AIESEC
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AIESEC, (pronounced as one word; originally an acronym for Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) is an international non-profit organisation run by students and recent graduates of institutions of higher education. It describes itself as "The international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact on society". Its international office is currently in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The AIESEC network as of April 2007 includes 23,000 students in 100 countries at over 1100 universities across the globe.[1]
History
What began in 1948 as an organisation to help develop "friendly relations" between member countries is now a global association with activities in over 100 different countries and territories.
After World War II, in 1946, students from 9 universities in six countries met in Liège, Belgium, with the intention of fostering a new form of international cooperation. They created the Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques (AIESE). Its aim was to establish relations between students all over the world, in order to build peace between the countries and to fight against racial discriminations providing to its members wide traineeships and exchange opportunities.
Jaroslav Zich, a Czech, was elected its first president. The new association was first headquartered in Prague, Czechoslovakia but had to leave the country within a year in order to stay politically neutral after the communists gained power. Its headquarters moved to Brussels, Belgium and in the late 1990s moved to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where they remain today.
In 1949 a second congress was held in Stockholm. Seven countries attended it: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, The Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. The representatives signed the association's foundation document. The name was changed slightly to Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales.
The name Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales was supplanted by the acronym AIESEC, because many of its members were not Commerce or Economics students.
In the coming years more and more countries joined the network and AIESEC became global in a very short period by being present on all the continents.The number of students and organizations involved in the exchange program grew rapidly and constantly, reaching 2467 exchanges by the end of 1960 and 4232 by the end of 1970.
Seminars were first introduced as part of trainees' reception experiences, in a proposal from AIESEC in Germany in 1961. It was well received by other countries, and a general set of seminar topics to be addressed was proposed and accepted. They were mainly economic in nature, and for the first time AIESEC was addressing specific issues in its activities-stated clearly in a non-political way.
At the 1974 International Congress in Bordeaux, an important motion was passed: the minimum length of an Exchange traineeship had to be 6 weeks. This measure improved the quality of our Exchanges.In 1976 an International Theme Programme was established that focused all international, regional, and local seminars on specific topics. This idea continued and grew through various stages.
After this the focus of the organization was on addressing global themes besides the traditional Exchange Program. Themes like International Trade, Management Education, Sustainable development, Entrepreneurship and Corporate Responsability were discussed at local, national and global seminars.
In the late 90's the discussion about the relevance of the organization brought the Exchange Program on the main agenda and more and more effort was put in ensuring growth in this area.Information systems were developed to make the process faster and easier. Insight I was launched in 1997 and Insight II in 2001. As the focus of the organization was the eXchange program again, the number of exchanges started to grow.
Looking for more relevance, nowadays AIESEC is the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential. Our innovative approach to developing young people focuses on taking a proactive role, developing self-awareness and a personal vision, building networks, and developing capacity to drive change. We do this through an international platform of opportunities that provides over 5,000 leadership opportunities, 3,500 work abroad opportunities, 350 conferences, and virtual tools to build networks.
AIESEC Today
AIESEC is the world's largest student-run organisation[2][3]. It describes itself as being "global, non-political, independent, not-for-profit". It comprises students and recent graduates of institutions of higher education interested in leadership, management and global issues. The organization's values forbid unfair discrimination, and its aim is to work towards the organisational vision of 'peace and the fulfilment of humankind's potential'.
Each country (or sometimes group of countries, or territories within a country) with an AIESEC presence has its own national "Member Committee" (MC), which coordinates activities for that area. Members also belong to a Local Committee (LC) for each university or city.
AIESEC Approach
The AIESEC approach to enabling young people to discover and develop their potential is a full experience with several stages that is based on a few key principles. This approach, which comes through the AIESEC Platform, helps to build young people that have the desire and capacity to have a positive impact in society – that is the AIESEC Difference
This flow and the opportunities within it are reinforced by 5 key principles, that are reflected in all parts of the process. These principles are explained below:
Taking an Active Role AIESEC will provide the opportunities and some support, but it is ultimately up to the individual to make the most of those opportunities. Each individual must take responsibility for his/her experience within AIESEC. Each individual must also take responsibility for the organization. It is through the collective efforts and commitments of everyone involved in AIESEC that we are able to provide so many opportunities – some 350 conferences, 3500 work abroad opportunities, and 5000 leadership positions, plus many other activities.
Developing Self-Awareness and Personal Vision We think young people need more space and support to answer fundamental questions such as “What is important to me?” and “How do I want to contribute to the world?”. AIESEC supports young people in clarifying and expanding their ambitions through mentorship, personal vision exercises, an inspiring environment, and providing intense experiences that challenge their view of the world and their role within it.
Increasing Capacity Through conferences, work abroad opportunities, and the management of our offices, we provide young people with the opportunity to increase theoretical knowledge in a wide-range of functional and soft skills and the opportunity to put it into practice.
Building a Network People need a network of support that can guide and encourage them towards their vision and goals. Through conferences, learning networks, innovative on-line platforms, and a growing alumni network, AIESEC provides young people with the opportunity to create a strong and global network to support them in their personal and professional pursuits.
Challenging Worldview Through intense experiences such as conferences, working abroad, and engaging in diverse environments, AIESEC “shakes up” the way young people see the world. A stronger and more holistic view of the world enables them to more easily incorporate new perspectives, see interdependencies, and identify ways to positively impact any given situation.
Criticism
AIESEC students in the UAE have often been known for wasting thier time and resources on conferences that achieve little to nothing. The organization still lacks purpose with its selection process of students being mediocer at best.