Who is the AEGEE member of the year 2020? Which antenna, which project was the best? What were the highlights of the year? And what will 2021 bring? The Golden Times asked more than 50 active AEGEE members. Over the next week you can see what they answered. In this second edition: read what Marco Melatti, Shakira Rompf and Julian van Loo said.

Marco Melatti, Project Manager of Europe on Track 8, AEGEE-Torino

Golden Times: What was your personal AEGEE highlight in 2020?

Organising the first online live meeting of Europe on Track 8 in October and presenting the project together with most of the team at the Online Agora only one week later. It was one of the most intense weeks of my life and I am grateful I could share it with the wonderful project team that I have had the honour to lead since July.

Which moments of AEGEE-Europe in general in 2020 do you remember most vividly or as outstanding?

I believe the memories of the beginning of March are the most painstakingly vivid in my head. With Coronavirus starting to threaten Europe after ravaging my home region, I remember my shock at the inaction of most of AEGEE-Europe’s bodies, incapable of realising the gravity of the situation and taking countermeasures. Luckily, this changed only in a few days, when we finally accepted that the crisis was much deeper than initially thought.

Who was for you the outstanding member in 2020?

Since I can’t nominate each and every single member of my project team, as they are 10 amazing people, I will look a bit outside of the box. My special shout-outs go to:

  • Elitsa Hadzhieva, for guiding Europe on Track through one of the darkest phases of its history, for giving us the most complete knowledge transfer ever, and most importantly for being an awesome person and AEGEEan
  • Borja Torres Fuentes, for always being there and giving his 110% in everything he does in CD
  • Roberto Meneghetti, for the great exchanges of opinions we had and for being the hero the Rainbow needed in these troubled times.

Which was for you the outstanding antenna in 2020?

Both AEGEE-Yerevan and AEGEE-Moskva deserve recognition for not giving up on their Agora dream, and I hope that they will have the opportunity to host us in their cities in the next years. But the antenna that really stood out for me this year is AEGEE-Bergamo: coming from one of the hardest-hit cities by the Covid-19 crisis, they have always been in the front line, from encouraging donations with their campaign “Make your Move” to organising both formative and fun online activities, all while some of the members were personally engaged as volunteers locally. To me, they are a true example of civic involvement.

What was for you the outstanding European project, working group or interest group in 2020?

I might be partial here, but the seventh edition of Europe on Track was very successful even while having to move everything online in just a few days – it was an amazing job in an uncertain situation. I would also like to nominate Political Activism Working Group, as we enthusiastically started a fruitful cooperation which you’ll see more of in 2021!

What is the biggest opportunity for AEGEE in 2021?

We accumulated a great expertise in online events, and I think we should aim at further expanding it and providing even more opportunities for fun and non-formal education to all young people who are forced in their homes. Even when we have the possibility to organise in-person events again, we should still provide blended experiences – combinations of online and offline activities – to increase our outreach to those areas where we aren’t physically present.

The Corona crisis hit AEGEE hard in 2020. What measures should AEGEE take to overcome the crisis? Maybe you also see some positive examples in the network that you can name?

Even when the vaccinations will start and physical meeting will be possible again, we should keep having plan B’s for our in-person events: as we saw at the beginning of 2020, the situation with Coronavirus can precipitate very quickly, and guaranteeing the health and safety of our volunteers and participants should keep being our top priority. Moreover, organising three online Agorae showed us that they can be a more efficient and environmentally friendly solution for our decision-making processes, so I would love to see a discussion starting about whether we need to have our general assemblies always in person, or if we can think of other methods.

What are your personal AEGEE plans for 2021?

Together with the rest of the team, I would like to bring Europe on Track 8 to yet another successful year with its first blended edition – with offline and online routes happening at the same time and the highest amount of routes ever. In May and June, we will be taking care of reporting the results and selecting a new team for the 9th edition, so the first half of 2021 will be pretty busy. After that, I think it will be high time for me to really think about AEGEE retirement and starting “adult life” – I should be done with my master’s degree sometime next year – but I’ve been saying this for the past two years already so I might as well stick around longer…

 

Shakira Rompf, Project Manager Eastern Partnership Project+, AEGEE-Bamberg, AEGEE-Yerevan

Golden Times: What was your personal AEGEE highlight in 2020?

My personal highlight was the “AEGEEans in quarantine” group and all activities organized in the beginning of the pandemic. It was super amazing to see how AEGEE can also work and how people tried to motivate and support each other through the difficult times. I was deeply impressed how adaptive we were and how much interest existed towards online events, workshops and so on. It was very clear that the high interest will decrease throughout the year as we all get a bit overdosed by online sessions. Everyone is working or studying remotely and so it is pretty understandable that not so many members are still up for additional online sessions.

 Which moments of AEGEE-Europe in general in 2020 do you remember most vividly or as outstanding?

My outstanding moment in 2020 was definitely the first online Agora ever. Who could have imagined something like that to be necessary… Despite the last minute realization of this event, it was very smooth running and very well working, which was to some extend surprising. Besides that, we had three Agorae this year which is also something remarkable. Who could say about themselve that one was part of an extraordinary Agora of AEGEE-Europe?

Who was for you the outstanding member in 2020?

  • First and foremost, Armenak Minasyants. There’s a reason why Golden Times once called him “the most active AEGEE member in the Caucasus region in the past decade”. Bringing three statutory events to Yerevan within three years is just amazing. He is the driving force and the main pillar behind our project called Agora Yerevan 2020/21. I never met a person who is so committed, hardworking, skilled and inspiring as he is. The world definitely needs more people like Armenak.
  • Secondly, as always, my dear friend Evita Ločmele. From time to time I have to ask her in which European bodies she is still active, but I am super proud of Ms. Secretary of Autumn Agora and Extraordinary Agora 2020! There is one special moment in 2020 of Evita and me that I will never forget even if none of us remembers it 100% #cheers! I couldn’t be happier calling Evita one of my best friends for almost four years now.
  • Number three is Gunnar. No matter what I need to know, which question I have or what I might complain about, he is a walking encyclopaedia, always helping and providing creative ideas for possible solutions of all occurring problems and sooo incredible valuable for AEGEE. He should be appreciated more and so I want to thank you, Gunnar, a lot for all you have done and for each and every time you were supporting me in all the last years. 

Which was for you the outstanding antenna in 2020?

There were a lot outstanding antennae who did great throughout the year. Of course I have to nominate my all-time-favorite antenna AEGEE-Yerevan. After so many huge obstacles regarding the cancelled Agora, the pandemic, some half-truths shared during spring Agora, the downgrading, the war… they are still passionate about Agora Yerevan, AEGEE in general and it makes me quite proud to see an increasing interest of their members to join up various European Bodies! I am so proud to also call myself a member of AEGEE-Yerevan <3 #letsgethay.

Having said that, also AEGEE-Moskva should be named here. They fought so hard during the last years to bring the Agora to Russia and also they had to cancel the event they were dreaming of for so long. It is making me quite happy to see that they applied again for hosting the Agora in 2021 and they are also willing to put one more year in the planning and the realization of their dream. That’s very remarkable!

Last but not least I would like to mention AEGEE-Nijmegen. They organized some very cool events during their “Europe Week“ together with a lot of European Bodies on a large scale of thematic topics which was super nice and a lot of people all across the network participated in it. I loved the idea and so it was no discussion that also EaP+ is providing some workshops. Thanks to AEGEE-Nijmegen for that amazing opportunity!

What was for you the outstanding European project, working group or interest group in 2020?

One of the outstanding projects of this year was definitely SUCT. As they had to cancel all of the Summer Universities due to the pandemic they invented the SU database which is a very nice tool for all European Bodies and all interested locals to check their opportunities for content-rich workshops. I sincerely hope SUCT will find its way and choose the right path for the future.

Secondly I would like to mention the new edition of the “Where Does Europe End” Project. It requires a lot of passion to start something more or less new in Covid times when no physical events are possible and members are simply tired of more online work… I wish them all the best and hope they’ll be successful in the upcoming year.

Thirdly I have to nominate my own project: The Eastern Partnership Project +. As I do it every year, I would also like to thank each and every member of this project for working so hard, passionate and tirelessly on our main goal, the European integration. It wouldn’t be possible without my amazing team and I am incredibly proud of them!

Worth to say that this year was one of the most challenging ones in the last years. But we keep on believing in the importance of that topic and the reason for its existence – no matter who tries to tell us differently!

What is the biggest opportunity for AEGEE in 2021?

The biggest opportunity in 2021 will be the possibility to travel again – hopefully! I am sure we will see an increasing interest in events again and the willingness to travel as soon as the pandemic is over. That’s not just a chance for events like Agora, but also for the Summer Universities who struggled a bit with participants in the last years. Maybe we will be able to change back from quantity to quality events. That would be nice…

The Corona crisis hit AEGEE hard in 2020. What measures should AEGEE take to overcome the crisis? Maybe you also see some positive examples in the network that you can name?

In my opinion we should have used the pandemic times to restructure ourselves and get to know how we want to proceed as an organization. SUCT tried to do that for this specific project but I wish to see more attention to some possible changes. We simply can’t continue the way we did before as it is quite clear that all our lives will not be back soon to the old „normal“ we were used to. What I really liked to see was the high support for each other when the pandemic began. I hope someday it will be a reality again that we are a big international family and we stick together no matter what. That doesn’t mean not to question things or not being critical. It’s more a question of appreciation and not trying to prevent people from doing what they would like to do. We shouldn’t limit ourselves to only a few topics and try to cut everything else that is not directly connected to them.

What are your personal AEGEE plans for 2021?

My personal plans are very simple so far: Doing my best to organize the best Agora ever in AEGEE history with my beloved local AEGEE-Yerevan and – as always – fight for the recognition of EaP+ by prove ourselves right and proving the others wrong!

Best wishes, merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of you! I sincerely hope to see you all soon somewhere in Europe!

 

Julian van Loo, Speaker of the Sustainability Committee, EPM 2021 Content Manager, AEGEE-Delft

Golden Times: What was your personal AEGEE highlight in 2020?

This was definitely EPM Barcelona. It was my first EPM, the weather and the people were great, and I had just visited Bilbao with AEGEE-Delft. I found the combination of diving into a thematic topic, drafting the Action Agenda and having fun fantastic! A close second is NWM Zagreb, where I could see many friends again and meet new ones. This was just a week before the entire continent went into lockdown and not only Covid, but also an earthquake shook up Zagreb.

Which moments of AEGEE-Europe in general in 2020 do you remember most vividly or as outstanding?

The first online Agora was a surreal experience for me. Especially the opening roll call was different than usual, perhaps even more chaotic. Being a Chair Team assistant, I had to browse through three pages of participants and unmute them one by one, which was quite stressful – especially because Chair Monika kept up a high pace! Another thing that is outstanding to me is the launch of the new Focus Areas, and the amount of focus sustainability has gotten this year.

Who was for you the outstanding member in 2020?

Four people come to mind, and I cannot pick one person that was most outstanding.

  • First, Heiko Kirchner was the hero we needed – though perhaps not the one we deserved – during the online Agorae. He was able to bring order and clarity in the chaos, and my favourite moment is Heiko showing a table of outcomes for voting on two related motions.
  • Another awesome person is Marija Valentina Zuvic. She organised NWM Zagreb, became CD member and is now our amazing CD responsible for the Sustainability Committee, where she helped to reshape the committee. Her lovely smile always brightens up our meetings!
  • I would also like to mention Veva, for both her work in the Chair Team and of course as Secretary General in the CD.
  • Of course, I would like to give a special mention to Julia Gospodinova, who has put an enormous amount of effort in shaping and leading the Sustainability Committee! She is a wonderful person to work together with!

Which was for you the outstanding antenna in 2020?

AEGEE-Tartu! They were so full of energy and enthusiasm to organise EPM Tartu and just lovely people in general. While the EPM cannot take place in Tartu unfortunately, they did not give up their good spirit and are still planning a local conference. I hope I’ll be able to visit them another time.

What was for you the outstanding European project, working group or interest group in 2020?

I am astonished by how much energy the new Working Groups have. They have amazing members who are working hard to get the most out of the Focus Areas. Especially the Mental Health WG and the Climate Emergency WG have done so much already. Keep up the good work!

What is the biggest opportunity for AEGEE in 2021?

AEGEE is proof that you can combine fun and social events with thematic projects and learning. We should use this to our advantage and attract new members that are looking for social connections and fulfilment. Especially in times like these a network such as AEGEE can be really valuable.

The Corona crisis hit AEGEE hard in 2020. What measures should AEGEE take to overcome the crisis? Maybe you also see some positive examples in the network that you can name?

We should focus on the factors and values that connect us, and use those to our advantage. Find the interests of the members, and tailor our activities to those, while focusing on the connection between members. Many great initiatives have popped up this year, such as buddy programmes, postcrossings, and radio shows. It is now easier than ever to connect with other locals. I hope that these survive and can be used to exit the pandemic smarter and more humane than when we entered it!

What are your personal AEGEE plans for 2021?

As Content Manager, the EPM will be my first highlight at the end of February. You will be able to participate in sessions from many talented speakers and interesting organisations, so apply while you still can! I don’t know what the future will bring after that, but I will definitely stay involved in the sustainability side of AEGEE. And I’ve been impatiently looking forward to going to Yerevan and Moscow, so fingers crossed that we’ll be able to go there next year!