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Working Group 3 - Communication

A General Introduction

The European Parliament's Stagiaire Association is divided into 3 working groups who each work on a specific aspect of the Stagiaire Association's mission. Meeting in between the plenary sessions, the working groups are open to all stagiaires who can attend whenever their work allows them to.

Working groups are run and managed by a member of the Steering Committee. The results of the working group's on-going work are presented regularly at the meetings of the Steering Committee and once per month to all stagiaires during the Plenary Meetings. The meeting days and times vary and are dependent on the chair of the working group.

Each working group maintains a mailing list which is the responsibility of the Steering Committee member. Through it meeting announcements and other documents for meetings are sent... but since the creation of the Association's website they are now also available online.

Working Group 3 - Communication

Becoming a stagiaire is not as easy as it sounds. For many it means moving to a new country, Belgium, finding a place in Brussels, making new friends, discovering how the Parliament works, where things are, etc. It can be a stressful experience, and without the right induction the stress can be quite considerable and can negatively impact on the stage. With stagiaires having so little time to get accustomed to the place, it is important that induction takes place quickly and effectively. Thus, the Stagiaire Association created a specific Working Group charged with improving the inductions of Stagiaires.

Working Group 3, Communication, is one of the most important of the Working Groups. Through the facilities offered on this website and elsewhere, the Working Group is our information-provision branch. We help ensure that new stagiaires (whether they are already in the Parliament or on their way to Parliament) get all the information they need to make the right choices. We are convinced that a stage must be great from Day 1. With most stagiaires staying in Parliament 3 to 6 months, every second must be well spent.

In this context the Working Group has concentrated their efforts on the creation of two separate guides for the attention of new stagiaires. The information contained in these two guides would allow stagiaires to find out all one needs to know about the inner workings of the European Parliament whilst the other would let the stagiaires know all they need to know about Brussels and Strasbourg, our common host cities. Also the Working Group intends to organise a regular welcome drink immediately following plenary meetings for interested new stagiaires.

Working Group 3 is also in charge of all the communication of the association.

A Plenary Session or a party doesn't happen on its own. A room must be booked in the European Parliament, agendas must be printed, e-mail invitations must be made, and inquiries must be responded to. In order to assist the logistics, Working Group 3 was established to serve a support role for all other Working Groups.

The website, which serves as the central coordinating point for all activities of the Stagiaire Association, all falls in the remit of Working Group 3, through the website stagiaires and other interested parties, can have private user accounts enabling them to communicate with each other electronically. Further, additional facilities - forums where new stagiaires can post requests for rooms and for landlords with rooms to post their availabilities, etc. have been made possible by the Working Group. The association has now also a facebook group.

With the website active and implemented, the Working Group will concentrate its effort on complete the website's content pages. Also importantly, the Working Group will be working to improve accessibility of the Plenary Rooms to non-English speakers.

2010 September

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