an international environment and the possibility to join the Summer University Transsiberian Dream Volume 3 of AEGEE-Moskva . This was an old adventure dream of his – going mostly by train and bus from Saint Petersburg all the way through Asia to Dubai in seven weeks. The reason why he became more and more involved in AEGEE was an event in his first active months where he had a lot of fun and met the first interesting friends in AEGEE. What followed was the first AEGEE love affair, the first Agora, the first European level task and now he is interviewed as Member of the Month, having been chosen from among 13.000 members.

Before starting the interview one of the questions asked to Alin was what has been his favorite task so far and he jokes with a smile saying that by far the funniest part has been counting ballots while being part of the Juridical Commission (JC).  Joke aside, his favorite experience is not so far from counting ballots, since Alin really enjoys what he is dealing with now: observing the counting procedure. “I think it is what I am doing now, dealing with international relations, especially in conferences. But in general, there is satisfaction when you see the results of your efforts.”

The AEGEEan: You are very active on the European Level of AEGEE, what motivates you to take part in so many different projects?

It is a way of working that is totally different from local activities. You are working in international teams on international politics. I love the chance to have an impact on AEGEE’s way which is related to my interests and abilities. This gives me the feeling that I do something relevant for the Network, and for me in terms of developing new skills. I try to achieve all my aims in a short term, which is very demanding but I do need the challenge.

You take part in many conferences in general, how do you find time for it?

It is all about time management – which I still need to improve. Often I simply take the time to attend the events because I just enjoy this experience. It is a very good way to learn a lot in many ways like thematic, cultural and social. But quite frankly, it is a lot of fun!

You have recently joined the IPWG board, what made you interested in joining that WG and what will you focus on there?

What made me do this is my interest for international politics, the potential to establish with my IPWG board new projects and to have an impact on these topics in AEGEE. Moreover I will keep a close eye on making some changes because I do see the need to reform a few things. Our Action Agenda is not finished yet.

You have also launched a new project related to election observation. What is that about?

Election observations in AEGEE were inspired by my involvement in OSCE activities and my previous terms in JC. After attending the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of OSCE this October as a part of AEGEE delegation, we decided to create internal election observations in AEGEE because the Network is the right place to train young persons to support democracy and peace. Our vision is to establish observations in various elections on European and local level, as well as in and outside of AEGEE in the long term, hopefully.

Were there many people interested in it at the Agora in Zaragoza?

We had on the spot a team of 20 members and we are now developing the project in order to have our first activities in 2014. Interested members are always welcome, people who are ready to take initiative and to put their ideas into practice. I am a person who likes to have things done but cannot do everything by myself – so I do appreciate team work and own initiatives a lot. I am extremely glad to have Thomas Leszke on board because he is a very experienced person. We have already a strong team but are still looking for more members to join us.

You took part in the second best Summer University (SU) this past summer: “Scandinavian Dream”. What do you think about the SU? What made you apply to go there?

What made me apply is the concept of Travelling Summer Universities, the cities we visited and all the party people I know from Copenhagen and Helsinki. I just wanted to spend my summer in the Scandinavian and Baltic countries with those friends. It ended with three Summer Universities – as participant, helper and visitor. I had one of the best summers I can imagine. The Scandinavian Dream team did an extremely good job and if the main organizer of the best-ranked SU (Catania) was not a participant and inspired by our time together beforehand in the second-ranked SU Scandinavian Dream, they would not have made it as the best SU, for sure. So it was team work again.

In terms of the future Alin is very mysterious. His goal is to simply keeping up permanent involvement, and a trip to Greece; and he tells The AEGEEan that he might event submit a candidature for Comité Directeur. AEGEE has been the ignition for many paths he has beaten. Only time will tell what the future holds for this very active Member of the Month. Congratulations! 

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

A few months ago a new AEGEE United Nations Liaison Team was elected and The AEGEEan interviewed half of the team in order to introduce Alvaro Espinosa, Andrew Bartolo and Alin Florin to the Network and their positions in this new team. 

Chucky with Luis in Nairobi

First of all, Alvaro Espinosa (AEGEE-Santander) and Alin Florin have been doing many things in AEGEE while Andrew Bartolo, who usually goes by the name Chucky, is a rather new face to many AEGEEans. However, he has actually been around AEGEE for a couple of years already.

 “I first heard about AEGEE at a freshers week stand back in October 2011 when I began university but I got to know a lot more about them last February, at UNEP’s international conference for youth in Nairobi (Kenya). I was part of the organizing committee and was involved in running a “workshop” session every night of the conference, as I am (at least for the next three months until my term ends) the youth representative with UNEP in Europe. There I met Luis Alvarado Martinez who explained fully all the amazing work AEGEE does and I was hooked from there! Throughout the rest of the conference I got to understand just how effective and hardworking the organisation is and decided that I had to be a part of it! Coincidentally EBM was being hosted by AEGEE-Valletta, my hometown, so I got to be inducted into this amazing sphere very quickly!“.

Alvaro during the Network Meeting in Paris

What made you interested in applying for the UN Liaison Team?

Andrew Bartolo: Through my work with the UN, which you can say started in 2010 (and more officially in 2011) I have come to realise how vast the positive impact of the United Nations can be, and more than their impact I have also come to appreciate just how much they value the “youth voice” we strive so much to get heard! I feel that as a body the UN understands us young people, and wants us to take the initiative and use the platforms they provide as much as possible.

As I have previously said, I also greatly admire the work AEGEE does, so as soon as I heard of a possibility for the two to meet, work and grow together… how could I ignore such a chance?

Alvaro Espinosa: Well, I have been doing a lot of work on the last three years at local level (first as PR and nowadays as Vice President) not to mention the work we are all doing in the Tripulación through this term. However, I have been looking for a long time an appealing position at European Level; position that I couldn’t find for different reasons till I saw the OC to become a member of the UN Liaison Team.

I have a Bachelor’s in Laws and I focused my career on international law and international institutions, not to mention that I have worked before for the UNDP which is one of the bodies I am dealing with. So, I guess this is what I have been looking for during the past two years.

Alin Florin: There are many aspects and arguments! I have been working for the Liaison Office towards OSCE, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, since 2012 and decided to extend my duties within the Liaison Office because I believe I made great experiences in linking AEGEE and international organisations. The United Nations provides a great number of opportunities to get our students’ network involved and the fact of living in Vienna gives me the big advantage of meeting UN staff, attending conferences or gathering information easily since Vienna is one of the four headquarters of the UN.

Moreover, I know since the very beginning of my law studies that I want to work in an international field. I was very active on local level, in local boards and after one year I started to get involved in projects and bodies on European level as well. In the Juridical Commission I faced many challenging situations and developed my skills during two terms and at that time I was parallel in the local boards of AEGEE and ELSA / European Law Students’ Association in Vienna. Therefore, I decided to keep track on linking organisations for co-operation on European level but specialize more on international relations – so the Liaison Office was the only possible intersection, right? During the first term as Liaison Officer towards OSCE I realized the opportunities AEGEE has by co-operation with the big international players and I wanted to be part of the game in AEGEE.

Alin – You have been doing many things in the European Level of AEGEE, what makes you keep going and being so active?

Alin: Simply, I am an adventure addict so AEGEE is what I need. But the motivation to involve myself is also based on the opportunities AEGEE has provided me such as developing myself, seeing many countries and being part of an unprejudiced, cross-border melting pot. I remember all the amazing atmospheres during events, meetings and particularly the experiences I have made on European level during Agorae – especially within the Juridical Commission and so part of the Chair team – that pushed me further and further. The deeper you are involved the better your insight is and you find your place, the topics you want to work on and suits to your abilities. So in the end it is not a matter of duties anymore, you simply love what you do. Moreover, I was working with young and talented people in international teams. All colleagues I was working with are now close friends of mine and in the last years I had the honour to host some of them at my place every once in a while, which was always great fun. So as I said, AEGEE is a place where we can learn, gain new experiences and grow but also make the most out of aspiring minds.

You are a whole team work on the United Nations, what have you been working on so far with this new interesting position of yours?

Chucky: Currently we are an exceptionally motivated team of officers and have divided the various UN bodies according to the strengths of the individual. Work done so far varies from getting AEGEE accreditation within the different bodies, introducing ourselves and what we do, and having a better understanding of what they do, to giving suggestions and feedback on papers or documents to be presented to them, and in turn, the member states of these bodies. It is only been a few weeks but we have already found and used numerous occasions across the different institutions to really get our message across!

Alin: We have been drafting the base of an entire new body by Code of Conduct, activity plans, arranging online meetings and a future meeting this summer in Brussels. We have had meetings as a team and individual ones when it was necessary. Now we are focusing on the UN institutions, which we are appointed to. In my case it is ECOSOC – the Economic and Social Council, one of the six main bodies of the UN and also the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth. For both I could already acquire knowledge over the new opportunities we have in hand and join several online conferences. I am co-operating with external partners, Working Groups and local groups. We have applied for and will participate in several United Nations’ programmes. In my position towards OSCE I am working together with Comité Directeur members on projects related to human rights and conflict resolution. In the last months I had several promising meetings with OSCE representatives and business travels.

Alvaro: Adding to what we have been working on our visibility we have been working with social media and hope readers will follow us on Faebook (https://www.facebook.com/LOofAEGEE?fref=ts). Here you will be able to find all the opportunities offered by the UN for youth. Last but not least, we will create a Twitter account for the UN Liaison Team as soon as possible because it wouldn’t be possible to publish everything on the FB page.

How has it been so far?

Alvaro: INCREDIBLE. The group of people is amazing, I didn’t know many of them and the ones I knew was because I casually met them maybe in some Agorae but I cannot say that I had an opinion about these guys before, and having good interpersonal relations are the key to success.

Alin at the UN in Vienna

Alin: I have to say that I am really enjoying working for AEGEE, being part of this strong, international team and pursueing together for our students’ network aims. And this as much as possible next to my studies. The communication here works efficiently, the officers are highly motivated and we have enough possibilities to link relevant bodies for projects and meetings. So there is enough work to do and has to be managed next to our studies and travels.

What will you be working on in the future with the Liaison Team?

Chucky: If there is one thing that I have learnt it is to never try and guess what will happen, whether you want to or not you get attached to an idea and find it hard to change your mind! That being said in terms of where we see this going: we are currently working on an activity plan which we hope will highlight who we are, and what we plan to do in the near future, and in the long run.

Ultimately we hope to provide the Network with information, a chance to have their opinions heard (via feedback sessions or conference opportunities), as well as a better understanding of the UN how they work, and how we as young people can work with them.

Alvaro: I will be working with NGOs and other Civil Society Organizations which are UN System Partners (this program is Called “UN and Civil Society”) with UNDEF (United Nations Democracy Fund) and finally with UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) which is the biggest one and the most challenging. The truth is that the only one which I really know is the last one; that is why the team created a shared document to add all the information we can find about this bodies because we are starting from scratch with no knowledge transfer. It will help, not just us, but also future teams and AEGEE.

Alin: AEGEE will organise several meetings in the field of international relations and democracy. As the next project I hope we can visit the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of OSCE with an own AEGEE delegation in September and get involved in the projects of the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth. The international partners we are working with are on a super high level and provide an overwhelming pool of possibilities for co-operation. I am looking forward to a successful term with this new team and a valuable output for our AEGEE members.

It is always great to see motivated and enthusiastic people working together on such important things for AEGEE. Hopefully soon we will learn even more about the UN team and also introduce the rest of its members to the Network.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København

With this article I would like to bring to you closer one topic which affects us every day; it is the magical Internet. Did you ever ask yourself the question what is behind the phenomenon that makes you be able to connect with all your friends across the world? Now I don’t refer to a technical point of view, which is out of reach and focus of AEGEE, but I’m wondering if there is somebody behind this phenomenon, some institutions or government. Are you interested?

Let me introduce you to the Internet Governance (IG), which is according to definition of United Nations:

Internet governance is the development and application by Governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.

And what is the connection between IG and AEGEE? You might be surprised that there is a strong connection, especially in the field of young participation on big international events which discuss aspects of IG. In 2011 AEGEE organised, together with YEU, YFJ, JEF and Youthpress, an event in Belgrade prior to the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG). This partnership continued with last year’s edition of EuroDIG which took place in Stockholm and the Internet Governance Forum held in Baku and organised by UN.

European Youth representation at EuroDIG Stockholm 2012

What is behind these abbreviations like EuroDIG and IGF? IGF and EuroDIG are multi-stakeholder platforms aiming for discussions with all involved parties and this is the reason why they are so important. There are not so many places where you meet representatives of governments, CEOs of internet companies, human rights activists and youth. This was one of the reasons why this event was organized; to raise youth’s voice on a topic that is very important for our generation called “digital natives”, the generation that was born with internet access as a thing as common as TV.

This year our cooperation with other NGOs will include several activities and mostly the creation of a common platform which is called Network of EurRopean Digital Youth (NERDY), which gathers the aforementioned organisations and increase their cooperation in the field of IG. This year under this umbrella several activities will take place. The first one will be a workshop about IG at SpringAgora Rhein-Neckar, which will be followed by a  week-long capacity building training in Vienna at the beginning of May, and result in participation at EuroDIG 2013 in Lisbon.

Youth event prior to IFG 2012 Baku

You might think that these conferences are full of technology experts and geeks who use words that normal people don’t understand, but it is not like this. Topics which are discussed are more in policy-level and touch upon matters like copyrights, privacy, child protection, freedom of expression.

Furthermore, any member with an interest in the topic has the opportunity right now to apply for the event in Vienna.

Nobody has absolute control over the internet, as a global network is a living organism, however we can see that governments are trying to get control or try to apply laws which are currently used for classical media also to the internet. AEGEE is invited to express the opinion of European Students on this matter and it is on us to use this opportunity right, because it could infulence us all.

Written by Pavel Zborník, European Institutions and Communications Director

A few days ago the ICPD Global Youth Forum took place in Bali, Indonesia, where 1000 young activists from all over the world gathered to propose concrete recommendations to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon related to youth needs worldwide.

Luis Alvarado Martinez, President of AEGEE-Europe,  participated on behalf of AEGEE-Europe, and he answered a few questions to tell us what happened in Bali and why it has been important for AEGEE to be there.

The AEGEEan: What is the ICPD Global Youth Forum? What does it represent?

Luis Alvarado: The United Nations organized an International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, in 1994. One of the results of this conference was the creation of  the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Around 20,000 delegates from various governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and the media gathered for a discussion of many population issues, including immigration, infant mortality, birth control, family planning, the education of women, education, youth participation and protection for women from unsafe abortion services.

ICPD stands for the International Conference on Population and Development Beyond 2014. The ICPD is an initiative of the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) as a follow-up of all the work done from Cairo in 1994 onwards. It is also a preparation conference for the next conference which will happen in 2014 in Cairo again.

The ICPD Beyond 2014 provides a once-in-a-generation chance to define what needs to be done for a more equal, more sustainable world for the 7 billion people – and more – who share it. It identifies progress and achievements towards the goals set out in the landmark International Conference on Population and Development, when 179 governments committed to a 20 year Programme of Action to deliver human rights based development.

Evidence of what has worked and where challenges remain will be collected from governments, civil society organisations and partners using the ICPD Global Survey, civil society consultations and a series of thematic conferences.

The Beyond 2014 Review process will engage world leaders from governments and civil society and create a renewed consensus and global commitment to create a more equal and more sustainable world.

The Global Youth Forum as such is a conference which took place in Bali, Indonesia, gathering around 1000 high level youth leaders to draft concrete recommendations to be sent to the Secretary General of UN, Ban Ki Boon, and to Member States on the policies related and which affect young people.

How is/can AEGEE be involved?

It is necessary that our members can see the whole picture. Europe is only the first step. But there is a whole new and big world outside. This is why it is so important to encourage our members also to get involved and participate on a UN Global Level, taking their expertise and knowledge one step further.

We in AEGEE-Europe already count with an NGO consultative status inside UN. This means that we are often asked to give our input in several topics such as participation, civil society, education etc. But this is not enough. Our members must be more involved in UN activities by participating in the different conferences and initiatives organized throughout the year.

What has been AEGEE role in the conference?

AEGEE participated in the drafting of the final recommendations. It is an extraordinary document. They are the recommendations of the world’s youth towards national governments which tackle topics like Education, Health, Family and Sexuality, Employment, and Participation of Young people.

Even though we had lots of pressure from several national governments during the conference, specially the very religious ones, when drafting recommendations about the right to a safe abortion or against imposed marriages, finally we managed to get all the recommendations to pass through. A great job done by all the youth delegates.

Was there a preparation phase before? And what will be the follow up?

There were a set of consultations before the conference as a preparation phase. Now that the document has been approved, it will be sent to the Secretary General of United Nations, Ban Ki Moon himself. As you know, he has set Youth as one of his permanent priorities for the next years. After this, he will present this document to the General Assembly of the United Nations to be adopted and sent to all Member States.

Why was the participation of AEGEE granted by you and not the LO for the UN or a Policy Officer?

The Global Youth Forum is a high level youth meeting. I got an invitation as President to apply for the Conference. After discussing it with the CD we decided that it was appropriate and necessary for AEGEE to get involved further on the global level and influence even more.

There were very few delegates from Europe compared to the numbers from Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Together with the European Youth Forum and organizations like IFMSA (International Federation for Medical Students Association), EFIL (European Federation for Intercultural Learning), with whom we cooperate often in Brussels , I think we did a great job advocating and pushing for the rights of young Europeans.

Did this trip considerably affect the budget of AEGEE-Europe?

It is the policy of the UNFPA to cover the costs of this kind of events for all delegates, so participation on this event did not have an impact on the AEGEE-Europe budget. If we had needed to cover the costs from AEGEE-Europe budget, we would have declined to participate in spite of how relevant the participation can be. We receive plenty of open calls and we always evaluate the cost/benefits of attending each one of them, in terms of economical and time investment.

Did the participation in the event open up for new opportunities / ideas to develop as AEGEE?

Of course. As you can imagine, being a global platform with activists from all over the world gives you possibility to meet a lot of people and brainstorm about many ideas on future cooperation. After this I definitely see the need of AEGEE to get involved not only on the high European level, but also on a more global scale and United Nations level. There are many things which we can influence, as we did during Bali. If you check the recommendations you will see a lot of influence of AEGEE and the European Youth Forum who advocated very much for the presence in the document on things such as Non-Formal Education (NFE), recognition of the role of civil society and youth organizations, youth guarantees, improvements of education systems, co-management structures in governments and institutions for young people, more accessible and inclusive democratic processes for young people to participate, strengthening and supporting financially the National Youth Councils (NYCs) and International Non-Governmental Youth Organizations (INGYOs) like AEGEE and a very long etc.

The European Youth Delegation was very much prepared and experienced to this kind of consultation/conference. This allowed us to be much more efficient in our ideas and proposals.

Written by Alfredo Sellitti, AEGEE-Salerno

After the historical result of the vote during the last General Assembly of the United Nations held on the 28th November 2012, a possible new chapter opened in the history of the Middle East.

With an overwhelming majority, the United Nations welcomed the Palestinian Authority as “Non-member observer State”, upgrading it from the previous status of “entity”, and in this way implicitly recognising Palestine as a State.

While Europe was once again divided on the matter, with the Czech Republic voting against and nine states abstaining from the vote, a further step has been taken in the direction of a long-lasting peace in the area.

However, not only Europe was divided on the vote. While Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority and Chair of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, welcomed the decision of the UN, declaring that the intention of the bid was not “to delegitimize a State (Israel) established years ago, but rather to affirm the legitimacy of the State that must now achieve its independence”, a part of Palestinians felt indignation at a decision that means losing their rights and which was agreed by somebody not entitled to represent all Palestinians.

We must keep in mind that the Palestinian territory is divided in two parts: the West Bank, under control of the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza, governed by the Hamas which, through its leader Khaled Meshaal, backed Abbas as a joint strategy to empower all Palestinians.

Will the bid change anything? Will this decision help the peace process between Israel and Palestine?

While Hamas and Fatah are getting closer, the “symbolic” decision taken by the United Nations can be a starting point for a new era. European votes showed that rather than giving unconditional support to Israel, what really matters is the end of hostility. Their vote showed that Europe is finally interested in the conflict, and that the primary interest is no longer merely economic, but rather in achieving social stability in the area.

The “Two-states solution”, as the United Nations calls it, seems a little bit closer: war is never a successful solution, and if young people may forgive and look ahead, we can hope to see a new generation living together under the same sky.

Written by Alfredo Sellitti, AEGEE-Salerno & Fundraising Responsible of the EuroArab Project

“If blue helmeted UN peacekeepers show up in your town or village and offer to protect you, RUN.”

Andrew Thomson, Emergency Sex

Few days ago in the evening I was doing my usual stuff on the internet: surfing, surfing and again surfing internet news channels and Facebook/Twitter, when suddenly I noticed this controversial photo which at least for me was both too funny and a real cold shower late at night.

Yes, the photo maybe is too sarcastic but it has many things inside to say to the whole humankind. The UN peacekeeper with his blue helmet just standing nearby the banner of the UN with motto “Involved in Peace”. George W. Bush once made a great statement which I usually use a lot “The World has changed after September 11!”

As much as time is passing from 9/11, as much I understand that Mr. President was totally right. The new grasp of changes is spreading all over the world: political regimes which have been in charge for decades are tumbling down, new political elites are being formed, but just another question is being raised after all this: what will be the next? What shall we expect from the world order which is somewhat becoming something like a global chaos?

In the above-mentioned context the “Syria Case” is the one which shows best how modern international politics work out these days. No, I am absolutely not a pessimist nor a anti-globalization activist, far from it. I am always supporting any globalization initiative as in my personal perception it might be the real key to sustainable development and peace building in the world, but the situation that we see today in international politics mostly looks more like a global chaos, than like sustainable development; Syria is just a good example of that.

Already for 16 months Syria has been involved in civil war and what has been the reaction of global powers? Just meaningless resolutions and statements which in any case could not stop the war, the slaughterous fratricidal war between the Syrian current authorities and rebels. As a result, what do we see? Thousands of Syrians running from their homes to Jordan and Lebanon, big refugee camps on the Syrian-Turkish border, useless diplomatic missions of the Arab League and other international institutions.

In this regard I would like to pay special attention to the position which right now hold the United Nations, as the organization which is responsible for maintaining peace all over the world. During the last decades and particularly since the collapse of the Soviet Empire many researchers and experts of international politics have expressed positions that the UN should be reformed in order to meet the requirements of the world of the 21^st Century, but nobody could have imagined that this powerful, most important international institution may get into such a useless situation as the one it is in at the moment.

Sad to say, but the word “useless” for this moment totally describes the present situation, as one may easily check that even according to Wikipedia “The United Nations (abbreviated UN in English, and ONU in French and Spanish), is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security,economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions.”

Enough of Wikipedia, let’s get back to business: so where are international law, security,  economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace in Syria? A minute of break for thinking…

In the beginning of the 1990s there were big hopes that the end of US-Soviet rivalry, which in the past had paralyzed the Security Council of the UN, would mostly free the UN to become more effective. But these kind of hopes have soon been abandoned as during that period humankind experienced the horrible acts of genocide in Rwanda and massacres and genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia during which the blue helmeted UN peacekeepers were only following everything as observers and did not even raise a finger to stop the violence.

And another even more ironic fact is just coming to depress me even more: entering the official webpage of the United Nations Organization (http://www.un.org/), you see the following statement while picking the webpage’s language – United Nations: It’s your world!

Taking into account the latest developments in Syria and all over the Arab states during the last year and half, as well as the dark stories of the 1990’s, I do not know how the UN officials think about it, but I totally do not want to have such a world! A world filled with inequality and double standards, a world in which only the strongest states are bringing forward their political goals and interests, a world in which there is no security, no possibilities for guaranteeing economic development and social progress, a world in which human rights and peace are just some things which can easily be put on the negotiations table and could be exchanged for a barrel of oil! That is whole story of present international politics.

Usually in international affairs and politics, each time period has its name (Cold War, Versailles-Washington and etc.), so after making so many remarks and conclusions I have started to think about how the present time period will be called in the future.

Definitely in my opinion it should be called the age of  UNINVOLVEMENT in PEACE, as for a common observer it is obvious that neither the UN, nor any other power wants to dirty their hands with blood. It’s really high time for just RUNNING when we see blue helmeted peacekeepers somewhere in the world.

Written by Armenak Minasyants, AEGEE-Yerevan & Speaker of International Politics WG