Dear AEGEEans

Welcome to the very first edition of theAEGEE Newsletter of 2014 !

First, we hope you had great holidays during which you could rest so now you are full of energy for a new year of AEGEE. 
 
In this Newsletter, you will find new opportunities inside and outside of AEGEE, as well as updates from 2013, so don't hesitate to get involved in anything you may find interesting.

We look forward to seeing all of you during the upcoming EBM-Lublin !

All the best,

Comité Directeur 2013-2014

Our partner Brussels Airlines offers you a 20% discount on flights in Europe if you book before the 16th of February!

Book: from 1 January 2014 till 16 February 2014
Travel: 1 January 2014 till 31 March 2014
Destinations: European network
Discount: -20%*
Conditions: * Discount is only applicable to the basefare, not on taxes and fees. Valid on all Brussels Airlines flights within Europe in b.light economy.

Visit this link:
http://www.brusselsairlines.com/en_be/book/flights/top-employer-q1.aspx

Right after the Christmas holidays, a leadership training took place in Brussels, whose climate decided to be quite clement for the event. This training aimed at giving the participants the tools to be the best possible new leaders of our association. Eighteen very active AEGEEans at the European level could then exchange views, and be trained and challenged by the Comité Directeur, learning more about themselves and their motivations, so they would be as prepared as can be should they take up leading positions in the organization. 

The house was full, the training was intense, and the roof literally fell on our heads at some point, but in the end it was a success !
 

As you might know AEGEE-Europe has been very active and involved on the Structure Dialogue. For a short period of time we want to consult our members on this process.

The Structured Dialogue (SD) is a process enabling discussions between young people and policy makers about different themes, to make sure the opinions of young people are taken into account in defining the EU’s youth policies.

To update and to get more information’s about how it works, purpose and why AEGEE-Europe is involved please find information on our member’s portal: http://www.zeus.aegee.org/portal/structured-dialog/

We were invited to consult our members on the theme of the 3^rd Cycle of the SD “Youth and Social Inclusion”, so in order to allow the European Steering Committee to integrate the results of the consultations in preparation for the EU Youth Conference in Greece, we kindly ask you to fill in the online form:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZR3FDK9

Deadline: Friday, 17^th of January 2014.
 

The Members portal is ready ! This is the place where AEGEE members can find news from the European level of AEGEE, information about events, and all the necessary documents and information for active members and as well the ways to get involved.

All the information is now in one place, one address to remember, this is the Members Portal !

Don't wait and visit it at aegee.org/portal !

The deadline for presenting your projects for the national chapters of the Charlemagne Youth Prize is coming soon! European projects can be presented there, but your outstanding local activities could be there as well! Find all the information here http://www.charlemagneyouthprize.eu/ and contact Kathrin Renner ([log in to unmask]g) if your want to present your project there!

The pan-European news portal Presseurop.eu said goodbye on December 20th after the decision of the European Commission of ceasing the fundings addressed to this project. Presseurop has probably been the most relevant information point about the European Union, and by shutting it down, we are not only losing a brilliant media source, but a meeting point for us to read, share our concerns about the EU and build a true community of European citizens.

Read more on : 
http://www.zeus.aegee.org/magazine/2014/01/14/presseurop-shuts-down-any-hope-for-a-true-european-media/

You might have seen this smiling AEGEE-Mainz-Wiesbaden member during the Agora Rhein-Neckar where he was super busy with dealing with different problems, waking up participants early in the morning and partying with them at night. If not, you might notice him relaxed during the Agora in Zaragoza, where he was enjoying his delegate position and representing EurStory Project. Finally, you have to know this guy because he was that talented one who created the design of an amazing “Key to Europe” edition for the second time!
Read more on :
http://www.zeus.aegee.org/magazine/2013/12/23/member-of-the-month-benjamin-doll-inspiration-comes-from-everywhere/

Two very active AEGEE members, Alin-Florin Calin and Thomas Leszke, are leading the new Election Observations Project that will get AEGEE involved again in election observation missions at our local and national level. A first open call was sent on stage during Autumn Agora Zaragoza 2013 and proved to be very successful, with about 20 AEGEEans attending the first meeting. Alin-Florin Calin has talked to The AEGEEan about this new initiative.
Read more on : 
http://www.zeus.aegee.org/magazine/2013/12/18/election-observations-aegee/

The European Year of Citizens 2013 Alliance (EYCA), of which AEGEE was a member, is happy to share the final version of EYCA policy recommendations:  It’s about us, it’s about Europe! Towards European Democratic Citizenship.
 
After the plenary debate and agreement of 21 October 2013, in Brussels, the final document has been edited and it will be translated into 15 versions of the recommendations.
 
You will find the official online version (in English), and will be able to download it HERE.  The translated versions of this document will be uploaded on the website as soon as they are available.
 
This document was officially presented during the Closing event of the EYC2013, in Vilnius, on 13 December 2013.

We invite you to read the recommendations and spread this publication among your members!

After several re-draftings, the joint EUCIS-LLL manifesto “Building together the Future of Learning” has been finalized. The aim of this paper is to make sure the future members of the European Parliament are committed to follow and promote lifelong learning during their mandate. Of course this cannot succeed without your support !

How to use the manifesto? 

We invite you to disseminate as widely as possible the manifesto (see dedicated page), and to send it directly to your national MEPs and the political parties headquarters. Current members of the European Parliament can be found on the EP website.

From now until February the political groups will adopt their manifestos and choose their candidates. EUCIS-LLL will approach the different political parties at EU level. After the European elections of May 22-25, EUCIS-LLL will focus on the newly-elected European Parliament, and follow the election of the next European Commission President and of the new Commission. 

 

Yesterday, the rotating presidency of the EU Council was officially taken up by Greece in Brussels, at the Bozar Center for Fine Arts. The priorities Athens presented for the upcoming six months are divided in four chapters : Growth, jobs and cohesion ; Further integration of EU and Eurozone ; Migrations, borders and mobility ; Maritime policies. 

Noticeably, enlargement was dropped off from said priorities, despite Greece's commitment, under the Trio of Presidencies - made up of Ireland, Lithuania and Greece - that defined enlargement as an "area of strategic importance". 

A few years ago the international community recognized on the highest political level, the United Nations, the need to include youth, as an essential part of each society, in decision-making. Therefore several member states established a national United Nations Youth Delegate Programme (UNYDP). These Youth Delegates (YDs) are young people between 18-25 years old (differs), interested to shape and improve youth policies and youth rights on the national and international levels. These YDs participate each year in October in the United Nations General Assembly in New York during the 3rd Committee (Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs) and represent the youth of their countries. Each year new national YDs are elected after a transparent and open selection process.

If you are interested in becoming the next YD of your own country, then please get involved, contact your national youth council, ask whether a UNYDP is already established and apply for this unique (voluntary) opportunity! If not, please become active in establishing such an important programme in your country. 
Recently the UN Youth Delegate from Germany in 2013, Florian Nowack, visited AEGEE-Mannheim and presented the UN Youth Delegate Programme. The UN Youth Delegate from Austria in 2013, Aleks Semerciyan, and AEGEE-Europe Liaison Officer, Alin-Florin Calin, discussed last week a closer cooperation.

More information : 
http://unyouth.com/
http://www.wfuna.org/youthhandbook
http://undesadspd.org/Youth.aspx
 

On February 7 and, 2014, European Voice is organizing the 15th EU Studies Fair in Brussels.

The EU Studies Fair is an education fair and networking event bringing together prestigious universities, academic institutions and language schools from Europe and beyond offering postgraduate programmes in EU studies, international relations, business, marketing, political sciences and law. About 500 prospective students and young professionals who have a direct interest in further study and careers in these fields will attend the event.

This event, free of charge, is a unique opportunity for students and young professionals to discover the programmes of some 50+ world-class academic institutions and seek personalized advice on education and career opportunities to make the best choices for their own future.

For more information, please check :
http://www.europeanvoice.com/page/eu-studies-fair-2014-programme/3859.aspx

Europe Direct Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain) is looking for an Erasmus-scholarship trainee for its team for five months to one year. This person should be a university graduate (university education of 4 years or more) or currently studying to graduate at  the University. He or she should meet the following requirements:

-    Degree in economics, journalism, law, management and business administration, translation and interpretation, engineering and political science
-    spoken and written knowledge of Spanish and English, level B2
-    appropriate identification to apply for the selection procedure

Knowledge of other EU languages, especially English and French, as well as any experience in the EU institutions, would be assets.

Contact : Cristina Santana Acosta :
[log in to unmask]
+34 928 30 33 42 / +34 661 48 79 83

For more information, please check :
http://bit.ly/1eEMhE7

The next North-South Centre Global Education: the Human Rights dimension  E-course will take place from 17 February - 16 March 2014 and you can apply now. 

The application process consists of two steps: 

1.  Submitting the online application form underneath with your personal and organisational details;
2. Downloading the online MS Word application form and sending this filled-in form by email to: [log in to unmask]

The deadline for submitting the complete application is 10 February, 2014. Only applications that are complete will be considered. We will inform all applicants about the selection on 12 February, 2014.

Please note that participation in this course requires an active collaborative participation taking at least 10 hours per week for four weeks!

Please also visit the website for the Global Education: The Intercultural Dimension course which takes place from 24 March - 20 April, 2014 and apply now.