'Les Anciens d'Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l'Europe' (short: Les Anciens) is the alumni association of the interdisciplinary European students' association AEGEE. Les Anciens is designed to keep up the links between AEGEE alumni and the currently active generation of AEGEE members. It organises several meetings per year, informs about current developments in AEGEE and discusses European, professional and private matters. Les Anciens in itself is not a continuation of AEGEE - while AEGEE is focussing on organising local events, conferences, summer courses and international projects related to matters of European integration, Les Anciens does not have a thematic approach.
As it is difficult for every individual to keep track of other alumni, Les Anciens maintains a central database with a list of members. The rules for entering the alumni association are strict - which results in a relatively small number of members: while the officially estimated number of AEGEE members is 15.000, the number of Les Anciens members is now nearly 600, growing by about 50 members every year. In order to become member, a person has to have been actively involved in the European level of the association, for example by having been member of the European board or by having organised international projects. Many of the members work successful as entrepreneurs in their self-founded companies, are involved in national politics or are working for institutions such as the UN and the OSCE or the European Commission.
Les Anciens also acts as a pool of experience for each current generation of active AEGEE members. If advice is needed, usually someone can be found who has dealt with a similar problem before. The individual alumni are constantly supporting the active organisation with their contacts in the business sector or in international institutions. Les Anciens members do not only support AEGEE-Europe with advice, but also with financial help. A 'Continuity Fund' was created in 1997. It supports the AEGEE members who work in the Brussels-based head office of the students' association on a voluntarily base.
Les Anciens:
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Was founded in 1990 in Paris by Johannes Heister during the EGEE VI meeting.
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The board of Les Anciens consists of a co-ordinator, a general secretary and an activity co-ordinator. They are elected for two years. The current board members are Gunnar Erth (from Böblingen, co-ordinator), Wiebke Hahn (from Mannheim, secretary-general),Tim Sattler (Hamburg, treasurer), Susanna Ritala (Helsinki, activities co-ordinator) and Jens-Erik Weber (from Tübingen, IT).
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It is not possible to apply for membership. Former AEGEE members who were active on the European level are normally invited to become a member after having been suggested for membership to the general secretary by two existing members of Les Anciens.
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One general assembly and around five other events are held every year. All meetings must be supported by members, who take care of the local organisation of a meeting. The general assembly usually has a formal part (presentation, lecture by members on Europe or job experience) and an informal part (such as sightseeing). The last meeting took place in Olympos in May 2010, the next one will be in Cyprus in June 2011.
Les Anciens organises several meetings per year:
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Back 2 Brussels - takes place usually in January or February
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General assembly - before or after summer
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Summer University - in June/July/August
- Sailing regatta - in autumn
- New Years events - in December/January
- Weddings - all around the year, number is rising!
