What is General Assembly?

These days, General Assembly is the main topic in BEST. On our social media you can see that we are gathered in front of our computers, attending the numerous online sessions and hanging out with colleagues across Europe. But what is General Assembly and why is it important for our organization?

General Assembly is an annual event that gathers the representatives of the 93 Local BEST Groups across 34 countries, together with the leaders of the organisation and partners of BEST. More than 300 volunteers, who are students of technology, gathered together to discuss important topics and make decisions on the future direction of the organisation.

General Assembly is considered to be the most intense, but at the same time one of the most beautiful projects for every BESTie. For 10 days, students from all over Europe come together with the same purpose – to give their colleagues the opportunity to learn, develop their skills, and to improve their student days. They get up every morning and go to all day long sessions that sometimes last until late into the night – but this is not a problem for any of them. Every break between sessions and every moment they spend at the Assembly itself always becomes one of the dearest memories. Students from 34 countries get to know each other, share their experiences, learn about other cultures – and eventually become a part of one big family, when everyone in a circle starts singing some of our songs. At that moment, all the tiredness, all the problems and not so nice moments are forgotten, because everyone becomes aware of the fact what really means being a part of the BEST family.

“The biggest event for BEST is the General Assembly. On this event, all local groups make big decisions about the future of our organisation. I had the honor to be one of the delegates representing BEST Belgrade on last year’s GA. In addition to many sessions and discussions that took place during those 10 days, we always had time to socialize with each other. New friendships, knowledge, experiences, as well as the whole energy of BEST that I felt in 2019 in Krakow, will remain as the most beautiful experience in my BEST story! “- Natalija Srecković, GA Krakow 2019 delegate

This year we are prevented from traveling due to unexpected circumstances all over the world, so for that reasons, GA 2020 will not be held in Istanbul as planned. However, BEST never gives up and we believe that in the coming period we will maintain high motivation, as this situation particularly encourages and prepares students to work in an international environment. All planned activities are held through the computer screen – there is a large number of sessions that we are attending, and next week we will select members of XXXIII International Board. What drives us is the desire to soon gather somewhere in Europe and create many more beautiful BEST memories that will follow us throughout our lives!