Monika Mojak, a Subcommissioner of the Juridical Commission, is ready to become a fullfledged member of the JC at this Spring Agora in Bergamo. She states that she is hard working, and possesses a very keen and nuanced interpretation of the law. To find out more, read the following article in our ongoing coverage of the various candicates for elected positions at the Agora.
The AEGEEan: Could you introduce yourself a bit?
Monika: Despite the fact that this should be the simplest question, it always brings me some difficulties but I will try to manage. So, starting from the beginning, I am 24 years old and I have been a member of AEGEE-Lublin since October 2013. Currently, I am a student of International Relations on the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. I have now successfully graduated a couple of months ago.
I am full of energy, an open-minded person who is always on the move, I hate being bored, that is why I do a wide range of things in my life; looking for new ideas, experiences and friendships. I am an AEGEE addict, who loves travelling, art and chocolate. In the future I would like to work in the field of human rights and protection of animal rights. One day I will set up a foundation whose main goal will be supporting those, who seek the helpless – especially children or animals, who cannot speak for themselves – , as I believe that we live not only for ourselves, but primarily for others.
Which tasks have you done, or which positions have you fulfilled that have sufficiently prepared you to become an excellent member of the Juridical Commission?
So far I have been a Subcomissioner of the Juridical Commission for two terms and now I am a Legal Assistant for Poland, where my main task is to support Polish locals with legal advice, help them with resolving their problems, revising contracts and drafting legal documents. I also have quite a wide experience in AEGEE that can be very useful for the work in the JC.
Could you tell us a bit more about your tasks, duties and experiences as a Subcommissioner for the Juridical Commission?
Getting involved in JC was the best decision I could ever have made. When I started my work as a Subcommissioner, I was still a newbie in AEGEE, and I didn’t know a lot about the organisation, its structure, aim, and vision. However, during the last two years, my knowledge about the JC and the whole Network rose from a low to a super high level, of which I am very proud. Nevertheless, coming back to my duties, in the JC, I was helping to check the status of the locals, I was organising and supervising the elections of the Working Groups and Committees, I was taking part in Skype meetings with the Commissioners, working with them through the mailing, and I was assisting the JC during the Agora with their tasks.
Could you name some of your best qualities, especially those that are relevant for a member of the Juridical Commission?
I am ambitious, hardworking and a conscientious person. I have highly developed interpersonal skills, ability for teamwork, as well as making independent decisions. I carry out all my duties in a responsible and efficient manner. When I decide to get involved, I am engaged for 200 percent, and dedicate all my time and heart to this. I am also a perfectionist- everything I am working on has to be refined in every detail.
What would excite you most about being a member of the Juridical Commission?
Being a member of the Juridical Commission is very challenging, as the JC is a relevant body in AEGEE and carries a huge responsibility on its shoulders. I love facing challenges and difficulties, learning how to deal with them, resolving problems, coming up with good solutions and breaking ideas. Moreover, the tasks of the JC are very interesting and developing, so you do not have any time to get bored. Also, it is a fabulous feeling when you have the awareness that you are a part of something very important, that you can contribute to the improvement of the whole Network, your hard work can have visible effects, and you can help other people. Share your knowledge, passion and experience, co-operate with the other awesome, experienced people, who have a huge knowledge and motivation, and thanks to whom I have been able to learn more about AEGEE and that together we could make a lot of profitable and valuable things.
What specifically sets you apart from the other candidates who are running for Member of the Juridical Commission?
I do not like to compare myself with others. I believe that every candidate has qualities that make him or her special and eligible to run for this position and thanks to that that we are all different, have various experiences, views and ideas. Together we could develop an efficient cooperation and learn a lot from each other. This is what I like the most in the AEGEE. I personally think that, after getting familiar with our programs and motivations, people will be able to evaluate on their own. What makes each of us a valuable and an appropriate candidate to take up the position in the JC.
One of the larger tasks of being a member of the Juridical Commission is to verify the conformity and application of the Statutes of each local with the model defined by AEGEE-Europe. How are you going to tackle this herculean responsibility?
I am not afraid of verifying the conformity and application of the Statutes as I have an experience in working with legal documents and dealing with complicated legal cases. This does not change the fact that this is very crucial and a responsible task that demands a lot of effort, knowledge and good communication – not only with the JC, but also with the interested bodies. I can assure you that I will do everything to carry out this duty the best of my abilities.
Questions from our readers:
Have you ever read the whole CIA? If so, how many times?
I suppose that this is the rhetorical question [she smiles, ed.]. I could not imagine my work in the JC without knowing the content of the whole CIA. The first time I read the CIA, was before I decided to apply as a Subcommissioner. I wanted to be familiar with all the rules and the way AEGEE is operating. I have to admit that it was very fascinating for me as I mentioned above; I was a fresh member during that time and it was a moment when I could explore the knowledge about the network. During my term as a Subcommssioner I have read the whole text several times, for example after the new versions of the CIA were released or when I just wanted to refresh my knowledge. It is really important to be up to date with all the changes when you are involved in the JC, and we work with the CIA all the time, so I often look into it quite frequently. I posess two copies of the CIA; one on my computer and a printed one, to have it with me: always handy.
I personally think that every AEGEEan should read the CIA at least once in his life to understand our organisation better. How could I be an aware citizen without knowing the constitution of my state? It also applies to AEGEE.
In your program you stated that you want to continue the work done by the previous Juridical Commission. How do you place yourself regarding the proposals about removing the Comité Directeur from the work of the commission? And would you continue with the idea of presenting proposals only during Autumn Agora?
Yes, that is right. The current JC is doing a marvellous job that I admire a lot, and I cannot imagine a situation, in which the next JC would not like to continue the position and tradition that is worked out by the current and previous generations of the JC members. This does not mean that I agree with all the statements of the current Commissioners.
In my opinion, we can discuss the proposal about “Removing the appointed Comité Directeur member as an observer and advisor of the Juridical Commission” from two different points of view. On the one hand, we would all like to consider the JC as an independent and impartial body, but, in the situation presented in the proposal, it is impossible to maintain that position, which would create a confusing situation for the JC. I understand and support it, but, on the other hand, the JC and the CD have to maintain a very close communication with each other and the presence of a CD member seems to be relevant in many cases. The situation is far from ideal, but and I am strongly in favour to find a good solution, and to regulate it in the way that would satisfy both the JC and the Network. Nonetheless, removing the CD member from the JC is not the best option, in my opinion.
If talking about the idea of only presenting proposals during Autumn Agora, I would say that the idea as a whole is good and I like it. Agora spends too much time discussing modifications of the CIA instead of focusing on the topics that are important for the improvement of our organisation. So, as it was suggested, the Autumn Agora would be dealing with the CIA and the Spring Agora should concentrate on the current issues, problems and goals of AEGEE. This makes sense. Nonetheless, we should also consider how it would work in practice. Here I have some doubts, like for example waiting with presenting proposals for a long time, the big amount of proposals gathered during the whole year, and not equally dividing the workload, this may raise some problems and difficulties. That is why I would reconsider it once again, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages that can influence the functioning of the Agora.
How would you make the CIA closer to the Network?
I understand that legal language seems to be black magic and for me ‘making the CIA closer to the Network’ means to make people familiar and more confident about what the CIA exactly is. CIA cannot only be treated in a way of being a legal document, despite that, for many people, it only seems to be a set of the rules. This is the base of AEGEE and it has to be “alive” and visible in practice. Furthermore, many members still do not know what the JC is or what its tasks are: a liaison between the CIA and the whole Network. That is why, when being in the JC, I would like to be available to every member who seeks help or needs clarification of the CIA and support them in other legal aspects; not only by exchanging emails, but also in online or personal meetings. I want to reduce waiting times for answers, quickly solve the problems and cases submitted to the JC. The interpretation of the CIA should be clear and rules should be applicable. I would like to introduce trainings during Network Meetings and other conferences, where members could gain knowledge about the CIA as whole, and about the most important regulations that everybody should know well. This should be accompanied by some practical cases, to make it more interesting and easier to understand. As I said before, I am thinking about preparing a guide that would help people to better understand the CIA and its regulations. In my opinion, the JC should be more active in social media, sharing some useful information and staying connected with the average members. I am sure that during my term in the JC I will find some other ideas to make the CIA close to the Network, and I will put them into practice.
You can read her full candidatures here.
Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen