SU Udine 2024: Sports and deep insights into Italian culture

AEGEE-Udine focused on sports activities in its Summer University, which took place from 31st July till 9th of August 2024. In addition, the 20 participants of “From the Alps to Venice – Vol. II” learned a lot about Italian culture.

GT: What was your SU about?
AEGEE-Udine: Our Summer University was designed as a sports event, a combination of activities in the middle of nature, such as kayaking, tree climbing, hiking, swimming and yoga, with a focus on achieving a state of physical and mental balance.

GT: How many participants and organisers did you have?
AEGEE-Udine: We had 20 participants, two main organizers and eight helpers.

GT: What were the thematic programme highlights?
AEGEE-Udine: All our workshops aimed to convey Italian culture. For example, the Italian Gestures Workshop and the Pizza Workshop – both provided deep yet funny insights into Italian culture. We wanted to show our participants how we communicate daily and teach them how to prepare one of Italy’s most beloved and consumed foods.

GT: What were the funniest or most exciting moments?
AEGEE-Udine: One of the most exciting moments was the European Night, as a key moments of cohesion it was a magical AEGEE spark that energized the entire event. Other exciting moments included the trash party where everyone enjoyed unleashing their creativity to create the weirdest outfit they had ever worn, climbing like monkeys in the Adventure Park in the mountains, and dancing in the rain – which was even more fun than dancing in the sun.

GT: How was the group of participants?
AEGEE-Udine: The group was aged between 20 and 30, more or less evenly split between girls and guys. In addition to age, it was also diverse in terms of nationality – Spanish, German, Dutch, Belgian, Hungarian, Polish, Greek – and personality. Some participants were more into physical activities, while others were more into partying. Overall, the group was quite calm and preferred daytime activities like city tours and sports rather than long night parties.

GT: How successful was the SU overall?
AEGEE-Udine: The Summer University was successful. The participants’ final feedback was positive, and we received praise from many sides regarding the organization, activities, and locations. They also appreciated that the organizers and helpers stayed in the same accommodation as the participants, which fostered a stronger bond between the group and the organizers and helpers. However, we can’t deny that there were some issues, including last-minute cancellations of certain activities, but we tried to fix them somehow.

GT: Did something surprising happen during the event?
AEGEE-Udine: Nothing surprising happened during the event, apart from the unique AEGEE magical bubble that envelops you for ten days, creating a carefree and happy atmosphere that fosters unusually deep connections.

GT: Are you still in contact with your participants?
AEGEE-Udine: We still have the WhatsApp group, and now and then someone shares photos or messages that remind us of moments from the Summer – like a drink that reminds us of the Aperol we used to drink virtually every hour, or pictures of reunions with participants, organizers and helpers. Moreover, one of the participants was so kind to help us create a memory video to publish on our social media.

GT: Which impact did the event have on your antenna?
AEGEE-Udine: We believe the event had a positive impact on our antenna, making it more vibrant and helping to promote both our antenna and our beautiful region to others. Every event, especially every Summer University organized, is like saying: “Our antenna is alive and well.”