PRWG. Seriously Creative

PRWG fuels the engine of events in AEGEE. Each event needs its promotion, each project of AEGEE-Europe cannot be done without appropriate dissemination information to the targeted audience. The team of ca. 60 members of PRWG is there for disposal of AEGEE members that want to discover what PR is and make their locals more famous. PRWG supports the whole AEGEE network in everything that concerns PR. This article is a practical guide for AEGEE members who always wanted to ask what PRWG can offer but were afraid to ask. Hopefully, the following will help to make the picture about practical implications of PRWG work more understandable and visible.

Use PR materials, share you ideas!

- Brain Center: PRWG not only stores, collects and retains all possible PR materials, but also generates ideas and creative solutions in everything that concerns promotion and publicity. PRWG knows everything about image, promotion strategy, better visibility and communication within AEGEE, as this WG constantly analyses and evaluates PR in AEGEE. For this purpose, PRWG manages PR materials in the AEGEE office on aegee.org and plans to create an AEGEE PR Wiki.

Ask your PR Subcommie for help!

- Transmitter: One of the major tasks of PRWG apart for CD support and PR on the European level is support to locals. Therefore PRWG stands for better information flow between the local and the European level. For this purpose there are several PR Subcommies responsible for the pool of antennae in their areas. This ensures better understanding of PR situation in locals and ensures prompter response from the European level.

Go to PRES1 or PRES2, learn more about PR or become a trainer!

- Training in Public Relations. PRWG cooperates with AEGEE-Academy in organizing PRES1 and PRES2. In 2009 PRES2 is taking place in March in Krakow and PRES1 is taking place also somewhere in Europe on the edge of spring and summer.

PRWG also assists locals in case they decide to organize local trainings. In 2008 PRWG sent its motivated members to train participants of LTC of AEGEE-Budapest and LTC of AEGEE-Torun. It supports graphic design in AEGEE: graphics is a part of ES and PRES, and in 2009 PRWG plans to make a graphic design school!

Moreover, after a successful PR training “Communicate” PRWG decided to supply the Network with all materials from this training so that they can be used by locals at their PR LTCs.

Become a journalist and get famous in AEGEE!

- Publishing House. Indeed, PRWG supports and improves publications in AEGEE (K2E, WG Booklet). Moreover, during Agoras PRWG informs the network about freshest news from the Agora in its Blog (aegeeprwg.blogspot.com).

- Discover CD!

- CD Supporter. PRWG supports CD with regards to publications, visual identity development, better dissemination of information about AEGEE work results within all the Network members and other PR related issues.

Join the Network of PR enthusiasts!

- PR Platform. PRWG is an ideal platform for those AEGEE members that

* have some experience in PR and want to develop it further

* are crazy about promotion and publicity, but do not know much about PR and are eager to learn

* are PR activists in all senses

* want to go on the European level and be involved into PR activities.

Nadine Karbach, current speaker of PRWG describes PRWG in a nutshell as “ Communication – body language – press releases – PR strategy – creative thinking – working with media – publications – spreading messages – visual communication – web 2.0 – external and internal representation: get in touch with various ways of PR!” If these words sound interesting and exciting, do not hesitate to visit www.aegee.org/wg/prwg

CD statement about logo discussion

Dear all,

Some questions were raised about the process that lead to this proposal and who were involved.

In the beginning of 2008, PRWG board of that time and the former CD decided together about some activites in the field of public relations for AEGEE. Some orientation was needed and tasks needed to be shifted after the resignation of the CD member who was in charge of PR that time.

Among these activities was the establishment of a team taking care on the visual identity of AEGEE. Knowing one very enthusiastic member for this task, a call for the team was launched and they - 6 people with diverse backgrounds in AEGEE - started working.
A common email list was created and the team started analysing the status quo of visuals in the network (maybe some boardmembers and project managers remember that they were approached for sending their promotion material they use for promoting their WG/project for analyse purpose). The first version of a report was drawn up, but the team fell apart due to demotivation because of lack of cooperation from the network regarding the analyses and there was no more progress.

In summer, CD's changed and I - as announced in my candidature in Ljubljana - was highly motivated to pick up this initiative. I got in touch with Bartek, and together we made some more attempts to revive the team. Without much success, we then decided to narrow the analyses to purely the AEGEE-Europe logo and brand, and made a new plan. A team meeting took place in Gdansk (Bartek, Mateusz and Robin), which was reported on the CD blog and in the telegram. PRWG Board was no longer actively involved at this point, but developments were still reported and moral support for the initiative remained.

In Gdansk, the team decided to focus on designing, as it was convinced that only a clear and concrete proposal could get things moving. After the December holidays things went very fast, we set early deadlines for:

1. The EBM, as a good point to start the consultation process on their work

2. Necessity to synchronise with the new website, which had to be ready by April, as the website is our main PR tool on European level, and it's not that easy to completely change the look of aegee.org. CD, ITWG, PRWG, the Brand team, the locals and the external partners all have their own pace, and bringing so many factors together is a challenge.

During the month of January, we eventually reached to the current proposal, getting a first feedback along the way from different people, thus a kind of pre-test. Designers in and outside AEGEE, active and inactive members, older and younger members, journalists, artists, sponsors, the CD, and PRWG board. Why a smaller group of people and not the whole network? Because 11,000 people cannot design a logo together. It takes a designer with great courage and patience to take on a challenge like this, and be sure that it is not a lot of fun to deal with the criticism of a smaller group, let alone a huge association!

We look forward to a lively discussion and welcome all your constructive feedback through the channels provided (information reach you with a seperate email). No matter what you think of the current proposal, a proper visual identity is very important for our association, and any person contributing to the creative development of our association should be encouraged, supported and thanked. So we hope we can all treat the work done with respect and calmly raise our questions and comments.

Please keep in mind that it is just a proposal, nothing fixed and every kind of constructive feedback is welcome. Of course, decisions of that scale are in the end taken in the highest body our associations has, the Agora.

It is a proposal, not a decision

Yours,

Robin

Budget 2009 submitted!

Few weeks ago, the budget 2009 regarding our working group has been submitted to the financial director of AEGEE Europe.
Lots are the activities planned for the upcoming year, from the Board and Members Meeting to the new PR Guide, through a Publications Meeting and the Digitalization of old Publications.
We hope our budget will be approved completely allowing us to pursue our objectives, so we will keep fingers crossed for that :-)

Participants PRES2 selected!

CONGRATULATIONS! The participants have been selected! For PRES2 Krakow we will warmly welcome 24 participants from all over Europe! All participants will be notified these days and we are excited to spend an unforgettable week with them! The team selected 24 out of 83 (!) applications! The team and PRWG would like to thank all applicants who expressed the wish to take part in this unique training experience! Thank you!