Some call it the Head Office, we call it home! by Anna Gumbau, Communications Director of AEGEE-Europe 2015-2016
Brussels is the hub of the European institutions, policy-makers, lobbies and civil society organisations and the beating heart of the European Union. Not too far from the Schuman roundabout, there is a place special to all AEGEE members: the headquarters of AEGEE-Europe! Being one of the biggest student and youth organisations in Europe, and being directly involved in several advocacy processes, one could easily guess that the headquarters of AEGEE-Europe would be in the capital of the European Union. However, it has not always been like that: AEGEE’s birthplace was Paris (1985), and for several years the headquarters of the organisation was located in Delft, in an office at the university! That was at the time when the board members of AEGEE were not yet based in the same city, but were rather scattered all over the continent, using AEGEE conferences to meet up and have their board meetings. However, it was back in the mid-nineties when the organisation needed to have a stable base in Brussels, in order not to miss any happenings or relevant meetings and, not the least important, to be in the spot where almost any other city in Europe would be relatively easy to reach. In 1996, the first Comité Directeur (CD) moved to Brussels. This meant that they were living, working, and travelling from the same exact spot, and it gave the opportunity to hold regular meetings not only among AEGEE members themselves, but with relevant stakeholders in the Brussels area as well. While for several years the headquarters were based in the outskirts of Brussels, the current AEGEE Head Office is located at Rue du Noyer 55 (in Dutch, “Notelaarsstraat”), a beau-
tiful building that has got all the best features from any 19th Century house: chandeliers, a red-velvet carpeted stairway, big windows and a bunch of Art Nouveau ornaments. The most important benefit, however, is that the house is based close to the Schuman roundabout, at a walking distance from the European institutions, our main partners, the umbrella organisations that we are part of, and close to other like-minded youth and civil society associations. This is beneficial for many reasons: not only because of the proximity with our partners or because it gives the chance to our board members to be in contact with one another on a daily basis; it is also of great importance due to the fact that the AEGEE Head Office can be easily reached by our members, and it is seen as a “second home” for the AEGEEans of the whole Network. The house usually hosts the team meetings of our different European bodies, who normally worK remotely from different parts of the Network. During the weekend they use the facilities of the house to see one another in person and work on the development of their plans. Not the least important thing that AEGEEans can find in the house is a place to stay during their journeys and short trips to Brussels, in a guest room where they are always welcome. This fact makes the Rue du Noyer 55 a real home for any AEGEE member who wants to experience the Brussels lifestyle, meet the Comité Directeur, find out more about how we work, or simply wants to get some shelter from the well-known Belgian rain.
Key to Europe 2015-2016
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