AIESEC is the world's largest non-profit youth-run organization. It is an international non-governmental not-for-profit organization that provides young people with leadership development, cross-cultural global internships, and volunteer exchange experiences across the globe. The organization focuses on empowering young people to make a positive impact on society. The AIESEC network includes approximately 27,000 members in 127 countries .
AIESEC is a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is affiliated with the UN DPI and UN's Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, member of ICMYO, and is recognized by UNESCO. AIESEC's international headquarters are in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Video AIESEC
Name
AIESEC was originally a French acronym for Association internationale des étudiants en sciences économiques et commerciales (English: International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences); however, the full name is no longer officially used as members can now be graduate and undergraduate from any university background.
Maps AIESEC
History
Founding
The idea behind AIESEC started in 1948, when representatives from schools across Europe exchanged information about various programs and schools that specialized in business and economics. Students were carrying out internships in other countries. Mostly on their own initiative but it came to a standstill with the onslaught of World War II.
In 1944, the neutral Scandinavian countries were still exchanging students. In Stockholm, Bertil Hedberg, an official at the Stockholm School of Economics, and students Jaroslav Zich (of Czechoslovakia), Jean Choplin (of France) and Stanislas Callens (of Belgium) founded AIESEC. This was the predecessor of AIESEC, which was officially founded in 1948. At the time, the organization's stated mission was "to expand the understanding of a nation by expanding the understanding of the individuals, changing the world one person at a time."
At the time of AIESEC's founding at the conclusion of the 1940s, Europe was in the midst of recovery from the war that dealt grave losses to its population. Factories and enterprises were in desperate need of executives, managers and leaders. The continent needed more than just business development, however; the war had severely damaged relations between European nations, and many members of the community felt steps needed to be taken to address this problem.
AIESEC was formed to address both of these concerns. Students from seven nations: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden came together in March 1949 for the first International Congress of AIESEC in Stockholm. The founders composed a constitution for the new organization and defined a purpose: "AIESEC is an independent, non-political, and international organization which has as its purpose to establish and promote the friendly relations between the members."
In the first year of AIESEC's existence, 89 students were exchanged among the member nations.
Global expansion
The organization grew exponentially in the following years, with more than 1,000 exchanges took place in 1955 alone, the same year that Israel became the first non-European member. In the following few years, AIESEC quickly became global by establishing its first North American member, the United States, in 1957, and its first South American and African members, Colombia, Venezuela, and South Africa in 1958.
For the first years of its existence, AIESEC had no central governing body, but was instead managed jointly by a Presiding Country Committee composed of the National Committee Presidents of each member nation. As the organization grew, a central governing body was created and led by democratically elected Secretary General. Morris Wolff, from the United States, was chosen as the first Secretary General in 1960, and established the first permanent international office for AIESEC in Geneva, Switzerland. Over the following decade, AIESEC expanded to eastern Asia, Australia, and deeper within Europe, Africa, North America, and South America, having a presence in 43 countries by 1969.
Today
As of 2015, AIESEC has since expanded to 127 countries and territories across the globe. AIESEC annually offers over 27,500 leadership positions and delivers over 500 leadership conferences to its membership of over 100,000 student. It is present in over 2,400 universities in its 127 member countries and territories across the globe and its international exchange program that enables over 27,500 students and recent graduates the opportunity to work or volunteer in another country. AIESEC is supported by over 8,000 partner organizations.
Programmes
Campus Involvement
AIESEC provides a platform for young people in different universities and colleges, by going on an international internship and/or by joining various local chapters. These young individuals can develop their leadership potential by working and leading international teams. Associate membership opportunities allow young people to work with various NGO partners of AIESEC, and represent their country as a part of campus ambassador program.The organizations products are Global Talent, Global Entrepreneur, and Global Volunteer.
Each year members have an opportunity to live and work in a foreign country. Participants can choose to work in areas of management, technology, education, or development; helping to build one's corporate skills.
Conferences
AIESEC hosts over 500 conferences every year that range in length and demographic scope. The purpose of conferences are to bring the international community of AIESEC members together to enhance their professional skills, provide networking opportunities, and work on organizational strategy. Topics of interest the organization focuses on include: Leadership, Sustainable development, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Corporate Social Responsibility, and youth impact on modern society.
Global Volunteer
Global Volunteer is an AIESEC program which offers voluntary internships. They are usually short term in nature and involve working on diverse community projects and in different organizations. Projects include teaching, promoting HIV/AIDS awareness, working in human rights, environmental sustainability, leadership development and more. The exchange participants are to bear the airfare, travelling, shopping and visa expenses. AIESEC makes a genuine effort, but does not ensure securing an internship in any country of the participant's choice. The likelihood of getting an internship increases considerably, if a visa-friendly country is taken into preference.
Global Entrepreneur
Global Entrepreneur is a global internship opportunity at a startup for young people who seek to develop themselves and their career. They are usually short term in nature and involve working in startup projects. Global youth unemployment has become one of the top challenges faced by the youth today. AIESEC contributes to this issue through its Global Entrepreneur program, where a young person works abroad with entrepreneurs in a startup, accelerator or incubator to advance their goals and grow; thus developing an entrepreneurial stint through a global opportunity allowing yourself to expand your network and develop on a personal and professional level.
YouthSpeak
YouthSpeak Initiative is a youth movement powered by AIESEC. AIESEC believes that the society needs the young people of the world to take action on the UN goals for 2030, and AIESEC serves as a platform for youth empowerment.
- YouthSpeak Survey aims to collect the common voice of the global youth and educate them about the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. There are 1.8 billion young people in the world and their voice needs to be heard.
- YouthSpeak Forum gathers the youth as future leaders and current ones into same action space.
Awards and recognition
In July 2015 AIESEC was recognized for the 9th time on the WorldBlu list of "Most Freedom Centred Workplaces." An organization makes it onto the WorldBlu List through a rigorous Freedom at Work(TM) assessment process completed by employees. The assessment evaluates the overall design of an organization along a fear-based to freedom-centred continuum in three core areas: leadership, individual performance and systems and processes.
Members
As of 2015, AIESEC is found in 126 countries and territories worldwide, including:
Alumni
AIESEC's alumni include a wide range of individuals, professionals, entrepreneurs, business people, politicians and a Nobel Prize winner. This is a non exhaustive list of AIESEC alumni:
- Aleksander Kwa?niewski, President of Poland from 1995 to 2005.
- Martti Ahtisaari, the tenth President of Finland (1994-2000), Nobel Peace Prize laureate and United Nations diplomat and mediator
- Mario Monti, former Prime Minister of Italy
- Anibal Cavaco Silva, former Prime Minister and President of Portugal
- César Gaviria, Colombian economist and politician who served as the President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004
- Gunter Pauli
- Junichiro Koizumi, former Prime Minister of Japan
- Helmut Kohl Former German Chancellor
- Janez Drnovsek - Prime Minister of Slovenia
See also
- United Nations
- IAESTE
References
External links
- Official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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