In Agora Patra we saw some changes to the Network Commission. Goodbyes had to be said to Antonija Parat, Dominique Lenssen, Holger Schmitt, Kristóf Papp, Meltem Darakcı, Patricia Anthony and Vira Kakhnych. At the same time, the Network Commission gave a warm welcome to Ana Potočnik, Balázs Kovács, Burak Topaloğlu, Lia Tuska, Maria Arends, Natalia Ivleva and later to Julia Fuss. April was Agora preparation month for the whole team and May meant a lot of Knowledge Transfer for the Network Commission. In this NetCom Telegram you can read about what Antonija, Holger and Meltem did during their last months as members of the Network Commission.
Antonija Parat
Although my last two months in the NetCom were a little bit more relaxed than usual, there was still plenty to do. My NetCom work in April mostly consisted of preparing my locals for the Agora, as well as the NetCom team. I had the chance to visit the pre-event in Skopje. I really enjoyed being there and connecting with their new board. Many members of my locals traveled together from Skopje, and the whole Agora was a great bonding experience for us. In April I was also preparing NetCom candidates for Patra and I was happy to see the new generation on stage. I truly wish them the best of luck. After the Agora, there was the knowledge transfer period, where I helped my successor Ana Potočnik and the new Speaker Team adjust to their new roles. Unfortunately, May also brought the Balkan floods, which kept me quite busy as I was volunteering, as well as helping my locals to spread the word in order to get help. It was a tough time, but I’m proud of the way locals handled it. Overall, my year in NetCom has been intense in the best possible way, an experience I will always cherish.
Holger Schmitt
The last two months for sure have been the most exciting in my AEGEE life. First, I was in constant preparation for the Agora with the whole Netcom team and my locals in order to update the antenna criteria. Also I had the chance to visit AEGEE-Leipzig and I met some other AEGEEans in Berlin. Together we prepared our NWM “Cooperate, Develop, Act” in Bamberg in May. Then, the Agora in Patra took place, where I had the chance to meet so many representatives of my locals and had a good discussion at our meeting. Having the awesome experience of my dream coming true and getting elected as member of the CD at the Agora the follow-up and preparation period started. So we restructured our NetCom team, organized the succession for my Netcom area and experienced our NWM together.
In Bamberg, we all experienced some intensive ideas and best-practices sharing as well as the joint development of new projects and events in the upcoming year. It was impressive to see how much the representatives from each local were willing to help each other. We had discussions about board management, fundraising, event management, Strategic Plan, a Yvote Activity and we started working on a common google calendar for events in the NetCom area as a follow-up of the NWM as well as on a boards manual for newly elected boards. Besides, we also set up a common media campaign with our new media responsible Benjamin Feyen from AEGEE-Düsseldorf. Another highlight was meeting two representatives of BEST Erlangen who shared their experience with us and established cooperations with AEGEE. My thanks go to the great team of AEGEE-Bamberg for the organization of the event. Also I would like to thank all of my locals as well as my great NetCom team for the joint work and the things we could achieve in the last period.
Meltem Darakcı
In April, I was quite busy with the Agora preperations and in May we had the knowledge transfer in order to make Burak ready to be on duty as soon as possible. Apart from that, in the last three months we, as the NetCom team, showed a great example of activism for Ukraine’s, Turkey’s and the Balkan’s hard times that they have been through. I wish the new team will have the same sensitivity. I am very happy to have been part of the NetCom team where I built strong friendships, learned a lot, made mistakes but most importantly developed myself . Yes, NetCom tasks are more than one single person can tackle and they take a lot of time from your daily life, but at the end it’s all worth it because you’re working for the association that changes your life. And I was very lucky to work with two great teams whom I call NetComhoods. During this one year we made mistakes and we learnt from them, we shared and we developed ourselves together. And I was very proud of my SubCom team when I saw two of my SubCommies candidating to replace my position. I believe Burak will do a great job as a NetCom.
At last, many thanks to my SubCom Team who were there whenever I needed them: to Ruşan Can Akal, Elmar Guliyev, Burak Topaloğlu, Engin Ergezer, and our last minute suppporter Hulusi Kilim, to Antonija and Inez for not only being a good colleague but also being good friends of mine, to Beata, Miguel, Pavel for doing a great job and their support. Besides, from the Network I have received a great motivation and support all the time that is why I also owe them a huge thank you. Hope to see you somewhere in Europe!