As we are slowly coming towards an end of this eventful year, we have prepared a couple of flashback blog posts to bring back the memories from the past few months. The first post was written by Anastasia Vakoula from ELSA Northumbria.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected our lives and activities in the most unexpected way. However, the network remains united and has found new ways to interact with one another, to continue to evolve, provide training for our officers and host events for our members.
The International Area Meetings are a platform for officers from both national and local groups to meet, share their thoughts and voice their concerns, receive fundamental training delivered by the international board and engage in discussions that will contribute towards the development of the Association.
ELSA’s International Area Meetings consist of the International Presidents’ Meeting, the Supporting Areas Meeting and the Key Areas Meeting.
These meetings usually see officers travelling to the hosting country to attend the workshops and plenaries in person, something that was not possible this year. Instead, the network came together using online platforms, and alongside their willingness to learn, cooperate and evolve, the officers also brought fresh ideas and suggested solutions to help us tackle the many challenges we have all been facing for the past few months.
The International Meetings are a unique occasion during which officers are given the opportunity to better their skills and gain new ones as well as network with their fellow officers from across the Association. These events not only provide our officers with the tools to excel in their roles, but they also boost their confidence and lead them to achieve their goals and reach their potential. As our network continues to grow and evolve, so do we. We embrace change, we welcome new challenges and see them as a way to become stronger, and to support one another at a time when we need it the most.
The ELSA UK network was represented at the International Meetings by both local and national officers who attended the sessions and added their input to the fruitful discussions that took place throughout the event. As officers representing the ELSA UK network, we were able to actively participate in the workshops, engage with fellow students and ensure that we have the necessary tools to lead our groups in the coming months.
International Presidents' Meeting
The Autumn IPM of the 2020/21 term was initially planned to be hosted by ELSA Ukraine in the city of Kyiv.
However, local and national group Presidents met online where the ELSA UK delegation consisted of Daniel Parkin, the President of ELSA UK, Eszter Nagy, the President of ELSA Southampton and Anastasia Vakoula, the President of ELSA Northumbria.
Throughout the duration of the IPM, ELSA UK BEE officers attended workshops in relation to Board Management, External Relations and Expansion, the areas they are responsible for in their respective boards. The participants also had the opportunity to take part in social events allowing them to experience the international ELSA spirit.
Supporting Area Meeting
Supporting Area Meeting (SAM) is dedicated to (as the name suggests) workshops for Secretary Generals, Treasurers and Marketeers. ELSA UK was represented by our very own Deputy Secretary General Amanda Muntz, Treasurer Freya Hawken and Vice President for Marketing Katarzyna Kostka.
It is worth adding that Amanda took on the role of a Workshop Secretary, showing off her great organisational and speed writing skills. Although this SAM was held online, our Officers not only had a chance to exchange ideas with other National Officers but also network during the evening socials. After all, it was very beneficial for our National Board and we cannot wait to share with you what we have learnt.
Key Area Meeting
Key Area Meeting (KAM) is the place where our Key Area Officers can brainstorm over their next big projects. ELSA UK was represented by our VP for Seminars & Conferences Diarmaid Ó Cuanacháin, VP for Academic Activities Edwin Morris John, VP for Student Trainee Exchange Programme Murad Cholak and VP for Moot Court Competitions Pauline Amice.
Apart from the eye-opening workshops, all participants had positive comments on the evening socials – which does not come as a surprise as Murad acted as an ELSA Spirit. Additionally, Edwin took an active part in workshops by assisting the International Board as a Workshop Secretary.
About the Author
Anastasia is a 3rd year Law LLB student at the University of Northumbria, President and Co-founder of ELSA Northumbria.