At Suffolk University, the members of the Boston AIESEC chapter are continuing the organization’s mission by changing the world one person at a time.
Nearly 70 years ago after World War II, AIESEC was formed by seven young people from seven different countries in the hope of bridging the gaps across cultures to change the world.
AIESEC is the world’s largest youth-run international non-profit, spanning across more than 120 countries and 40 universities just in the United States alone, according to aiesec.org. AIESEC believes that through investing in the potential of youth, students hold the key to a brighter future.
AIESEC facilitates global exchange through internships, volunteer experiences and work opportunities by sending local youth abroad or hosting international youth here in the U.S.
“I aspired to gain as much as possible from my experience, so I did just that,” said John Burke a senior PPE major and former vice president for AIESEC Boston, in an interview with The Suffolk Journal. “I was able to leverage my AIESEC experience to access more challenging roles across the fields of business, economics, and law. Joining AIESEC was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.”
Whether working on an exchange or in a local chapter, AIESEC focuses on developing leadership. AIESEC strives for four core leadership qualities: the ability to empower others, being solution-oriented, being a world citizen and self-awareness.
“This semester we hope to have a lot of students sign up for the 2019 Summer Volunteer Exchanges,” said Faith Chege a junior physics major and the local committee president of AIESEC Boston in an interview with The Suffolk Journal. “We already have five students scheduled to go abroad over the summer and we are very excited.”
Some of the featured locations for this year’s summer programs are Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Peru and Romania, according to Chege.
Each summer AIESEC offers different volunteer opportunities around the world for students to spend about six weeks to make a hands-on difference. All global volunteer exchanges are centered around contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations.
A few of the goals include no poverty, quality education, affordable clean energy, gender equality and climate action. These goals are working to be achieved by 2030, and every exchange helps these countries to get closer to achieving them.
AIESEC offers programs incorporating economics, management, marketing, business and communications. Those areas mainly apply to the internship and work opportunities.
For volunteer work, the opportunities can range from teaching English to children in other countries, to working with a non-governmental organization to make a positive impact in a specific location.
The global vision for AIESEC is peace and fulfillment of humankind’s potential. Worldwide there are over 36,658 members and over one million AIESEC alumni. Some of those alumni include Suffolk professors.
AIESEC members know the importance of hard work and how fulfilling it can be. Participating in AIESEC exchanges is a transformative experience that is highly recommended by its members.
AIESEC Boston will be tabling in Sawyer during activities period on October 25th and the 30th, looking for anyone who is interested in being a local committee member, or possibly going on exchange in the summer. AIESEC members encourage Suffolk students to stop by, say hello and see how you might be able to play a part in changing the world.
