letter from the president

For 71 years, AIESEC has been making the world a be<er place.

We strive to empower youth to embrace their leadership poten6al and grow towards being integral members of an interculturally diverse global society.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” Marianne Williamson

In the 71st year of AIESEC, we believe that the pursuit of peace and fulfillment of humankind’s poten6al is not to be beliEled and requires robust desire and unyielding ambi6on. We decided that the 6me came for AIESEC to look inwards unconformably and adapt to an ever-changing world outside. From that moment onwards, we took the decision to pivot.]

We came to the conclusion that if we not only want to sustain and grow AIESEC, but also keep playing the game for the long-run, we need to challenge ourselves and all that we know. We need to engage and develop every young person in the world. This defines the 1819 journey.

Along with over 38,000 young people represen6ng their 120 countries and territories with alluring aspira6ons, we were determined to dream of an AIESEC capable of being bigger than it has ever been and an AIESEC that will overcome its self-imposed limita6ons. The 2018- 2019 term has triggered a change in the organiza6on that is to be witnessed for years to come.

As an organiza 6 on with the belief that youth leadership development is the fundamental solu6on to today’s most lingering problems, we delved even deeper to further our understanding of leadership and to advance our means of bringing capable youth to the forefront.

We made strides in defining how we run innova6on and the output we expect from it within AIESEC. We researched, designed, developed and tested means that would bring us closer to our mission as an organiza6on. We started understanding what it means to bring change to a youth organiza6on of our scale and we ini6ated the journey of transforma6on.

The 2018-19 team was not short of accomplishments and one of its most dis6nguishable hallmarks was being tasked to move the global headquarters of AIESEC from RoEerdam, Netherlands to Montreal, Canada successfully. It was not an easy task but one that was needed for the wellbeing of the organiza6on. It will prove in the years to come to have been a cri6cal step in AIESEC’s progress.

It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of this genera6on, to lead the organiza6on towards the development of more youth leaders, and to further cross-cultural understanding globally. I will humbly serve AIESEC in any means I can un6l the end of my days.

To a genera 6 on that de fi es the norms and expecta6ons. To a genera6on that challenges the complacent. To a genera6on that pivots.

Thank you,

Alexandra Robinson President AIESEC Interna6onal 2019-2020