Streaming and IT people

This Agora will have, if computer goblins don't mess up with it, a streaming service for the whole network to see what is happening in the plenary room. I know this decission will make happy many people in Europe, and specially our president Manos and the Secretary of the Agora, Bea, who will also have a copy of the video to better make the minutes.

The exact link to the website will be announced in www.agoraalicante.org and it will allow direct participation via one of the popular social networks (to be decided which one). And there will be also some experienced AEGEE-people from our team with the main task of transmitting the special atmosphere to those of you who could not join us in Alicante, sending real time updates from the plenary room.

How is this possible? We have the support of University of Alicante and also a great team of people in charge of the IT department. Apart from Javi, Juanola, Antonio and Bene, they are:


Guille

He has been in charge of coordinating the team from the quiet city of Pavía, in Italy, where he is spending an unforgettable Erasmus year. He has even become Erasmus Responsible in AEGEE-Pavia! He will also be the Gym DJ, and he has already starting to collect music and sort it out according to different purposes: tender wake ups, hard core wake ups, dressing up for parties... He may give us also a surprise during the European Night.
He will hate me for finally writing a post about him, but he deserves it!



Gabriel

One of the fresh faces in our team, and directly coming from Murcia, he has been in charge of agreeing with the University of Alicante everything related to the video streaming and the wifi network that will be available during the Agora. One thing we have learned in this Agora: you never have too many IT guys in your team :) Moreover, he's always smiling and brings tons of positive energy into the team. He will always be around to solve any problem




Alberto

Another of the Murcia guys, he is always ready to be an organizer in AEGEE-Alicante's Summer University. Apart from supporting everyone else on the team, his speciality is the Spanish language course; our participants never have enough of  it, and sometimes he has had to prepare an extra session in record time to make them happy. If you attend the Spanish course on the Opening Day (Wednesday 27th) you may learn the basic secrets of our language in less than one hour.

               Posted by Miguel

Ah, FYI it is raining already in Alicante for 3 days... See the forecast here.

Paint the Agora in Green

Dear Agora Friends:

Agora Alicante has the aim to be as GREEN as possible. Not only because of Lía and the Jungle Party (see the updated party program here); Inside the organising team we wanted to make an effort and prove that it is possible and easy to take the environment into account when organising an AEGEE event. And no better event to make the message arrive to all members, than having a Sustainable Agora. Does it mean that it will be a perfect event with zero impact on the environment? Of course not, setting such an objective would have been unrealistic. But you will see during Agora Alicante there will be many details that will contribute to the general reduction of the impact, and maybe we inspire you for your Summer University or any other event you are organising.

Recycling Mobile Phones.

We all have old mobile phones in some drawer at home, like if they are in a cemetery. Why do we humans have such behaviour? Scientist have not found an answer yet... but I have one! You were all keeping them to contribute to Agora Alicante. We will install at the check-in desks a container for collecting your old mobile phones, and in exchange you will get a reward... A Spanish shot and a kiss from your favourite organizer. With your collaboration, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) will get support from each phone collected, and the oldmobile phones will be repaired and reused, or dismantled to recycle its components. So bring yours! No problem if they do not work anymore, we can give them a use!

Plastic glasses and bottles

Disposable plastic glasses and dishes have been banned from our shopping lists. They are a waste of petrol and much less sustainable than cardboard glasses or reusable glasses... Same for the plastic bottles of less than 5 liters. We are getting strong muscles after carrying more than 1500 liters of water yesterday to our headquarter!

Separated waste disposal

University of Alicante has a strict policy on separating waste for recycling. We will follow this policy and we will have whenever possible different bins for your waste. But remember, the most sustainable waste is the one that is not produced. So we will make an effort to reduce the bags and boxes, buying king-size packages for food.

Other details

Walking buses for the parties (10 min walking from the University to the party. I promise. The way back may take much longer, depending on how much fun you had) :D 2 workshops will be related to Environment. Welcome pack with surprises. SFM paper (Sustainable Fortestry Management). And more...

Map of antennae organising EDE 2011

And why do I send this post today? Because April 22nd is Earth Day. April 22nd is the starting point of the 2011 edition of the European Day of Environment organized by Environmental WG. Agora Alicante is the contribution of AEGEE-Alicante to EDE. Why not putting your antenna on the map with a small action rom today till June 5th, World Environment Day. And April 22nd is the last day I have almost free before The Big Trap, the pre-Agora intensive meeting.

Posted by Miguel

The shower mystery

Dear Agora members.

Those of you who have attended some agorae before, will for sure have noticed that there is usually just a few showers available for 600-1000 people. In Leiden they were around 5+5 (men and women),in Istanbul 10+10, in Riga 4+4...

But... I can't explain why, they were enough. I have had just once to wait for the people to finish before starting mine. How does it happen? I don't know. Because, with these numbers, you could easily imagine the Agora people untidy and even smelly, and that is not the fact.We manage to look "fresh" and even dress up for parties! For me, that is a miracle!

Just in case, as we in AEGEE-Alicante don't believe in magic, we have included in our planning to provide around 20 showers per men and other 20 per women. We hope this will be enough...

A perfect Agora/AEGEE weekend

My weekend has been 100% AEGEE, 100% unforgettable.

Friday:

• Important meeting for Agora at the University of Alicante
• Hosting some organizers from out of Alicante before The Trap II

Saturday:

• Update session
• Knowledge Transfer from Agora Zaragoza Main Coordinator David Barco
• Video recording
• Team building activities
• This time there was no crazy party but we had the same great time

We missed the ones who could not join us, but there will be a TRAP III!

Live message from the Chair to Agora Team. Thanks Percin!

Sunday: 

• Tidying up
• Prepare luggage for Riga (including special clothes for the parties :D ) and later some extra days in Tartu with AEGEE friends and Tallinn with my brother.
• Coming to Madrid to take my plane tomorrow.

Isn't  AEGEE life great??

Miguel

It's a Green Agora

Dear AEGEEans

The Agora Alicante team will make an extra effort to reduce the impact of our Agora and make it as sustainable as we can. What does it mean?

No, you will not be punished if you come by plane (European security control is enough torture).
No, you will not be forced to hug a tree to receive your welcome pack (palm trees are thorny).
No, you will not need to have cold showers to save energy.

Our Agora will be green because, from the very beginning and at each planning stage, we try to think about different alternatives that can be better for the environment; all this ideas should not make the Agora way too much expensive / complicated. Sometimes it is possible to find an alternativeway to do things, some times not. Sometimes is even more convenient for us to make the green solution! The good thing is that, as we started thinking about it before the first decissions were made, more creative solutions can be implemented now with less effort. As a resource, we have all the background from the Sustaining our Future project and the Environmental WG (EnWG) to use as an isnpiring material :D and we plan to collaborate with Universities for infrastructure.

Of course, this would not be possible without the involvement and work of part of the Agora Team that are members of the Green Team! Great work, and still so many things to do!

Greenly yours!
Miguel

Know Alicante University: MUA

Alicante University has several secret spots into the campus, but one of them is really amazing because it is at the same time a visual reference and a hidden treasure. I am talking of my favourite area in the Campus, and I sometimes feel guilty when I feel happy being there alone, whilte it should be without any doubt one of the most visited points of the Campus. So I am trying now to atone for my previous greed by sharing all my likes of this jewel of University of Alicante heritage.

MUA means Museum of University of Alicante.

Why do I like it so much?

a) The Building: elegantly combining raw materials like water, wood, concrete and metal, its brave architecture assured the young architect Alfredo Payá  international recognision. Known as "The Music Box", you will have to visit the museum to discover its intervowen spaces, the calmness of its open areas, the secrets of its corridors. Its position in an empty space surrounded by water determines its relationship with the public, somehow iconic but somehow also needing a deliberate wish to go there, as nobody ends up in the MUA by accident.

b) The Exhibitions: the program of the museum is dedicating attention to Alicante and the world, to every possible art discipline. I have enjoyed several breathtaking photoexhibitions, and felt strange emotions with some video-art projections.

c) The Concept: The University decided to invest in art, to contribute to every face of the human being. And it did it with a project of a young architech, a risky building that causes an impression to every visitor. And it continues the compromise with the choice of a comprehensive programme far from conventionalisms.

And of course, there are nice memories I associate to this museum; moments on my own or enjoyed with special people who shared this secret.

Definitely, something worth to visit on your next Agora, a proposed plan for early newcomers on wednesday (sorry, it closes on Sundays). I just wrote to confirm it will be open on Agora dates.

(pictures taken from Fernando Prieto's blog Linkalicante)

Know Alicante University: The aeroplanes

The Campus of the University of Alicante is located in an flat area that used to be an aerodrome (from 1919 to 1978). Some buildings from that time are still there, as the control tower, which hosts nowadays the International Relations Society of the university, the meeting point of all Erasmus and exchange students. The old hangar (place used to keep the aeroplanes inside) has disappeared but its metal structure remains on place like an skeleton, hosting a lush garden with bamboo and tropical plants.

This is just one of the treasures the University of Alicante hides on its campus... more coming soon!!


Agora Alicante team