Last year AEGEE’s Summer Universities fell victim to the Coronavirus. This year the project is back with a total of 23 courses. The GT is presenting the some of these Summer Universities, including an aspect that will be very important for many applicants: the covid prevention measures. In this first edition: read what the award-winning AEGEE-Catania is planning for you. Their event is called A Taste of Sicily, take II, will take place from 5th to 17th of August and offers 40 participants the chance to get to know Sicily. The fee is 168 Euros, with an optional fee of 40 Euros for trips to Etna and Taormina.

Golden Times: What is the main topic of your SU this year? And why did you choose it?
Gabriele Nicotra: The main topic of our SU won’t go too far from the previous ones, we deeply believe in our culture and we want to share our love for it to our foreign friends, it’s always nice to hear the friends that came to visit us saying MBARE – which means literally mate.

Gabriele Nicotra

GT: SU means Summer and University. Can you elaborate more on the thematic part of your SU?
Gabriele: That part is still a huge making of, as the University so far didn’t help much, but we do trust our trainers.

GT: Let’s talk about the leisure part of your SU. What are the three main programme highlights in this area? Which cities and landmarks will you visit?
Gabriele: I don’t think we need a presentation, but as always we’ll visit our beloved volcano Etna, the beautiful Taormina and the breathtaking Siracusa.

GT: Some applicants might be concerned about the corona crisis. What kind of precautions will you take? For example, will you test the organisers and participants at the beginning and during the SU about the virus? Will you have a mask mandate for certain programme parts?
Gabriele: As things are now in Sicily, the participants will get tested right away upon their arrival at the airport, but we’ll ask a test as well before their arrival. We will provide masks if necessary and part of our staff works in the hospital both as doctors and nurses, so from that side we are kind of covered. The only grey area are the regional covid restrictions, but it’s hard to forecast what the situation will look like in August.

GT: Will you ask the participants to get vaccinated before the event?
Gabriele: We won’t ask our participants to get a vaccine before their arrival, but already our members will be mostly vaccinated. We will ask only for a test with an official English translation.

GT: What will you do in case a participant gets tested positive on the corona virus?
Gabriele: Again: hard to say. If the test we get before the arrival is positive we will ask him not to join us, if the test is positive upon the arrival at the airport the participant will need to take 10 days of quarantine and another test afterwards. If the participant, for some reason, asks us to get tested during the event is positive we will take countermeasures. But again, hard to say now.

GT: Can you say a couple of words about your antenna: what does it make it special?
Gabriele: We put our passion in all the things we do, we are that kind of people that makes everybody feeling at home, comfortable and never wanna leave, we are the burning heart of Europe!

GT: Where can interested people find out more about your SU?
Gabriele: Send us a message to aegeecatania@gmail.com, there are a 1000 thousand reasons why you should come to Sicily next summer but some things cannot be put into words.

GT: Anything you would like to add? Do you have a message to potential applicants?
Gabriele: We know where you will be next SU, and you?

Check the SU in the AEGEE Intranet: A Taste of Sicily, take II.