Find Love at Network Meeting A Coruña

AEGEE-A Coruña is hosting the Spring Network Meeting (NWM) which is going to take place in April, 24th to 26th April and they are going to host 60 participants. Alejandra Piot Pérez Abadín, main organizer of the NWM and Olga Rivero Menéndez, Network Commissioner answered some questions to the AEGEEan.

The AEGEEan: Why did you apply to organise the NWM? When did the idea start?
Alejandra Piot Pérez Abadín: We decided to apply because this year there have been so many changes in our antenna, and so many new members. That’s why we believe that we are ready to organise an event like this. Ruth San José Blasco, president of AEGEE-A Coruña, proposed the idea in a meeting, and all of us wanted to organise it.

Who will be responsible for the organisation?
We are six organisers. Me as main organiser, Roy Avellaneda García (incoming responsible), Andrés Merayo Arroyo (social program responsible), Ruth San José Blasco (treasure and fundraising responsible), Adrián “Adri” López Ferreiro (Netcom liaisons responsible) and Gonzalo Vieites Charlón (Logistic Responsible).

What are your plans for the NWM?
We have a really strong social program. We want to show to our participants, topics from Galicia, like “queimada” [a punch made by Aguardente, lemon peel, coffee and sugar that is set alight, ed.]  and typical music. By the way, if they come for our pre-event, we organise a city tour and a visit to the most ancient lighthouse which is still working, Hercules Tower.

Why should someone visit A Coruña?
Because is a beautiful city, with a lot of things to do. I think that everyone should visit A Coruña before they die. We can show to our participants all the hidden places, all the history, which is so much. They will be surprised.

What about the program of the event?
Olga Rivero Menéndez: Since there are still some weeks left for the event, we are still drafting the program. There are some new obligatory sessions prepared by Network Commissioners and Comité Director that will be delivered in every NWM of the Network, and we will also have some sessions related to the work that some of the trainers we have in mind have been developing later. What we can assure is that we are preparing some content that participants find interesting and useful for their development as AEGEE members!

Do you have appointed trainers?
We are still waiting for them to confirm their attendance, but we do have some people in mind apart from Paul Smits, who will come as CD appointed member, and the members of La Tripulación that will be able to attend. For sure trainers will be awesome.

What is the main goal of the NWM? Can you share some ideas you already have about it?
What we expect with this NWM is that all the participants can go home after it with the feeling that they have actually learned something. We don’t want to focus just on a certain thing, but on all the topics that can be interesting and important for the locals in our area. We also want the event to be a fruitful discussion meeting, and we hope that everybody present will raise all questions and problems they have so they can get some kind of profitable answer or solution for them, or at least some tips and new ideas that can be useful.

“What if it was love..?” Who came up with this title? Is there a meaning behind it?
As I have been told by AEGEE-A Coruña organisers, they were looking for ideas for the image of the event for sending their candidature for being hosting antenna and found an image of a graffiti painted in a wall that said “What if it was love..?”. They thought that this sentence could be also interpreted as the sensation you get when things go right, and so they used it as the name of the event! I guess that it was love at the end, as their candidature was simple awesome.

Written by Lia Tuska, AEGEE-Sofia/Thessaloniki