AIESEC: the place where many strive for Excellence

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AIESEC: the place where many strive for Excellence

AIESEC is a place where thousands of reflections of a young leader’s attitude, behavior, and personality lies. A place where thousands of introverts turned into extroverts in a blink of an eye. That magical place where we learned to approach each and every obstacle we confront with optimism and without hesitation. Basically, the place where you, me, and we were brought up to stand in the society as a true leaders.

“Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit into that big black space where the audience is.” -Mae West

We will almost certainly meet numerous leaders throughout our lives, and they may have kinda similar thoughts to share with us. However, when it comes to AIESEC, we all have our unique tales to share, which is why leaders born in AIESEC are always exceptional.

I’m pretty sure my fellow AIESECers will agree with me on this, such as how our personality changed once we became AIESECers and how we rose to such lofty heights, and so on. Aside from that, this place makes our lives more exciting by presenting us with new opportunities. As individuals with various personalities, we are able to form a large network of professionals, yet young people, who will undoubtedly lead the world in a great manner.

At one point in time, AIESEC is a massive mediator that connected the bridge of cross cultures across the globe. We are able to meet with other young leaders from many nations thanks to AIESEC, and this allows us to become a better version of ourselves.

In that process of sharpening up personalities, AIESECers can gain an ample amount of opportunities to be a better version through having a good team spirit along with great confidence irrespective of the origin. So as you can see, not everything you acquire from AIESEC needs to be structural or materialistic. We fellow AIESECers receive lifelong education and experiences thanks to this global youth organization.

All of this makes it clear that AIESEC is always pushing young people to deliver the highest quality performance in everything they do. Being an AIESECer makes our practice to let go of what is comfortable and take entrepreneurial and innovative risks to improve how we operate not only as an organization but as individuals as well. So AIESEC is, in the fullest sense of the word, a place where many strive for excellence.

 

Authored By,
Ridmi Senarath
Content Writer, CMT
AIESEC in University of Colombo

 

 

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Are Leaders Born or Made?

“Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.”

Vince Lombardi                      

 
 
Actually, are leaders born or made? The answer to that question will vary from person to
person depending on their experiences, knowledge, or opinion. First of all, let’s find out, who
is a leader and what qualities leaders should have. In society, there are groups of people who
work together to achieve a common goal. Maybe it is an organization, a group, or a country.
A leader is a person who can influence a group of people to achieve a goal. For example, if
we consider AIESEC, it is a youth-led organization present all over the world. It consists of
youth leaders from different countries and backgrounds. It has proper leadership which is
why AIESEC is recognized as a well-organized organization. According to Vince Lombardi’s
quote, it expresses that leaders are made through hard work, experience, passion, etc. That is
true. But there will be some people born with leadership qualities and characteristics.
What are those leadership characteristics and qualities? We can identify leadership traits as; confidence, creativity, empathy, focus positivity, risk-taking, stability, team building, adaptability, etc. Likewise, there are so many leadership traits. Some people are born with these traits. Those people have to improve these skills and use those skills properly. Then they can be a leader. It is not enough to be born with leadership traits; they must learn how to use them. Even if an individual is born with leadership traits, he or she must develop the skills.
Also, anyone can be a leader, but they should have leadership characteristics. It is not mandatory to be born with leadership characteristics in order to become a leader. Anyone can be a leader through hard work. This means that the person who wants to be a leader must try
to improve existing traits and form new traits.
 
Leadership traits can either be inborn characteristics or developed characteristics. Passion is
one of the leadership traits. It is mostly an inborn trait. Creativity is also an inborn
characteristic because it is harder to force. On the other hand, positive energy, and the ability
to energize other people are some traits that are pretty hard-wired within born leaders.
 
Likewise, some traits are inborn, and some should be made. If you want to be a leader, the
best way is, to develop leadership traits. If we consider accepting responsibility, the person
who wants to be a leader has to do more than he or she is required to do. They show up on
time, admit mistakes, apologize when necessary, and do not shift blame onto others. This is
the way to accept responsibilities. Also, another most important quality is the ability to
inspire other people to action. To motivate others, we should keep an optimistic attitude,
focus on the positive and not be negative, encourage others to become the supreme version of
themselves, share a vision and let them work on it. Thus, by developing and improving these
traits, anyone can become a leader. Similarly, born leaders also must improve other
leadership characteristics.
So far, I talked about who are leaders, what are the characteristics leaders should have, what are the inborn traits, and how to develop some leadership traits. but the main question remains unanswered. Are leaders born or made? Step by step I create the path to answer this question. As I mentioned before there are leaders born with leadership traits. But anyone can be a leader. In AIESEC also there are different types of leaders. Most of them improve and train themselves to be great leaders. So, by working hard and understanding ourselves we can make ourselves a leader.

So, the answer to the question is both. There will be leaders who are born leaders or made leaders. It is not important whether the leader is born one or made one.
The most important thing is, to be a leader. Anyone can be a leader, but it is not an easy task.
That is why there are only a few leaders all around the world. Leaders are essential role
models in society. A particular organization, group, or country is led by leaders. The
organization or country is dependent on the leader and the decisions made by the leader.
Leaders are both born and made. Whether you are a born leader or not, it doesn’t matter. Be a
leader. That is the most valuable and excellent thing. Here at AIESEC, the best opportunities
are provided for you to find your inborn leadership traits and develop them. So, don’t hesitate
to grab the opportunity when it’s presented.

 

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The best thing you have to do is try again until you see the success

Hey AIESEC!

 As we already know to achieve peace and fulfillment of humankind’s potential, AIESEC has a unique structure. We mainly target potential youth to achieve AIESEC goals while empowering young people to become value-driven leaders who can positively impact the world around them. 

 If someone asks why we focus on youth? What will be your answer as a representative of the younger generation? 

AIESEC highly believes that youth have more capacity to adapt and challenge the existing situation. They have a broader scope of seeing the things around them than the rest. We seek potential youngsters who are capable of sacrificing their time and effortlessly help to lead others to create a sustainable world for the future. 

From my perspective, becoming an AIESECer is like a gift and a not to be missed chance, but the question is will this be easy for us? 

 

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

 

Human life is a combination of both negative and positive aspects. We smile, cry, dream and love. This proves that life is a combination of all emotions. At one time, we will succeed, and at the same point, we will fail. The problem that most of us have is that we are not ready to accept our failures. The truth is every failure in our life will teach us a lesson, and we can mold ourselves by learning through our frustrations. 

 Especially as AIESECers, we should have a clear vision of our lives. We do not quickly lose hope even if we fail. Try to learn a lesson through failures. Therefore the best thing you have to do is try again until you see the success. 

Let’s examine why failures are not always damaging and how those can change us. 

01. It's inevitable

Life is a blank book, and we are the authors who write the chapters on it. The branches of that book will be beautified through the life lessons. Many of our life lessons will be understood through our failures.

If you think you will not experience let-downs in life, it is not a valid statement, as failures can come to us at some point. All we have to do is be thankful for that because everything in life is happening for a reason. Even Though it is inevitable, try to change how you were by considering the failures as a lesson. That will help to grow yourself both internally and externally.

02. You will learn more about life

Failures change us and remain something to recall what we have missed. It is one of the essential things in life to experience. We humans have to take the positive side of it by neglecting the negative energy. Even the most successful people in the world attain success through the learnings from their previous failures. You will learn the areas you should improve and what can motivate you to lift yourself to become a more robust version of yourself.

Everyone has dreams and goals. If you are a person who experienced a downfall, you will understand that it is the force that pushes you to go after your dreams. For instance, if you fail in college, you will realize that you are not paying enough attention to your studies.  This will also surely improve your thinking ability and try to attempt the same challenge differently.   After facing such difficulties, you will eventually understand that embracing change is one way to get away to overcome failures

03. Make you stronger

After going through a tough time, there is a possibility of making you anxious or depressed. Sometimes it can be hard to start over, but you show how strong you are when you choose to re-do what failed. It can be a source of motivation. Therefore try to convert the pain that causes by failures into strength and work dedicatedly to achieve the targets. Reschedule your life wisely and raise yourself as a strong person to see a better version of yourself.

04. You will be a risk taker

In life, failures come as challenges. It can be a turning point in life. We should accept those challenges and face them to measure our strength. When you bravely meet the challenges without panicking, you will no longer be afraid or worried about other things in life. Think as: you applied for the leaderboard, but you did not select for the position. If you know the actual value of becoming a leader, you will never consider re-applying again in the next term. Retake the risk, prepare yourself, and do better by mitigating your mistakes next time. Pick yourself up and believe in yourself with confidence to see the success on your own. 

Even though who you are today, do not let your failures control you. See them as challenges and be brave enough to break those barriers as a bold individual! As young leaders, allow us to contribute to the fullest to show how strong and capable we are!!  

 

 

 
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Hold on to a wonderful experience through Volunteering with AIESEC

What is AIESEC?

AIESEC is a non-profit, independent youth-led organization with more than 35000active members in 110+ countries worldwide. It is a kingdom for; legendary young leaders who thrive on adventure and challenges. The cross-cultural experience that AIESEC brings up powers increases unity and adaptability, improves effective communication, and many more soft skills such as leadership skills and creativity in young individuals. The technical and practical knowledge gained through the challenges directs youth toward their future carrier goals gradually. Providing excellent opportunities to develop skills and talents, AIESEC leads the youthful energy of society towards success. As an internationally recognized organization, AIESEC brings many volunteer opportunities, local and international internships, training programs, and many more occasions to sharpen youth leadership skills while gaining experience. Therefore AIESEC is the ideal place for enthusiastic young individuals to develop their personalities while engaging with valuable exposure.

What is Volunteering, and why should we volunteer?

In general, volunteering is an unpaid activity for the benefit of society. It is done by an individual or a group of individuals for the use of the community. It involves spending time, knowledge, and strengths to support and uplift the quality of society. In modern days there are volunteers trained in many fields and qualified to handle much formal work of private, public, or voluntary organizations. These volunteering experiences will contribute to gaining new knowledge and practical skills while developing personalities by increasing self-estimation. Volunteerships provide youth with a sense of purpose and a sense of community. Therefore it becomes a base for building new friendships and growing social skills.

Not only that, those volunteerships lead to growing job prospects for many talented individuals. Therefore, in a society where there is competition for job opportunities, volunteer experience adds an extra qualification that will benefit the individual. 

While adding all those things to life will surely be a blessing that will help youth to enjoy their life to the fullest.

Volunteering with AIESEC.

AIESEC provides youth magnificent opportunities to work on volunteering projects run on Sustainable Development Goals worldwide. Therefore young individuals will gradually develop their leadership skills with excellent cross-cultural experiences and lifelong lessons by engaging in those projects. A network of new friendship will automatically build unity and peace while exposing to different views and livelihoods will strengthen the bonds between youth worldwide.

Not only that, Sustainable Development Goals address the world’s most pioneering challenges. Therefore making an effort to achieve the Sustainable development goals will make an impact on tackling those issues as passionate young individuals.

Life is a marathon with hurdles along the way, and passing them is a success. People learn through challenges and obstacles, and therefore volunteering is ideal for brave young leaders to learn through experience.

Why AIESEC?

AIESEC has “GLOBAL VOLUNTEER,”  a cross-cultural experience for enthusiastic young individuals determined to grab the opportunity for personal development and impact the world. It provides global incoming and global outgoing volunteerships. As a country, gaining recognition for our next generation occupying international outgoing volunteerships will add exceptional qualifications to youth while developing their personalities.

Therefore Engaging in global outgoing volunteer projects with AIESEC will lead them towards a favorable future.

When it comes to Volunteerships provided by AIESEC,

  • AIESEC provides those internships for very reasonable costs.
  • As an international team leads these volunteerships,

An internationally recognized certificate will be given from AIESEC

A nationally recognized certificate will be given

Accommodation or food will be provided

Access to volunteering opportunities in 25+ countries 

Support with VISA documents and insurance will be granted

A local volunteer will be allocated to support throughout the project

  •  As well, outgoing preparation sessions will be given before the program.

How to apply,

  • First, the applicant should sign up and create an account to receive access to opportunities provided by AIESEC.
  • Then applicant should apply for an opportunity that he or she passionate about
  • Then the applicant will go through a selection process, and interviews will take place
  • After that, once the applicant is successful with their selection process, he or she has to pay the AIESEC program registration fee and get approved.
  • Then, the applicant is ready to go, and AIESEC will support getting their VISA documents and other necessities.

As AIESEC has supported many talented young leaders to overcome their fears and be successful as a volunteer, some expressed their experiences as follows,

 

“ It was a great pleasure that they have learned something from me. I was volunteering in Italy as a teacher and super excited to tell that this opportunity paved the way to witness the enchanting beauty of Italy.”

-Janitha Abeysinghe-

 

“Happy smiles of little children inspired me to explore the beauty of Indian culture. I was volunteering in Delhi for the project world view: Educate India

-Kalinga Palipana-

 

“It is an exciting experience where I discovered the turning point of my life. I was volunteering in Thailand for the English and global awareness project.”

– Pasan Samarakkody-

 

“The project “EDUchange” paved the way to uphold the quality education in Italy. I discovered “New Me” from this irreplaceable life experience.”

-Chamini Premathilaka-

 

Therefore here is the call for enthusiastic young individuals to grab the opportunity to challenge their selves and explore the world while enjoying their lives to the fullest by volunteering with AIESEC.

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Exchange Volunteer Experience Secrets Exposed!

My name is Amasha Kalyanapriya. I’m an undergraduate at the University of Colombo from the Faculty of Arts. I’d like to describe myself as a sociable, ambitious, and entertaining girl who enjoys collecting new experiences.

So, I found out about AIESEC before I joined the university. I heard a lot of amazing stories about AIESEC, and the first thing I wanted to do as soon as I started the university was to join hands with AIESEC. I couldn’t stop myself from applying for volunteer opportunities after joining AIESEC.
I was also aware of AIESEC volunteer projects when I was in school. I used to think it was just about teaching projects, but it has a lot of them based on the SDGs. Once I joined, I had a complete idea and received solid information. Also, I had the opportunity to work with foreign visitors in Sri Lanka, so I understand how valuable that experience is.

My project focused on the 4th SDG, quality education, and the volunteer program in Turkey was called “Global Classroom.” It’s crazy to bring it up, but it happened all of a sudden. At university, I study TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language)  which is related to teaching, and I wanted to travel overseas alone and gather as much life experience as possible, such as traveling, making friends, trying new cultural experiences, and so on. These were some of the factors that influenced my decision to apply for this opportunity. 

I was very nervous because it was my first time traveling abroad all alone. It was winter in Turkey. It was my first experience of winter. My first day in Turkey was a thrilling experience. I’d like to emphasize that my life was turned completely upside down on the first day, and I became a completely different person.

That experience made me stronger and more mature. I enjoyed working at the school and making memories with the students. It makes me happy that the students still talk to me, and I feel very lucky. I met people from around the world and became good friends with them. In any case, it wasn’t perfect all of the time. I encountered a lot of hurdles, and I was in a lot of horrible circumstances that made me sad, but all of them were worthwhile. Those experiences taught me a lot of valuable lessons. So, I`m happy about that too. I’m grateful for the wonderful friends I’ve made who have always stood by me and treated me like a sister. By traveling and hanging out daily, we were able to create so many wonderful memories. I found the best hosts in the world, who made me feel like a part of their families. It was so lovely. Turkey has some of the best cuisines in the world. Of course, I enjoy the food and drinks. In Turkey, I had the opportunity to taste every traditional and unique cuisine. My mind is full of wonderful and unforgettable memories.

When it comes to my project experience, it was fantastic. It helped me grow as a person and taught me different teaching strategies. It was also nice because the school had other foreign teachers, so I was able to make friends with them as well. And it had a huge impact on my social experiences. From the beginning to the end, all of the experiences were fantastic. Everything makes me extremely happy. I’m glad I decided to volunteer abroad instead of just traveling since it’s a completely different kind of experience.

I’d like to invite you all to join AIESEC and apply for these fantastic opportunities to gain internati
onal travel experience. It will, without a doubt, transform your life. Making new friendships in different countries and experiencing new cultures is a wonderful experience. AIESEC offers the best opportunities, and they will look after you from the time you apply until you safely return to Sri Lanka. Don’t miss out on this opportunity because time is running out. Take advantage of opportunities and improve yourself since, at the end of the day, all you need are memories and experiences.

 

Authored By,
Amasha Kalyanapriya
Member, iGT
AIESEC in University of Colombo

 

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