Membership in AIESEC I first become an AIESEC member back in September 2008. The semester have just started and we had some visitors that held a presentation about AIESEC during class. The fact that it was an international organization was most interesting to me, including the opportunity to learn about leadership, local opportunities and learning. I signed up right away not really knowing what to expect. Then I was invited to come to a cabin trip. My first reaction was doubt. A cabin trip? Then it turned out to be a local induction seminar which main purpose was to give a detailed presentation of AIESEC, it’s history, values and purpose. It turned out to be very interesting and I learned a lot just from those 2 days and 2 nights. The location was in a Red-Cross Cabin that AIESEC UiS rented and the company was very good as well. A surprise to us all during that seminar was that the curren president of the AIESEC International joined us due to his visit connected to a local event for the cultural capital of Stavanger 2008.
I got my first introduction about AIESEC and the opportunities that lied within the organization. The main activities for members were being active in several teams like: communication, corporate relations, talent management, exchange and finance. It was all very interesting however I was first assigned to the communication team where I have later on learned on how to make a communication plan and how to use various media channels to promote a message. My passion though lied in organizing and leading events. I love gathering people and doing something fun. Not too long after I became a member I was assigned to hold a welcoming party for the first intern in AIESEC UiS. See this is the core of AIESEC: exchange and leadership. AIESEC runs like a business where our product is the learning experience and job opportunities abroad. The members learn how to run a business, including all the runs and shots. Product development, marketing, leadership and management, project development and all. I have a lot both my being in groups and working individually. However there has been nothing more exciting and enjoyable other than participating in conferences, both national and international.
My first conference was Excel in Bergen at 2008. It was a national conference where I first got introduced about how AIESEC’s organizational structure and procedures. Also this is where I met other AIESECers from other norwegian universities from Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim. I mingled with a lot of people, solved tasks and excercises with many students just like me. The conference also had some guests from companies like CTI Coaching and Yara. The companies presented their companies and opportunities for students and newly graduated students within their companies. Everyone on the conference learned a little about coaching, leadership in an international company, and other useful practical skills that can be used both in AIESEC and personal life. During this conference I also got the honour and pleasure of receiving the most proactive delegate award. To this day it still amazes me and I can not express my gratitude for having the opportunity to be recognized for my curiousity and learning with and from others. I have to admit that if I were to make a report about the things that were on the conference agenda, the result would be a mini book. The memories and learning from that time still lingers in my mind and I believe that it will take some more time before I completely digest the information.
After going to a national conference and experiencing the spirit, the company, the diverse environment and huge learning possibilities I yearned to experience more. See more. Learn more. So I went to an international conference in Malta, WeGrow, in 2008. The conference focus was to promote AIESEC growth on an international level with a good dosage of personal development. It was almost the same as the EXCEL conference in Bergen, just that this is on a grander scale. The conference had around 150 delegates, perhaps even 200 including the several teams running the conference. We visited a university, held a global village, to share food, culture and stories of different countries from around the globe to both local students and members. There were sessions, team and individual excercises, an official dinner and 2 theme parties. The schedule for the conference was so dense and packed that it seemed nearly impossible to run. However it all happened. Even though there were some glitches and delays now and then, the conference sailed by smoothly and everyone had a memorable stay. During the conference I gathered a lot of new friends. Staying in a hotel together with all other AIESECers gave us all a good opportunity to get to know each other. I still have contact with the people that I have met from that conference. Among other things I also learned about leadership and management, exchange processes within AIESEC, and how to contact companies. There was a huge leak of information throughout the whole conference and I could barely keep hold of all the data, but the experience is something that I will never forget.
