Europe on Track 12 – Ambassador Onboarding
Tere! Dia dhaoibh! Γεια σας! Cześć! Привіт!
Six ambassadors, five ways of saying hello, and one shared journey about to begin. But our individual journeys began many months before navigating the train tracks of Europe; through numerous online meetings, message groups, and timezones.
For us, our Europe on Track journey began in November 2025, by responding to AEGEE-Europe’s call for ambassadors. Driven by a love of travel, a passion for climate justice, and a desire to engage with young people from all over Europe; Europe on Track was exactly what we were looking for. After attending an information session with this year’s project team (which included some of last year’s ambassadors) we felt even more inspired to apply, determined to be part of this inspiring group. However, the application was rigorous, thoroughly checking our motivations, skills and experiences. While some of us struggled to complete it before the deadline, one future ambassador was already confused by the timezones, rushing to submit their application a whole day early. Clearly, this soon-to-be ambassador was already setting the tone for the busy journey ahead. Despite these difficulties, we would have been crazy not to hit submit on that application form!
Soon after submitting our applications, we learned that, much to our delight, we had been preselected as ambassador candidates. The next step was the dreaded interview… Although thrilled to have been shortlisted, nothing quite made us gulp like we did upon learning that the interview would last 50 minutes, including a prepared pitch or presentation. Most of us wondered what on earth we would talk about for close to an hour. Others frantically rehearsed their pitches. And one future ambassador experienced some serious technical difficulties while trying to share their presentation. Nervous and unprepared as we might have been, all of our worries melted away when we were met with the bright smiles and welcoming ways of our interviewers. Even if the interviews had gone totally off track (luckily, they didn’t), the project team was there to make us feel at ease no matter what. Regardless of whether or not we were accepted to the programme, it was an achievement to have made it this far.
But then, in January 2026, after only a short wait, we received an email to let us know that we had been accepted as ambassadors to Europe on Track’s 12th edition. At home, at work, with friends, with family, or somewhere in between – it’s fair to say that the acceptance letter stopped us in our tracks. Really, it was a dream come true. It also brought us to the next stage of our onboarding process; the preparation phase…
The ambassadors are often referred to as the face of Europe on Track as we have the most publicly facing role within the project. However, the face would be nothing without the rest of the body and luckily for us there is a huge body of people working behind the scenes. The project team in particular are kept busy making sure that the wheels of Europe on Track keep turning and that the journey runs as smoothly as possible. Yet, when we first met our fellow ambassadors and the project team, it got pretty confusing. There were so many people with so many different roles – most of us left the meeting still wondering who was who. Though it certainly took its time, continuous communication, meetings and trainings eventually helped us to figure it all out.
Aside from this initial hurdle, our online meetings and trainings went extremely well. Of course, there were the usual problems associated with coordinating an international team – confusion over timezones, poor internet connections, and the general struggle of organising six very busy people to meet. But overall, these problems were to be expected, and we managed quite well. Perhaps our most exciting meeting took place when we discovered our routes, i.e. the cities which we would travel to on our Action Tours. This was the moment we had all been waiting for… And safe to say, it did not disappoint! This edition of Europe on Track includes a Western (the Lilac) route and an Eastern (the Azure) route. Both the Azure and Lilac teams were to start with a training week in Izmir, and end with the final conference in Brussels, taking different routes across Europe to reach this final stop. Along the way, both teams were to be hosted by a variety of AEGEE locals, offering us a glimpse into the local culture, lifestyle and eco-action in their cities. We can only imagine the amount of organisation that has gone into each of our stops and we’re so excited to finally meet our hosting locals. Indeed, it will be a truly transcontinental adventure!
To prepare us for this epic journey, we took part in four online training sessions with the amazing Ally Zlatar and Julian Van Loo. These online trainings served as introductory sessions for the in-person training that would take place in Izmir. Despite being online, these introductory sessions offered a glimpse into what exactly we could expect from our Europe on Track journey. From team dynamics to climate advocacy, from self-care to travel hacks, these trainings really lay the foundations for the journey ahead, as well as making us all the more excited to finally meet in-person. Even though we touched on some serious topics, the trainings were still fun and enjoyable. In many ways, they represented the balance we hoped to strike while delivering our own workshops whilst on track.
In addition to the online trainings, we also had a number of pre-route tasks to complete based on our specific ambassador roles. Each route has one interviewer, one report writer, and one content creator and our tasks reflected these diverse positions. Again, the pre-route tasks helped the project to come alive, and helped us to get a taste for our roles without the added pressure of constant travel. These tasks also enabled us to work collaboratively – for example, all ambassadors contributed content to social media posts. The tasks also helped us to establish good communication with each other, with several ambassador WhatsApp groups already on the go!
But the technical preparations weren’t all! A substantial amount of self-preparation is also required before we can truly set off on this adventure. Questions about what and how to pack flood our brains each night. How much is too much? Concerns over burnout and long train journeys also worry us. Though the unanswered questions are endless, so are the incredible memories we’re about to make. Though there’s so much we don’t know, we are so excited to learn and so excited to finally be on track. Hopefully, we’ll see you soon!
Sheenagh & Kadi (reporters of Europe on Track 12)
