AIESEC

This week, in "Verenigingen Vrijdag," we spoke with AIESEC. This non-profit organization provides students with the opportunity to do an internship or volunteer work abroad. If you want to make an impact, help others, gain valuable experience, and learn new skills, AIESEC is the right organization for you. Internally, it is a large youth-led organization completely run by students. Each year, they organize fun activities and offer several highlights for board members. Curious to learn more about this organization? Read the article!

Who are you and what do you do at AIESEC?

"I'm Jente, and I'm the VP of Marketing. In this role, I work full-time within the AIESEC Tilburg board, and I'm ultimately responsible for the marketing team."

"I'm Willemijn, and I'm the VP of FER, which stands for Finance and External Relations. It's relatively self-explanatory what it entails, I think."

What is AIESEC, and what do you stand for?

"AIESEC was actually founded after World War II to promote mutual understanding between countries. We have a presence in over 200 countries worldwide. We offer students the opportunity to go abroad for internships or volunteer work. We also provide international students the opportunity to come to the Netherlands. A major theme is getting to know different cultures and developing various leadership qualities."

Jente adds, "We are a non-profit organization. Additionally, it's a 'youth-by-youth organization,' meaning that it's an organization made up of young people who are trying to help other young people."

What do students gain from such a half-year experience?

"It depends a bit on whether students are doing a volunteer project or an internship. The volunteer projects are a bit shorter, around 6 to 8 weeks. The goal here is to make a meaningful contribution to the sustainable development goals. In these projects, students experience things that they wouldn't encounter in the Netherlands. You become more aware of what's happening in other countries. This awareness is, we believe, essential if you want to become a leader."

"In internships, students develop more hard skills. They learn things that they can truly apply in their future jobs. We hope that people genuinely benefit from these experiences in the long term, and that's often the case."

"When you go abroad by yourself, you quickly encounter situations you wouldn't experience here. This is a very valuable experience. Sometimes things may go wrong, and you have to solve them independently. You learn so much from such experiences."

What kind of students usually sign up for this?

"It's not necessarily students from a specific major. These are students who want to go the extra mile, who want to develop themselves in other ways alongside their studies. Such an internship or volunteer work is something you don't just do alongside your studies. You really need to have ambition."

"Most often, they are students who want to go abroad. They want to explore other countries, but it's also about people who want to make a contribution. This is particularly evident in our volunteer projects. The students involved in those projects want to do something for others and make an 'impact.'"

What does your time abroad look like?

"You always go to a different AIESEC entity. Everyone there is informed about it. You are assigned a buddy, and you receive good guidance. We believe that you shouldn't be left to fend for yourself. After all, it's a foreign country, and it can be a bit daunting."

"A volunteer project typically lasts for six weeks. Many people like to travel within the country or the region afterward. If you're there, you want to see more."

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 greatly depending on the goal. One goal might focus on biodiversity. For instance, there's a project where you work with a sea turtle rescue center in Sri Lanka. Another goal is 'sustainable cities,' and there's a project related to the fashion industry in Sri Lanka. In that project, you work on sustainable fashion. You can really make an impact in such projects."

"The internships are a bit different. In these, you work on projects like Business Development or Graphic Video Making. You acquire skills and abilities in these projects that will be valuable in your future."

"It's also a unique experience to work in a foreign company. It's fascinating to see how things operate in other places. These countries have their own unique cultures, which makes going abroad a very special experience."

How is your organization structured?

"We have a full-time board and a part-time board. The full-time board consists of six individuals, each with their own responsibilities. The part-time board is made up of 19 people and is divided into various teams. Each team is responsible for different aspects."

"We're quite focused on working and putting in hours. It's a serious commitment, and we do have significant responsibilities. Additionally, we often organize internal activities. These can be for the entire board or specific activities within your team. In several cities, there is an AIESEC board, and we often plan gatherings with them. You get to know a lot of great people, and it's really enjoyable!"

What are the highlights in a year for you?

"We have two major conferences with the entire AIESEC twice a year. These are three full days during which you learn a lot and meet many people. The days consist of training and other serious activities. Around 300 people from various cities where AIESEC is present attend these conferences. We conclude each day with a great party.

We also have several reception weekends, including our own reception weekend. We really hope it can take place. We're looking forward to it. Every other AIESEC entity comes to Tilburg for this event. We all go to the Efteling theme park, and it ends with a cantus."

Looking to the future: What are things you would still like to do?

"That's a good question. We've been around for a long time. AIESEC has grown and evolved significantly over the years. We adapt to what's needed. I hope that will continue. Being large can be a challenge to remain flexible. It would be great if all projects can grow and adapt to what's happening in specific countries. So, we want to continue with what we're doing.

At the moment, the biggest goal is for everything to return to normal post-COVID. That everyone can travel abroad again. But we also hope that everything can be conducted physically for all our members. We're very dependent on what can happen physically."

What would you like to add?

"Sometimes I get the feeling that people aren't aware you can also do a part-time board year at AIESEC. People think we only offer projects, but you can learn a lot from being on the AIESEC board as well. So, if people don't want to do an internship or volunteer work abroad but still want to get involved with AIESEC, a board year is a great option.

Currently, we have a quite diverse committee. Our board already includes individuals from various cultures. That's really nice. So, even with just a board year, you can expand your horizons. You already learn about other cultures. I think that international mindset is a real asset to our board."