Hello,

I’m Matthias from AEGEE-Mainz/Wiesbaden and I want to tell you about the Case Study Trip Saarland, the first european event which was organised by the re-founded antenna AEGEE-Saarbrücken, Germany.

The CST Saarland was a PR&Fun-event, which lastet from 8th. July until 10th July 2007.

And I can tell you, it was GREAT

After our arrival we were picked up on the train station by very friendly AEGEE-Saarbrücken Members and met other participants in front of a café.
After all participants arrived we went to the university of Saarbrücken where we began soon with some ice-breaking games to get know each other some better.

Afterwards, we started immediately very motivated with our first PR-Lecture.
After telling about the 3 different types of members of AEGEE -which are these:  idealism, fun, career- we were divided in 3 groups. Every group had to create some topics for the pillar it choosed. Then we discussed with our lecturer -who did a very well job!!!- and the other groups about the results of our work and complemented some topics where necessary.

After that first workshop on the first day we had dinner on the floor of the university , after that we visited a nice bar, where we tried out some Saarland-Beer and other alcoholic stuff and had a lot of interesting talks and also a lot of fun.

We went at home with our AEGEE-Organisers, because we were lodged in private houses of the AEGEE-Saarbrücken-Members. Although this was comfortable and funny, it was also a pity, that we didn’t slept together with all participants in a big room.

So we met each other the next morning in the bus or at the university. After having good breakfast and some funny team-building-games we had an another lecture about PR. We did exercises, how you can tell another students about AEGEE. What kind of organisation are we? What aims do we follow? What can you do in AEGEE? Going on after this we advised with our lectures, what we could do better in this case.

Then, divided in teams of two participants and equipped with AEGEE-Bags and PR-material like flyers, yearbooks and a list for collect e-mail-addresses we started to our practical part of this event. Help AEGEE-Saarbrücken to recruit new members for their antenna.

So, we swarmed very motivated across the hole campus of the university of Saarbrücken, to contact a lot of students there and tell them about AEGEE.

First time it was for some teams hard work with no good results. But in the second try we did this more professional and gained some better results and success with our PR campaign.

After this hard day we looked forward to the city tour and the visit in another bars where we had some beers and cocktails, where Michiel did in a nice atmosphere his hitch-hiking-workshop.

On the last day we went in new teams another time across the campus to inform or recruit some more students about AEGEE. After lunch we did feedback round of this great event and then it was time to leave

I can only tell you again, it was a GREAT, well organised and funny event, perhaps my best AEGEE-event until yet, at which I met again good friends and got a lot of new good friends in AEGEE

And in the end, my advice to you: Visit as much as AEGEE-events you can, you will enjoy it!!!

Go to Saarland, if there will be another event in the future, you will see, it will be great. There are very nice and very motivated AEGEE-people in this antenna

And perhaps I will meet some of you there.

Best wishes and european regards,
Matthias