AIESEC

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO AT AIESEC?

"My name is Jente and I am VP Marketing. This position means that I am a full-timer within the board of AIESEC in Tilburg. I am ultimately responsible for the marketing team."

"My name is Willemijn and I am VP FER. That stands for Finance and External Relations. It pretty much speaks for itself what it entails exactly, I think."

WHAT IS AIESEC AND WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?

"AIESEC was actually set up after World War II to ensure that countries treat each other with more understanding. So we are spread out in over 200 countries around the world. We offer the opportunity for students to go abroad to do an internship or volunteer work. We also offer international students the opportunity to come to the Netherlands. A big theme is getting to know other cultures, but also developing different leadership qualities."

Jente adds: "We are a non-profit organization. It is also a 'youth-by-youth organization', which means that the organization consists of young people who try to help other young people."

WHAT DO STUDENTS GET OUT OF SUCH A SIX-MONTH PERIOD?

"That depends a bit on whether students are doing a volunteer project or an internship. The volunteer projects are just a little bit shorter, namely 6 to 8 weeks. The aim is really to contribute to the so-called 'sustainable development goals'. You will come into contact with things that you would not experience in the Netherlands. You become a lot more aware of how things work in other countries. We think that this awareness is very important if you want to become a leader.

"In the internships, students really develop more hard skills. They learn things that they can really use in their jobs later. So we hope that people really get something out of it in the long term and that is usually the case."

"When you go abroad on your own, you get into situations that you don't get to experience here. You will gain a lot from it.  Sometimes things go wrong and then you have to solve that on your own. You learn so much from that."

WHAT KIND OF STUDENTS USUALLY APPLY FOR THIS?

"It is not necessary that the students are doing a particular study. These are students who really want to go that extra mile. Who want to develop themselves in other ways besides their studies. An internship or voluntary work is not something you just do next to your studies. You have to have that kind of ambition.

"Of course, these are often students who wish to go abroad. They want to see other countries, but they are also mainly people who want to contribute something. We see that, especially in the volunteer projects. They want to do something for others and make an impact."

WHAT DOES YOUR TIME ABROAD LOOK LIKE?

"You always go to another AIESEC entity. The people there know about everything. You are assigned a buddy and so you are very well guided. We think that you should not be left to your own devices. After all, this is a foreign country and it is a bit exciting.

"A volunteer project is often six weeks long. Many people like to travel around the country or the environment afterwards. If you're there anyway, you want to see something extra."

WHAT ARE THE VOLUNTEER PROJECTS AND INTERNSHIPS LIKE?

"The volunteer projects are all linked to one of the 'sustainable development goals'. So the projects vary a lot depending on the goal. One goal is very much about biodiversity. For example, there is a project in which you work at a turtle shelter in Sri Lanka. Another goal is 'sustainable cities'. This includes a project about the fashion industry in Sri Lanka. You will be working on sustainable fashion. You can really have an impact with this kind of project."

"The internships are slightly different. You will be doing projects like Business Development or Graphic Video Making. These projects give you real skills that you can use later on."

"It is also a great experience to work in a foreign company. It's cool to see how they work in other places. In those countries they all have different cultures, of course, and that makes it a very special experience to go abroad."

HOW IS YOUR ORGANISATION STRUCTURED?

"We have a full-time board and a part-time board. The full-time board consists of six people, each with their own responsibilities. The part-time board consists of 19 people and is divided into certain teams. Each team is then responsible for something else."

"We are working a lot and putting in hours. It's quite serious, of course, and we really do have some responsibility. In addition, we often have some internal activities. Those can be for the whole board, or they are separate activities within your team. In several cities they have an AIESEC board. We often plan drinks with them. You just meet a lot of nice people and that is really great!

WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF A YEAR LIKE THIS FOR YOU?

"Twice a year we have a big conference with the whole of AIESEC. That is just three full days, in which you learn so much and get to know so many people. Those days consist of training sessions and other serious activities. About 300 people from all kinds of cities where AIESEC is located come to that conference. In the evening, we always end with a nice party."

"We also have many reception weekends, including our own reception weekend. We really hope that can go on. We are very much looking forward to that. Every other AIESEC entity comes to Tilburg then. We will then go to the Efteling with everyone and finish off with a cantus."

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: WHAT ARE THINGS YOU WOULD STILL LIKE TO DO?

"That is a good question. Of course, we have been around for a long time. AIESEC has grown and changed a lot over the years. We always adapt a little to what is needed. I hope that this will continue. Of course, we are big and it is a challenge to remain flexible. It would be great if all projects could grow along with what is happening in certain countries. I hope that in ten years' time we will still be able to say that our projects are important and that people can make an impact. So basically we just want to continue with what we are doing."

"Right now, the biggest goal is that everything can just be normal again with corona. That everyone can go anywhere again, but we also hope for all members that everything can continue physically. We are very much dependent on what is physically possible."

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD?

"Sometimes I have the idea that people are not aware of the fact that you can also do a part-time board year at AIESEC. People have the idea that we only offer projects. However, you can also develop a lot from a year at AIESEC. So if people don't want to do an internship or volunteer work abroad, but still want to do something at AIESEC, then we can really recommend a year on the board."

"At the moment we have quite a diverse committee. There are already many cultures on our board. That is really nice. So with just one year on the board you are already pushing your boundaries. You learn about other cultures. I think that this international mindset is also a real plus in our board."

Want to know more about AIESEC? Take a look at their site!