The AEGEE Golden Times gives you the opportunity to download a unique database of AEGEE training materials. It was created ten years ago, but many materials are still useful today. After all, AEGEE does not have such a comprehensive database currently.

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Some of the great trainers in Pécs: Betina Szkudlarek, Koen Berden, Zsuzsi Bukta, Wanda Bryndas.

Have you ever been looking for a fund-raising or PR presentation for your antenna? Until about five years ago – when it was purposely deleted by the Comité Directeur of that time – this was very easy and difficult at the same time. It was easy, because until then AEGEE had a fantastic online database. Everyone with an intranet account could check it and upload or download files. It was used for all kind of purposes: the chair team uploaded Agora minutes, European School trainers their latest presentations and board members of antennae their latest local PR materials in their national language – for example Summer University flyers.

ES Booklet CoverSo why was it also difficult? It was often hard to find the right materials, because there was no structure, it was a huge dumping place. You might have found ten different fund-raising powerpoint presentations, but maybe not the best one, because that maybe was not uploaded.

At least in the field of training materials I tried to bring some order into the chaos. How? In September 2002 I was manager of a European School 1 in the magnificent city of Pécs in Southern Hungary. I wrote three fund-raising applications for the event which got us 14,000 Euros in total. With renting a three-star hotel it was probably one of the most luxurious training events in AEGEE ever – and thanks to the amazing trainers team and fantastic local organisers ever it was also one of the most awesome ES1 of all time.

In one of the applications I asked for money for printing a results booklet and CD-Roms with all kind of useful training materials. So after the event I started doing that. The booklet was not only reporting about this ES1, but also gave an overview on all types of AEGEE trainings at that time. Unfortunately I had to shorten many of the texts, you can download the longer versions here.

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Olivier Genkin, distributing the booklet in the Agora train

Honorary member Olivier Genkin and I distributed the booklet to the locals at the Agora in Constanta in spring 2003. Actually we started spreading them already on the train ride in the Agora train for all participants. The Agora organisers from AEGEE-Bucuresti had to move the whole Agora from Bucharest to Constanta within just two weeks before the event, because they could not get the promised building, Ceaucescu’s Palace of the People, the second largest building complex in the world. At least as compensation we got a special train only for the Agora participants that took us to Constanta. You can imagine what kind of fun ride that was! But that’s a story for another day…

We also handed out the training CD-Roms on the train and at the Agora. For that CD-Rom I downloaded all relevant training materials from the mentioned intranet database and added the ones I got directly from my fellow AEGEE trainers. I categorised them and ranked them, together with a description. It was really interesting and sometimes shocking to see who were the trainers who created original materials and who were the ones who just re-used them, maybe improved one slide and sticked their own name on them – removing the one of the original author. The CD-Rom provides often consolidated presentations made from different versions, but always gives credit also to the original author.

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The training booklet was very popular.

Unfortunately the CD-Rom was not perfect. A friend offered to design a nice computer menu, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time to finish the job. So in many cases you will just get to data folders when you follow the CD menu. And: since we did not have Dropbox, Google Drive or other tools, the CDs disappeared in the Agora luggage of the paricipants and were not widely used.

Now I uploaded the CD content to a Dropbox. If you are interested, you can download the complete CD-Rom or just specific materials. Just click here.

Have fun!