During the European Planning Meeting (EPM) in Burgos last February, attention was paid to the topic of Europe and Russia. However, another topic of this EPM was the drafting of the new Action Agenda 2015 – 2016, which will be presented at Spring AgorAsturias. An important matter, but probably also a very unknown one, since the Action Agenda is one of the most important yet also unfamiliar documents.
Together with the Strategic Plan, the Action Agenda defines AEGEE’s long-term goals and the ways to reach them. To do this as efficient as possible, the objectives in the Action Agenda should be as clear and reachable as possible in order to not end up with a fulfillment rate of less than fifty percent, as happened last year. An important task, which the participants of the EPM eagerly took on, leading to interesting discussions and a lot of new ideas. Being responsible for the implementation of it, the Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) helped to draft the new Action Agenda.
So, what did they do?
The main task for the members of ACT was to facilitate the Action Meetings together with the members of the Comité Directeur. In these sessions, participants got together to think of new objectives for the four Focus Areas of the Strategic Plan (Spreading Europtimism, Youth Mobility, Youth Employment and Civic Education). Before they started working on that however, an overview of the fulfillment of the current Action Agenda (2014-2015) was presented, which already looked quite good compared to last year’s Action Agenda! Afterwards, the drafting process started and the participants discussed, drafted, voted and finally created new objectives and activities related to it.
What will happen with these objectives?
The draft of the new Action Agenda will be presented at the Agora, during which participants will get the chance to ask questions and make amendments – just like they were given the chance on the Forum. Once everyone has had their say, it will be put up for approval by the Agora, after which it will officially be effective after the 1st of August of this year.
How will locals be prepared for that?
First of all, just like this year new guidelines will be written that will carefully explain how the new Action Agenda can be implemented. This document will also contain concrete examples of activities that can be organised by locals that want to contribute to this Action Agenda. Secondly a new instruction video will be created, providing a basic explanation of the Action Agenda 2015-2016. Finally examples of activities that contribute to this Action Agenda will be shared on a weekly basis in the ACTive AEGEEans Facebook group.
Through this means, both the current and future Action Agenda Coordination Committee will coordinate the process from the draft of a new Action Agenda to the ACTivities organised by locals in the upcoming year.
Written by Marijn Scholte and Svenja van der Tol, Action Agenda Coordination Committee