From the 28th to the 30th of November, AEGEE-Skopje will organize their second Network Meeting (NWM). Five enthusiastic girls, namely Natasha, Hristina, Stefani, Jovanka and Marija with the support of the current board, are organizing the event. The AEGEEan asked Natasha Pehchevska some questions to discover something more about it.
The AEGEEan: What made you apply to host the Autumn Network Meeting in Skopje?
Natasha: Taking part in AEGEE events around Europe made us want to organize a big event like the NWM. Also because AEGEE-Skopje usually organizes events during warmer times, we thought that it is was a great idea to bring the AEGEE spirit to our amazing city in the winter. The board of AEGEE-Skopje supported us significantly by giving us logistical knowledge and through being here for everything we needed. In AEGEE-Skopje, we always work together, without excluding anyone. Who ever feels like helping is always welcome, so seeing the huge support we got from all the members, without giving it any more thoughts, we signed up for it.
What is special about your city?
Skopje is special in many ways; a mixture of different cultures and nationalities and different architecture from different historical periods. It also has a great night life and many places and bars you can visit. People are kind, welcoming and always ready to party hard. But the best thing about Skopje is the food and the fact that there are a lot of places open at 4 am, when you need food the most.
What are your plans for the NWM?
Besides training our participants on AEGEE topics, our plan as local organizers is to show them the beauties and special places of our capital. Basically, we want them to explore Skopje and to show to everyone that even though this is a small and not-so-known-city, it has many things to offer.
Who will be part of the organization team?
Five active and really motivated young girls, members of AEGEE-Skopje: Natasha, Hristina, Stefani, Jovanka and Marija- with the great support of the current board of AEGEE-Skopje. Andrea Ugrinoska, the president, is our subcommie at the same time, so she acts like a medium between us, the Local organizers, and Ana Potocnik (AEGEE-Ljubljana), our Network Comissioner (NetCom).
Do you have any local municipality or university support?
Yes, we have the full support of our university. We will be holding the sessions in the classrooms of the faculty of law Iustinianus Primus in the Sts. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje.
What kind of Fundraising strategy have you used, if any?
We are basically focused on finding as many sponsors as possible, because Skopje is a small city and everyone knows everyone. So far, we have quite a lot of sponsors, which will make the event go even smoother and sweeter since we are always looking for support in the form of goods, rather than in money.
What are your plans for the social program?
We want to show participants the mixture of the Traditional and the New- the city tour will include the old and new part of Skopje. We have planned a traditional Macedonian night out, followed by a party in the best clubs in Skopje. Besides that, we will visit some breath-taking canyons and focus on the strong “mountanish” part of Skopje.
The title of the NWM is “NWM SkopYeah! vol 2”, can you explain the reasons behind it?
Well, AEGEE-Skopje has already organized a NWM, which was called “NWM SkopYEAH!”, so we thought it would be a good idea for this event to be Vol. 2, referring to the last NWM here. Besides that, as hard as you may try, you could never beat the awesomeness of SkopYEAH! The name itself screams “Come and see me!”
What are the next plans of AEGEE-Skopje?
Andrea: AEGEE-Skopje is currently blooming. There is a Local Training Course(LTC) about cooking in cooperation with the “No Hate Speech” movement local campaign. There are also some ideas for a winter university (who knows?). We will apply for an Erasmus+ grant for the next round; for a training course in cooperation with Diplomacy in Practice and we already became partners with a lot of AEGEE-locals and some externals, too, so we are making a big list of sending people who will have the honor to enjoy amazing fully covered trainings. Currently, we have a lot of members that are very motivated for organizing things and it feels like nothing ever stopped around here. We are organizing all the time, one thing after another and once you think everything is finished, someone puts another “pie” in the oven. In January, we will have our Local Agora and Elections, so people are already preparing to take over. You can feel the excitement in the air. Stay tuned, people, for the next AEGEE-Skopje’s adventures!
Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Venezia