BEATA POTANČOKOVÁ

Can you please introduce yourself (who are you, where are you from, what do you study)?

My name is Bea I am 25 years old and was born and raised in Banská Bystrica. That´s also where I study English and Spanish for translation and interpretation at the University of Matej Bel, though currently I am on a gap year working in Spain through a mobility programme.

How long have you been a member of ESN and what were your roles before becoming active in the international world of ESN?

I joined ESN UMB BB right before going on my first Erasmus at the end of 2015, but when I came back, I was first just a buddy. Then I became more interested in the functioning of the local section and started being more active, helping out with treasury, PR, administrative tasks, as well as organizing some events. After that, I was offered the position of Local Mov´in Europe coordinator, which I did for one semester.

What is your position within Mov'in Europe Team and how long have you been doing it?

I work as the Communication officer and have been doing it since July 2017, which is also when the project team members usually start their work/change for the given year.

Can you describe your main tasks and responsibilities?

The main tasks are to update the social media channels of the project with relevant content, design, create and update the promotional gadgets and materials, update the website with relevant information (that includes updating the MovinEurope Ambassadors system and Event registration system), communicate the important happenings of the project to the CNR and design, plan and implement the campaign for Mobility Is My Lifestyle competition.

Can you describe some other interesting tasks on which Mov'in Europe Team is working on?

Currently, we are working together with the ME community on updating the project events guide, a guide for the national and local coordinators, but also everyone else eager to implement the project, which serves as an inspiration for organizing MovinEurope events.

What was your most valuable experience connected to being in Mov'in Europe Team so far?

For me, the most valuable part of being in this team so far has been working with inspiring people from whom I learned a lot and who I consider friends rather than just team members - working on something so worthwile and seeing how much we were able to do together.

What were the most challenging tasks that you had to deal with?

The biggest challenge for us as a team and for me personally so far has been organizing the MECM as it was also organized outside of EU, but the biggest challenge is yet to come and it's called "Mobility Is My Lifestyle" - a travel competition aimed at young people eager to experience mobility and provided by ESN and its partners such as Ryanair and Hostelling International.

Have you attended any international events related to Mov'in Europe Team? If so, which ones and what was the best about them?

So far I attended three of them, the first one being the International Project Teams Meeting, which was held right at the beginning of our mandate and was truly a great start, not only for me personally but for the team as well. As the name says, all the new project teams had a chance to meet each other, discuss important ideas for the development of our projects and see more synergies between them. It was held in Brussels, so we not only had the opportunity to meet the International Board members and stay with them in the same house, but also visit and work with them in the ESN office and see firsthand how does their work look like, what is their role within ESN, how much goes into functioning of the whole network and also who helps the IB with all that work. The best was really what I already mentioned, but also meeting in person my fellow team mates, our IB responsible and preparing together the Action Plan of the project for current year.

The second event was SWEP Milano, which was my first regional platform ever. The best was the possibility of meeting so many National and Local coordinators of the project, many of which I only knew through community calls, hearing their ideas and experiences, being able to provide them answers about project directly and getting some ideas for the project myself.

The third one was Mov´in Europe Coordinators meeting held in Tuzla, which is the most important event of the project´s community. I can´t express how glad I was to meet all the people from different countries who actually do the work, be it on National or Local level and hear what they had to say. To see how strong is the community. The best of this event was also the work we did together to understand the direction of the project and put everybody on the same page.

What is your message for people who can’t decide whether to join Mov'in Europe Team or not?

My message would be that if such volunteer work (in a project team or a committee) seems even remotely interesting to you and you feel like it would be a great opportunity for you (let's say, to develop your relevant skills), don't think about it twice. It is a unique way to learn skills and practical experience you usually don't and even can't acquire solely studying at a university. The unique part of it is that you are working for the biggest european organization, on a position where you are able to reach a huge number of people and actually make some difference. You have to keep in mind that it requires constant learning, but where else would you be able to learn new things while making a difference? Exactly.