It's saturday afternoon and almost two days after coming from IC, I start reflecting what exaclty happened during those last 10days while we were in the conference.
Words can barely describe what is really happening during IC and for most externals, it is quite difficult to really get it until you have never been there. So quite humbly I will try to briefly transmit the atmosphere that was created druing those ten days.
Imagine around 700 young students coming from all over 100 countries, representing 700 different colors, 700 different cultures, 700 different backgrounds, 700 different mindsets, 700 different stories, 700 ways of thinking, living. That's the powre of diversity in AIESEC.
Imagine now Istanbul, a city where western and eastern cultures merge, were North and South come together, a bridge between Europe and Asia, , a place of cultural diversity and cultural understanding.
Finally, imagine those 700 beautiful people gathering in Istanbul fro sharing different stories, different experiences and different cultures but all in all, coming for one unique meeting: the International Congress of AIESEC. 700 students having the same values, bnelieving in one unique mission, eager to all together make a positive impact on society, building together the future of our world. That's the power of unity in AIESEC.
That was all those ten days were about: a miix of unity and diversity. 700 different people, cultures, ideas coming to the same conclusion, to one common vision, to one common achievement. Unity sublimates by its diversity.
For those who still think that differences cannot match together and that diversity cannot lead to unity, think again cause the beauty of unity relies especially above all on the diversity of the people united.
Lili
Monday, September 03, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Hello from Istanbul!
Finally, summer! Scorching hot, bright and low sun makes me one very tanned AIESEC delegate at International Congress 2007 in Turkey!
The past few days have been inspiring but I must say the inspiration come mostly from meaningful conversations that were had during the conference. Talks about different cultures, bloopers in different languages, exchange processes and realities...I find that perhaps really in nature I am an introversive person in terms of thoughts and feelings, and it was cool to approach so many people and have so many different chats. If anything, the value of the sessions come later.
A lot of things are going through my mind now, in particular to what I should or would be doing a year from now. Would I be in Brazil? Would that become a reality? Would I still be a part of this amazing organization called AIESEC or would I be an alumni? But if anything, i am more than happy to be as alive as possible during this one year, and it's up to all of us to make it happen, to make the organization as alive as possible likewise during this one year!
One AIESEC- making it happen!
Live from IC and on behalf of AIESEC in France,
Rita
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
AIESEC France on IC 2007!
Day 0!
Opening plenary
Amazing atmosphere! 700 passionate young people coming from more then 100 countries cheering and shouting for their country or Growth Network!
Our PAI (President of AIESEC International), Gabitza gave a speech and officially opened the conference by passing a motion and approving Pedro to be the chair of IC 2007. Pedro, former PAI originally coming from Portugal (Francisco`s LC:), now lives in Singapur with his wife while working in DHL. Pedro announced the rollcalls and off we go! In the next 2 hours each country performed a rollcall and confirmed their presence by having funny coreographies, traditional dances and songs and sometimes random performances :)
AIESEC France had a great rollcall, simulating how does it feel to experience metro in Paris, accompanied with song and dance:)
It was an emotional moment to see the official expansion countries doing their first rollcall on IC realizing how much that means for them and the increasing impact that AIESEC is providing to the world.
After the opening plenary we went to the Global Village!!!
Global Village
A powerful and inspiring moment for many people, AIESECers and the general public. The whole world in a nutshell. The opportunity to taste more then 100 traditional food and learn more about their culture and history makes the Global Village on IC one of the most impactful moments in your @XP. All the countries were separated in different GNs and it was again wonderful to experience our new MENA GN and their countries culture and traditions. You Can delegates were also there, contributing to the whole atmosphere with their energy and curiosity to meet as many people as possible, and all of us made around 1.000 AIESECers in one room!
So much diversity, energy, excitement and emotions in one place is something that is special in every IC Global Village which impacts and breaks a lot of perceptions about different cultures and provides a picture of how the world may look like!
Opening Ceremony
After the Global Village we moved into Hilton hotel to officialy open IC. Insiring speeches from our AIESECers and also from external guests (mayor of Istanbul, chairman of the SG in Turkey, HP Global Talent Management manager etc) , traditional Turkish dances and wonderful performances were held which made the opening ceremony also a special moment of this very exciting day!
This day set the right atmosphere to kick off the congress and we are very excited to start with the official agenda and contribute to shaping the future of our global organization which provides an enormous impact to over 20000 member now and over half a milion people through its existence. The whole French delegation is proud to be part of this amazing conference and will keep you updated of the happenings throughout the whole conference!
On the behalf of French MC 07-08 + Najiba :)
Toni
Opening plenary
Amazing atmosphere! 700 passionate young people coming from more then 100 countries cheering and shouting for their country or Growth Network!
Our PAI (President of AIESEC International), Gabitza gave a speech and officially opened the conference by passing a motion and approving Pedro to be the chair of IC 2007. Pedro, former PAI originally coming from Portugal (Francisco`s LC:), now lives in Singapur with his wife while working in DHL. Pedro announced the rollcalls and off we go! In the next 2 hours each country performed a rollcall and confirmed their presence by having funny coreographies, traditional dances and songs and sometimes random performances :)
AIESEC France had a great rollcall, simulating how does it feel to experience metro in Paris, accompanied with song and dance:)
It was an emotional moment to see the official expansion countries doing their first rollcall on IC realizing how much that means for them and the increasing impact that AIESEC is providing to the world.
After the opening plenary we went to the Global Village!!!
Global Village
A powerful and inspiring moment for many people, AIESECers and the general public. The whole world in a nutshell. The opportunity to taste more then 100 traditional food and learn more about their culture and history makes the Global Village on IC one of the most impactful moments in your @XP. All the countries were separated in different GNs and it was again wonderful to experience our new MENA GN and their countries culture and traditions. You Can delegates were also there, contributing to the whole atmosphere with their energy and curiosity to meet as many people as possible, and all of us made around 1.000 AIESECers in one room!
So much diversity, energy, excitement and emotions in one place is something that is special in every IC Global Village which impacts and breaks a lot of perceptions about different cultures and provides a picture of how the world may look like!
Opening Ceremony
After the Global Village we moved into Hilton hotel to officialy open IC. Insiring speeches from our AIESECers and also from external guests (mayor of Istanbul, chairman of the SG in Turkey, HP Global Talent Management manager etc) , traditional Turkish dances and wonderful performances were held which made the opening ceremony also a special moment of this very exciting day!
This day set the right atmosphere to kick off the congress and we are very excited to start with the official agenda and contribute to shaping the future of our global organization which provides an enormous impact to over 20000 member now and over half a milion people through its existence. The whole French delegation is proud to be part of this amazing conference and will keep you updated of the happenings throughout the whole conference!
On the behalf of French MC 07-08 + Najiba :)
Toni
Thursday, August 09, 2007
MC Planning Days!
The MC team spend 4 wonderful days (2-5 August) in the peaceful Epernon village in the wonderful house of Amandine. The purpose of this 'get-away' of the MC from the hectic Paris life, was to build the future of AIESEC in France through creating a common vision for the country, setting the objectives for the term and creating the plan. And also getting to know eachother more and building the team. And so we did.
On Thursday we had wonderful 6 hours session about our values, which was facilitited from an external facilitator, Marc from EBBF who is an expert in the field of value-based and moral leadership. We have identified our personal values and set the right mindset for the planning. It was a great warm for the days to come.
On Friday we started creating the momentum of AIESEC France. We started with analyzing the current reality of AIESEC France which was concluded with a SWOT analyze of our reality. Then we moved into envisioning process where we were sharing how we would like to see AIESEC France in 2010. After deep and honest sharing, the special moment came where we created a common feeling of the future of our organization. AIESEC France 2010 vision!
On Thursday we had wonderful 6 hours session about our values, which was facilitited from an external facilitator, Marc from EBBF who is an expert in the field of value-based and moral leadership. We have identified our personal values and set the right mindset for the planning. It was a great warm for the days to come.
On Friday we started creating the momentum of AIESEC France. We started with analyzing the current reality of AIESEC France which was concluded with a SWOT analyze of our reality. Then we moved into envisioning process where we were sharing how we would like to see AIESEC France in 2010. After deep and honest sharing, the special moment came where we created a common feeling of the future of our organization. AIESEC France 2010 vision!
Our members are passionate and committed to live a complete AIESEC XP, its values and principles that brings recognition to AIESEC France within the Global Network.
We engage a diverse group of stakeholders who understand AIESEC and appreciate the value our organization brings to them, that makes AIESEC France financially sustainable.
We engage a diverse group of stakeholders who understand AIESEC and appreciate the value our organization brings to them, that makes AIESEC France financially sustainable.
After creating the vision we moved into goal setting process for our term. It was wonderful to see the commitment that was created when we were putting the numbers that will express our impact. After the goal setting we finished the day with discussing the priorities for our term.
In the evenings we were enjoying our interesting stories from our childhood, stupid things that we did and just chillin' in the peaceful environment that Epernon was providing to us.
On Saturday we started with the actual planning. We were enjoying the sun while discussing the scorecard and our action steps. We had nice barbecue for lunch and took a rest after the food. We created the plan and clarified our responsibilities.
In the evening we had really special moment of sharing feelings about the experience we had in the past three days of creating the future of AIESEC France. For myself, I think these are the moments where we build as a team and build commitment to create the change.
On Sunday we created our team stand based on the team values.
In the evenings we were enjoying our interesting stories from our childhood, stupid things that we did and just chillin' in the peaceful environment that Epernon was providing to us.
On Saturday we started with the actual planning. We were enjoying the sun while discussing the scorecard and our action steps. We had nice barbecue for lunch and took a rest after the food. We created the plan and clarified our responsibilities.
In the evening we had really special moment of sharing feelings about the experience we had in the past three days of creating the future of AIESEC France. For myself, I think these are the moments where we build as a team and build commitment to create the change.
On Sunday we created our team stand based on the team values.
Through constant learning we continue to build a professional environment and enhance our personal development.
By demonstrating integrity we build trust and respect between one another which makes us a high performing team. We show love and affection towards each other.
By demonstrating integrity we build trust and respect between one another which makes us a high performing team. We show love and affection towards each other.
For myself team days were really nice and the most important is that we enjoyed and had fun during the whole process. The momentum is created. Now, let's make it happen!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
It's up to you
"It's easy to think that it's difficult to be happy and exist real reasons to think like this, but could be more easy being happy if in the humankind, the reflexions and pause of the acts antecipate the actions.
We are pushed for the society needs and we hope one day our satizfaction will be better. Unfortunelly this expectations only will give us an half that we expected." Madame du Chatelêt
Our world is a mirror of the neeeds from the Humankind to get the common satizfaction and after the common happiness.
But today we are really happy?
What kind of world we expect to have as a consequence of our personality?
More than thinking is important to act.
Like Chatelêt, french phillosofe that after has the name of the biggest metro station in Paris: we have to follow our needs by actions and not expect that the world can be better one day.
In all places, our hours, we have to feel a strong passion for what we do in conscience that we are realizing something that never passed from a dream or a reflexion.
If we do not act, we become "imaginarium" people until one day that we will wake up, unfortunelly to much late to act and construct something.
This possible future day will be a frustration day.
Because with acts we learn and with reflection and hope take us to frustration of nude ignoration.
And you, keep dreaming ou act every day for your dreams became a reality?
It's up to you!
We are pushed for the society needs and we hope one day our satizfaction will be better. Unfortunelly this expectations only will give us an half that we expected." Madame du Chatelêt
Our world is a mirror of the neeeds from the Humankind to get the common satizfaction and after the common happiness.
But today we are really happy?
What kind of world we expect to have as a consequence of our personality?
More than thinking is important to act.
Like Chatelêt, french phillosofe that after has the name of the biggest metro station in Paris: we have to follow our needs by actions and not expect that the world can be better one day.
In all places, our hours, we have to feel a strong passion for what we do in conscience that we are realizing something that never passed from a dream or a reflexion.
If we do not act, we become "imaginarium" people until one day that we will wake up, unfortunelly to much late to act and construct something.
This possible future day will be a frustration day.
Because with acts we learn and with reflection and hope take us to frustration of nude ignoration.
And you, keep dreaming ou act every day for your dreams became a reality?
It's up to you!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Hello World!
After some moments of hiatus, AIESEC France is back online with blogging!
The last month has been a challenging time for the MC team of 06-07 and the current team. We bid adieu to many good friends and wonderful colleagues, and said hello to new interns, new members, and most of all a new team in AIESEC in France. The new team is a diverse team of seven - 4 boys, 3 girls, composed of 5 nationalities all in one team. Feel-good jokes are already rampant in the office; it's too bad that I am still not a part of it, as I was unfortunately stuck in Toronto due to some visa issues.
But staying home has its virtues and I am more than grateful for this extra time spent at home with my parents, albeit the time that I lose in bonding and working with my new team. See you all in Paris in 1.5 weeks!
-Rita
The last month has been a challenging time for the MC team of 06-07 and the current team. We bid adieu to many good friends and wonderful colleagues, and said hello to new interns, new members, and most of all a new team in AIESEC in France. The new team is a diverse team of seven - 4 boys, 3 girls, composed of 5 nationalities all in one team. Feel-good jokes are already rampant in the office; it's too bad that I am still not a part of it, as I was unfortunately stuck in Toronto due to some visa issues.
But staying home has its virtues and I am more than grateful for this extra time spent at home with my parents, albeit the time that I lose in bonding and working with my new team. See you all in Paris in 1.5 weeks!
-Rita
Sunday, August 27, 2006
AIESEC France at IC 2006
Day -1:
The Opening Ceremony took place in a big concert hall in the middle of Warsaw. The entire ceremony took a little longer than everyone expected, but it was still an interesting experience. We listened to few key note speeches from representatives of the government and corporate sector of Poland and enjoyed traditional polish dances and modern ballet performances.
Day 0:
The ultimate experience however, happened the following day, at the Global Village (GV). GV was organized in the center of Warsaw and offered the public an opportunity to get acquainted with 95 different countries and their unique cultures. Each AIESEC country had a 3x3 meter stand, which they decorated with flags, country maps and spiced up with traditional food. In the middle of the GV, there was a huge stage, where we watched some incredible live performances and danced on AIESEC songs.
Something special happened during Global Village. In one split of a second, I felt an incredible surge of passion and love for everyone around. This is when I realized how fortunate I am to be part of an organization that shares the same culture and identity across continents, while celebrating and living its diversity at the same time. More importantly, I started questioning again the role that I am currently playing and the role I will play in the future.
At IC, I am not only learning, but I am also re-clarifying my vision and purpose in life. During these four days, I met some incredible change agents who have realized that society is expecting from them to step up and make a contribution. I met people who challenged themselves by leading AIESEC’s expansion in countries such as Afghanistan, Qatar and Bahrain. These people were able to choose between a corporate career in any of AIESEC’s Global Exchange Partners (Alcatel, DHL, ABN Amro, etc.) and a leadership experience in a developing country… and they choose the latter for a reason. These people found meaning in their life after understanding that their role must reflect the needs of society. These are the people that AIESEC produces – globally competent and locally driven agents of positive change.
But what is a change agent? It’s a person who identifies a burning issue in society and aligns his personal vision with the change that he wants to see in that society. By demonstrating his commitment to that change and acting on it, he is inspiring people and making them aware of the role they need to play in society. A change agent is ultimately the one who is making people around him believe in the power of change. His legacy are the people who will continue the commitment to making the world better a place to live.
Now let me ask you a question: What is YOUR unique contribution to society? How are YOU making the world a better place every day? What is the change that YOU want to make?
…
posted by Meto
The Opening Ceremony took place in a big concert hall in the middle of Warsaw. The entire ceremony took a little longer than everyone expected, but it was still an interesting experience. We listened to few key note speeches from representatives of the government and corporate sector of Poland and enjoyed traditional polish dances and modern ballet performances.
Day 0:
The ultimate experience however, happened the following day, at the Global Village (GV). GV was organized in the center of Warsaw and offered the public an opportunity to get acquainted with 95 different countries and their unique cultures. Each AIESEC country had a 3x3 meter stand, which they decorated with flags, country maps and spiced up with traditional food. In the middle of the GV, there was a huge stage, where we watched some incredible live performances and danced on AIESEC songs.
Something special happened during Global Village. In one split of a second, I felt an incredible surge of passion and love for everyone around. This is when I realized how fortunate I am to be part of an organization that shares the same culture and identity across continents, while celebrating and living its diversity at the same time. More importantly, I started questioning again the role that I am currently playing and the role I will play in the future.
At IC, I am not only learning, but I am also re-clarifying my vision and purpose in life. During these four days, I met some incredible change agents who have realized that society is expecting from them to step up and make a contribution. I met people who challenged themselves by leading AIESEC’s expansion in countries such as Afghanistan, Qatar and Bahrain. These people were able to choose between a corporate career in any of AIESEC’s Global Exchange Partners (Alcatel, DHL, ABN Amro, etc.) and a leadership experience in a developing country… and they choose the latter for a reason. These people found meaning in their life after understanding that their role must reflect the needs of society. These are the people that AIESEC produces – globally competent and locally driven agents of positive change.
But what is a change agent? It’s a person who identifies a burning issue in society and aligns his personal vision with the change that he wants to see in that society. By demonstrating his commitment to that change and acting on it, he is inspiring people and making them aware of the role they need to play in society. A change agent is ultimately the one who is making people around him believe in the power of change. His legacy are the people who will continue the commitment to making the world better a place to live.
Now let me ask you a question: What is YOUR unique contribution to society? How are YOU making the world a better place every day? What is the change that YOU want to make?
…
posted by Meto
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