When I asked Pauline Létard which adjectives define her, she answered: “idealistic, hard-working and perfectionist”. Reading through the following lines, you can read about her motivation to become part of the Network Commission.
Pauline joined AEGEE in 2011, after arriving new in the city of Toulouse and she had been looking for an association to meet new people. She was invited to a Local Training Course and inmediately fell in love with the AEGEE spirit. She is president of AEGEE-Toulouse and has been subcommissioner under Carol Bello and Pilar Lop, and is currently doing a European Voluntary Service (EVS) in Spain with AEGEE-León.
What did you learn from your time as a subcommissioner?
I’ve learned about myself and I developed social skills. I’ve learned that sometimes we can’t do anything about a situation, you have to accept it and move forward as well as not taking the criticisms personally and rather take it in a constructive way. I know how to adapt to all sort of situations now, accept that it’s not going to be just as planned and improvise, keeping a big smile and don’t panic! I worked a lot on managing my idealism to target reachable and realistic objectives but without stopping to believe that with work and motivation almost everything is possible. I’ve learned to ask the right person for help when you need it and find the information you need when you need it.
I also developed specific skills such as working in a multicultural team through emails, Facebook, Skype meetings; speaking in public; organising trainings and giving workshops; at the same time, I learned about how the antennae work, about managing internal tensions within the antennae, how to help them and how to motivate members…
AEGEE-Toulouse’s Summer Event 2013
When did you decide to to apply to become a Network Commissioner?
I think I started to think about it around March, while organizing the Network Meeting in Paris. I was loving it so much!
As I wrote in my application, not so long ago, I had a Skype meeting with two members of a contact antenna. They were hitting a rough patch, we had a long talk, and at the end they said, “Thank you Pauline, we feel better, we feel motivated again”. This among other things made me seriously think about candidating. Then I talked with a lot of different people: members of the Tripulación (Pilar Lop’s team), Lucille, Léa Charlet, members of the previous NetComs… to know if they thought I was ready and if they would support me. They did, they helped me think about what really motivates me to do this job and shaping my programme.
The key moment was the Renove III organised by AEGEE-Burgos in September 2013. The Tripulación worked really hard together with AEGEE-Burgos to prepare this event. I had a lot to manage at this time, so it was not easy but at the end of the weekend the objectives we had set up were achieved: we motivated the members to get involved in their antennae and at the European level, new ideas and projects were born and in this event I really felt a strong bond between the antennae. During the closing ceremony I told the participants: “before coming to this event I was still hesitating about applying for NetCom but the event and you were so great that you convinced me to go for it!”
I always hear from previous netcommies that their time at the NetCom is probably the most rewarding experience they have had in AEGEE. Why do you think so?
I guess because you work really hard but you feel really useful. You work with people and they know how to thank you. You’re making the links between locals and the European level so you work with a wide range of people and bodies.
Have you felt the support from ‘La Nave’ (the name of the area that Network Commissioner Pilar Lop is responsible for) with your decision?
Well yes… I got a big applause in the Renove! I asked the members of La Nave for feedback because I wanted to be sure to have their support. If I thought they were supporting another candidate I would have withdrawn my candidature. I hope the voting session won’t show the opposite.
If you are elected, what would you look for when selecting subcommissioners?
Motivation, availability, ideas and creativity, good knowledge of AEGEE and of the network, social skills, organising skills.
We have also heard that you are planning to have a council of advisers. Can you tell us about that?
Well I really think continuity is a key matter when you’re talking about the network. I really think the previous NetComs of the region, and their team accomplished a lot, I would like to take the best from it. I also think that it is always good to have somebody from the outside who can guide you and give you another point of view, warn you about the possible dangers you’re not able to see. I’ve already started to contact the previous teams. In León I’ve been talking a lot with Oscar Ronda Prieto, a former NetCom who is helping me a lot!
The typical question: quantity or quality? Is expanding the Network one of your priorities?
I’m more about quality, I have to say. I’m focusing on making better what already exists rather than conquering new lands! Of course, expanding the network is something I would like to help with. If I can ignite some spark I will! But I really think that the success of a contact depends on motivated people who discovered AEGEE and decide to set up an antenna where there is no antenna rather than on the NetCom.
Exchange between AEGEE-Toulouse and AEGEE-Utrecht
Do you think there is a lack of connection between the local and the European level in AEGEE? Do you have any ideas on how to improve this?
Yes, I do think so, because there are always new members who need to be informed about how AEGEE works, what are the different European bodies and how they can get involved at the European level. We started to work on this with the current Tripulacion by giving workshops about it in the Network Meetingss (NWMs), by spamming the Facebook group La Nave and the mailing list ‘subealanave’. I would like to keep on doing this and go deeper by helping the antennae to organise workshops about the European Level in LTC and RTC, by strongly encouraging them to cooperate with working groups and projects. I really would like to work on helping the antennae to implement the Strategic Plan (SP) and the Action Agenda (AA) through the subcommies but also by developing tools to explain in a simple way how it works and how they can contribute and especially by informing them about what kind of activities other antennae organised in the frame of the SP and the AA. I will help the antennae develop strategies to encourage their members to participate in European events.
Two questions from our readers: “Do you have a specific strategy to help the network grow in the French-speaking countries? Indeed, there are very few locals in this area of the network compared to what it was before.”
Well, I’ve been working on this since the early ages of my AEGEE life. This is not an easy task. I think cooperation and solidarity between the French speaking locals is a key tool that is starting to show some results: we have contacts in Nantes and Lille, maybe in Orléans, Grenoble and Angers as well. But above all there is a huge lack of visibility of AEGEE in these areas. We started to work on a common public relations’ strategy and especially PR tools. This is my main strategy for developing this area.
The second one: “Aim 1, objective 3 of your programme describes how you would help Contacts to grow, but do you have a strategy for Contacts to be created in the first place?”
As I told you before, I think that the Netcommie can ignite the spark and help the antenna to be created but first you need motivated people. The main strategy is a good PR campaign towards the universities of the cities in which AEGEE is not present. Encourage young students from cities where AEGEE is not present to participate in AEGEE events by informing them. If I have the necessary human resource, I would like to see AEGEEans going to the closest city to promote AEGEE. Each time I will have the opportunity to motivate someone who lives in a city AEGEE is not present, I will use it!
What about yourself: do you have some “motto” in life?
I’m not perfect, neither am I Wonder Woman but I’m determined and motivated to make things as good as I can and learn from my mistakes!
Thanks a lot for your time, Pauline. We wish you good luck for ZarAgora!
Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona