This news item was broadcasted on AVS (the regional news broadcast of Gent) and shows Colijn Verkempinck and Henk-Jan Maanen explaining what FEJS is all about. Also “present” in this item are Lien De Leenheer and Sytze Braaksma as co-presenters of the movie night.

Dressing like a true Belgian equals

• Think layers, lot’s of layers (just like Stephanie in the picture above!). Weather can shift quite rapidly from rainy and cold to sunny and warm. So it’s easier to get rid / put on some layers than to freeze to dead in a tiny pull-over. Another sollution would be looking for someone that can keep you warm
• It can rain A LOT in Belgium. So make sure your clothes are weather resistant. No suede shoes, I’m afraid. A tiny umbrella would be useful too. If you don’t have one: no worries just hide quickly
• It can be cold this time of the year (+10°C during the day, -5°C in the evening). So bring along your scarves and mittens.
  We are going to walk A LOT. So, ladies, if you bring your high heels, think about putting some flat shoes in your bags.
• We are visiting the European Parliament. Dress accordingly. Suits are not necessary, smart casual would be nice.
• The final night will be a party night. So if you want to be sexy… you can!

Check out the current weather in Gent on the website of the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (RMI). The weather for “the centre” applies.

The Movie night is hosted in the Filmplateau, Paddenhoek, Gent on Monday the 17th of November at 7.30 PM. The entrance is free thanks to our collaboration with Sovoarte. All the screened directors this evening are young Flemmishs moviemakers. Check out what we have organised for you.

Internationally celebrated moviemaker Fabio Wuytack and Liesbeth De Ceulaer were so kind to allow us to broadcast their movies for free. It will be an evening with different short movies. As Fabio’s movie “Persona non grata” got recently selected for the International Documentary Film festival Amsterdam , we are not allowed anymore to broadcast that movie. Remember “War Photographer”? It was broadcasted at the AC in Neuchatel. That movie won the IDFA. So we wish Fabio good luck with his selection.

But there is good news: FEJS members will be able to get a free copy of the documentary. Hurray for Fabio!

So instead we are showing you these movies:

• Two Hands, an 8 minute impression of the life of a Palestine heart surgeon who has to play God from time to time. This was the very first movie Fabio Wuytack made.
• To make up for the lost premiere of Persona non grata, we are getting the very very first premier of “Cittadellarte” the last documentary of Fabio Wuytack (20′)
• The Best act on the Isle (Liesbeth De Ceulear) tells the story of a Canadian rock band who wants to conquer the world. A very funny road movie and a must-see. This graduation project from Sint-Lukas Art School in Brussels, is Liesbeths first movie and it will be the first time its screened for such a large audience (32′)
• While we are road tripping, why stop? Fabio Wuytack takes us on a journey through Italy, the country he grew up as the son of a Belgian priest. “Made in Italy” is a quest for his roots, the quest for the origin of movies and simply a feel-good movie (30′)

On Friday we are all welcome in the European Parliament with an in-depth debate. More information on that later on.

Saturday and Sunday are pure workgroup and debate days. We are looking forward to having great discussions with all of you.

Monday will be the celebration of our hard work. We are getting a guest lecture from Coca Cola, followed by a dinner in a Turkish restaurant (we think multicultural in Gent) in the Turkish area of Gent.

The stress in Belgium is rising to unseen levels, so the GA must be getting closer. We have from FEJS Belgium have been working hard to provide you with a great 4-day meeting in Gent.

This would not be possible without our sponsors, so we send them a big “Thank YOU!”. Please provide them with link-love on your blogs and why not mention some of the products in an article?

Where so kind to sponsor us:

• Coca-Cola Europe will provide us a substantial financial amount and make sure we don’t get thirsty
• Flyer.eu is sponsoring our whole poster and flyer campaign for the movie night and final party
• De Lijn, public transport, offers us free public transport in Gent during the GA
• KBC, banking group, is sponsoring us with a welcome financial amount
• Clearwire wireless internet makes sure all of our internet needs are provided with their unique wifi sollution: plug in the modem in any available socket and you have immediatly internet.
• The city of Ghent is hosting a reception for FEJS in the City Hall. Check out their great website for all information you need in Gent.
• Gandaham -similar to Parma ham, just way better- will challenge your taste buttons!
• Arteveldehogeschool, journalism school of Ghent, is providing us with conference rooms
• Sovoarte, the social services for students from Arteveldehogeschool, is sponsoring the movie night on monday the 17th
• The final party on Monday the 17th will be hosted in callaboration with the student council of Journalism and Communications from Arteveldehogeschool.
• Unilever offered us some pasta dishes
• VIP-school Gent is providing us with conference rooms
• Paul Debeleyr is offering 100 deluxe bio apples for our daily vitamine needs
• The parents of the OC will cook for the whole GA team and are opening their wallets to provide us with the best dishes around

 Hurray for them!

It’s only one month left for the FEJS General Assembly to start. The Organizing Committee is working very hard, so everything will be prepared by the time you come to Ghent, Belgium.

On the 13th of November members of the Supervisory Board and Belgian representatives will be waiting for you in De Draecke Hostel in beutifuly city of Ghent.

As this GA will be important for the future of FEJS, come with ideas, opinions, questions, eagerness and a lot of fun. Hot topics this year will be:

1. Future of FEJS and our cooperation with EYP
2. Financial situation of FEJS and Solidarity Fund issues
3. Preparations for an improved FEJS webpage
4. Preparation of the upcoming Annual Congress in Lincoln, United Kingdom
5. Elections (Supervisory Board 2009, Organizing Committee for AC 2010, topics for AC 2010, etc.)

We promise you a well prepared GA and we guarantee you will not lack of good beer this time

Want to know how to get to the youth hostel? Read further.

The OC has prepared important transport information for you

How to come to the GA in Ghent?

Airplane

Brussels Airport is the biggest airport in Belgium and has direct trainconnections in the basement to Ghent (2 direct trains/hour, one other train on which you have to change in Brussel-Zuid, the biggest trainstation in Belgium). Search for trains with destination Oostende or Brugge (or both)

Charleroi Airport (called Brussels-South) is not really Brussels-South. There is a shuttle bus from the airport to Brussel-Zuid which will cost you 13€. It takes 1 hour to travel from Charleroi to Brussel-Zuid, and from there, count approximately 40 minutes to arrive in Ghent. In Brussel-Zuid, you have to catch a train with destination Oostende or Brugge (or both).

Train

For more info concering trains: www.nmbs.be Brussel-Zuid is an important hub for the Eurostar ànd the Thalys.

Car

In Belgium we do not have to pay toll at all (like they do in France, Slovenia or Switzerland) so if you share a car it might become cheaper than flying.

Maybe important information: nowhere in the city centre a parking place is for free. If you come by car and you want to park it outside the city centre, you can always take the bus of tram back to the hostel.

Once you are in Ghent: how to get from the train station to the hostel.

You should get of at Gent Sint-Pieters, this is the main train station in Gent. When arriving by train you should walk to the end of the train platform (in the same direction of the train, if you are comming from Brussels, in the opposite if you are comming from Bruges).

At the end you will see steps going down to a lower platform. This is where the tram stops. Make sure you buy a ticket in the ticketing machines on your right. One trip is 1,20 euro, the menu is available in English. You are already in the right platform for the tram.

Take tram line 1. You are going from “Sint-Pietersstation” to “Gravensteen”. Print the first page of this document for an overview. Don’t forget to stamp your ticket once you are IN the tram in the available machines next to the doors. Sit down and relax You get of at a stop, which is located next to an medieval castle. This is where you jump out of the tram. The youth hostel is located around the corner! Click here to see where the youth hostel is located and to print a map

The exact address of the Youth Hostel is:

Jeugdherberg De Draecke,

Sint Widostraat 11,

9000 Gent,

Belgium

We hope you all have a good trip!

OC 2008

Dear FEJS Members,

The FEJS Supervisory Board in cooperation with FEJS Belgium Organizing Committee invites you to the FEJS General Assembly 2008, which will be held from the 13th until the 18th of November in Ghent, Belgium.

This year we chose the country of good beer, chocolates and the centre of the European Union. Got your attention? J

The participation fee, which includes lodging, 3 meals per day and all equipment needed for our General Assembly, is 120 Euros.

REMEMBER the rules of registration!

Once you have received the confirmation of your participation at the GA 2008, you will have to pay in advance one part of your Participation Fee – 20 €. But you can also pay in advance the entire participation fee, if you want. The Bank Account information and the deadline will be given to you in the confirmation letter concerning your participation at the AC. The remaining part of the Participation Fee will be paid to FEJS Supervisory Board on the arrival day (13th November 2008) of the General Assembly 2008 in Ghent.

To speed up the application procedure we prepared a web application form for you. This is the link to the application form: www.fejs.org/ga2008.

But, please, read the Invitation letter before you fill it out.

Also do not forget to send a profile picture of yourself (200×200 pixels) to sb@fejs.org, immediately after you have received the confirmation of your participation at the GA 2008.

DEADLINE:

We expect your subscription the latest on the 15th of September 2008. We will confirm your participation the latest on the 20th of September.

SOLIDARITY FUND:

As usual you can also apply for financial support from the Solidarity Fund. You can find more about it on the webpage or contact the Supervisory Board on sb@fejs.org. Please, fill out the form you can find on this webpage and send it to secretariat@fejs.org.

WHAT IS GA 2008 ALL ABOUT?

 We would like to remind you that the General Assembly mostly deals with internal organizational and not journalistic stuff. This is why applicants with FEJS experience will have an advantage in application procedure. However, this doesn’t mean that new members who show interest in participation and in FEJS won’t be welcomed.

FEJS WANTS YOU TO BE IN GHENT!

At this years’ General Assembly we will be dealing with more transparent and up-to-date

preparations for our future FEJS events. All participants will be acquainted by the ideas that surged at

this years’ Task Force Meeting in Leysin, Switzerland.

We will also, however, deal with the issue of the FEJS permanent office and the registration of FEJS as

international organization.

And let’s not forget the elections!

• The General Assembly will elect 5 new Supervisory Board members for the year 2009 and the Organizing Committee and the topic of the Annual Congress 2010.
• Don’t miss your opportunity for a great experience in the world of FEJS! So, if you are interested, send your application for SB or AC 2010 to: sb@fejs.org.
• You can find the description of the tasks in Rules and Regulations here: http://fejs.org/about-fejs/about/

This year we are also preparing some additional program at the GA. You will be offered a guest lecture about journalism in crisis situations by Peter Verlinden. We will also have a movie night with short documentaries and a debate with Fabio Wuytack. Last but not least: big journalistic party with local journalism students.

All details about the FEJS General Assembly 2008 (including more detailed program) will be published on our webpage www.fejs.org. So, don’t forget to check it up! It will be constantly developing.