The Netcom Times Agora Skopje
27th of October 2011
Struga
THE BALKANS: FINALLY STABLE?
The Zastava GT55 parked at Sveti Stefan, Montenegro.
Touring the Balkans with a Zastava
by Koen Berghuis “The Balkans,” according to the great journalist C.L. Sulzberger, “is a peninsula filled with people who loved and murdered easily and had a splendid talent for starting war.” This magnificent part of Europe was once very popular among Western tourists, but after the breakup of Yugoslavia and the wars that followed, once popular places like Ohrid could never regained their pre-independence tourist levels. Just like Sulzberger, I
always adored the Balkans and its great people. That is why some good AEGEE friends (Nico, Wouter and Berend) and I decided to buy a local car and tour the less well-known parts of this area. While many people enjoy the famous places on the Croatian coast like Dubrovnik, how many of us do really know how people in the Bosnian countryside think? How people in Kosovo live? How the situation is right now, twenty years after the start of the first hostilities? We really wanted to find out, so we took a flight to Sofia, bought ourselves a Zastava and started driving! While for many the fight-
ing in the 1990’s came as a surprise, some people already knew it was just a matter of time before hell would break loose. The Balkans were always a place of ethnic warfare and shifting borders. Macedonia has always been contested by Serbian, Bulgarian, and Greek powers, not to mention the conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the past. In 1988, the late Yugoslav dissident Milovan Đilas already predicted the events that would follow in the decade after. Of course tensions eased over the last few years. Nonetheless, thinking all the problems are over for good turned out to be a mistake.
When we set off from Sofia on our way to Niš and Prishtina, we had our first encounter with one of the many conflicts still present. Some borders between Kosovo and Serbia had been closed because of fighting between Kosovar police and Serbians who still form the majority in parts of Kosovo. We had to make a detour to get around the problem areas to head into Kosovo. After buying compulsory insurance for our car at the border (called an “administrative line” by the Serbians) we finally crossed the border and headed into Kosovo. Continue reading on page 2
Words from the Speaker Dear Network, I love autumn! It’s the beginning of a new university year with its new courses, new projects, new CD, a brand new Agora and most of all – many new enthusiastic people joining AEGEE or taking their first steps on the European level. Look around you, the people you see sitting next to you are the ones who will be the most active during the following years in AEGEE, new project founders or even your future netcommies! Best case scenario, you’re actually one of them! Let’s never forget the value of a truly European environment such as we have in AEGEE, where we can see beyond national politics and make friends with other students, remembering more what unites us than what separates us. You will find in this edition of the Netcom Times some examples of the life of AEGEEans in its different moments and aspects – travelling around the Balkans in an old, broken-down car, being part of a European youth organization in Belarus and what it means to be a netcommie! Last but not least, let’s all take a few moments to remember that Europe is not yet the peaceful and conflictfree zone we’d like it to be. Our work is surely not done and now is the time to act! Let’s remember the problems that exist and bring people together – in the spirit of AEGEE, towards a more peaceful and stable future. Europeanly yours, Olimpia Pârje
Continuation from page 1 While the city of Prishtina seems to prosper with lots of new buildings, there is still a sizeable U.N. contingent driving around the streets. Getting around in a Serbian car with a Bulgarian license plate resulted in raised eyebrows and got us into trouble with the local police. Only when we planted an Albanian flag on our car people seemed to cheer up. For both Kosovars and Serbians, reconciliation seems still far away. If there is one place that looks like it has found back its pre-war atmosphere, it must be Sarajevo. When we left Kosovo and travelled on to Bosnia, I immediately fell in love again with Sarajevo. I visited the city one time three years ago in winter and already liked it a lot then. But now in the summer heat with all the people walking outside on the streets, sipping coffee in the sidewalk cafes, and showing off their Balkan flair in heated discussions, it was even better. With tourists abound, the city is really buzzing. Only the bullet holes in the walls of a few houses tell the story of the past. It is a different story in Mostar, another popular tourist hotspot in Bosnia.
At first sight everyone is enjoying themselves. And while the famous old bridge of Mostar, which has been destroyed in the war, is now repaired, you can still see an ethnic division in the city if you look around closely enough. One side of the river is still the Bosniak area, the other the Croatian area and residents are still not interacting too much. When a Tunisian friend of mine visited Mostar one week before me, he emailed me that he was harassed at the Croatian side because of his Muslim first name. When we drove on to Croatia, we got many more reminders that while the war already ended years ago, memories can still be fresh. Even in the most touristic parts of Croatia you will find the portraits of Ante Gotovina with the text “hero not criminal� written below. But while Gotovina, a Croatian general, was convicted on war crime charges, 95% of Croatians think the punishment is unjust and 88% still see him as a hero. If you are looking for it, memories of the violent past of the Balkans are easily found. Luckily, this part of Europe has much more to offer: astounding natural beauty, pristine beaches,
beautiful old towns and amazingly warm and friendly people everywhere. Most of the people already got over all the past troubles and have excellent relationships with their neighbours, both inside their countries as well as beyond their borders. This is certainly true for young people which every one of us can notice when interacting with all our AEGEE friends from the Balkans. But when I stood in front of the many gravestones of fallen Bosnian soldiers in Sarajevo, I realised peace and stability cannot be taken for granted. Right now we live in relatively stable times, but things can change easily, as has happened many times before in the past. Even if we had quite some armed conflicts during the last decades, it is still nothing compared to the Napoleonic Wars or the Second World War. Therefore, we should always remind ourselves how important it is not to forget where this continent came from. With many conflicts still lumbering in many parts of Europe, working on peace and stability is a never-ending process that we as AEGEE should not take lightly!
The Network Commission is present everywhere, even in the lovely town of Mostar.
KGB founder Dzerzhinsky is still present in Minsk.
What is feels like to be an AEGEE-Minsk member
by Ahniya Asanovich Being a European organ, AEGEE-Minsk, in cooperation with other AEGEE antennae, can develop cultural competence among Belarusian students, create the platform for a Belarusian youth initiative, non-formal education and communication with young people from Europe. AEGEE-Minsk vigorously and creatively accomplished these tasks since 1999, making Europe visible and feasible for Belarusians and discovering Belarus for other young Europeans. It were mainly creativity and leadership that helped AEGEE’s founding fathers and veterans to implement this brilliant local and European events which, one could think, would be absolutely impossible to establish in Belarus. Each event and initiative is a serious challenge for AEGEEMinsk. Youth organisational activities, self-coordination and independent communication with Europe have never been a common practice in Belarusian society and were a rather intolerable phenomenon for the Belarusian government. AEGEE-Minsk is not supported by the government, public institutions and universities, it cannot
apply for national grants, and finances its projects through participation fees. Today, the members of AEGEE-Minsk never know what will be the consequences of being active, making PR, lobbying, communicating, fund-raising and looking for sponsors in Belarus. Though AEGEE is a non-political organisation, it is active and oriented towards Europe, so AEGEEMinsk risks being misunderstood by Belarusian authorities and local people. Nevertheless, young people from AEGEE-Minsk have already been cheering up Belarus and Europe with its creative activities since eight years, while being deprived of the practices available for their European colleagues. In 2010-2011, AEGEEMinsk faces the problem of not being ready to the occurring generation succession, human resources deficit (passive social capital), and lack of leadership due to the inconvenient political situation and history of the state. AEGEE-Minsk is passing through the formation of new leaders which will give AEGEE-Minsk project a fresh start and lead the Belarusian youth to a better future.
The Seven Big Conflict Areas of Europe by Koen Berghuis Thanks to the integration of European countries, Europe is far more stable today than it has ever been before. Unfortunately, when it comes to peace and stability not every country is like Switzerland. Let’s take a look at the eight biggest conflicts we can find throughout the continent. Cyprus – Ever since Ottoman times the island of Cyprus has been inhabited by both Turkish and Greek people. When Cyprus won its independence from Britain, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots were set to rule the island together under a new constitution. However, tensions flared up and after a coup by Nicos Sampson, Turkey
intervened. Ever since, the separation of the island between Cyprus (Greek) and North Cyprus (Turkish) was a fact. As nobody except for Turkey recognises the state of North Cyprus it hinders the potential EUmembership for Turkey. Kosovo – Following their defeat by the Ottomans in 1389, the Serbs abandoned the region to the Albanians. Serbia regained control again over Kosovo in 1913. Decades of pernicious neglect followed and when Kosovars called for more autonomy in demonstrations, they were violently put down by the Serbian military. The Kosovo Liberation Army was formed in 1996, and they began to harass the Serbs. Hostilities broke
out which resulted in many people being displaced from their homes. In 2008 Kosovo was declared an independent state, but so far is not recognised as such by countries like Russia, Spain, and Romania. Serbia still considers Kosovo to be part of their country. Kurds – Ethnic Kurds compose a significant portion of the population in Turkey. Since 1984, Kurdish resistance movements included both peaceful political activities for basic civil rights for Kurds within Turkey and violent armed rebellion for a separate Kurdish state. Russia – The big conflict areas in Russia are found in the Caucasus. In regions like Dagestan,
Turkish-Armenian peace?
by Selin Siviş Within the framework of “Peace and Stability”, a Turkish–Armenian project group has been founded in 2008 in AEGEE-Ankara. After a one-year thematic study, the group realised a project called “Two Sides of a Mountain” in the Vakıflı Village of Hatay in 2009. In order to improve communication between the Turkish and Armenian youth and create a common voice, workshops, discussions, and activities were organised. Participants received trainings on teamwork, intercultural communication, conflict analysis, and project management. This gives them tools to find an answer on how the relationship between the Turkish and Armenian youth can be strengthened. This project not only gave two countries’ non-governmental organisations a chance to recognise each other, but also set a course
for future plans of the Turkish-Armenian project group. After this project, the Turkish-Armenian project group organised a conference called “An Old Friend: Armenians” in Ankara in 2010 aiming at understanding the conditions in which Armenians are living in Turkey. During the 20102011 period, the project group decided to focus more on thematic issues. Throughout this period, they created a work programme, and topics for each week were determined, such as Deportation Law, Capital Tax, or Armenia and its Culture. After the completion of thematic issues, the Turkish-Armenian project group needed to put into practice what they had learned throughout the year, so it was decided they would like to implement a project in Yerevan with AEGEEYerevan’s help. The new
project aims at strengthening the consciousness among the people of these countries and also to diminish racism and hostility towards others through art, culture, language, and music. Moreover, workshops and cultural events about common culture, special cuisines, folk dances, and folk music are held. Performances of a mini street pantomime about borders, traditional folk dances, and culture-specific arts are presented. At the end, all products of the participants are exhibited on the street next to a screen showing slide shows of the project implementation and its progress. All of these activities strive to reinforce understanding through nonformal active participation and to overcome the prejudices. The project is still proceeding to seek a fund to implement all their plans in Armenia.
Chechnya, Ossetia, and Ingushetia there is a large variety of non-Russian ethnic groups, many of whom are Muslims and want little to do with the Russian government. While some inhabitants of those regions strive for autonomy in a peaceful way, others turn to terrorism, resulting in bombings on the Moscow metro or the horrific attack on a school in Beslan. Nagorno-Karabakh – Even as Armenians formed a majority in this region, Stalin separated it from Armenia and made it an autonomous region in Azerbaijan. For the Azeri people, this region was always seen as the cradle of Azerbaijani culture. Demands to join Armenia grew in 1987 and escalated into hostilities in 1989 when the local assembly voted for independence from Azerbaijan. Until 1994 the area was racked by war and when the Armenians routed the Azeri army, NagornoKarabakh’s Muslim population of 50,000 people was forced to flee, joining more Azeri refugees from Armenia. The conflict also ended in the Armenian minority in Azerbaijan fleeing to Armenia to escape
hostilities there. Right now Nagorno-Karabakh is a de facto independent state, but still internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Georgia – With South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia has two breakaway enclaves. South Ossetia wants to reunite with Russian North Ossetia. Abhkazia declared itself seperate from Georgia in 1990 and in 1992 war broke out when the Georgian army moved into Abkhazia. A year later the Abkhaz drove out the Georgian army and the entire Georgian population of Abkhazia. Today, still 250,000 Abkhaz refugees still live in Georgia. Helping the Abkhaz breakaway regime and going to war with Georgia over South Ossetia in 2008, Russia has a big hand in these conflicts. Transnistria – Having a Slavic majority with more in common with Russia, Transnistria proclaimed independence from Moldova in 1990. The narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border is being ruled in Stalinist fashion by Igor Smirnov since 1990. Transnistria is not recognised by the international community.
Kosovo still has a large contigent of UN soldiers.
Upcoming NWMs Place
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News from the Network
Do you and your antenna seek new friendships with another antenna in the network? Interested in breaking down language and cultural barriers? Work on a knowledge transfer with another antenna? By becoming a twin antenna in the AEGEE network, a new world of exciting opportunities will open up for your local. Take a closer look at two future twin antenna agreements. AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk and -Katowice By Olga Iatsyna Two extremely industrial cities are becoming twins. AEGEE-Katowice and AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk are signing the twin agreement for one year at the Agora in Skopje. One year of wonderful events, ambitious ideas, and crazy activities will start. “We want to co-operate with a local from Ukraine because it is our
neighbouring country and it aspires EU membership. We can discuss the relationship between our countries and the EU. Apart from that, our countries are organising the football championship”, says Ewa Beniasz, president of AEGEE-Katowice. You can also expect something connected with Euro2012 from these small, but highly ambitious locals.
AEGEE-Istanbul and -Beograd By Milica Luković It all started with a perfect exchange in May 2011. After a week full of new experiences, deep impressions and emotions, AEGEEIstanbul members came back home as complete AEGEE addicts, convincing their local board to make a big decision: to ask AEGEEBeograd to become twins! The agreement will be
signed in Skopje, but the results are visible already. The second part of the exchange was organised in Istanbul in September and there are already plenty of new ideas. Next year they expect another round of exchanges, joint training courses for new members, a knowledge exchange, and maybe an even bigger project. Stay tuned!
Want more info? Are you enthusiastic about the Twin Antenna Project? Do you want to know more about it and start up your own twin agreement? Don’t hesitate and ask your netcommie for details and advice. You can also always send an email to your netcommie or to the general email address at netcom@ aegee.org.
The Spectacular Comeback of AEGEE-Kharkiv
By Olga Iatsyna Once the capital of Ukraine, Kharkiv still is one of the largest and most developed cities in the country and it is also the biggest student city of Ukraine. As there are twenty locals all over North-Eastern Europe, it would be quite strange not to have a local in the center of this area. AEGEEKharkiv was deleted one year ago, so the students of Kharkiv had to do without
the AEGEE spirit for one year. However, during the Agora in Skopje, Kharkiv will be back again. Maria Chvan, together with a group of extremely creative and enthusiastic young people, decided to correct this terrible mistake and make life in Kharkiv much more active by establishing an AEGEE local there once again. AEGEE-Kharkiv already has some plans for
the next year. A Higher Education Day, Cultural Action Day, European Day of Languages, and an adventurous SU in summer 2012 are just some one part of their plans. Curious what else these interesting and hardworking people prepared for their future AEGEE local in Kharkiv? Then do not miss their amazing events – AEGEE-Kharkiv will surprise you with their ideas!
AEGEE-Sumqayit in traditional Azerbaijani clothes at the European Night of NWM Odessa.
Did you know the Freedom Square in Kharkiv is one of the biggest in Europe? The size of the square is 119,000 sqaure meter.
Sumqayit – Small Local, Big Aims By Olga Iatsyna One might think that founding a new local in a city one hour from the capital is useless in a country as big as Azerbaijan. But not Sumqayit who will sign the Convention d’Adhesion at the Agora in Skopje. These active people under the leadership of Azer Maharramov not just joined our big family, but also bring a lot of ambitious ideas and creativity. Sumqayit already took part in the organisation of a few events like a public charity action for children
with heart diseases, an intellectual game for pupils from senior classes, an International Forum for Young Leaders, and the huge World Youth Festival “Discover Azerbaijan”. It might sound like the history of a local already in existence for years, but keep in mind that Sumqayit is only five months old. Recently, they shared their biggest aim: developing Sumqayit as a center of youth activity in Azerbaijan. The promising new local in Sumqayit is on the exact right way to success!
All different, all equal
How does an AEGEE local work in a country where more than 40% of the population are so-called “minorities” with a different mother tongue? In which language do they speak in their meetings? Or does only one ethnic group dominate the local? By Anita Kalmane Very well, all options mentioned are possible, but no. These would be the short answers when speaking about AEGEE-Rīga and AEGEE-Ogre. The official data states that only 59,5% of the inhabitants of Latvia are ethnic Latvians and, as reported in the media, tensions between Latvian and Russian speakers are present. However, the daily life reality shows no problem at least for AEGEE members. And if you had any doubts – yes, Latvian is the only official language of the country. “I rarely speak in Russian with AEGEE-Riga members, because most of our members are ethnic Latvians and I am fluent in Latvian. However, if I meet some members whose mother tongue is Russian, I am happy to speak in Russian,” says Jūlija Rajevska from AEGEE-Rīga (remember this hyperactive
EBM Riga 2011 Lodging Coordinator?). She says that she has never felt any different attitude towards her, but with a smile recalls EBM times when due to her language skills she was sent to speak with those partners whose administration was Russian speaking. In the recent years, the number of people from other ethnical groups has increased both in AEGEERīga and AEGEE-Ogre, making it possible for members not only to speak Latvian, but also Russian, English, Spanish, and other languages. It has proven to be a good practise both for Latvian and Russian speakers to practise the other language on a daily basis. Both locals have previously organised exchanges with AEGEE locals in Russia, truly proving that history and politics cannot spoil the good relationship between AEGEE members.
When two Baltic Summer Universities collide By Jüri Kirpu What happens if you take five cites from the Baltic region, good networking, and the wish to bring lots of AEGEEans together to share their cultures? Two Summer Universities that meet in Tallinn. It was the end of August when the group that started from Saint Petersburg going through Helsinki, and the group starting from Ogre and going trough Tartu met in the capital of Estonia. After almost two weeks of travelling together, living together, learning together, discovering themselves, and “finding” each other, the two groups merged to one entity where the energy that AEGEE produces was magnified in its fullest potential. The process of organis-
ing this grand undertaking had started almost a year ago, when representatives from all of the respective locals met in Tallinn and discussed the concept of dualism and self-discovery. Because of this, the Summer Universities were born, where AEGEE-Tallinn was the binding factor. Although the process of organising such a big event was challenging and included many setbacks for the organisers, the students from all the locals managed to come together, support each other, and make this plan possible. Through this, all the participants managed to learn from each other and improve mutual understanding.
Netcom and Network Directors together at the Netcom Meeting in Beograd.
Network Commission as final goal in AEGEE By Yanike Sophie After their term as Network Commissioner, many Netcommies went on to a different, some say ‘higher’ level of AEGEE. Thomas Leszke, former speaker of the Netcom, became Projects Director, Manos Valasis became Projects Director and President, and Alfredo Sellitti, after being Network Director, is currently the President just to name a few. But for me, being in the Netcom was the highest aim to reach in AEGEE. I did not want to bring AEGEE to externals, I did not have the ambition to do great proj-
ects. Working together with so many different people from all around Europe on maintaining the organisation gave me enough satisfaction. As a Netcommie I had the chance to meet so many inspiring people and I was able to help them, to set up events and put them in contact with the right people. Another ‘task’ gave me the opportunity to work with two great network directors, Anita Kalmane, working ever hard and always replying within one minute to her e-mail, and Alfredo Sellitti with whom I could always share opin-
Meet Rostov-na-Donu! By Olga Iatsyna Since ancient times, the River Don was famous all over Eurasia as the place where active, restless, and open-minded people lived. Rostov-na-Donu local is not an exception, but rather another proof for the fast and furious people from this great region. The history of the new AEGEE local in Rostovna-Donu started in autumn 2010 when some people attended their first event in our organisation as guests. At that precise moment, Irina Burmistrova barely knew how we work and what the aim of our organisation was. However, in a short time her endless enthusiasm and motivation, as well as
her shiny eyes while talking about AEGEE helped her to gather more than 20 active people from the city of Rostov-na-Donu. Together, they started the process of official integration into our organisation under the name Rostov-na-Donu Contact. In this beautiful city, the incredible Don River and the Azov Sea nearby, the new local in Rostov-naDonu is planning to rock the network with a Summer University next year. Of course they will also organise a lot more local events and maybe even other international events. It will surely be one of the locals to watch in the future!
ions and get advice from. Besides the ‘tasks’, the best thing of course was working closely together with my fellow Netcommies. How close? Well, emailing several times per hour, skyping several times per day, seeing each other several times per month sometimes. Looking back now, it is the contact with my team members I miss the most. Luckily, in AEGEE there is no saying goodbye forever and even though I said goodbye to my position as Network Commissioner, I will always keep seeing my European friends.
That’s Active! By Beata Matuszka Just refounded a few years ago, AEGEE-Budapest has become one of the biggest locals in the Network. It’s well known in the region that this antenna has a very strong local level (namely 2-4 events per a week and also six weekly meetings), but their connection with the European level is also important, like their joint project with the European Youth Forum during the Hungarian EU presidency. But their members play a significant role in AEGEE as well: on the European level you can find an AEGEEBudapest member in almost every board of a Working Group or Commission. Lets hope that their good work will continue for years.
Olimpia Pârje After one year and a half of working with the Network Commission I strongly recommend this position to all those that are willing to give their time and learn practically everything about AEGEE and more, as it has been the best time of my life so far.
Alexander Sieber The Netcom is probably the most interesting thing one can do in AEGEE. And looking back now after almost two years of Netcom related work, having great experiences, working with many people, having met many new friends I definitely agree!
Beata Matuszka I was elected as a Network Commissioner by hundreds of AEGEE members. It was one of the best moments of my life, truly uplifting. The past months, working with other netcommies and my locals, were unforgettable. I hope to make my locals smarter and better!
Netcom - Something for you?
By Mickey Turati To serve and protect. That is the motto of the Network Commission, but ask yourself: Serve whom? And protect what? AEGEE has an aim, objectives, and a vision. We have priorities stated in the Strategic Plan and also a three-year outlook for activities, so the question “what to serve and protect?” arises often. But just like the question “Where does Europe end?” the answer is blury. The Netcom is not a modern Robin Hood who protects weak antennae, nor does it serve the evil king. The idea behind the motto is to serve the purposes of the association: the strategy approved by the network says we should head towards a certain direction. Then, the Netcom should stress the antennae to organise activities within that specific field, providing information and contacts, linking the European level to the local level. And what is there to be protected? The answer is the same. With a strong network behind them, small antennae
can feel the strenght of being part of AEGEE. Now, another question: What are the requirements to be a member of the Netcom? Everyone is free to candidate, it is a great opportunity, a chance to develop yourself, and meet new friends. But think carefully of the responsibility you bear when you candidate and are elected eventually. You need to know the rules, because if you give a newborn antenna the wrong information they are doomed from the beginning and they probably will not last for more than 2 years. You should know the CIA, have a printed copy and read it twice, not just the Netcom Working Format or article 18 of the Financial Working Format where the rules of your travel reimbursement are listed! Get yourself a copy of the members’ manual, read it, and learn it by heart. A knowledge transfer is useful, but this printed manual is a golden reserve of AEGEE information. Know all the projects of AEGEE by heart. How do
Mickey Turati loves Netcom so much, he even sleeps underneath a Netcom flag! you think you would be able because “I’m a netcommie its history and it is very imto convince your antennae now”. You are still new and portant to know if you need to organise activities if you have lots to learn about to convince an antenna to do not even know under AEGEE and the way it do something for you. And remember; be focused on which framework project works. Communication is key. the strategy of the associathey could do it? Everyone is able to send You need to know all the tion, because that shows you an email asking for informa- information related to your the right direction. When you, dear reader, tion about your locals, so task, read the CIA (but ask yourself why you need skip the french version), will know all the information to know the performance of and find a digital copy of described here, you can conyour antenna. It is not just the K20 (that is the Key to sider yourself a good candifor statistics. Europe printed for the 20th date for Netcom, and maybe If you are a newbie and Aniversary of the associa- be a good Netcommie. Give you ought to be elected as tion). This is the best book it a try! Netcommie, do not con- ever printed about all the sider yourself an expert just achievements of AEGEE in
The Strategic Plan: Making the Future of AEGEE
By Mayri Tiido It was a nice day in May when all the people subscribed to ANNOUNCE-L got an open call for the Planning Team 2011. Why? Because the new Strategic Plan 2012-2014 was about to be drafted. For the whole summer the Planning Team was working intensively: analyzing AEGEE internally from bottom to top, finding out important movements in European society, analyzing in which
topics relevant stakeholders are interested and many more. All that led to two intensive meetings in Brussels (second one with both Comité Directeurs) where discussions were held even at three at night. Slowly our new Strategic Plan was getting a shape. The culmination was in Poznań in the end of August at the Planning Meeting, where all the aims and objectives got finalized with the help of many eager AEGEE members.
The most important part is still left – implementation of our fresh Strategic Plan. For years we’ve been trying to strive for a change in European society, so we could proudly say “That was done by AEGEE”. This is a noble thought, but it can’t be achieved if we all organize something good but not connected in different corners of Europe. Now we have a chance! Our Strategic Plan will give us a focus for three years and that’s how we can make a
difference. Let’s stay focused! How to do that? Choose your favourite focus area, find out most appealing aim and implementable objective and
just do it! Trust your instincts, trust the Strategic Plan, trust AEGEE and maybe after three years we can see that difference we strived for.
Editorial Board
Editor in Chief & Layout: Koen Berghuis Editors: Olimpia Pârje, Milica Luković, Yanike Sophie, Olga Iatsyna, Alexander Sieber, Selin Siviş, Mickey
Turati, Ahniya Asanovich, Beata Matuszka, Jüri Kirpu, Anita Kalmane, Mayri Tiido Special thanks to: Milica Luković, Yvonne Antonović