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AIESEC

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AIESEC
Formation1948
TypeNot-for-profit
Legal statusActive
PurposePeace and fulfillment of humankind's potential
HeadquartersMontreal, Canada
Location
  • 5605 Avenue de Gaspé, Suite 110, Montréal, QC H2T 2A4, Canada
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
40,000
Official language
English
President of AIESEC International (PAI)
Ana Leonor Fernandes
Main organ
Global Plenary
Websiteaiesec.org

AIESEC (/ˈaɪsɛk/ EYE-sek[1]) is an international "youth-run" and led, non-governmental and not-for-profit organization that provides young people with business development internships. The organization focuses on empowering young people to make a progressive social impact. The AIESEC network includes approximately 40,000 members in 120+ countries.[2]

AIESEC is a non-governmental in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is an independent arm of the UN DPI[3] and UN's Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth,[4] member of ICMYO,[4] and is recognized by UNESCO.[5] AIESEC's international headquarters are in Montreal, Canada.[6]

Name

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AIESEC (pronounced: eye-sek[7]) was originally a French acronym for Association internationale des étudiants en sciences économiques et commerciales (English: International Association of Students in Economics and Business). The full name is no longer officially used, as members can now be graduate and undergraduate from any university background.[8][9][10][11]

History

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Founding

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AIESEC in Estonia

The idea behind AIESEC started after World War II, when representatives from schools across Europe exchanged information about various programs and schools that specialized in business and economics. Students had been carrying out internships in other countries, mostly on their own initiative, but this came to a standstill with the onslaught of World War II.[12] In 1944, the neutral Scandinavian countries were still exchanging students. Bertil Hedberg, an official at the Stockholm School of Economics, and students Jaroslav Zich (of Czechoslovakia) and Stanislas Callens (of Belgium), founded AIESEC on July 2, 1948, under the name Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques (AIESEc) with a headquarter in Prague and Jaroslav Zich as the first President of the association.

At the time of AIESEC's founding at the end 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.[13] AIESEC was formed to address both of these concerns. In 1948, a renewing development of the association was initiated, with implementation of international meetings (congresses), replacing the practice of governance from the headquarter. The first broad meeting was held by students from 9 universities of 7 countries in April 1948 in Liège (Belgium). Then the official, constitutive assembly (the congress) was organized in 1949 in Stockholm with Bengt Sjӧstrand as the President and Sweden as the Presiding Country for 1949/1950. Students from seven nations: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, came together for that first International Congress of AIESEC.[14]

In 1949, 89 students were exchanged by AIESEC among the member nations. The next two annual congresses were conducted in Stockholm, presided by Bengt Sjӧstrand, and in Paris, presided by Jean Choplin, respectively. At those congresses the organization's mission was stated: "to expand the understanding of a nation by expanding the understanding of the individuals, changing the world one person at a time."[12] Also a constitution for the organization 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."[13]

Global expansion

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The organization grew exponentially[citation needed] in the following years, with more than 1,000 exchanges taking place in 1955 alone. 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.[15]

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 a 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.[13] 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.[15]

In 2010, AIESEC surpassed 10,000 exchanges delivered in a single year for the first time. By 2020, more than 230,000 interactions will have been provided.[2]

Campus involvement

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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 programs. The organization's products are Global Talent, Global Teacher and Global Volunteer.

Each year members have an opportunity to live and work in a foreign country. Participants can choose to work in the areas of management, technology, education, or development. This helps them build their corporate skills.[16]

Conferences

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Participants cheer during a local committee presentation at AIESEC France's "Spark 2013" national conference

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

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"AIESEC is a global network of people that simply believe that youth leadership is not an option, but our responsibility." The "Global Volunteer" portfolio in AIESEC is an international volunteer program which allows youth aged 18–29 to contribute to the United Nations' sustainable development goals of 2030. The Global Volunteering programs are short-term in nature (6–8 weeks) and provide youth with opportunities to travel abroad and work for Non-profit organizations with a special focus of second and third world countries. Projects include teaching, promoting HIV/AIDS awareness, working in human rights, environmental sustainability, leadership development and more.[17][18] Since AIESEC is a non-profit organization, the exchange participants are to bear all expenses associated with travel including airfare, medical insurance, and transportation. Some of AIESEC's projects will provide food and accommodation. AIESEC's partnership with the United Nations seeks to tap the undiscovered potential of the youth globally and allow them to create a long-lasting impact to boost the international community.[19]

Global Entrepreneur

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The Global Entrepreneur program provides graduates and undergraduates with the opportunity to gain a professional working experience in a start-up abroad. This program is not included in the roadmap of A2025.

Global Talent

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"Global Talent" is a global internship opportunity at a startup, SME or an MNC for young people who seek to develop themselves and their career.[20] They range from 6 weeks to 1.5 years in nature. Global youth unemployment has become one of the top challenges faced by the youth today. AIESEC contributes to this issue through its Global Talent program, where a young person works abroad with entrepreneurs in a startup, accelerator or incubator, SMEs and companies 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

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YouthSpeak Initiative is a youth movement powered by AIESEC.[21] 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.
  • The first Youth Speak Forum in India was held by AIESEC in India in partnership with Coca-Cola.

The values of AIESEC

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AIESEC has 6 values and enables young people to develop these values such as:

  • Striving for Excellence: By taking up challenging opportunities with AIESEC, young people continuously grow through creativity and innovation.
  • Activating Leadership: At AIESEC, they get to lead by example and with empathy by taking responsibility of inspiring others to lead as well.
  • Living Diversity: It aims at getting to work in inclusive spaces that allow to truly be oneself and embrace each others' differences as a strength.
  • Acting Sustainably: In various leadership roles at AIESEC, young people make long-term decisions that build their mindset to also think of their future generations and live sustainably.
  • Demonstrating Integrity: It focuses on doing what is right over what is easy and develop leadership that demonstrates integrity.
  • Enjoying Participation : At AIESEC, young people get to celebrate and enjoy the way they are and put their youthful energy and enthusiasm in everything they do.[22]

Awards and recognition

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In July 2015, AIESEC was recognized for the 9th time on the WorldBlu list of "Most Freedom Centred Workplaces."[23] An organization makes it onto the WorldBlu List through a rigorous Freedom at Work 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

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As of 2023, AIESEC is found in 100+ countries and territories worldwide, including:[24]

Alumni

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AIESEC's alumni include a wide range of individuals, professionals, entrepreneurs, business people, politicians and one Nobel Prize winner. This is a non-exhaustive list of notable AIESEC alumni:

  • Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland from 1995 to 2005.
  • Andrei Spînu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of the Republic of Moldova.
  • Aníbal Cavaco Silva, former Prime Minister and President of Portugal[25]
  • Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco since 2021.
  • 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.
  • Francisco Gil Díaz, Mexican economist and Secretary of Finance during 2000–2006, and current regional chairman for Telefonica Movistar.
  • Gunter Pauli[26] - is an entrepreneur, economist, and author.
  • Helmut Kohl, former German Chancellor.
  • James Shaw, Minister of Statistics and Climate Change Issues of New Zealand.
  • Janez Drnovšk, former Prime Minister of Slovenia.
  • Junichiro Koizumi, former Prime Minister of Japan.
  • Mario Monti, former Prime Minister of Italy[27]
  • Martti Ahtisaari, the tenth President of Finland (1994–2000), Nobel Peace Prize laureate and United Nations diplomat and mediator[28]
  • Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Former Minister of Industry, Trade, & New Technologies in Morocco until 2021.
  • Narayanan S, Co-founder at Unschool (YC backed Startup), serial entrepreneur with businesses in India, US and Europe. He was part of AIESEC India in 2017 and AIESEC Nepal in 2018.
  • Nerses Yeritsyan, Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia, former Minister of Economy of Armenia
  • Rahul Varma, Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list 2024, Co-founder at Unschool (YC backed startup). He was part of AIESEC India in 2017.
  • Rajeev Mecheri, Entrepreneur, Investor & Volunteer. He was the first elected president of AIESEC in India in 1993.
  • Vishnu Kaushal Entrepreneur, Actor and Social Media Content Creator. He was part of AIESEC in Chandigarh in 2015.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "What is AIESEC?". YouTube. August 23, 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "About us | AIESEC". www.aiesec.org.
  3. ^ "Non-Governmental Organizations Committee Recommnds 52 Organizations for Consultative Status With Economic and Social Council". www.un.org.
  4. ^ a b Ruggiero, Cassandra (22 September 2013). "The end of the IANYD and ICMYO Meetings – just the start of AIESEC's involvement with the United Nations". AIESEC International. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  5. ^ "UNESCO English Search: AIESEC". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-18.
  6. ^ "AIESEC: Contact Us". AIESEC.
  7. ^ "AIESEC Global Brand Guidelines "Blue Book"" (PDF).
  8. ^ Mattia, Fioretta Benedetto (2003-09-30). Elsevier's Dictionary of Acronyms, Initialisms, Abbreviations and Symbols. Elsevier. ISBN 9780080544137.
  9. ^ "Student associations". www.unive.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  10. ^ "About AIESEC | AIESEC Global". AIESEC. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  11. ^ "AIESEC | Live the experience". AIESEC. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  12. ^ a b Kern, Beth (2003-10-02). "AIESEC Helps Interns Make Adjustments". University Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2009-01-30. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  13. ^ a b c "AIESEC 60 Years". Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
  14. ^ "AIESEC History". www.aiesec.org. Archived from the original on 2014-11-27. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
  15. ^ a b Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "AIESEC Expansions since 1948". Youtube.
  16. ^ "AIESEC Programmes". Archived from the original on 2014-11-27. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
  17. ^ "Develop your leadership". AIESEC. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  18. ^ "View all | StudentVolunteer.ie". www.studentvolunteer.ie. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  19. ^ "Global Partnership with AIESEC for Youth Engagement and Entrepreneurship - United Nations Partnerships for SDGs platform". sustainabledevelopment.un.org. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  20. ^ "AIESEC exchanges | Erasmus Generation Portal". erasmusgeneration.org. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
  21. ^ "Youthspeak - Global Youth Movement". YouthSpeak. Archived from the original on 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  22. ^ "About us". AIESEC. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  23. ^ "Cultural Transformation in Organizations". www.worldblu.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  24. ^ "AIESEC: Contact Us". Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  25. ^ "EU City: AIESEC alumnus, elected as new President of Portugal". eucity.blogspot.in. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
  26. ^ "About". Gunter pauli. Archived from the original on 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
  27. ^ "Endorsements". Issuu. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
  28. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: AIESECFinland (2009-09-15), Martti Ahtisaari's Greetings to AIESEC, retrieved 2018-02-17
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