AIESEC Canada Inc. Annual Report 2020 - 2021 July 1st, 2020 - June 30th, 2021
Table of contents 1
Business Development & Y2B
21
Board of Directors Chair Letter
3
Talent Management
23
About AIESEC
4
Conferences 20-21
29
Our Programs
7
Financial Summary
31
AIESEC Canada Long-Term Strategic Plan
9
Board of Directors Profiles
33
Marketing & Engage with AIESEC Events
11
21-22 President’s Letter
35
Incoming Global Talent
15
Partners
37
Outgoing Exchange Programs
17
Joey Yao MCVP Business to Consumer Marketing & Outgoing Exchange
Tracy Tao MCVP Incoming Global Talent
Farouk Shoukry Member Committee President
Carlo Magnaye MCVP Local Committee Development
Alysha Alva MCVP Business Development
Member Committee 20/21
20-21 President’s Letter
was then that it dawned on me, at age 23 I was tasked with leading, perhaps even saving an organization experiencing the biggest crisis in its 63-year history. Truly, in the first two months of the pandemic the future looked bleak. We all just wanted things to go back to normal. After the initial shock had worn off, we started developing a different mindset that we can credit for the success of our term. We decided to let go of all of our previous expectations and instincts about how the organization should be, to let go of the old normal. Instead, we began a quest to lead AIESEC on a return to the abnormal. It all started with a business plan that was scrapped and re-written 4 times within the span of 3 months. None of us had ever faced something like this before in our lifetimes. There was no way of knowing if our plans would ever come to fruition. However, as a by-youth-for-youth organization, we placed the needs of Canadian youth at the centre of everything. It became abundantly clear that young people were struggling to cope with the pandemic. Their careers and career prospects were disproportionately affected compared to the overall population (Statistics Canada), isolation took a big toll on mental health, and it became more difficult to engage in extracurricular activities outside of Zoom lectures. “Enter AIESEC”, we thought to ourselves. Redefining our mission statement to “develop youth leaders for the future of work through practical experiences in challenging environments” was the first step to align ourselves with those needs; but what would those practical experiences be in the absence of our primary program — global exchange? This may seem like the most pressing question to answer, yet there was an even larger question lingering in the minds of our members and stakeholders: does an exchange organization have a place in a post-COVID world? So, in the first 6 months of the 20.21 term we fought to restore the very soul of the organization, the why of our existence. AIESEC’s expansive history was the best mentor at this challenging moment. While we were facing the worst financial crisis since the Second World War, we had already survived the 1970s and
20 -21 President’s Letter AIESEC tradition dictates that, once a local or national president has been elected by the membership, a bucket of water would be poured on them to announce their victory. Little did I know that when I felt the chill of cold water on my body on Jan 2, 2020 that it would be a precursor to the tsunami that was about to indiscriminately sweep through the organization and the rest of the world. COVID-19 had exacerbated the plethora of challenges already facing AIESEC and added new, unprecedented ones. All of the solutions I had meticulously researched and proposed during the election process became obsolete overnight. It 1
2008 recessions. While this was the most widespread pandemic in modern history, we had already overcome SARS and H1N1. “We’ve done this before, and we will recover and thrive yet again”, we said to our membership. Little by little, faith was restored that we will find our place in this new, unfamiliar world. By the end of 2020, discourse on surviving the present was swiftly replaced with optimism about how to thrive in the future. We stopped clinging to what AIESEC used to be and instead committed to building a new normal, an abnormal if you will. The AIESEC Canada long-term plan emerged from this discourse: Develop Youth for the Future of Work, Enable Youth and Partners through Digital Transformation, and Showcase the #LeadershipWeDevelop. Having restored faith that AIESEC can thrive in a postCOVID world and galvanized our youth to be excited about the future, it was finally time to go back to the how and what question posed earlier. To that end, we launched a variety of new and improved initiatives that would develop youth leaders for the future of work. With the help of our Youth Innovation Partner RBC Future Launch, all members now complete the RBC Future Launch survey at the beginning and end of each term. This helps each member understand their current workforce readiness and also how much they’ve progressed after taking part in an AIESEC program. The #LeadershipWeDevelop campaign was also used in full force for the January membership recruitment drive, with an added focus on employability, skills development, and the unique leadership that our programs develop in young people. This resulted in a successful recruitment campaign with over 200 new members joining our local chapters, bringing the total membership count to 700 active members across Canada. Even with a larger membership, we still wanted to invite more youth to engage with leadership and employability topics. The new Engage with AIESEC initiatives were an astounding success in the 20.21 term, bringing over 4,000 Canadian youth together at a plethora of local and national AIESEC events. Incoming Global Talent (IGT), AIESEC in Canada’s oldest program, also received an innovative refresh. Companies and Interns can now connect and start work remotely until a physical arrival of the intern becomes feasible. The IGT program this year achieved
double our expected revenue figures, with seven interns starting work remotely and seven more waiting to start their internship soon. Finally, our business development portfolio was also fully digitized, allowing youth and business to connect, share insights, and form long-lasting relationships throughout the year. This allowed us to retain most of our current national partners and to welcome three new exciting partners to the National Partner Group. The 20.21 year had no shortage of trials and tribulations for AIESEC. Despite all this, I can say with confidence that it was a great triumph of strong will, a pragmatic approach to leverage the crisis, and the power of 63 years of history to remind us of our unrelenting purpose. All of this culminated in AIESEC Canada being awarded the highest honour at the global level, the Excellence Award (also known as Entity of the Year) for 20.21. This award is given to the AIESEC entity who overall excels in most areas and one “that will go down in history as leading AIESEC post crisis”. The first chapter of our quest to lead AIESEC on a return to the abnormal, i.e. a different and better normal suited to the post-COVID world, is now complete. None of this year’s achievements would be possible without our members, partners, alumni, Board of Directors, and all other stakeholders involved in bringing leadership development to as many youth as possible. But the work is far from over. I am certain that AIESEC will continue the road to full recovery in the 21.22 year and beyond, to eventually thrive in a world once unimaginable.
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The AIESEC Canada long-term plan to Develop Youth for the Future of Work, Enable Youth and Partners through Digital Transformation, and Showcase the #LeadershipWeDevelop allowed us to effectively channel our limited resources to ensure the success of this and future years. A guiding philosophy when designing the long-term plan was to create solutions that will be beneficial during the pandemic and whatever may lie beyond it. With this in mind, we saw many great achievements in 20.21 including the launch of the partly-remote Incoming Global Talent program, adapting membership and all of AIESEC’s programs to a virtual format, the success of the new #LeadershipWeDevelop campaign, and engaging over 4000 youth in local and national events. We are thrilled to continue strengthening our relationships with both new and current supporters, allowing us to create more leadership development experiences for youth. This year, we had the excellent support of the Royal Bank of Canada and VIA Rail as Platinum Partners, Export Development Canada, Telfer School of Management, the Bank of Montreal, INCITE, International Experience Canada, and Air Canada as Gold Partners, and Nestle, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), and the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership in Business (CCAL) as Silver Partners. We look forward to leveraging our partners’ support through meaningful engagement opportunities with our membership.
Board of Directors Chair Letter This was a challenging year for the world and for AIESEC. COVID-19 heavily impacted the core business of AIESEC of facilitating international exchange. Our organization had to react quickly and be agile to sustain ourselves throughout the everchanging crisis. I’d like to thank you, our supporters and partners for your continued commitment to our organization, without which AIESEC Canada would not have been able to overcome these challenges and be prepared to step into a post-COVID environment. As we navigated a critical year for AIESEC Canada, we prioritized keeping our organization financially sustainable while simultaneously investing in key priorities. 3
Lastly and most importantly, we hope to continue to provide transformative experiences to youth across the country for our internal membership as well as youth and businesses all over Canada.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are excited to see the continued recovery and progress of AIESEC in Canada towards developing the next generation of global leaders through the delivery of our leadership programs. You have our deepest gratitude for your continued support of our organization. With gratitude,
Jennifer Pendura Chair, Board of Directors AIESEC Canada Inc
About AIESEC
AIESEC is a global youth-led organization striving to achieve peace and fulfillment of humankind’s potential. We do this by activating leadership qualities in youth through learning from practical experiences in challenging environments. Together with partner organizations, AIESEC facilitates leadership experiences across a variety of programs.
Since its inception in 1948, AIESEC has engaged and developed over 1,000,000 young people. Our impact can be seen through our alumni who represent business, NGO, and world leaders. The organization spans more than 110 countries and territories, with every aspect of AIESEC’s operations managed by youth aged 18-30 who are primarily students and recent graduates of institutions of higher education 44%
14.4%
19%
1 9 5 8
Founded in
22.6%
External Relations 50,000+ Alumni 12 National Partners
25 700+ Universities
Members
Ontario Carleton University Queen’s University McMaster University Ryerson University University of Guelph University of Ottawa University of Ontario Institute of Technology University of Waterloo University of Western Ontario University of Toronto Wilfrid Laurier University York University Saskatchewan University of Saskatchewan
AIESEC in Canada strives to develop youth for the Future
About of Work through practical experiences in challenging enThrough facilitating our programs, initiatives, AIESEC vironments. and events, our leaders experience the complexities challenges of running an international organiin Canada and zation everyday. Every volunteer, member, and exchange participant is between the age of 18-30 and infuses their diverse perspectives in everything we do. After going through an AIESEC in Canada experience, they are better prepared to enter the workforce and make a positive positive impact in any sphere they should choose.
Quebec Concordia University McGill University ESG UQÀM HEC Montréal Université de Sherbrooke Université Laval
Manitoba University of Manitoba Alberta Mount Royal University University of Calgary University of Alberta
British Columbia Simon Fraser University University of British Columbia University of Victoria 4
The AIESEC Way Our Unique Leadership Development Model AIESEC’s model for leadership development aims to prepare youth to take a stand on issues they care about and become capable of making a difference with their everyday actions. To do this, we seek to develop the four qualities below in both our exchange participants and members.
Self-Aware
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Word Citizen
Empowering others
Our Values Striving For Excellence
We continuously improve through creativity and innovation. We strive to deliver the highest quality performance in everything we do.
Demonstrating Integrity
We are consistent and transparent in our decisions and actions. We fulfill our commitments and conduct ourselves in a way aligned with what we envision.
Enjoying Participation
We create dynamic and welcoming environments through the active and enthusiastic participation of individuals.
Acting Sustainably
We act in a way that is sustainable for our organization and society. Our decisions take into account the needs of future generations.
Activating Leadership
We lead by example and inspire leadership through action and results. We take responsibility for developing the leadership potential of others
Living Diversity
We seek to learn from the different ways of life and opinions represented in our multicultural environment. We respect and actively encourage the contribution of every individual.
Solution-oriented
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Our programs How we Develop Leadership
Our programs aim to provide young people with experiential leadership development opportunities. Each program is uniquely structured to facilitate practical learning experiences in challenging environments, enabling every young person that goes through the program to develop AIESEC’s four leadership qualities: World Citizen, Self-Aware, Empowering Others, Solution-Oriented. COVID19 Impact: Due to the risks of COVID19, our programs’ focus shifted towards remote learning experiences, the local membership program, and longterm professional placements abroad that followed cross-border safety regulations (Global Talent).
International Exchange Programs In a rapidly changing environment, our organization continues to change along with the world around us. This year, AIESEC’s exchange programs were refreshed to expand the potential of the internship opportunities we provide our customers. This refresh allowed us to expand our accessibility and relevance in new fields of work and remote opportunities. Our new internship programs are called Global Talent and Global Teacher. To measure our impact, exchange participants (EPs) are tested on the four leadership qualities we aim to develop, before and after their experience abroad.
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Global Talent
is an internship opportunity for a young person to work abroad. The program can range anywhere from 6 weeks to 18 months long, and can work for a Start-Up, incubator, SME (small to medium enterprise) or a MNC (Multi-national corporation). In a nutshell, the Global Talent program aims to advance a young person’s personal goals and live a cross-cultural professional experience while developing both hard and soft skills. These positions are primarily in the fields of marketing, IT and business administration. Participants are typically recent university graduates or within their final years of study.
Global Teacher
is a professional teaching opportunity abroad that can range anywhere from 9 weeks to 18 months long. Participants are able to gain experience in an educational institution to advance their personal or professional goals and live a cross-cultural experience. Participants are typically recent university graduates or within their final years of study.
Global Volunteer
is a 6-8 week international volunteer experience where a young person contributes to one of the UN’s (United Nations) 17 Sustainable Development Goals by volunteering in a school, NGO, nonprofit or community effort. Participants are not limited by their education level or area of study, but rather placed and selected by their personal strengths and abilities.
Local Membership Program The Local Membership Program offers youth a tangible way to develop their leadership, skills, and connect to a community of diverse individuals. AIESECers learn through challenging team experiences such as innovating what our organization delivers during COVID-19 and leading their local committees. These opportunities allow youth to lead their own teams, network across Canada, and step outside of their comfort zone. AIESEC also hosts various conferences throughout the year as touchpoints for our members to learn more. With 25 AIESEC chapters across the country, AIESECers from different cities are able to meet in conferences lasting for 3 - 5 days. These conferences are filled with various workshops, keynotes, and networking spaces.
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AIESEC in Canada LongTerm Strategic Plan
Traditionally, AIESEC in Canada creates a long-term strategic plan every five years. They are composed of a clear vision of the future at the end of the five years, including strategies, tactics, a roadmap and numerical goals. However, this year we had to ask ourselves — how does one formulate a strategic long-term plan when one cannot even predict tomorrow? It became evident that much like the entire 2020-2021 year, this long-term plan would have to deviate from what was considered the norm. We knew that the plan would be built from the ground up with flexibility in mind. Future generations will be guided by concrete strategic pillars while retaining the ability to adapt to the internal and external conditions of the day. AIESEC International released the global long-term plan, known as A2025, at the virtual International Congress (IC) in July 2020. At the centre of the plan are the three A2025 statements: Empowering Youth Leaders, Building a Long-Lasting AIESEC, and Developing Purposeful Partnerships. These three statements are the aspirational description of what we want to achieve over the next 5 years. As AIESEC in Canada began to build its own long-term plan, these three statements were consciously infused with our own strategic pillars: Develop Youth for the Future of Work, Enable Youth and Partners through Digital Transformation, and Showcase the #LeadershipWeDevelop.
As previously mentioned, through both primary and secondary research we’ve discovered that youth are particularly concerned about their future employment prospects, and even more so after the onset of COVID-19. Therefore, the Develop pillar aims to develop youth with the ultimate goal of increasing youth employability in Canada. We hope to achieve this through our programs which offer a unique blend of practical experiences in challenging environments. This year, we launched a “preparedness for the future of work” survey in partnership with RBC Future Launch, which allows our members to understand how ready they are to enter the workforce. The survey was added into AIESEC’s new Personal Development Plan, which allows our members to develop personally as well as professionally.
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The pandemc has transformed AIESEC’s relationship with technology. Enable was a pillar born not out of necessity, but of our desire to leverage the crisis to innovate every aspect of our organization. This ambitious pillar aims to make it possible for every young person in Canada to live an AIESEC experience be it physical, hybrid, or fully virtual. This year AIESEC has become more accessible than at any other time in our history. Every local chapter gained access to a professional conference platform called Hopin. This allowed them to unlock local sponsorship as a revenue stream and also increased the digital literacy of our membership. Through the platform, we engaged over 4000 young people across local and national events. For the first time, our conferences were completely free for our members as well as non-AIESEC youth to develop their skills, network, and make new friends. Incoming Global talent, one of our oldest programs, was revitalized by connecting companies and interns virtually while physical arrivals are not feasible. All of the aforementioned pillars and programs culminate in the third pillar, where we Showcase the unique #LeadershipWeDevelop in AIESEC. Showcase allows us to share our impact on youth and partners to become the go-to organization for leadership development. This year, we’ve collected hundreds of member, exchange participant, partner, and alumni stories to share across our Linkedin, Facebook, and Instagram social media channels as part of the #LeadershipWeDevelop campaign. As a result, we have grown our following, membership, and engagement with AIESEC’s partners and sponsors. In the end, we cannot predict what the future will hold. Nonetheless, our long-term strategic plan will continue to propel the organization forward while never losing sight of our vision, mission, values, and strategic pillars.
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Marketing The 20.21 term marked a pivotal change in the way we communicate the value of our organization and engage with young people across Canada to provide them with leadership development opportunities . The pandemic has greatly affected the youth demographic. Staying intune with the challenges youth are experiencing and discussing topics that matter to them, was at the core of our online engagements to build relationships and trust with our audience. Our goal is to become a first choice leadership development organization that is accessible for everyone. Therefore, we refined our customer journey at the top and bottom funnel to further engage our community of AIESECers and drive everyone to share their leadership journey with our #LeadershipWeDevelop campaign.
The AIESEC portfolio is defined as a system of programs delivered by the organization. The purpose of refining it into a three phase system is to include how we engage people with the organization at the top of the funnel, identify the set of programs we offer, and refine how we retain relations with alumni. These three phases provide a holistic view of what a young person will go through as they experience AIESEC. We went beyond just the programs young people go through during the ELD (experiential leadership development) phase by including how a young person can initially engage with AIESEC and make life long connections of alumni after going through an AIESEC experience. This gave us a broader perspective of our community and built authentic ways to connect with them.
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Engage with AIESEC The engage with AIESEC (EwA) phase exists to engage the community with the concept of leadership development and with AIESEC’s program, inviting more youth and businesses to participate in our programs. By reimagining the top of the funnel, it paved a way for AIESEC in Canada to innovate new ways to introduce young people with the concept and importance of youth leadership, as well as become more widely accessible across Canada. During the pandemic, we had the opportunity to expand our AIESEC community beyond physical limitations on campus and take advantage of a digital world to expand our reach. Through social media sharing, virtual community building and hosting online events, EWA initiatives have been implemented on both a local and national level. With over 50 virtual events hosted across Canada, we brought over 1.5k youth to a local event over 2k youth to a national event. Not only did this expand our youth reach, but it also gave opportunities for Canadian organizations to access a larger scale of youth engagement, bringing us a new source of revenue through sponsorship efforts for both local and national events. These initiatives during the pandemic were vital, as it provided virtual spaces to connect young Canadians with industry professionals to network, learn, and discuss current trends that are paving the future of work. Our national flagship event, Youth to Business aims to do exactly that by facilitating spaces to bridge the gap between youth and business in Canada (read more on page __). To ensure we stay relevant with our local communities, we crafted our themed events around important topics that impact youth today such as: diversity and inclusion, online education gaps, climate change, mental health, workplace readiness, and youth employment.
By providing access to a community of passionate young leaders and a space to speak about relevant topics, we were able to engage at a larger scale and build a community of 700+ subscribers of external youth on top of our current membership. These are young people we can continue engaging with about trending leadership topics. However, participating in EwA events is just the first step to introduce the concept of leadership and it was the first year we used this as a point of focus to expand our reach. As we continue exploring ways to engage with both youth and businesses, it is
vital that we continue innovating and improving their experience both virtually and physically, and ensure we provide a gateway to participate in one of the ELD.
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Showcasing the #LeadershipWeDevelop To create a message that resonates with young people today, we grounded ourselves back into the essence of AIESEC: leadership development. The campaign became an effective solution to realign the AIESEC brand on a local and national level in the midst of the pandemic. Throughout the year, our current members, alumni, exchange participants and leadership body were able to connect with this campaign and share their leadership stories. This direction continues to build a new generation of storytellers to connect with their communities and audiences across Canada.
Our National Channels Reach 1.5k exchange SUs / 275 applicants 1.1k local membership SUs 8.5k LinkedIn followers 3.3k Instagram followers 102k Facebook followers 6.8k Twitter followers 700+ Newsletter subscribers
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Incoming Global Talent
What is IGT?
In Canada, 39% of small and medium-sized businesses are having difficulty finding new workers. We do not expect labor shortages to get better for at least a decade. Additionally, each year Canada loses approximately 0.7% of its population to the US due to IT talent migrating south. AIESEC’s Incoming Global Talent Program aims to be part of the solution by connecting young international talent with Canadian companies. IGT therefore partners with Canadian employers looking for a cost effective solution to sourcing young, high-quality, and globally-minded talent for their organization. AIESEC Canada provides our partners with a turnkey hiring solution to sourcing talent through our expedited work permit process that ensures needs are addressed efficiently and effectively. AIESEC Canada partners with International Experience Canada, who provides us with those LMIA-exempt work permits, as part of our common mandate to facilitate access to international travel and work experience for Canadian and foreign youth. This professional cross-cultural exchange aims to develop youth leadership for all exchange participants through the implementation of 16 exchange standards and our leadership development models.
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This term, IGT has been directly impacted by Canadian border closures. Exchange participants were not able to arrive in Canada and work permit processing has an undefined duration. To overcome this challenge and to keep the program running, the partly-remote feature was established. With this new feature, businesses and exchange participants are able to connect and start working despite COVID-19 restrictions or international border closures. This program not only helps Canadian companies navigate through the pandemic by providing an alternative talent supply, it also ensures the continuation of AIESEC in Canada’s longest standing program. Educating and engaging our volunteer membership at the local level, who drive all sales of AIESEC’s programs, was also a large priority in 20.21. A group of expert IGT members were recruited in the first semester to coach every local committee on how to sell the partlyremote feature and on the intricacies of selling during a pandemic. To further motivate the membership, a unique rewards and recognition campaign, themed after the hit video game Among Us, was created and implemented throughout the winter semester. As a result, sales numbers, specifically sales meetings, increased from 4 to 30 from January to February, and 122 sales meetings were facilitated in the month of March.
Moving forward, AIESEC is placing a lot of emphasis on business to business branding and marketing, which over the past few years has taken a back seat to our business to consumer (youth) marketing efforts. This includes conducting market research with current and prospective IGT partners, investing more in our LinkedIn platform, and refreshing our IGT brand on all marketing materials and channels. Additionally, as physical exchange makes a slow comeback in the 21.22 term, it will be critical to form close relationships with other AIESEC entities abroad to ensure the safety of our exchange participants and a steady supply of talent for Canadian companies. We are excited to start welcoming our international interns again in 21.22 as the COVID situation improves and borders open!
314 26 14 7 Sales Meetings
Opens
“It has been an incredible experience to participate in the Global Talent even though I am working from home, I can’t wait to be able to live this experience in person. I never thought I would have such an amazing experience in such a short amount of time. Working for a Canadian company is really different than working with a Brazilian company. Organizations like AIESEC really impact the world and the lives of individuals like me. Thank you for making my dream come true. “ Matheus Melo, Exchange Participant Matheus and the company representative he is working with came to NC 2021 for a live testimonial
Approvals
Remote Realizations
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Outgoing Global Exchange Why outgoing exchange?
At a time when our world is rapidly changing and globally connected more than ever before, our exchange programs remain vital for young Canadians to experience, as this generation has a unique opportunity to build a better future for Canada. With all that has happened this past year, youth are speaking up about social issues, educating themselves and taking leadership on what impacts their communities. Our exchange programs aim to foster this kind of active leadership and allow them to broaden their world view. As a country that values diversity and understands our differences is what makes us strong, we must ensure that young Canadians continue having the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone, have cross-cultural experiences and be empowered by the impact they can make during their experience abroad. Participants that complete an exchange with us are enabled to develop their leadership skills and realize the potential they have to make impactful changes to the world around us. The global experiences we offer is a key ingredient towards shaping the next generation of Canadian leaders. COVID19 Impact: many exchange participants were unable to experience one of our exchange programs as planned. With this in mind, our refreshed COVID19 Policy for Outgoing Exchange gave our participants flexibility to resolve 17
their cases. Each participant was offered the option to either receive a refund or receive an exchange credit, allowing them to participate in any of our three exchange programs in the future at no additional cost. Through tactful financial management, we were able to offer a refund for each participant that requested it. All COVID19-impacted exchange cases were successfully resolved, resulting in 75% of our participants receiving a refund and 25% receiving exchange credit to use towards a new opportunity. In the next year or so, participants with credit will still be able to have a life-changing experience abroad and have the leadership experience they were looking for. Although our outgoing global exchange programs were heavily affected by COVID19 this year and influenced
the performance of our programs significantly, a few determined individuals were able to match themselves to one of our professional internship opportunities abroad. For students in particular fields of work and career paths, having a professional experience abroad is highly valuable to advance their careers and development. By working with our local chapters and partners abroad, we were able to help facilitate their internship experience abroad safely. Our professional internship placements abroad (Global Talent and Global Teacher) were the only programs feasible to facilitate under the right circumstances that followed cross-border safety regulations, additional COVID19 safety measures and in partnership with International Experience Canada (IEC).
Words from our Global Talent participant: I’m a recent graduate from Carleton University with a Bachelor’s degree in International Business, majoring in International Marketing and Trade and a minor in German. In my 3rd year, we were required to go on exchange where I went to Berlin, Germany for a full year. I enjoyed my time in Germany very much and met most of my closest friends up to this day there that I wanted to go back. So I explored any opportunities that would make that possible, despite the ongoing pandemic. I was lucky to find this internship with AIESEC. From the interview process up until my arrival to Germany, I had a community that supported me through each step of the process. Working abroad was definitely a new experience, especially having to do most of it online. But I particularly like how the people here value ‘work-life balance’. It made me realize that
Leigh Perez
Global Internal Communications Intern at Deutsche Post DHL Group
Bonn, Germany
Participant from AIESEC in Carleton
I would love to pursue a career here in Europe. The experience overall, made me realize that there isn’t anything that can stop me from doing anything as long as I put my 100% in it.
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Words from our Global Teacher participant: As a student in international studies and modern languages at the University of Ottawa, I am passionate about participating in different aspects of my community. I am currently exploring social science fields including economics, geography, global politics and languages and hope to pursue an international career in one of these areas. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something new and that is why I chose an international exchange. This experience will allow me to deepen my knowledge, to see the world from a different perspective and I will be more motivated to get involved in my community and help those in need, especially young children. The feeling of having accomplished something is in itself a reward and that is why I wanted to undertake a new adventure. I am also passionate about learning and giving and I am ready to take on a role that requires more leadership. This kind of opportunity would ensure me to receive good experiences in the workforce and further develop my skill set. Being a student in International Studies and Modern Languages with a goal to achieve a career abroad (foreign affairs), I can notice many benefits in taking part of this internship such as helping me get out of my comfort zone, learn and experience the diversity of a different culture that is unfamiliar to me, and finally, it is a first step to my desire to make a difference in the world.
Hend Jouali
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English Teacher at Campus Moragete
Valencia, Spain
Participant from AIESEC in Ottawa
This term, our organization recognized the potential improvements we can make to ensure safe and high quality delivery of our exchange experiences. As we navigate through the pandemic, we worked on building a stronger Entity Control Board (ECB) to be more proactive in mitigating risk when delivering exchange experiences for young people and ensuring a healthy recovery. Here are a few words from our current ECB Chair about strengthening this board: ECB has designed, planned and created the first entity control board audit system. The audit system is designed to ensure the implementation of our current policies, setting up the foundation for physical exchange standards. This in turn also helped local committee presidents to better identify the bottlenecks in their exchange and improve product quality and brand awareness among potential exchange participants. ECB organized a series of educational activities in order to engage and educate the local committees such as online quizzes, webinars and presentations.
Numbers:
1.5 275 47 25 8 k
Sign Ups
Applicants
Accepted
Approved
Realized
Future of OGX: In a rapidly changing environment, our exchange programs and focuses are also shifting along with it. As young Canadians enter the workforce, more are finding themselves stuck between the difficult gap of their education and employment. As we move forward as an organization that focuses on uplifting young people around the world, our programs will shift along with their needs. In the next few years, a focus will largely be on making our internship programs (Global Talent and Global Teacher) valuable to Canadian youth and accessible, as more young people are looking for practical experience to bridge the gap between education and employment.
As students in Canada return to a hybrid or physical campus this Fall, many are starting to make plans for the next year and their exchange with AIESEC. T With the participants that had their exchange disrupted by COVID19 and still hold credit with us, it will be our top priority to match them with a suitable opportunity and provide them with a meaningful experience abroad.
What is the nearest time you would consider going abroad for an exchange?
AIESEC in Canada conducted a survey amongst Canadian youth in March of 2021, with almost 1000 responses that included 55% AIESECers and 45% non-AIESECers. As the survey suggests and current external trends, there is projected to be a larger recovery for our outgoing exchange programs in the 21.22 term. Over 80% of youth in Canada are waiting to be fully vaccinated before travelling abroad again and expect to go on an exchange opportunity in the summer of 2022.
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Business Development This year, a heavy focus was put on business development to help keep the organization sustainable during the pandemic. The success and resilience of the business development portfolio can also be seen through our national partner group. In the 20.21 term, AIESEC was able to retain over 85% of our current national partners and create 3 partnerships with new partners.
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Since 2010, The Canada Youth to Business Series has brought businesses, organizations, government, and students together to engage in a unique dialogue on relevant topics to both Canadian businesses and student communities. AIESEC in Canada brings together key stakeholders within the Canadian community and bridges the gap between youth and business, driving Canada forward by exploring different perspectives, sharing ideas, and building a better future together. This year, the Youth to Business Forum theme focused on “Looking Beyond the Pandemic: The Future of Work”. In this theme we explored how the pandemic has affected the future of work and how youth can still be prepared. In our sub-themes, we shed light on “Equipping Youth with Future-Proof Skills’’ and “The Role of Youth Leading the Change”. In the first sub-theme, our panelists from Haskayne School of Business, Incite Solutions, Smith School of Business and AIESEC spoke about the skills needed within the future of work and how organizations and educational institutions can help bridge the gap for youth betting the workforce. In the second sub-there, our panelists were able to highlight youth thought leadership and how youth can leverage their voices to make tangible change within the workplace and within the world. Our panelists all came from diverse backgrounds and were representing RBC Future Launch, Export Development Canada, Telfer School of Management & AIESEC. For the Y2B Forum this year, we had one of the largest registrations for a virtual event that AIESEC in Canada has ever seen. With over 750 registered attendees from Canada and 45 other countries, the Y2B Forum was definitely a huge success. Due to the virtual nature of the event, we were also able to engage more partner representatives and welcomed 43 to our forum this year. In addition to the forum this year, we hosted the Spark Case Competition for Nestlé. For this case competition, we were able to get over 160 registrants
and the teams were able to develop their future proof skills by reimagining the Perrier brand and marketing strategy. In the future, we hope for the forum to continue reaching youth and partners from all over the country. We are also very excited to adapt our forum to the hybrid format so we can furthermore increase its accessibility even after the pandemic. “AIESEC in Canada’s Youth to Business conference is truly a great way for young leaders to connect with professionals. As a result of the forum, young leaders are able to grasp the concept of major concerns in today’s modern society by attentively listening to how companies are reacting to today’s ongoing situations. Furthermore, the Y2B Forum has given an amazing space for youth to provide their insights that leading industry professionals can take into consideration when advancing their companies. Overall, I would definitely recommend all young people to attend a Y2B Forum! Nathaniel Acorda Ontario Tech University
Testimonial from a delegate
In the next year, we hope to evolve the BD portfolio to include hybrid engagements (both physical and virtual) for partners & youth. Additionally we are very excited to expand BD to focus more heavily on leveraging youth insights to our partners to help foster youth thought leadership.
Gabriel D’Astous Université de Sherbrooke
Testimonial from a delegate
With AIESEC in Canada’s focus on preparing youth for the future of work, the business development portfolio worked hard to make sure that our members and external youth could continue to develop their hard and soft skills through partner engagements at our conferences. This year also required a lot of innovation since the business development portfolio had to adapt to the virtual environment. During the pandemic, one of the biggest successes of AIESEC in Canada’s business development portfolio was that we were able to adapt all business development engagements for partners and youth to virtual formats. Virtual partner engagement at conferences allowed us to reach more youth and involve more partner representatives in comparison to previous years.
“En participant à mon premier événement du programme Youth to Business (Y2B) avec AIESEC, je ne savais pas trop à quoi m’attendre, mais je savais que c’était, par dessous tout, une mine d’or d’opportunités pour me développer. Le réseau professionnel d’AIESEC est si vaste, et ça peut sembler intimidant de participer à plein d’activités avec des possibles employeurs et network avec des personnes importantes dans l’industrie, mais c’est une expérience qui étend les horizons et les raisons de s’impliquer. J’ai tant appris des rencontres formidables que j’ai eues avec les partenaires du programme que j’en ressort plus que jamais inspiré et prêt à me lancer dans le monde professionnel qui m’attend.”
Canada Youth to Business Series & Business Development
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Talent Management The role of the TM function: The 2020-2021 term was a year like no other for our membership program. In a year where youth all over Canada were physically isolated, our renewed focus on quality experience delivery and practical learning provided Canadian youth a community of learning and growth. In our term, we placed a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making to inform all strategies related to our membership. At the same time, we successfully transitioned the AIESEC experience virtually. We made sure that all leaders in AIESEC had the tools they needed to provide a virtual community that is agile, supportive and solution-oriented. The following strategies were executed this year:
Personal Development Plan (PDP): With the help of our biggest partner, RBC Future Launch, we have developed a tool that helps members reflect on their growth throughout their AIESEC experience. This tool uses RBC Future Launch’s Youth Preparedness survey to measure how the AIESEC experience has prepared youth for the future of work.
Digitizing the Membership Experience: Due to the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 year, we had to innovate and transition our entire membership experience and processes virtually. This meant virtual recruitment, virtual team management practices and virtual conferences. All the while, innovatively using social media to not only inform our members, but engage, socialize, train, entertain and gain crucial feedback from.
Future of Work Partnerships: Our term marked great advancement in using data-driven membership analytics to inform how our partners engaged with our members, as well as identifying what gaps in knowledge and experience they can help provide our membership to deliver a fulfilling experience in AIESEC.
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We had at least one of our national partners present at every single one of our membership touchpoints. Each engagement was fresh and exciting, and was the highlight of many of our members’ virtual conference experiences.
Despite the pandemic, the future of Talent Management in Canada looks very bright! In our term, we learned the value of feedback and data-driven decision making to inform all of our strategy and initiatives. Therefore the future of Talent Management , in any form, must be rooted in data-analysis with the goal of improving the membership experience as a whole. Additionally, we must continue to build off of our great work with RBC Future Launch and the PDP tool to create a more expansive Career Development Plan for our members. A career development plan would allow members to personally tailor their AIESEC experience according to their personal and professional goals. This tool would empower members to reflect more deeply on their AIESEC experience and how it pertains to their personal vision of their future. Much like how a strategic vision guides a team, a Career Development plan is meant to guide a member throughout their whole AIESEC experience.
Testimonial from a member
This led to 100% or greater goal achievement in membership recruitment, engagement (NMS Survey responses & conference registrations) and retention. By March 2021, we had rebuilt our membership capacity to pre-COVID-19 times with a fraction of the budget!
The Youth Preparedness Survey and the PDP tool saw high usage and was well-received by the membership. Our membership saw growth in various skill categories such as collaboration, digital literacy, and communication. With this tool we are able to further showcase the development of our membership.
The Future of Talent Management in Canada
“In my opinion, the membership experience in AIESEC truly is different from other clubs on campus. It’s different because in AIESEC the local committees are really involved with giving opportunities for members to attend events that can grow their professional or personal skills; local committees even host their own events that cater to developing leadership qualities. The conferences that AIESEC hosts reflect positive energy and engagement because everyone is excited to be there. The membership experience in AIESEC involves building a community where members can feel part of a family!” Silken David Vice-President of Talent Management, AIESEC in MRU
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AIESEC in Canada’s Membership Insights Time in AIESEC
Membership Gender:
Study area:
29. 9.
33%
Business Administration
62% Finance
29.33% Business Administration 11.30% Other 9.62% Finance 5.53% Psychology 5.29% Economics 5.29% Medicine 4.57% Computer Science 4.33% Natural Sciences 4.33% Political Science 4.09% Engineering 2.88% Marketing 2.16% Sociology 1.7% Communications and Journalism 1.7% Human Resources
11. 5.
30% Other
53% Psychology
1.7% Law 1.2% International Relations 0.7% Arts & Literature 0.7% Entrepreneurship 0.7% Mathematics 0.5% Education 0.5% History 0.5% Philosophy 0.2% Architecture 0.2% Agriculture 0.2% Languages 0.2% Social Work 0.2% Sports
Motivation to stay in AIESEC:
Membership Size:
25
Membership Age
26
Organizational Development What is OD’s function in AIESEC? Organizational Development played a crucial role in the major strategic change that MC Canada 20.21 introduced at the start of our term, while pivoting in the whole organization’s systems virtually. Organizational Development is responsible for developing, maintaining and managing all internal management systems like timelines, data bases, information systems, internal communications platforms and organizational governance. Data-driven Local Committee Support & Strategy Development: To ensure a healthy entity even during the pandemic, our team refocused our efforts towards providing more resources and effort to local branches that have been struggling. We utilized a cluster-based health system to identify different Local Committee realities, and allocate tailored support based on systems of health and sustainability measurements called the Organizational Development [OD] Model. Our OD Model combined with our membership metric dashboard helped provide a centralized data-base of key membership and financial sustainability metrics that our leadership body utilized in their planning and re-planning. Accessible Virtual Conference Platforms: In order to help Local Committees implement not only the national team’s strategy, but their own strategies too, we gave all local committees full access to a premium
27
virtual conference platform called Hopin to host virtual events for external and internal stakeholders. This democratization of key online engagement platforms led to dozens of online events and initiatives centred around leadership, skill development and youth voices all over Canada. With these premium online engagement platforms, the Member Committee was able to host 8 virtual conferences, attracting around 400 to 800 registrations each. Our virtual conferences allowed AIESEC to be more accessible to not only Canadian youth, but youth from all over the world too! Internal Engagement Campaigns: Unlike previous years, we had no room in the budget towards engagement initiatives for our members. Instead we relied on multiple avenues of social media and digital technology to engage our members creatively. We developed and launched engagement initiatives and competitions tailored specifically towards Gen. Z youth. With the help of our Entity Support Team members, we used video, graphic design, instant messaging apps, routine virtual calls, and much more to foster engagement. We launched engagement initiatives rich in popculture references that generated fun and excitement within the network. One of the campaigns enabled personal customization and interaction on a pseudo virtual world created on Google Sheets. Overall, these actions led to an engaged membership with no dedicated engagement budget!
Data Management and Centralization: Managing, analyzing and reporting data played a crucial role in the success of 2020-2021, and it was in large part due to how we were able to centralize key local and national information. This centralization opened the door for information sharing and collaborative learning for both the national and local teams. The Future of Organizational Development in Canada. Over the past two years, major progress has been made towards improving the governance, structure and internal processes of the organization. However, more can be done to improve and restructure our processes in a more optimal way that reduces financial risk. Like re-establishing new minimum Local Committee standards that better reflect a post-COVID AIESEC, one that focuses on minimizing Local Committee financial risk. This could involve additional support for consistently struggling Local Committees or reducing the financial costs of hosting physical and virtual conferences. As data plays an increasingly large role in this organization, the more important it is to maintain and centralize the data so that it is both useful and secure. More effort needs to be focused towards the development of a single platform for all internal processes and information.
“As someone who liked to volunteer throughout high school, I joined AIESEC to empower others, make a positive impact, and to have some fun. AIESEC has allowed me to do that and so much more. I have been constantly challenged in AIESEC to be a critical thinker and to develop long-term strategies. There are very few organizations like AIESEC that empower people at such a young age to both think about and execute organizational strategy. I am grateful for the lifelong connections I have made across the country and for the supportive AIESEC alumni who support my personal and professional growth. AIESEC provides young people not only the resources and framework, but the dynamic network as well to be better people overall.” Kate Lau LCP, AIESEC in York 28
Internal Conferences 20-21 MONTH
CONFERENCE
#DELEGATES | CITY
DESCRIPTION
August
National President’s Meeting
24 Delegates | Virtual
The theme of each day in this 3-day meeting was: All encompassing leadership. The touch-point delivered content on how to build a culture for the LC, national strategies, different modes of leadership, and LC routine.
October
Youth Leadership Launch
496 delegates | Virtually hosted by a National Organizing Team
This was our first major virtual conference that connected all LCs across Canada in a 4-day event focused on launching AIESEC’s place during the pandemic. Sessions on how to navigate a virtual reality and an alumni panel were delivered.
November
Incoming National Presidents Meeting
46 Delegates | Virtual
The theme of this 3-day meeting was: #LeadTheChange. This conference was dedicated to the incoming LCPs and had outgoing LCPs deliver sessions.
December
National Congress 2021
400 Delegates | Virtually hosted by AIESEC in SFU
The theme of National Congress was The Hero’s Journey. This virtual touchpoint set the stage for the 2021 year and redefined our culture of achievement.
February
Next Gen Youth Conference 2021
600 delegates | Virtual hosted by in a collaborative effort with AIESEC in York and AIESEC in Manitoba
This was AIESEC in Canada’s first ever conference focused on connecting the network for the sake of connecting the network. During these difficult times of isolation, this conference was meant to showcase AIESEC Canada’s amazing community alongside our partners.
March
National President’s Meeting
23 delegates | Virtual
The theme this meeting was: Maximizing Our Impact. The touchpoint provided a space for the LCPs of AIESEC Canada to reconnect and re-evaluate their progression so far.
May
National Leadership Development Conference
700 delegates | Virtual hosted by AIESEC in Ottawa
The theme for the 3-day National Leadership Development Conference was: A Tale of Two AIESECers. This touchpoint delivered content on summer operations, planning and skills building.
Youth to Business Forum
700 delegates
The theme for the 3-day forum was: Looking Beyond the Pandemic. The touchpoint delivered content regarding the role of youth leadership in a post-pandemic world.
AIESEC in Canada delivers conferences and summits annually to the membership to equip them with the skills needed to scale AIESEC in Canada’s program delivery while developing their leadership in the process. This year, AIESEC in Canada shifted our delivery to a virtual format and innovated new ways to engage our membership through these online events. We incorporated more spaces for youth to network, gain insight from panels, and connect to a national community. 29
Annual Awards
Awarded January 2021 Local Committee of the Year: AIESEC in Edmonton Outstanding National Contribution: AIESEC in Edmonton Incoming Global Talent: AIESEC in Toronto Incoming Global Volunteer: AIESEC in Ottawa Outgoing Global Talent: AIESEC in Toronto
Outgoing Global Teacher: AIESEC in Edmonton Outgoing Global Volunteer: AIESEC in Carleton Business to Customer: AIESEC in Edmonton Talent Management: AIESEC in Ryerson Finance: AIESEC in Edmonton Expansion Award: AIESEC in Carleton
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Financial Summary
07/01/1906/30/20
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS With comparative figures for the year ended June, 30, 2021
OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net revenue (expense)
Adjusment for non-cash item: Amortization Change in fair value of investments
If you require a french translation for the financial statements, please email us at: finances@aiesec.ca
Changes in level of: Accounts receivable Receivable from/payable to local chapters Prepaid expenses and other Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Regional development funds Deferred student fees Deferred grants
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
Capital Replacement Reserve Fund
Strategic Initiatives Reserves Fund
Endowment Fund
2021 Total
2020 Total
ASSETS
Operating Fund
Working Capital/ Emergency Reserve Fund
Cash and cash equivalents Internally restricted cash Interfund receivable (payable) Regional development funds Accounts receivable Receivable from local chapters Prepaid expenses and other
$ 387,744 755,920 (755,920) 28,524 33,452 15,999 14,947 $ 477,666
$327,844 $ 327,844
$25,000 $ 25,000
$198,474 $ 198,474
$ 5,482 204,602 $ 204,084
$ 390,226 755,920 28,524 33,452 15,999 14,947 $ 1,239,068
$ 642,195 619,915 15,638 46,507 18,247 7,290 $ 1,349,792
Investments Property and Equipment
1,740 $ 479,406
$ 327,844
$ 25,000
$ 198,471
409,486 $ 619,570
409,486 1,740 $ 1,650,294
404,831 3,304 $ 1,757,927
Current
LIABILITIES Current
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Payable to local chapters Regional development funds Deferred student program fees
NET ASSETS FUND BALANCES
$-
$-
$-
$-
$ 85,699 236,210 28,524 129,060 479,463
$ 114,495 262,675 15,638 158,394 551,202
$ 479,463
327,844 $ 327,844
25,000 $ 25,000
198,471 $ 198,471
619,570 $ 619,570
1,170,888 $ 1,650,351
1,206,725 $ 1,757,927
Operating Fund
Working Capital/ Emergency Reserve Fund
Capital Replacement Reserve Fund
Strategic Initiatives Reserves Fund
Total 2021
Total 2020
$ 32,948 126,865 63,570 1,495 225,335 450,213
$951 951
$ 47 47
$ 563 563
$ 32,948 126,865 63,570 3,056 225,335 471,774
$ 300,428 224,739 108,996 13,782 62,811 710,756
253,040 63,570 52,916 36,590 25,633 3,033 2,905 2,022 1,865 1,392 858 10,268 2,551 456,643
-
-
-
253,040 63,570 52,916 36,590 25,633 3,033 2,905 2,022 1,865 1,392 858 10,268 2,551 456,643
312,017 95,625 55,648 49,228 61,138 29,537 2,407 4,626 19,824 37,518 16,988 13,563 3,052 701,171
(6,430)
951
47
563
(4,869)
9,585
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS YEAR ENEDED JUNE 30, 2021) OPERATING REVENUE Program revenue Grants, donations and fundraising National development Interest and other revenue Government assistance
2020
$ (37,599)
$ 40,036
2,551 7,024 (28,024)
3,052 (5,461) 37,627
13,055 (24,217) (7,657) (28,826) 12,886 (29,334) 230,821
118,149 (3,678) 7,530 (30,056) (3,162) (186,652) (7,645) (67,887)
(987) 1,762 (185,266) 173,587 (12,886) (23,790)
(1,233) 15,498 (60,000) 55,000 3,162 12,427
INVESTING ACTIVITIES Purchase of property and equipment Interest and other revenue earned on Endowment Fund Purchase of investments Process from sale of investments Change in internally restricted cash
DECREASE IN CASH
(115,907)
(55,460)
CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF YEAR
1,262,110
1,317,570
$1,146,203
$ 1,262,110
$ 390,226 755,920
$ 642, 195 619,915
1,146,146
1,262,110
CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF YEAR $ 85,699 236,210 28,524 129,060 479,463
2021
CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS OF CONSIST OF: Cash & cash equivalents on hand Internally restricred cash
Operating surplus (deficit)
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES) Strategic planning revenue Strategic planning expenses Net revenue (expense)
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$(6,430)
$951
$47
6,067 (38,797) (32,730) $(32,167)
6,067 (38,797) (32,730) $(37,599)
36,820 (6,369) 30,451 $40,036
As in any organization, finances are a crucial component that both drives and indicates success. In this year’s unique circumstances, we focused on maintaining financial sustainability and training. To target financial management, we implemented a new budget scoring system that pushed VPs of finance to create and follow more modest budgets. This was complemented with a new cash flow statement that has been integrated into our auditing process and is also compatible with AIESEC in Canada’s reporting. In addition, VP of finances were encouraged to seek external revenue sources which have led to an increase of over $14,000 of government grants to date. Compared to previous years, we believe our mandate to coach and train is more important than ever. We focused on holding one-to-one coaching sessions with all VPs of finance and organized more group sessions to ensure questions were answered. This also required greater communication within the commission which was achieved by developing newsletters and comprehensive process guides. With these changes, we have seen improved results in monthly audits and net income expectations, and combined with increased training, the EFT believes that LCs are wellpositioned for a strong future. Tiffany Lo Entity Finance Team Leader
OPERATING EXPENSES Salaries and Benefits AIESEC International Professional fees Rent and Occupancy Communications Board governance Staff development Printing and Supplies National service delivery Travel National Development Other Amortization
3 incredible team members who were selected for their extensive experience and knowledge to guide our VPs of finance in managing their LC’s financial resources.
The Entity Finance Team (EFT) of AIESEC in Canada is a semi-independent body that works alongside the MC to act as coaches and internal auditors for our local committees. As the Entity Finance Team Leader of 2021, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside
32
Board of Directors Jennifer Pendura
Carolyn Rush
John Pallascio
Kurt Hamilton
Mathew Baril
Ande Baweja
Lisa Munro
Ardyce Kouri
Eileen Chin
Claude-Sebastien Jeana
Michael Smith
Cassandra Ruggiero
Chair of Board of Directors Director, Corporate and Foundations Relations University of Alberta
Chief, Enterprise Portfolio Management and Transformational Change Government of Canada
Associate Director, Financial Services and Purchasing Langara College
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Director, Global Human Capital PwC
Manager, Katz Group, CPA
CEO Elata Consulting
Senior Legal Council Canadian Commercial Corporation
Chief Development Officer, University Hospital Foundation
Senior Vice President, Strategy & Partnerships, Cyber & Intelligence Solutions, MasterCard
Senior Manager Provision Accounting Group
Partner Leaders International Executive Search
Senior Marketing Manager, Strategic Partnerships, Telus
34
The past couple of years have been challenging yet formative years for AIESEC as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a time of uncertainty, we were innovative & resilient in finding ways to improve our organization and increase its sustainability. Through our focus on preparing youth for the future of work, we were able to continue impacting youth in such a trying time. This year was also a significant year for the global plenary as we were able to adapt the global direction and the AIESEC way to reflect the learnings and ways forward from this pandemic. In the upcoming year, we aim to ensure that all of our stakeholders are confident in the leadership we develop. Through our strategic plan for the year ahead, we will continue in our long term direction of preparing youth for the future of work through our 3 pillars: Develop youth leaders, Enable youth to develop their leadership by increasing the accessibility of AIESEC and Showcase the leadership we develop. As the world continues to recover from the pandemic, we aim to leverage all of our programs in 2021 -2022 while remaining committed to spearhead the recovery of youth mobility in Canada. In regard to incoming and outgoing exchanges in the 2021-2022 term, our focus is set on ensuring the quality of all of our exchanges so that our exchange participants’ safety, enjoyment & development is at the forefront of our mind. We will also be focusing on increasing our accessibility through adapting our engagements, events & forums to the hybrid format and through focusing on making AIESEC an even more inclusive environment for all our members and youth stakeholders.
21-22 President’s Letter 35
The year ahead is a determinant year for AIESEC, as it is integral for the organization’s recovery as we come out of the pandemic in Canada. However, no matter how uncertain the future is, I am certain that with the support of our members, customers, partners, and alumni, AIESEC in Canada will prosper and continue impacting youth nationwide. Sincerely, Alysha Alva MCP 2021-2022 AIESEC Canada Inc
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Partners
Gold Partners
Platinum Partners
Silver Partners
37
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Copyright © 2021 by AIESEC in Canada Inc. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Published by AIESEC in Canada Inc. 164 Eglinton Ave E Toronto, Ontario, Canada Web: www.aiesec.ca Designed by Dascăl Adrian