What happened in AEGEE in 2012? What will be the highlights in 2013? In the sixth part of the AEGEE Golden Times you will find the opinions and expectations of Alfredo Sellitti, Wieke van der Kroef, Szabina Hellinger, Atanas Nachkov, Elena Toader and Felipe Gonzalez Santos.
Alfredo Sellitti, Former President of AEGEE-Europe, Speaker of the Corporate Relations Committee, Fund-Raising Manager of the EuroArab Project
What was your personal AEGEE highlight in 2012?
I guess Summer University “Non Solo Sole” in Salerno. After a couple of years where I couldn’t attend a SU in Salerno as it was happening in August during the knowledge transfer for the CD, I was happy to see plenty of new members of AEGEE-Salerno managing the SU perfectly. Feeling the spirit of an SU once again was priceless!
AEGEE-Europe had many memorable moments in 2012. Which one do you remember most vividly or was outstanding?
For sure the moment I will never forget will be the “surprise” from the previous CD members when they announced me one minute before the opening plenary of Agora Enschede that they would ask for a vote of no-confidence for me. It was totally unexpected, together with the series of lies said on stage. In that moment I figured out that even in AEGEE we are not different from other organisations, I was sure that something like this would have been the final point of a common discussion, not a surprise in front of the Agora.
What are your personal AEGEE plans for 2013?
For sure to continue what I started: the commitment with the Corporate Relations Committee, the EuroArab Project and the AEGEEan…and then we’ll see if anything else will pop up.
What do you foresee as a highlight or big topic in AEGEE in 2013?
I would love to see the migration and the enlargement topics discussed, we’ll see how our projects will bring them on!
Who were for you the outstanding members in 2012?
Difficult to say. I guess Manos Valasis, he has become my brother since we were together in the CD; Alla Resheten, the closest sister I had and the person that helped me a lot after Agora Enschede and kept me inspired; Alma Mozgovaja, the closest person I had in the CD during my Presidency and “my second best choice”. I should mention as well many more people, all the CD members 2010/2011, we built up a family back then, and the family still keeps going… Also some friends from AEGEE-Salerno, not active anymore on local level, but who kept the AEGEE spirit also out of AEGEE, and last but not least Olga. After all, she was with me at every happy and sad moment of this 2012.
How/where will you spend New Year’s night?
At home with my family as usual. That was the thing I was missing when I was abroad: a huge table with plenty of people I love all together starting a new year: new challenges, new opportunities, but still affording them all together.
Wieke van der Kroef, Network Commissioner
What was your personal AEGEE highlight in 2012?
This is a hard question for me, as I hardly ever look back. I mostly keep looking forward to what is still to come. I think the most memorable moment for me was writing my candidature for Netcom. I wrote it while being surrounded by my team of Subcoms and Luis. Marije was sitting on my left and Mathieu on my right and I had Paul and Luis on Skype joining the discussion about what should be in our plans. I am 100 percent sure that I would not have applied if they would not have assisted me.
AEGEE-Europe had many memorable moments in 2012. Which one do you remember most vividly or was outstanding?
I think I would pick a moment during the closing plenary of the Agora Budapest. The fact that a strong, active local as Enschede, who has just put all their effort in organising an Agora, felt so disrespected in their rights that they had to get up and leave, was horrible for me. When they left because of the indiscretion of the Juridical Commission and Chair, my motivation to work for AEGEE almost left the room with them. And it was even harder to realise that Paul would not be able to really feel the joy and pride of being elected as Vice Chairperson after that moment. That this fact has gotten little attention, at the time and after the Agora still bothers me…
What are your personal AEGEE plans for 2013?
I will organise a Network Meeting with AEGEE-Leiden on thematics in AEGEE and I hope that this will prepare my locals for the EBM. Besides that I am very much looking forward to starting a contact in London and working with them as well as the contact in Den Haag on being upgraded at Agora Rhein-Neckar. And lastly as my term as Netcom ends at Agora Rhein-Neckar I am still looking for a new challenge in AEGEE after that time.
What do you foresee as a highlight or big topic in AEGEE in 2013?
I am looking forward to the outcomes of the Europe on Track project and the Policy Officers conferences. I hope they will give the network a good thematic boost. On the organisational level I hope that we will finally be able to make work of a structural change of the CIA. I know this has been planned before and has never happened, but I know there is a group of people willing and able to finally take this up. If indeed this problem will be tackled, I foresee it will take up quite some time and input of all the people active on the European level.
Who were for you the outstanding members in 2012?
I would like to mention two that have been outstanding to the organisation as a whole and also to me personally. The first is one is Ermanno Napolitano, he has been very active in the Juridical Commission and after Enschede as Mediation Commissioner. He does a lot of work behind the scenes and is someone who is able to affect others – like me – with his endless enthusiasm and motivation. The second one is Marije Arentze from AEGEE-Leiden. Marije is one of my Subcommies and co-editors of the AEGEEan and over the last year I have gotten to know her very well. Even though we live hours away, we talk almost every day about anything and everything. She has helped me enormously in my work as Netcom, but she has meant even more to me on a personal level. She has become someone I trust completely and someone I love sharing ideas with. I know she takes my opinion seriously and she is honest when giving hers.
How/where will you spend New Year’s night?
I will be spending New Years in Marrakech, Morocco, together with Mathieu and my family: Pinguin, whom quite some AEGEEans have met at the Agora, my parents and my wonderful brother, whom I have been missing very much since I moved from Amsterdam to Antwerpen.
Szabina Hellinger, Higher Education Days, AEGEE-Bologna Refounder
What was your personal AEGEE highlight in 2012?
I am spending now my Erasmus in Bologna and with Roberto Molica we are working hard on AEGEE-Bologna’s re-establishment. It was also more than a pleasure getting the possibility to welcome the Europe on Track project here even though we are not an antenna yet..
AEGEE-Europe had many memorable moments in 2012. Which one do you remember most vividly or was outstanding?
Franck Biancheri’s speech at Agora Enschede. It was impressing and amasing to hear the founder of our association about his own point of view and about where we are standing according to his expectations.
What are your personal AEGEE plans for 2013?
I am trying to do my best to help as much as possible to re-establish AEGEE-Bologna until I am here. Moreover I would like to enhance my work in the Higher Education Days project. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough time for this this year. In 2013 I would like to achieve all the goals in the project which motivated me to join.
What do you foresee as a highlight or big topic in AEGEE in 2013?
Higher Education, mobility and non-formal education have been topics in AEGEE forever, but I would like to add one more: the cooperation between other student associations, meaning: the focus to achieve a goal together instead of competing.
Who was for you the outstanding member in 2012?
Beáta Matuszka. I was getting involved in AEGEE when she was the human resources responsible of AEGEE-Budapest. I have been following her work since that time, and I have seen how much she has done for AEGEE and how much she gave us. During the Agora in Enschede when she was elected as a CD member, she told in her presentation she believes in the butterfly effect, meaning one person with one small movement could change the world, and I can see it already.
How/where will you spend New Year’s night?
In Budapest with my family and with my Mother’s huge Hungarian dishes
Atanas Nachkov, President of Juridical Commission
What was your personal AEGEE highlight in 2012?
Having a postcard signed from the whole continent. My best birthday ever!
AEGEE-Europe had many memorable moments in 2012. Which one do you remember most vividly or was outstanding?
Well, that’s a tough question. It’s difficult to choose between the vote of confidence preparation and the turnabout in the last moment, the resignations of the Chairperson and the Juridical Commission President, the Extraordinary Agora or the implementation of the electronic voting system. I remember each detail and all of these events were outstanding by themselves. They were happening at the same time or they were connected with each other, so let’s just say that the whole year was very turbulent and has to be considered as a whole. Moreover, when you are on the stage, you live in a different dimension and the picture is blurred.
What are your personal AEGEE plans for 2013?
Until Agora Rhein-Neckar I need to create a good and a very collaborative team and educate the new Juridical Commission subcommissioners to become fully responsible and reliable commissioners. This is crucial not just for me, but for the whole association as well. Another thing is the CIA Reform commitment, because this is a project, which turned out to be much harder to implement and not many people are interested in it.
What do you foresee as a highlight or big topic in AEGEE in 2013?
I’m not a fortune teller, but I guess the Comité Directeur will finally find a new home. I can only hope it will be cleaner, with more showers and in a more central place in Brussels.
Who were for you the outstanding members in 2012?
First of all, it’s Marko Grdosic. Simply, for some decisions you need to have the guts and he proved to be a person who has them, unlike most people. Secondly, it’s all members of the Chair Team of Agora Budapest. Working with them was a pleasure, which I will never forget!
How/where will you spend New Year’s night?
I still haven’t talked to Ermanno, so I don’t know yet. I’m kidding, I think to go up in the mountains and spend it there with some friends.
Elena Toader, Eastern Partnership Project Team
What was your personal AEGEE highlight in 2012?
I can say that my last semester in the board of AEGEE-Passau was a highlight. We recruited motivated members and had some new initiatives like the exchange with AEGEE-Budapest and AEGEE-Delft and the “Greek Week”. Because of my university obligations, it was quite challenging, but my team was great and in the end I learned a lot, had fun and most importantly: made friends for life. I also think we left a good legacy to AEGEE-Passau, which is in very good hands now. Another highlight was the meeting of the Eastern Partnership Project (EaP) team in Brussels, where we started from zero and got to plan events for whole 2013 in less than two days. It was a very productive and inspiring meeting! The first successful Youth in Action application – we got 32,000 Euro – as Fundraising Manager of EaP was a highlight as well.
AEGEE-Europe had many memorable moments in 2012. Which one do you remember most vividly or was outstanding?
The speech of Franck Biancheri at the Agora Enschede. Such a revolutionary spirit is nowadays rarely seen.
What are your personal AEGEE plans for 2013?
In 2013 I will dedicate much of my time to the Fundraising European School (FRES) which I am co-managing. My plans also include the projects of the Eastern Partnership Project team: conferences in Delft, Brno, Bruxelles and a bus ride through Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. I would love to attend the two Agorae, too, in case there is some time left.
What do you foresee as a highlight or big topic in AEGEE in 2013?
Currently there are many teams and committees in AEGEE, so each of their projects might turn into a highlight in one year. My feeling is that the newly elected Policy Officers will come up with new ideas and make the voice of AEGEE heard.
Who was for you the outstanding member in 2012?
This year I met many new members who stand out through their skills and willingness to change things. But if I have to mention the most outstanding member, this is Alla Resheten. I guess there is no surprise, everybody knows she is a superwoman. It seems her days have more than 24 hours. I am happy to be part of the same team and hope to discover the secret of Alla’s engagement in so many projects at the same time until the end of 2013.
How/where will you spend New Year’s night?
Of course I can’t spend such an important moment without AEGEE. I will be exploring a new city for me – Krakow – with new and old AEGEE friends.
Felipe Gonzalez Santos, Policy Officer on Youth Participation
What was your personal AEGEE highlight in 2012?
I haven’t had the chance to go to any event this year, but I am sure that 2013 will bring me many AEGEE moments, starting from the EBM Valleta!
AEGEE-Europe had many memorable moments in 2012. Which one do you remember most vividly or was outstanding?
I think it was the focus into thematics of this CD and the great videos and VIPs of Agora Budapest. I think also the Europe on Track project is a great part of this 2012.
What are your personal AEGEE plans for 2013?
First, I would like to find time again to go to statutory events. Then, I really want to work on AEGEE’s future position papers on Youth Participation and be able to develop greater contacts with institutions and other stakeholders. Another of my plans is to organise, together with the rest of Policy Officers and the local organisers, a big thematic conference in Brussels to present AEGEE’s position papers.
What do you foresee as a highlight or big topic in AEGEE in 2013?
I am certain that the EBM in 2013 is going to be a great success. I also hope that AEGEE’s position papers that all Policy Officers will develop will gather the attention of external stakeholders and June’s conference will be one of the many AEGEE hits and set up a great habit for future years.
Who were for you the outstanding members in 2012?
For me AEGEE is much more about creating together than highlighting single members. AEGEE-Bratislava & the HRWG organised a great thematic pre-event to Agora Budapest. Also the guys of the Europe on Track project, who are having an amazing experience and take part in an innovative and promising project at the same time.
How/where will you spend New Year’s night?
I will spend my New Year’s eve in León, with all my family. Breaking the Spanish stereotype, I will not go out for partying that night but rather staying at home – which doesn´t necessarily mean that I will sleep! Since I moved out of Spain four years ago I appreciate much more this kind of family evenings.
