Foreword by Karen Melchior, Member of the European Parliament

WHAT MAKES ME EUROPEAN?

I was not born a European, I became a European. My time in AEGEE was a great part in making me European. In the summer of 2001, I became a member of the AEGEE antenna in Copenhagen. I did not know I was to become part of a community spanning the entire continent.

My first AEGEE experience was taking part in our Copenhagen Summer University (SU) as a host to one of the visiting AEGEEans (from Zagreb, Croatia) before I left for my own SU-experience in Ukraine (Kiev and Zaporizhia). Being an active part of my local antenna allowed me to form friendships, which have lasted until today.

Experiencing being part of a community, which is united in diversity, gave me a strong foundation to view the world. Even as the world grows smaller through modern communication, the news we have access to is not more diverse, but rather more and more the same as all media and platforms share the news and stories which others have success with. The AEGEE experience allows us to live that we are much more alike than we are made to think, but it also shows us that there is more to the world, than what hits the headlines.

Being part of a democratic organisation helped me train to take responsibility for my society; by becoming a member of our local board and taking part in the Agora, I acquired skills and experience which made sure I would not fear doing the same in other organisations. That I would not fear being a political candidate. When I started out I had no idea where the AEGEE experience would lead me, but I enjoyed every step of the way. I am now a member of the European Parliament. AEGEE was part of my way here. I hope AEGEE can help you achieve your dreams, even if you have not started dreaming them yet. Enjoy your journey! I am excited to hear where it leads you.

Karen Melchior Member of the European Parliament