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20 years, 20 people
Socrates Promoters on the Move “Socrates on the Move” was one of the most remarkable projects in 2000 and 2001. The concept was original and daring, complex and imaginative: a multinational group of Socrates Promoters was selected by a steering committee consisting of representatives from three of the main student organisations in Europe and from the European Commission. The main task of the Promoters was to present the Socrates programme to students and European universities, as well as other target groups, in order to teach them to identify available opportunities and to take the necessary steps to benefit from them. For the very first time, AEGEE-Europe, the National Unions of Students in Europe (ESIB) and the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) co-operated in a joint project. This initiative was of huge importance to the European Commission, DG Education and Culture. Next to the promoSome event highlights of 2001 February
Münster & Enschede (D/NL): Border Regions Istanbul (TR): The Future of Socrates
March
Katowice (PL): Presidents’ Meeting Blagoevgrad (BG): NGOs & EU Enlargement Berlin&Poznan (D/PL): Cyber Society
April
Lund (S): Quo Vadis Europe – Opening Conference Athina (GR): European School 1 & Orthodox Easter Wroclaw (PL): Let’s Play Green Cluj-Napoca (RO): Borderless Europe: Final Conference
May
Constanta (RO): Agora Passau (D): Judaism in Europe Today
July
Utrecht (NL): European School 2
August
Tirgu-Mures (RO): Bike Case Study Tisza River
September
Valletta (M): Planning Meeting All over Europe: European Day of Languages London (UK): Foot&Mouth and Rock&Roll Kirovohrad (UA): Fashion in Ukraine
October
Brussel (B): Parliament of 28 Simulation Ankara (TR): Agora/Euroscepticism/Politics in Cinema
November
All over Europe: Socrates Action Week Pécs (H): Globalisation & Sustainable Development Beograd & Istanbul (YU/TR): Youth for SEE Training Torino (I): Severe Human Rights Violations
December
Brussel (B): Quo Vadis Europe? – Final Conference
In 2001, altogether 112 conferences, trainings, cultural events and statutory meetings were organised – plus 85 Summer Universities.
20th Anniversary
tion of the Socrates programme, the idea was also to inform about and to discuss issues such as the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), the Diploma Supplement and Europass, and student mobility in general. “The project very much fitted in with AEGEE’s philosophy,” says Sebastian Klüsener, at that time projects’ director of AEGEE-Europe. “Again, we got financial assistance to promote the Socrates Programme as we had done it in the regular Socrates Action Days from 1997 on. Apart from this it served as a very good opportunity to find and motivate members to join the European level of our association.” As preparation, the promoters gathered for a training seminar in April 2000 where general information about Socrates was given, and participants were also trained in soft skills such as presentation techniques. Andrei Popescu from AEGEE-Bucuresti explains: “Socrates on the Move was a project with great qualities: an attractive name, a good plan and a noble aim. And, luckily enough, it also had great people to carry it out. They were the Socrates Promoters and I was proud to be one of them.” One could say that Socrates on the Move was one of the most challenging projects AEGEE ever organized - with 50 people coming from 27 different countries, thus with very different expectations and cultural baggage. Moreover, with three student organisations as well as the European Commission, there were four organisations, and thus four organisational cultures and four visions, co-operating and sometimes conflicting. However, at the final conference of the 2000/1 edition, where the results were put together and a possible continuation was discussed, the partners agreed to continue with the project. In the second year, 50 more Socrates Promoters were selected, again almost half of them coming from AEGEE. With at least five events per person, more than 500 activities were carried out in these two years, so that in total more than 10,000 students have been reached. The activities were very diverse, ranging from presentations to seminars and more original ideas. “I would dare to say that the AEGEE promoters were among the most enthusistic about the project and promoted Erasmus in some of the most original ways, using jazz concerts as a PR tool and creating a sub-network of promoters,” reports Andrei, who was project officer in the second year and is currently working for the Socrates National Agency in Bucharest. Sergio Maestri, member of the steering group of the first year on behalf of AEGEE states that, besides increasing the visibility of AEGEE at a large number of universities and training new active members, Socrates on the Move was a great opportunity for AEGEE to successfully lobby for Socrates in Turkey. In Andrei’s words: “The Move changed my life and the life of many others.” Olivier Genkin
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