See them all here

 
Posted by Romas Mažeika at 23:09  | 0 comments

With a new carpet and a couple of long days of furniture moving and intense cleaning, the AI office is looking like a butterfly, fluttering away from the dead caterpillar. It feels like we are hanging out in some other organisations much nicer office.

I personally like to take afternoon strolls through the vast open fields of expansive blue between desks, and a mini-golf course is in the making. I might even just roll around on the carpet for the fun of it. Because I can.

The out of office directors really have something to look forward to - although given that they werent here for the hard work, they will need to clean all our houses for a day before being let into the new look superfly AI office.

 
Posted by Tom Gara at 17:04  | 3 comments

 
Posted by Romas Mažeika at 18:40  | 0 comments

Today, on Thursday (Oct 20) AI office will not be reachable by electronic communications due office renovations works. This means that AI phones, emails and fax don't work. You can still reach us using snail-mail. Send your letters and postcards to AIESEC International, Teilingerstraat 126, 3032AW Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

 
Posted by Romas Mažeika at 11:27  | 0 comments

 
Posted by Oriana Torres at 21:43  | 1 comments

Hey hey!

I`m just sitting in internet cafe in Split, Croatia, after having amazing 3 days meeting with MC. To be honest with you, the moment I landed in Czech Republic (I had a transfer there to Sofia) I felt like at home. Sweet slavic language, beautiful Czech sausages, mmmm - I`m finally back. Later on, it turned out to be better and better - awesome meeting with Bulgarian MC and LCPs, great 4 days in Belgrade and now, jogging in the morning with the background of sunrise at the Adriatic Sea in Split. Life is beautiful. So is CEE.

EuroCo starts in several days and I`m so much looking forward to meetin gall CEE and WENA LCPs. I`ll keep you updated.

Mike

 
Posted by Mike at 19:05  | 0 comments

Every AIESECer has one of those stories of when we, by surprise, met an AIESEC alumni. Usually it happens at just the best of times - a job interview, a networking event, or even during a visa application...

Yesterday, at a large United Nations meeting with the majority of countries present as well as a host of NGOs, UN agencies, and other youth, I had one of these experiences. While introducing me to speak, the Chair of this meeting who happens to be the President of the 60th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, said before everyone, 'I used to be in AIESEC! I was Vice-President of AIESEC Sweden.'

Later, Jan Eliasson told Baxtiyar (the youth representative for Azerbaijan who is starting AIESEC there) and I about how he raised fifty traineeships when he was in the LC, that he was LCP of AIESEC Goteburg, and then Vice-President of AIESEC Sweden before going on a traineeship to France!

One great reminder of the power and reach of the AIESEC network.

Brodie

 
Posted by Brodie at 19:17  | 6 comments

Right now I'm sitting in a cafe in the United Nations headquarters in New York, listening to the sounds of diplomats speaking in all different languages around me. In fact, it sounds a lot like an AIESEC office/conference.

I'm here representing AIESEC at the ten year review of the World Programme of Action for Youth, that was started by the Secretary General in 1995. Currently, there are a lot of meetings taking place with youth organizations, youth delegates representing countries, and the country envoys to the United Nations in the lead-up to two days of discussion in the General Assembly that is expected to produce a General Assembly resolution on youth.

Earlier today I was sitting in an ECOSOC (Economic and Social Committee) meeting. This is one of the main sub-bodies of the assembly that has the specific discussions on economic and social issues. It was interesting observing the discussion as the country envoys sat behind their country nameplates, with translators on their ears and piles of paper being shuffled and highlighted before them, talking about everything from the urgency of the response for global environmental degradation to the status of peoples displaced from conflict areas.

There is a lot of lobbying taking place right now to ensure that certain things are highlighted in the actual final resolution expected later this week. It's interesting to see the workings of the policy-making machinery in motion, and is fascinating to see how the United Nations is trying to deal with the very difficult challenge of developing, agreeing upon, and (toughest part of all) implementing policy in all countries around the world. It is a huge challenge, and with a budget that is incredibly small given the size of its mandate, it becomes even more difficult.

But I'm glad to see that the very real issues facing our world are being seriously discussed by people with open and committed minds. I also think that there is a huge role for people like us to play in asking the tough and critical questions about what kind of global governance can adequately address the major challenges that lie ahead of us in our next sixty years on the planet. Frankly, I think that things are going to have to change substantially, and it's up to our generation to make these changes. We can't forget the incredible need for a global community of nations joined in commitment to universal values and dialogue that stemmed from the 100 million people that died in five years of world war, but we also can't sit by idly and uncritically assume that the way it is now is good enough.

An interesting balancing act...

From global property in the middle of New York,

Brodie

 
Posted by Brodie at 22:04  | 2 comments

Tom told us today is starting day of Ramadan，then I just realised things come together:

1. I pilgrimised to UAE embassy in the Hague today for legalisation support to AIESEC UAE today. I have to go back again, so it seems the Ramadan fasting take long.... However I should be able to close it by this week after Chamber of Commerce, Lawyer, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2. Tom started his one-month fasting from today(it means which means not eating, drinking, kissing or smoking from sunrise until sunset) after his first one in Egypt last year. Quite anticipating how he will manage, right? At least, the indomitable will to do it again as an Aussie earns my initial respect.

3. World News: EU, Turkey formally begin accession talks
Won't discuss here for this more political topic. But just wonder whether they did the timing particularly for some positive aura :)

4. Dutch News: the inclusive approach between Muslim community and Dutch Dutch after last year's tension here (The Muslim population in the Netherlands, mainly from Morocco and Turkey, is almost 1 million or 6% if I am correct):

Amsterdam hosts first Ramadan festival in Holland
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=24167&name=Amsterdam+hosts+first+Ramadan+festival

Job Cohen(Mayor of Amsterdam) named by Time as European 'hate buster'
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=24140&name=Job+Cohen+named+as+European+%27hate+buster%27

One Chinese quote from me as Cliff's style "Tough we might not plant intentionally, we end up enjoy the arborous willows together". Did you see the effortless power of diverse contributions uniting the direction?

All in all, my best to Ramadan! Wish me lucky for my second pilgrimage to UAE embassy tomorrow :)

 
Posted by Cliff, Yang Li at 20:26  | 0 comments