AIESEC International Press Room

Official Communication of AIESEC International regarding the situation in Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya (15:45 , 30 Aug, 2011)

In the early morning of 30th of August, a bus carrying 65 participants of AIESEC’s International Congress 2011 in Kenya met with an accident on its way from Nairobi to Mombasa for post-conference holidays. There was one fatality, Elmer Pérez Requiz, a native of Bolivia and President of AIESEC in Bolivia. One person was also severely injured, Irma Bedjic, Vice President of AIESEC in Bosnia & Herzegovina. She is being treated. Few other individuals also suffered minor injuries, for which they have already received treatment. We are in touch with the families of Elmer and Irma and supporting them. All other individuals were treated at the hospital in the city of Voi and are continuing to Mombasa. Though the conference ended on the 29th, the conference team is working nonstop to secure medical and psychological support to all involved. Moreover, the local authorities have been alerted and are taking appropriate actions to determine the cause of the accident.

Today is a sad day for all 60,000 AIESEC members and their families in 110 countries and territories. As we continue our work to empower young people, we will hold everyone affected by this unfortunate accident in our minds and in our hearts.

Update, 30 Aug, 22:06 (GMT +3)
All passengers, with the exception of Elmer and Irma, have arrived at their hotel in Mombasa and are eating dinner. They are safe. The conference team representatives from AIESEC International and the Congress Committee have landed in Mombasa and are on their way to the hotel now.

We have confirmed plane tickets for five people from Mombasa to Nairobi for tomorrow morning. The other fifty-six will fly back to Nairobi from Mombasa on 1 September. All flight costs will be covered. We are currently working to arrange accomodation for them in Nairobi.

We are in constant collaboration with Elmer's and Irma's families. Arrangements have already been made according to their wishes.

Thank you for the outpouring of support. The whole AIESEC network stands together in this moment of sadness. The response team is especially thankful for all the support from our network, our partners, and our communities.

Update 31 Aug, 00:09 (GMT+3)
The response team of the Congress Committee, with AIESEC International and Congress Committee representatives, has arrived in Mombasa and are with all the passengers. Seperately, another AIESEC International member has arrived at the hospital in Mombasa where Irma is, to directly assist in any communication.

We are working to keep open communication, within and outside of AIESEC's network.

Our heartfelt thanks for everyone's support and compassion.

Friends and Relatives can reach us from international lines at +254 739 354 889 or +254 722 645 972.
For local contact please reach us at 0788 715 010.

AIESEC wins the 2011 ISIC Award

TALLINN, Estonia (May 4, 2011)

AIESEC has won the inaugural ISIC Award at a special ISIC Event in Tallinn, Estonia on 3 May 2011. Launched by the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) Association, the ISIC Award is a new initiative aimed to support an organisation that has been successful in projects that increase access to education

Martijn van de Veen, ISIC General Manager explains: “AIESEC is the deserved winner of the 2011 ISIC Award. The AIESEC organisation has a long history of successful projects aimed at opportunities for youth to engage in education and leadership projects around the world. Even more impressive is the fact that AIESEC is completely run by youth and students for youth and students. In addition there are many parallels between our organisations – in addition to the similar sound of the acronyms ‘ISIC’ and ‘AIESEC’: both organisations were founded shortly after the second world war and have been around for an approximate 60 years, with representation in more than 100 countries and focusing on the international youth and student population.”

AIESEC won the award from a group of five organisations, who were shortlisted for their achievements in this area, including: Community Colleges for International Development (CCID); Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP); Japan Student Services Organisation (JASSO) and Laureate International Universities.

The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) Association is a member of the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation (WYSE Travel Confederation), a not-for-profit organisation which brings together world-leading specialists in student and youth travel services.

AIESEC's 'Stories of the future' writing competition

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (March 25, 2011)

As part of AIESEC's process in defining the organisation's new mid-term vision for 2015, AIESEC launched for the first time the "AIESEC Stories of the Future Writing Competition."

This competition is a challenge to young people globally to think of collaborative initiatives and experiences that will make a true impact in today’s world. It is also a way of exploring the role of a youth organisation in society and, with that, evolve AIESEC to enable more meaningful interactions and experiences worldwide.

The competition's jury includes international leaders such as:

Jan Muehlfeit, Chairman of Microsoft Corporation in Europe; Chris Bones, Professor of ‘’Creativity and Leadership’’ at Manchester Business School and Dean Emeritus of Henley Business School in the United Kingdom; Araz Najarian, Programme Manager at Executive Learning Partnership; Fernando Lanzer Pereira De Souza, International Management Consultant; Patrice Van Riemsdijk, Chair of Supervisory Council of The Hub the Netherlands; Hugo Pereira, President of AIESEC International.

The competition counted also with the support of the Blue Ocean Strategy Institute, that collaborated with us in the development of the competition and its format

The winners of the AIESEC Stories of the Future Writing Competition come from various parts of the world and include not only AIESEC members, but also students that are not currently members of the organisation:

• Matheus Augusto de Farias Silva from Boqueirao, Brazil.
• Elena Gaffurini from Milan, Italy.
• Soumitra Subinaya, from Bhubaneswar, India.
• Balazs Kovacs from Hajdunanas, Hungary.
• Soumaya Boughanmi from Tunisia.
• Kwasi Owusu Gyeabour from Ghana.

Overall the competition got over 100 entries from about 40 countries, and the website of the competition had 20,462 unique views out of 25,387 page views between 1st December 2010 till February 14th 2011.

Winners received an exclusive invitation and participation support to attend the ‘’Advanced Leadership Development Programme’’ in London, UK in April. The programme will include 2 full days of training with key business leaders, consultants and noted academics on topics of leadership, coaching, personal branding, and leading across cultures.

Congratulations to the winners and to all participants that shared their thoughts on how to further empower young people in the world.

How Will The Leaders Of Tomorrow Change The World?

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (January 25, 2011)

  

The 62nd AIESEC International Congress hosted its Global Youth to Business Forum for over 600 delegates from 110 countries and territories. The forum included keynote speakers and interactive workshops with delegates and prominent representatives from 10 companies and organizations.

The scope of the discussions were Harnessing Youth Innovation, Labour Mobility and Diversity and Environmental and Corporate Sustainability. For AIESECers there is still one question - How can we take the impact we make to the next level?

With 600 co-creators, 3 tracks, 10 open-space discussions and 88 simulations, AIESEC leaders sought to find the answer to this question by representing unique situations, raising thoughtful ideas, and exploring their own potential as the future of global leadership.

Climate Change - Who Cares?

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (December 2, 2009)

The Topic of the Century through the eyes of tomorrow's leaders from over 120 countries.

  

Climate change is the greatest threat of all, and the problem is manmade. That is the opinion of “tomorrow’s leaders”, more than 3,000 university students and young professionals in 122 countries. However, while almost all of them are very concerned about climate change, not so many feel engaged in climate change issues. 

Next week today’s leaders will meet in Copenhagen to determine how to deal with future climate change challenges. Ultimately their success depends on the leaders of tomorrow. Young people’s views on climate change are key to understanding and shaping the future.Kairos Future, the international futures research and strategy development firm, and AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-run organization, surveyed global youth in November 2009 to find out what tomorrow’s leaders really think. 
 
Everyone should get more involved 

Young people are the leaders of today who will deliver on the promise of tomorrow. Let’s Act NOW!, commented Aman Jain, President of AIESEC

Three out of four respondents feel that people and organizations who should do something about climate change are not doing enough. Nine out of ten respondents think that companies should take greater responsibility to limit climate change. They also think that everyone needs to contribute to solving the issue, but only 20% describe themselves as very engaged in climate change issues. There is no equal sign between attitudes and behavior. 

There is a tendency towards “Somebodyelseism”, someone else is expected to take action. Evidently fears and convictions do not automatically transform into action, says Mats Lindgren, CEO and founder of Kairos Future, and a former environmental researcher. They believe that politics and business have the power to act, and that they are obliged to do that.

More than six out of ten believe that the solution to climate change is political rather than technological. 
 
Global north should deal with problems at home first 

The notion of “climate debt” is often discussed in relation to climate change, whereby the Global North is expected to repay their ecological debt to the Global South, subsequent to a long history of over-exploitation and excessive consumption. It can be argued that the greatest marginal effect is achieved by investing in developing nations, where relatively small changes can have comparatively large impact on the environment. However, the majority of survey respondents does not share that view. 

The young people in our survey lean heavily towards the opposite perspective, that rich countries should deal with environmental problems in their own countries before focusing on environmental problems in the developing world, says Anna Kiefer, Project manager of the climate change survey and Director of Kairos Future International. There are not any big differences in viewpoint between young in the Global North and the Global South in this regard.

Friends determine engagement in climate change 

So what would make tomorrow’s leaders globally engage more in climate change? Well, lack of money, time and information are not the main obstacles to involvement in climate change issues. 

– Tomorrow’s leaders would be more engaged if people around them got involved, says Anna Kiefer. It seems to be very important what your friends do and who sets an example. 

In many countries, the absence of necessary infrastructure to support a climate smart living leaves people without options. It is not up to them if they choose public transportation or not, because it simply does not exist. Yet, the majority of actions taken even in the western world constitute discussions and intellectual involvement. 

The recipe for saving the planet is a social act more than anything. Trust in science to save the world is vanishing, climate and seasons are more important issues than ever and opinions change with the change of seasons; people adapt to politicians and people around them. The Age of Reason is abandoned and we find ourselves in the Age of Season. 
 
Further revelations… 

Further analysis and statistics will be revealed at a youth event at COP15 on the afternoon of December 11th hosted by PlanetCall (www.planetcall.org). 
 
About the survey 

Kairos Future, the international research and consulting firm dealing with futures research and strategy development, together with AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-run organization, have surveyed young people around the world about their views on climate change. Data was collected in the month of November 2009. 

The questionnaire was distributed in English via e-mail and AIESEC web pages to AIESEC members globally. We have received 3,119 replies (48% women, 52% men) from 122 countries. Most of the respondents in the survey are students (75%) in the fields of economy, commerce, social sciences and technology. 83% of them were born in 1985 or later (most of them around 1988), 17% were born in 1984 or earlier. A majority of them are planning on becoming managers in the future (56% “yes definitely”, 32% “maybe”).

Further information 

For further information or to obtain a free report with survey results, please contact: 

Anna Kiefer, Project Manager of the Climate Change survey and Director Kairos Future International 
E-mail: anna.kiefer@kairosfuture.com 
Tel: +46 70 547 25 02 
www.kairosfuture.com

Carolyn Rush, Vice President AIESEC International 
E-mail: carolynr@ai.aiesec.org 
Tel: +31 10 443 4383 
www.aiesec.org 

New Survey: Tomorrow's Leaders on Climate Change.

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (November 23, 2009)

Tomorrow’s leaders are concerned about climate change, but not committed. With 3,000 replies from students and recent graduates in 122 countries we know what views tomorrow’s leaders have of climate change!

International futures research and consulting firm Kairos Future has in collaboration with the world’s largest youth-run organization, AIESEC International, conducted a survey asking young people around the world about their views on climate change. Data collection has just been finalized and the results from this unique and our most global survey ever, will be presented on 2 December 2009.

Global warming and climate change dominate public debate worldwide and the world is closely following the preparations and outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. Future generations will be the ones who will deal with the consequences. Are they prepared?

For further information please contact:

Carolyn Rush, Vice President AIESEC International
E-mail: carolynr[at]ai.aiesec.org
Tel: +31 10 443 4383

Further information on AIESEC is available at www.aiesec.org

Further information on Kairos Future is available at www.kairosfuture.com

AIESEC International names Alcatel-Lucent 2009 Partner of the Year

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (November 18, 2009)

AIESEC International, the largest student-driven organization in the world, named Alcatel-Lucent as its best partner of the year for 2009. AIESEC noted Alcatel-Lucent’s increased level of involvement and support for AIESEC’s leadership development initiatives, particularly in emerging countries as well as programs to increase employee engagement with the AIESEC program.

AIESEC will formally present the award to Claire Pedini, Executive Vice President for Human Resources, at a ceremony at the company’s global headquarters in Paris on November 19th.
“AIESEC is committed to providing students with life-changing experiences that will help them become future leaders focused on bringing about positive change” said Aman Jain, President of AIESEC International. “Alcatel-Lucent has been a valued member of our program for six years. We are proud to be able to recognize them for the work they have done to help these talented students and we appreciate how they share our values and their commitment to helping ward this partnership.”

During its six year association with AIESEC, the company has provided internship opportunities to more than 170 students giving them a platform from which they have been able to launch their own careers. About 14 percent of these interns returned to Alcatel-Lucent as full time employees. In 2009 alone, Alcatel-Lucent offered internships to 45 students, who worked in company offices in France, Belgium, the UK, Netherlands, Egypt, India, the United Arab Emirate and Singapore. They worked in a variety of departments including Communications, Sales, Human Resources, Marketing, Finance, Organization Development and HRIS, handling assignments that ranged from Pre-Sales Engineer and Inoperability Test Manager to Business Analyst of Global HR Process & Solutions and Marketing for North Europe.

“Alcatel-Lucent benefited from the talent, energy and enthusiasm the AIESEC students brought to the job every day, just as the students gained from interacting with the experienced and talented Alcatel-Lucent employees they worked with. This program gave the students the opportunity to get actual experience in working for a global, high-tech company and our employees had the chance to be with some avid users of the communications technologies Alcatel-Lucent is helping develop,” said Claire Pedini, Executive Vice President Human Resources. “We are interested in helping students from around the world develop their talent, in part because we depend on innovation to develop new technologies and ideas but also because we view this as part of our responsibility as a good corporate citizen. We appreciate AIESEC's recognition of our work with them and look forward to continue working with them in the future.”

Further information on AIESEC is available at www.aiesec.org

Further information on Alcatel Lucent is available at www.alcatel-lucent.com

World's Largest Youth-Run Organisation joins with Robert Swan to Debate Climate Change on the Road to COP-15

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (November 09, 2009)

Today, AIESEC joins 2041 to celebrate the homecoming of the Voyage for Cleaner Energy yacht. Robert Swan, OBE will join in discussion with Aman Jain, president of AIESEC International to further explore the need for youth education and action around climate change. Panelists also include Maayke Damen, the first youth representative in the Dutch delegation for the UN; Eric van Eerdenburg, director and initiator of the popular annual festival Lowlands and Prof. Wouter van Dieren, President, IMSA Amsterdam. The panel discussion will take place from 10:00 to 11:30 am at the Rotterdam Cruise Terminal.

Robert Swan states “To celebrate the return of our brave yacht '2041' after 10 years on 'The Voyage for Cleaner Energy', I look forward to debating with the leaders of tomorrow and seeing 2041's inspiration drive the young people of The Netherlands into action to save our planet”.

“Young people are the leaders of today who will deliver on the promise of tomorrow. Lets Act NOW!” commented Aman Jain, President of AIESEC. One third of 2041’s most recent Inspire Antarctic Expeditions were AIESEC members from China, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Australia, Denmark, Ecuador, Sweden and India.

Both AIESEC and 2041 are hopeful that today’s youth will raise their voices as we head towards important negotiations at COP15.

AIESEC is the world’s largest youth-run organization, present in 110 countries around the world. AIESEC’s international platform enables young people to explore and develop their leadership potential for them to have a positive impact in society. 2041 was founded by polar explorer, environmental leader and public speaker Robert Swan, OBE to inform, engage and inspire the next generation of leaders to take action for a more sustainable world. Swan has dedicated his life to the preservation of Antarctica by the promotion of recycling, renewable energy and sustainability to combat the effects of climate change.

Further information on AIESEC is available atwww.aiesec.org

Further information on 2041 is available at www.2041.com

AIESEC Partners with One Young World to Attract Future Global Leaders to World’s Largest Youth Leadership Summit

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (August 26, 2009)

550 Young Leaders from Every Continent Invited to Join One Young World Initiative Endorsed by Kofi Annan, Desmond Tutu, Bob Geldof and more

Today 550 young leaders from 107 countries were invited to join the One Young World initiative. One Young World (www.OneYoungWorld.com) is a global nonprofit organization that serves as a platform to raise the voice of the next generation of world leaders on global issues. It has commenced global outreach to bring together 1500 young leaders from 192 countries. AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-run organization, is now partnering with One Young World to help create the world’s largest youth leadership summit to be hosted in London, UK on February 8-10, 2010. The partnership launch was held at the Palace of the Golden Horses hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One Young World is inviting AIESEC members from each of the organization’s 107 member countries to serve as delegates to the 2010 inaugural summit.

In addition to AIESEC International, the world’s largest social networks and online communities are now helping to spread the One Young World message to millions of people around the world. Facebook, YouTube, WAYN, BraveNewTalent and Twitter are also being used to engage with potential delegates and those interested in the aims of the initiative. Adults in their 20’s interested in becoming delegates to the One Young World Inaugural Summit in February 2010 should visit http://apps.facebook.com/oywcandidates/ to upload their submission videos. This 'user generated' leadership programme is the first of its kind and shows how social media can be deployed as an instrument for positive change.

Social media channels are the single most effective route to reaching the next generation’s future global leaders,” commented Lucian Tarnowski, CEO of BraveNewTalent.com, One Young World’s delegate outreach partner who was present to announce the AIESEC partnership. “Our partnership with AIESEC demonstrates the power of this medium as a way of engaging youth in almost every country in the world. This is like a global search for 1500 young Obamas.

Aman Jain, President of AIESEC International added, “Given the magnitude and scope of conversations at One Young World, AIESEC is a strategic partner to further our cause with youth leaders around the world.”

Through the usage of AIESEC’s presence on various social media channels such as Youtube, Twitter and the AIESEC blog, the Forum will engage over 10,000 young people in live discussions.

One Young World will also be attended by current world leaders, including One Young World Counsellors Kofi Annan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Bob Geldof. The One Young World Annual Summit will be a yearly global gathering of future leaders that is truly representative of the world’s population – weighted for the first time ever to reflect the most populated regions and countries, and not necessarily the richest or most politically influential.

Counsellor Bob Geldof commented, “This One Young World idea says surely there’s a way we can get ahead of the game and plot the way we would like it to be, rather than reacting to the events that happen to us.”

One Young World is open to young leaders born since 1984 from every country in the world. They will come together to have a combined voice around the Environment, Politics, Business, Healthcare, Media and Interfaith Dialogue.

We want to see this world a different kind of world,” said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, One Young World Counsellor. “We want to see a peaceful world, a more compassionate world, a caring world; and so we appeal to you, please send the best that you have who will be the next generation of leaders.

What is the stand of today’s youth in shaping the world that they will one day lead?

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (August 25th, 2009)

This the question over 500 young leaders from 107 countries will address during the first ever Global Youth to Business Forum(http://aiesec.org/cms/aiesec/Y2B/Home/index.html), thanks to AIESEC; the world’s largest youth-run organization. The Forum will be the pinnacle event of AIESEC’s annual International Congress run from August 22nd to 31st at the Palace of the Golden Horses hotel (http://www.palaceofthegoldenhorses.com.my/) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 38,000 virtual participants will join over 500 delegates present at the conference to engage in dynamic dialogues with corporate leaders from 5 continents. These discussions will harvest a forward-thinking global youth stand on the topics Entrepreneurship in the Crisis, Climate Change & Sustainability and Labor Mobility & Diversity.

Through the usage of AIESEC’s presence on various social media channels such as Twitter, Youtube and the AIESEC blog (http://theaiesecblog.wordpress.com/). the Forum will engage over 10,000 young people in live discussions. The output from the event will be presented to key global policy organizations and distributed to the public via www.aiesec.org.

The day will culminate in an open panel discussion facilitated by corporate leaders where all participants are given the opportunity to have their voices heard. The discussions on Entrepreneurship in the Crisis, Climate Change & Sustainability and Labor Mobility & Diversity will bring together over 500 delegates, 38,000 virtual participants and 50 corporate leaders, an unmatched confluence of individuals to declare the truly global youth stand we need to shape the world.

Highlighted speakers include:

• Irene Boey, Asia Women Business Network
• Lucian Tarnowski, Brave New Talent/One Young World
• Sip Chon Liew, Canon Malaysia
• Mark Heasyman, Diverstiy@Work
• Irene Millar, EcoLeadership Training
• Vishen Lakhiani, Mindvalley
• Andrew Fiddaman, Prince’s Youth Business International
• Jane Leu, Upwardly Global
• Aakash Sethi, QUEST Alliance

Corporate representatives from the following companies will be involved throughout the day:

• Artemisia International
• Anheuser-Busch InBev
• Alcatel-Lucent
• Cadbury
• Deutsche Post DHL
• Electrolux
• Ingersoll Rand
• Instituto de Empresa
• PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Standard Chartered Bank
• Tata Consultancy Services
• UBS
• Unilever

Please help us spread the word with your media contacts. Download your copy of the press release here http://myaiesec.net/content/ viewfile.do?opern=next& contentid=10091123 To find out more about AIESEC, please visit www.aiesec.org.

© 2010 AIESEC International.