By Megan Seaman, BA International Business Management
So, what is AIESEC I hear you ask? It stands for the Association Internationals des Etudiants en Sciences Et Commericales, but that still doesn’t really tell you a lot, even if you are fluent in French. Watch this video for ‘why we do what we do’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDJQOJCFPng)
AIESEC is one of the best kept secrets at universities. It operates at universities across 125 countries, making it the largest youth-led organisation in the world. I heard about AIESEC during my year abroad in Vienna, and when I arrived back in Sheffield in September, still armed with the untamed desire to be surrounded by international students, getting involved with AIESEC, whose core value is ‘living diversity’ was a great way to do this!
AIESEC encourages people who were ‘born to lead’. It functions, much like any other business, but is run entirely by university students meaning that there is a real ‘hands on’ approach because your managers are your peers and board meetings are conducted in seminar rooms at university.
AIESEC exists in order to allow thousands of young people to experience the unknown. It does this by sending them on global volunteering projects and internships which fit nicely into the summer holidays, or for graduates and professionals who want to work abroad for a year. Partnered with the United Nations, all the projects target the UN sustainable development goals meaning they don’t just benefit students, they reach thousands of communities in need as well.
In just three months as Sales Team Leader at AIESEC Sheffield I have learnt so many invaluable skills which relate to my degree and look great on your CV; how to motivate my team to reach our targets, communicate with people from international organisations in order to generate new ideas, and how to recruitment new AIESEC participants.
The biggest thing that AIESEC has taught me is that YOU are the driver of your future. At university there is going to be a lot of new, exciting opportunities and it is your job to get involved with as many as you can, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”