2005 is a special year: AEGEE, which started as a dream and a hope for a more tolerant, democratic Europe, now celebrates its 20th birthday. It's now time to look back to evaluate AEGEE's role in European integration in the past two decades and motivate our members to think on the future of our Association. Hence, the AEGEE20 Project has been found aiming at encompassing all official and unofficial celebrations of the 20th anniversary of AEGEE-Europe and communicating this special birthday to the network.

In particular, our aim is to draw public attention to AEGEE-Europe's achievements over 20 years. This is meant to be realized by promoting AEGEE to the European students who personally benefit from what AEGEE has to offer to them and to our partners - members of political and student organizations and of the European civil society. Moreover, we want to motivate our members to focus on the future role and the challenges AEGEE faces. Our target group is apart our former and current members, European and national media and through them, the general public and University students throughout Europe.

Main event

The main event within this project will be the three day's conference "AEGEE20 - The Happening", taking place from 22nd to 25th September 2005 in Praha. In the heart of Europe, an experienced and highly motivated organization team is looking forward to welcome patrons, external speakers, Les Anciens and current members. The three day's conference comprises lectures, workshops, plenary discussions and an extensive social programme. It aims at commemorating and celebrating AEGEE's past achievements, on evaluating its current situation and on defining AEGEE's challenges for the future. Expected outcomes of these discussions are concepts and comments on the discussed topics which ideally will contribute to AEGEE's future projects.
AEGEE20 - The happening addresses current and former AEGEE-members and partners such as political and student organizations who would like to be informed about AEGEE's position and the chances AEGEE offers to them.

The following means will be used to implement the above aims:

1. Plenary: In the plenary, Les Anciens and external speakers will express their opinion on past and future challenges, AEGEE had, has and will have to face. In dialogue with the audience, their points of view will be confronted with each other, aiming at finding a common ground for AEGEE's future. These lectures and discussion will transmit knowledge and opinions which are the two bases for discussions in the workshops.
2. Workshops: While the plenary is meant to provoke a discussion, the workshops offer each participant to express his opinion and to tackle the subjects more detailed. That's why the workshops focus five different topics, the organizers regard as the most important ones for AEGEE's future work: European Education and Integration, Democracy and Peace, Human Rights protection, the political future of the EU and "AEGEE and the world".

Further events

Many locals all over Europe have already organized thematic and social events within the frame of AEGEE20 or will do so in future. The AEGEE20 project team welcomes this interest and informs about these events and their results on the project's website. At the same time, we would like to invite also all those locals who have not yet done so, to dedicate a conference, a one-day-event, a a party or an event within their summer universities in 2005 to AEGEE's Birthday.

AEGEE 20 team
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Published on: 2005-06-16 (948 reads)