Key 2003/2004 - AEGEE Europe

World Youth Summit on GlobalisationAlexianne GaleaCaucasus Case Study Trip: "Building Bridges to Europe"Aliki LouvrouBrussels, 10-12.12.03Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan 13-31 August 2003his world has taken on a melancholic strain, seeing thatTnot everything is going as well as it should be and sensingour dream of making this world a better place growingmore and more distant is, to say the least, distressing.However, the feeling that in our own way, as young committedcitizens, we can somehow do something, motivated allthe delegates assembled at the European Parliament for theWorld Youth Summit on Globalisation.All the four corners of the world were represented at theGrand Closure of the 2003 Year plan Project, an event whichby itself marked a breakthrough for AEGEE. In fact, for thevery first time, AEGEE hosted other international NGOs andyouth activists from over 30 countries all across the world,ranging from pacific Australia to exotic Costa Rica; from cosmopolitanAmerica to charming Zambia and from delightfulAzerbaijan to remarkable Britain! Indeed, only a truly multiculturalyouth debate could produce such a bold and enrichingFinal Strategy Paper on Globalisation.The World Youth Summit transcended mere talk and discussions,primarily through its working methodology. Aimed atobtaining concrete, sustainable results, the three-day longsummit included thematic workshops and alternating forumdiscussions and open dialogues. The delegates couldaddress major issues of our time with illustrious personalitiessuch as Haleh Bridi, World Bank Special Representativeto the EU, and Brigita Schmognerova, Executive Secretary ofUNECE, as well as Joao Vale de Almeida representing theEuropean Commission, Christophe Ersnt from theInternational Labour Organisation, and many others.Fleur, AEGEE-UtrechtLogistics Team MemberLogistics. Hmmm … Definitely notto be neglected at any kind ofevent. The logistics team naturallyalways stays a bit in the shadows,compared with the rest. However,running around, picking participantsup from the airport, leadingthem to their hostels, preparinglunches, making coffee and tea, waking them up in themorning, guiding them around and in the meanwhilejust enjoying their company made it worthwhile for meto volunteer for this Summit. To see things once fromanother, non-participant's point of view.And what made this event even more special (apartfrom the fact it was my first big European event, beingan AEGEE member for only less than a year) was theoverseas participants, as they understand the processof globalisation from an entirely different perspective. Irealised during these three days that in fact I was notonly a staff member, but rather found myself in themiddle of integration once more. After all, that's whatAEGEE is about.Despite the cloudy Brussels weather and the public transportstrike, after lengthy and sometimes heated discussions, thedelegates eventually managed to produce a bold FinalStrategy Paper on Globalisation! Opening with a finely tuneddefinition of globalisation as a 'dynamic multi-dimensionaland interconnected process that generates intertwined linksaffecting all aspects of contemporary life', the delegatesadvocated the importance of adopting free and fair trade,thus permitting developing countries to have equal bargainingpower in international trade. Apprehension was showntowards the current status of International Organisations,and recommendations included enhanced accountability andenabling nation states to develop in line with their indigenouspolitical culture. A global civil society endorsing culturaldiversity was cherished, while general acclamation welcomedthe assertion that globalisation remains an opportunityto reduce insularity and eradicate prejudice, thusenhancing deeper cultural knowledge and leading to commonunderstanding in a global context.The World Youth Summit on Globalisation enjoyed thePatronage of Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne,Member of the European Parliament, and of the College ofEurope, and received support from the World Bank.Euractiv.com and Foreign Policy Magazine were the officialmedia partners, while the International Youth Parliamenthad observer status throughout the working sessions.ZAMBIA IN THE GLOBAL VILLAGEPresley ChiyesuExecutive Director, Zambia Youth Promotionses, the World Youth Summit proved to be a per-platform to realize that we are not alone inYfectAfrica. AEGEE gave a beginning to a small networkof young people striving for the same goals all overthe world. And as a result: advocacy and actionbasedstrategies drawn up by nearly 200 youngsterswho do care about the future direction ofglobalization. Young people generally share thesame ideas and are eager to help Africa in pertinentmatters. To demonstrate our determination,we, Zambian Youth Promotions, are organizing afollow-up to this magnificent Summit. In the formof a conference we will try to convene Zambianyouth and call them to act to create a Pan-AfricanYouth Network, to raise awareness and to cry forhelp.Thank you, AEGEE, for a Summit of this magnitude.And we truly hope for further co-operation,the realisation of our joint efforts and to be furtherpart of the global village.idden behind the veil of the Soviet era for most of theH20th century, the Caucasus region is situated at thecrossroads of Europe and Asia, of the West and East, of theold world and the new. History's oldest vineyards are foundin Georgia; Armenia was the first country to embraceChristianity in the fourth century; the Silk Route linkingChina with Italy passed through the Caucasus mountains.The Caucasus region, despite its small size, is extremelyrich in culture and history. Yet, most of us know this regiononly because of its oil, its natural resources and the ongoingconflicts.But, what about its culture, its people or its students? Howdoes student life look like over there? What is the everydayreality of young Georgians, Armenians, Azeris? How does localcivil society look like? Are there studentsinterested in the AEGEE principles? Thesewere few of the questions that a bunch ofmotivated AEGEE members set out to discoverwith the three main goals: to raiseawareness in AEGEE about the Caucasus, toestablish links with local students, and topromote the AEGEE principles in theSouthern Caucasus region.What exactly happened during these twoweeks? After months of preparations a group of 15 AEGEEmembers flew to the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. Accompaniedby six students from Georgia and five from Armenia we spentthe first week travelling all over the astonishing country ofGeorgia, then we separated: one group went to Armenia andthe other to Azerbaijan. After one week, the team reunited inTbilisi for exchanging experience, findings, reaching final conclusionsand making plans for follow-up. Through a series ofmeetings, workshops, presentations and other activities wehad the chance to get first-hand information on the currentsituation in the area, and also to share the AEGEE spirit withour hosts.This unique experience definitely opened the door to AEGEEPeopleo f t h eP a s tZsuzsa Kigyos is a 32-year-oldgraduate of the BudapestUniversity of Economics, majoringin Marketing, EuropeanStudies and Finance. She wasamong the founders of AEGEE-Budapest and later on a memberof the Board for a year. After thatshe was elected a member of theCD of AEGEE-Europe betweenNovember 1992 and 1993,responsible for the student mobility program (TEM-PUS), then for half a year she was a President ofAEGEE-Europe (11/93 - 4/94).You were the first woman to become President of AEGEE-Europe, and what’s more, originating from CEE; how didyou feel when you were elected?I think it was a very interesting period for us as AEGEEmembers, since it was during the time when the EuropeanCommission gradually opened up for Central and EasternEurope and the CEE societies and economies entered a newera of transformation.for expansion furthertowards the East. Itexpanded our knowledgeon this particularregion, now enablingfurther co-operationand having a concreteidea of what to expect.It raised the interest ofour network, so the follow-upteam is already being set up. It unveiled a lack of cooperationalplatforms between the Caucasus countries andthe European Union higher education institutions, as well asthe European Commission. It created a challenge for AEGEEto help fellow students in a region where NGOs like AEGEEare mostly needed.Therefore, following all the work we have done after the casestudy trip, the next step we will all take at the Agora inSkopje (April 2004) where the first Georgian locals will joinofficially our network.In terms of projects, priority will be given to projects supportingthe mobility of our new friends towards Europe, suchas scholarship competitions, financial support for participationin AEGEE events, and of course lobbying the EuropeanInstitutions to include the three Caucasus republics into theirfuture education programmes. In our immediate plans, weare envisaging a European School in Tbilisi, offering thepractical knowledge needed to run locals in a successful way,adapted to the local reality. There is also the idea to organiseanother case study trip, this time concentrating onAzerbaijan or Armenia. And of course, we wish to supportany initiatives for exchanges between locals.In a nutshell, I believe this was definitely a very interactiveexperience, rich in cultural education and in deeper understandingof how International politics interlink and influencethe lives of millions of people.Aliki Louvrou was the Project Manager for the CST.I felt very much honored that the Agora elected mePresident and trusted that I could manage the organizationtogether with my fellow CD members.Did AEGEE experience change your attitude towards thewestern world?I think the "AEGEE experience" thought me how to workwith an international team, including people with diversebackgrounds, rather than changing my attitude towards thewestern world.How would you encourage AEGEE members to play anactive role in a civil society?I believe that everybody has his or her basic characteristicsto start with, but that we are different. Since we are membersof society we have some external or social obligationsas well. Everybody needs to become active in civil societyonly based on the internal obligation s/he feels, consideringat the same time the needs of the society. When youthink about whether to play an active role or not I wouldsuggest thinking about these types of obligations and act inaccordance with your own conclusion. I think I am fairlyliberal and would strongly encourage someone only if Iknow the person and the task s/he needs to take.What AEGEE means to me Focus on training Fields of action What is AEGEE? Introduction20 Key to Europe 2003/2004 Key to Europe 2003/200421