Leden actief op Europees niveau

Naast dat je actief kan worden binnen AEGEE-Groningen, is het ook mogelijk om actief te worden op Europees niveau binnen AEGEE-Europe. Op deze pagina vind je een overzicht van een aantal van onze leden die actief zijn binnen AEGEE-Europe en kun je lezen wat ze daar doen.

Aleksandra Rachwalska – Network Commissioner

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Kirsten Broekema – President of the Mediation Committee, Member of the Safe Person Committee & Liason Officer to the European Youth Forum

Hello everyone! For the people that do not know me, my name is Kirsten Broekema and I have been a member of AEGEE-Groningen since 2017. In the year 2020-2021, I became active on the European level of AEGEE as the Content Manager of the Summer University Coordination Team (SUCT), and previously I have also been a member of the Safe Person Committee (SPC).

Currently I am the President of the Mediation Commission (MedCom) and the Liaison Officer towards the European Youth Forum (YFJ). MedCom strives to solves disputes within the AEGEE network with an amicable solution. We help the parties involved by being a neutral third party guiding them through the mediation process.

In addition to that I am also the current Liaison Officer towards the YFJ. The European Youth Forum is an international platform for youth organisations which represents and advocates for needs and interests of these organisations and youth in general. As Liaison officer you are the bridge between other organisations and AEGEE. Meaning that the YFJ and its members get to know for example about the projects AEGEE is doing and the needs of the association. Vice versa AEGEE and AEGEEans are informed about relevant projects, policies events, grants, etc.

I became active on the European level to develop because of my passion for the Summer University project on the local level made me take the step. After the SUCT I became active in other bodies because of my love for the association and because I want to contribute to maintaining and developing AEGEE. Being active on the European level has been and continues to be a good and fun way to develop my professional and soft skills, and to gain experience in working in international teams. It is a perfect opportunity to gain experiences and knowledge in areas that I otherwise would not have had the chance for during my studies or on the local level! I would recommend everyone to take a look at becoming active in AEGEE-Europe and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out to the board or me  (kirsten.broekema@aegee.eu)!

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Romy Hakkers – Sub-Commissioner of the Network Commission

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Simo Sirel – Member of the Climate Emergency Working Group

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Juan Carlos Leunissen – Coordinator of the Policital Activism Working Group & Content Manager EPM 2023

My name is Juan Carlos Leunissen. I’m a member of AEGEE-Groningen and on the European level I am the coordinator of the Political Activism Working Group. With our working group we organise workshops, create social media posts and develop campaigns. An example of our work is our campaign about disinformation. We are creating a workshop about the uses of disinformation and its application in the current war. Other examples of our work are the informative posts we share on Instagram about the elections happening in European countries.  I am really enjoying being part of this team because in a Working Group get the chance to work on something you are personally interested in and we reach out to people all around Europe. It is fun to be part of an international team. We have online meetings and teambuildings but we also try to meet in person.

Besides, I help to organise the conference held during the European Planning Meeting in Krakow this year (EPM) and I used to be part of the Strategy Committee. Hit me up if you are interested to know what it is to be in a European Body or if you want to join a Working Group. I hope to meet you all soon in Groningen or somewhere in Europe!

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Astrid Stulemeijer – Communication Committee

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Rik Smale – Member of the Information Technology Committee & Main Organiser of the Spring Agora Enschede 2023

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Job Velthuis – Financial Assistant to the Comité Directeur & Sub-Commissioner of the Network Commission

My name is Job Velthuis and I have been a member of AEGEE for 5 years now. I am also a member of AEGEE-Enschede where I have been active and on the board as treasurer and European Affairs. Nowadays I am active on the European level on several positions. I am a member of the AEGEEan, the online magazine of AEGEE-Europe, as a proofreader, besides that I am a subcommissioner of the NetCom for Calvin Breakwell where I am responsible for keeping contact with 5 locals in his network area, and lastly, I am a member of the financial team where I help the Financial Director with her tasks. There I am mostly busy with the finances of the projects and updating our bookkeeping system.

Now why did I want to do these tasks. Well, the first position I applied for was with the AEGEEan. I wanted to become active on the European level and thought that being a proofreader was a good first step to become more acquainted with how AEGEE works without being confused by it. The second position was the financial team member. This was more accidental as I first ran for the Audit commission but was not elected. After that I was approached by the CD elect to see if I wanted to help with finances due to my experience as a local Treasurer. I was happy to do that as I felt that I can really help streamline the process. The subcom was also more due to sheer luck as I know Calvin quite well and was convinced to help him after the NWM Iasi.

I would like to advise all members to at least go to some European events as I had the most wonderful experiences in my student life during them. If you like those then become also active in a committee, commission or working group.