AEGEE was established in Paris in 1985 as a result of a conference that was focused on uplifting Euroscepticism. A number of young, idealistic people got together and decided that Europe was in need of an international youth organisation. And that is how AEGEE came to be. The abbreviation AEGEE derives from the place where democracy was born 2000 years ago: at the Aegean Sea. It is AEGEE’s goal to promote the integration and collaboration between young people, students in particular, from every country in Europe.

AEGEE strives to achieve this goal through its network. Today, AEGEE-Europe has a network of approx. 200 locals, with a total of 12,000 members in over 40 countries throughout Europe. Within this network, AEGEE-Enschede is one of the stronger and larger locals. Each year a variety of events is organised by a number of ‘locals’ (sub-societies) in the network. These activities are promoted across the entire network. As a result, people from different countries and cultures take part in these events. It’s always special when so many different young people from all over Europe get together. There is an atmosphere of curiosity about each other’s culture, of making new friends and a shared sense of Europe and its inhabitants.

One of AEGEE’s larger projects is the Summer Universities. These are 2-week exchange trips that take place during the summer holidays where students from various countries get together to participate in an intensive programme that includes culture, workshops and a social programme. These Summer Universities are offered at low prices and are visited by many AEGEE-ers each year. Every six months the network’s activities are discussed at the so-called Agora.

During this statutory event new members for the committees are elected, accountability is given for the past year and discussions are held on the subject of AEGEE’s future and the European legacy. The society’s goals can also be found in the logo. For centuries the number twelve has been symbolic for unity. The meaning of the twelve stars on the logo is therefore obvious. The number of stars has nothing to do with the number of countries that take part in the network. These countries are portrayed by the image of Europe as a continent, so it is not only about EU countries. The abbreviation AEGEE breaks through the circle of stars, this symbolizes that AEGEE leads the way in the process towards European integration. Finally the entire logo is also the shape of a key, ‘The key to Europe’ that can open many doors…