AIESEC: An organization for youth and run by youth over the world

It’s been one and a half year since I joined AIESEC, the world’s largest youth leadership development organization in the world. I believe that it’s not only for me, but anyone who joins the organization does not really understand what it is about until they get a very good AIESEC Experience (For example, having led a team of people of different backgrounds and strived to achieve a common goal). AIESEC is all about volunteering and being an AIESECer makes you a change agent with strong AIESEC values. AIESECers have meetings everyday, they attend and participate in National and International Conferences, Youth to Business Forums and other events. Through different training sessions and experiences, they get to know themselves (self-awareness) and others, know what they want in life and what they are doing about it. When they have figured it out, they start taking up challenges, grab all opportunities, learn how to manage their time, how to be a leader and manage projects and teams, ask for feedbacks and keep improving themselves, work hard, and enjoy what they are doing. AIESECers can be like crazy young people dancing on the streets and at the same time they manage to be professional and attend corporate meetings. Being a member of an international organization also gives AIESECers the opportunity to have a network of friends and colleagues over the world, whom they meet in their own country or during an AIESEC internship or experience in any of the 110 AIESEC countries. 

But all these do not happen just by joining the organization. Members are exposed to many opportunities (mainly team member and team leader positions). It is up to them to grab the opportunities and start their experience. The growth of AIESEC members depends on them only; the way they are working (pro-active, taking initiatives etc.), the choices and decisions they are making. AIESECers with experience are known to be faster than others in their career and tend to be entrepreneurs, because they are innovators and it is hard for them to have a routine job and not directly making a change. However, despite being a great and one of the best organizations in the world, all members have to leave it at a certain point in time. By the end of the day, what the members get out of AIESEC is not a title of President or Vice-President, but the AIESEC Experience, during which they have acquired leadership skills and have been exposed to an environment that is very similar to the corporate world. 

Every AIESECer understands the organization in his/her own way and the above is my understanding of AIESEC and what I got out of it. Today I am applying all that I have learned from AIESEC in Agriculture which is helping me in making a change. I strongly encourage all youths who want to develop their leadership skills to join AIESEC and lead the change.

The video below shows the expansion of the AIESEC network since 1948:

About Nawsheen Hosenally

Nawsheen Hosenally, a national of the Republic of Mauritius, has over 6 years of experience in the agricultural sector, specifically focusing on the engagement of youth in agriculture through the use of ICTs. Currently, Nawsheen is the co-Founder of Agribusiness TV, a web TV that features success stories of young agricultural entrepreneurs in Africa. Nawsheen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Extension from the University of Mauritius, and a Master’s degree in Management and Information Systems from the University of Manchester.

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