AIESEC Manifest Else van der Velden

Dear (old) board members of AIESEC,

I hope you will enjoy reading this manifest as much as I enjoyed writing it. Actually the whole process

of writing this manifest made me learn a lot more about myself, what I want, what I would like to

achieve and of course about AIESEC in general.

As most of you don’t know me, I will start with introducing myself a little. I’m Else, 22 years young

and a first year master student of Technical Medicine. I grew up in Leiden and now am enjoying my

student life in Enschede. I live in a very cozy student home, I’m very close with my roommates and I

joined a sorority Spooky. I can tell you al lot more but you can read my resume and more important

is the process why I decided to apply for AIESEC LCP.

I think the whole process started about half a year ago. This was a quite drastic moment and an

important changing point for me. I realized through a quite heavy experience that I wasn’t done

dealing with my childhood trauma yet. When I was young something terrible and still hard to

understand happened in my family. It was quite a shock to find out that this experience still had such

an impact and effect on me. It has formed me to who I’ve had become as a person. You can say this

was quite an awakening moment for me. When I think of it now I find it more than logical it had such

an effect on me. But from that moment on I really started to handle my issues and learn from my

past. That I became older and more confident about myself, made me wanting to find out who I

really was. To achieve this I did a lot of things, I started to see a psychologist, not because I could not

work it out with all the people around me (friends and family) but because I thought it would give me

more insight in the situation and maybe that little extra push I needed. I couldn’t have been more

right. In that time I made a lot of big steps, I was finding out so much more about myself. I read

books on all kinds of psychological subject and talked a lot with the people closest to me. I started to

discover who I really was, learned to listen to myself and found out about things I wanted to do, I

found out there were still things I would like to achieve and things I would like to do. This might seem

normal for you to know, but I think a lot more people do things just because it is expected from them

or because it seems the normal thing to do. For me, the changing point I talked about and really

starting to develop myself gave me a feeling of peace inside myself. I finally listed to myself and

found out what was really important and accepted all the things that happened. From that moment

on I was more aware about the things that affected me and started to make new experiences that

influenced me. From that point I was not only acting more in a way that felt right, but I also started

looking for things new that challenged me to make me learn even more. I guess through this learning

process a little fire inside me started to burn. I wanted to challenge myself, to confront myself and

discover what I could do more. And my nerves can tell you right now that the biggest challenge so far

is applying for LCP of AIESEC. A year ago this wasn’t something I thought I would ever do and I think

this has a lot to do with confidence. The last few days I have been thinking (read: worrying) about if I

would be capable of leading the AIESEC board. This is of course a question I cannot answer, because

if I knew the answer I would not apply for this function of board. If I knew I was capable of leading

the AIESEC team it would not be a challenge or a learning full experience anymore. And really, this is

what I’m looking for. What I can tell you, is that I am a 100% sure I want to go for it and give it my

best try more than anything right now.

The reason I have wrote about this personal story is to give you insight in the things that personally

thrived me to eventually apply of the AIESEC board. Because of this happening I am searching for

new experience to have a big impact on to me as a person and can help me to develop myself even

more.

Why AIESEC and why LCP?

- Focus on personal development

You have read in the previous section that my life of the last six months can be characterized by

personal development. I cannot think of a better organization to pursue this process and make it

even more impactful than AIESEC. I know AIESEC by reading about it and talking to present or old

members of the AIESEC board. But for as far as I know, personal development is something paid a lot

of attention to. It is not just about setting and achieving goals and running the organization. It is

about how you achieve (or not achieve) this goals, what you can learn from them and how they

affect you and your team. Talking to present board member I for example heard that someone found

out he would not like to lead a team during his later career. He came to this conclusion by

experiencing it in a safe environment, this is an opportunity AIESEC gave him.

One of the six values of AIESEC is ‘Leadership experience’. I think a leadership position particularly is

a position where you get confronted a lot. Because it creates many situations in which you have to

act and react. I think it is really interesting to analyze how other people respond to my behavior or to

think about my reaction on other people to influence them in a positive way.

- The AIESEC culture

I think AIESEC is an organization where someone can develop their potentials and I think this is very

valuable for the future. To do this I think getting out of your comfort zone is fundamental but also

scary. Therefore support is very important and from what I’ve seen and felt this is definitely a big

part of the present AIESEC team. From the little taste I’ve got of the AIESEC culture, being inside the

AIESEC office, I felt a lot of warmth, joy and familiarity. And this made me wanting to taste more of it.

- The ideal/history/reason why AIESEC exists

You all know the history of AIESEC and why it exists much better than I do, but even without having

much knowledge about it I think it’s really valuable and beautiful. By giving people an abroad

experience to get cultural understanding and opportunities to develop themselves, AIESEC stimulates

the gain of good relationships between different countries. One of the six values of AIESEC is living

diversity and I think this is really important. Because if you are open-minded you can learn a lot from

other cultures and enrich your life with different experiences.

- Internationality

This is actually related to previous point. AIESEC gives people the opportunity to go abroad for a

meaningful experience. But also the AIESEC board doesn’t stop in Twente, it goes far beyond that.

They keep in close contact with all national board members and advise organizations, but also with

their international colleagues. This gives them the opportunity to learn from each other, to meet a

lot of new people and to look further then you’re used to. I find it important to broaden my horizon

and learn form and enjoy different cultures.

- Human resources

Human resources is part of the responsibility of the LCP I find the most appealing. When Kicky told

me about this that little fire inside me suddenly started to burn more fiercely. Coaching, making sure

everybody gets what they need in order to complete their goals, personally and professionally is

something I got really enthusiastic about. Seeing other people grow is something I really would like

to do and something I can get a lot of energy from. To give an example I can tell you about my

roommate. He was struggling with some personal issues and asked me for advice. I felt really

honored he came to me and put so much trust in me. Helping him made me feel like making a

difference in someone else his life.

Thing I would like to learn

Learning of course is a big part of joining every board. I think this is the reason why people would

want to experience this and there for it is logical you’re going to make mistakes. Which you can learn

from.

- How to present myself better

I would really like to learn how to present and express myself in a better way and on a more

professional level. Of course I’ve had some experience with this during my study, but I do not feel

confident enough about this. I think it is not enough because I feel I’m not ready to go into the

working field with my experiences uptill now. In a hospital specialists can be very authoritarian, to

stand up to them you have to be confident about yourself and know how to use communication in

your own advantage. For example when I have to convince them with a presentation that a new way

of treatment is more accurate than another one. To do this good presentation skills are very useful,

but I think confidence and motivation, having a goal I mind are even more important. I think with

AIESEC, possibly as LCP this will be something I can develop and learn more about.

- How to confront other people

I do stand up and confront other people when something is important, but this is something that I

find difficult. In a difficult situation or goes wrong I would like to react more primarily. Often I tend

to wait, first evaluate and afterwards react on the situation. I think in a lot of situations this is better,

because this way you make more well-considered decisions, but sometimes reacting directly is

important. This also has to do with trusting my instincts and not holding in. I think when leading a

team you’re going to be forced to this.

- How to lead/coach a team

This is something I have little experience in. I have experience with teaching or tutoring, which is

something I really enjoy. As I know form my own experience with personal development I like to help

other people with theirs. This is something I notice in my daily life and I think this is also why a lot of

people come to me for help, advice or just a listening ear. For these reasons I think I would really like

leading and coaching a team. But in this area I can still learn a lot, because a big team of 20 persons is

a lot different that teaching one student or helping a friend. But I think these things will come close

together, because I can see in the present AIESEC board the members have become close friends.

I know I have a big feeling of responsibility, this is a good thing because I really want to make things

work out. But sometimes I it can be too much, which causes forgetting about myself. This is

something I would like to find a better balance in.

Things I can contribute

- Feeling of trust

I think one of my best qualities is that I am a real people’s person. I think I got something over me

that makes it easy for other persons to trust me. I think this follows from my empathy with other

people, I can really imagine someone else their feelings and project myself into them. This makes it

easy for me to understand other people and how to look at things from their point of view.

A good example when I experienced that some else put their trust in me and felt understood is

during one of my internships in a hospital. I was joining a patient consult with one of my supervisors,

a doctor assistant and he was asking questions to the patient. I was joining the conversation but at

the background. The patient was answering the question of my supervisor but was talking to me

instead. She felt more confident and understood talking to me. I think another aspect of this is that I

let people be who they are and respect this. Most people won’t feel like they have to put up an act

talking to me, because I won’t judge them for who they are. I think this is a very valuable quality,

because you cannot lead and coach a team if you’re not trusted by your team.

- Courage

This might sound strange, but by courage I do not mean bravery. I mean whole hearted and

compassionate. I think courage is about being kind to ourselves and then to others, because we

cannot practice compassion with other people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly. What follows is real

connection between people. Because if you have authenticity, you are able to let go of the thought

to be who you should be and be who you are. Or simply have to courage to be imperfect, because

nobody is. If you can work from a point where you believe you’re enough you can stop wrestling with

yourself and start listening. This will make you kinder and gentler to the people around us and makes

it possible to make real connections.

I think AIESEC is about connection. Searching for a better connection with yourself, with your board

members, with people all over the world during an abroad experience.

A psychologist once said: ‘The thing excruciating vulnerability, this idea of, in order for connection to

happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen.

I know it is necessary and important to put myself in vulnerable positions in order to feel really

compassionate, in order to make real connections with other people. This is something that is still

difficult and scary but I think will work out just fine. Like applying for LCP and having the chance of

failing. But at least I know that if I will not become LCP I at least showed myself and I didn’t put up an

act. This causes fear and shame, but also real worthiness, joy, creativity and the feeling of belonging.

I think with my experiences with vulnerability and courage I can contribute to the AIESEC culture.

- Responsibility and punctuality

I already told you before I am a person with a big feeling of responsibility and diligence. I like taking

care of thing and other people. I want to keep control the situation and maintaining overview,

although this something I will have to learn to let go a bit more. I’m also quite punctual and do not

like to do thing at the last moment, although I am experimenting with this right now ;). I do not want

to plan everything but I always set out the big lines in order to make sure I won’t be short in time. In

a leader function I think these characteristics are at least quite useful.

- Proactive attitude

I do not like to sit still when things need to be done or when I can get my advantage from being

proactive. The reason why I got my present job on the side is because of my proactive attitude.

Before getting the job I tried to improve my skills I thought needed. My possible future employer

really appreciated this and decided to give me job because of this attitude.

- I make well-considered decisions

I already wrote before I like to think before I do things. When I have to make an important decision I

make sure I took enough time to think and talk about it. I am not ashamed to ask for help, because I

think other peoples view and advice can be very useful. In the end I make my own conclusion with all

the information I gathered. When I look back at decisions I made in the past I think I let my feelings

have a big influence on my end decision. The most important reason that made me decide to apply

for LCP because I got so excited about and because that it started a little fire inside me that wants to

burn more fiercely. Of course I thought about all the things I could learn and if it would fit into my

(study) planning, but those were not the crucial reasons. But then again, feelings also originate from

somewhere.

What will I do the same as my predecessor and what would I differently?

I think Kicky is really enthusiastic and this motivates and inspires other people. I admire this quality

and I hope I hold this quality too. But I will not try to copy this, because I hope I find my own way of

motivating and inspiring other people.

I will be honest to admit that I do not have a lot of insight in things that are standard in the AIESEC

structure or the own interpretation of the present LCP. But I think Kicky pays a lot of attention to

make sure she talks to every member of the EB ones every two weeks. This tells me she finds it very

important to have personal and close bond with her other team members and wants to help out

where she can. I also think this is very important and would like to follow the good example but I will

let it depend on the situation and I cannot asses this right now. I think it will depend on the people of

my possible future team, whether I would like to plan these appointment this structured or whether

they need it that frequent or few.

Of what I heard, Kicky also organizes to speak to the other LCP’s in the Netherlands almost every

week (with google groups). I think this is a good way of creating opportunities to learn from each

other or help someone else. I think it also provides for a little check whether you’re doing the right

thing or not.

What would I like to do as LCP or what do I see for the future of AIESEC

I find it really hard to write about what I would like to do as LCP or what I see for the future AIESEC. I

do not know AIESEC very well and I do not have a comparable experience with another organization.

I talked to some of the board members so I think a got an idea about how it works but there are also

a lot of things I don’t know about. Despite my little knowledge I am really enthusiastic about the

initiative would really like to learn more about it.

What I really find a fantastic initiative is the national support team of AIESEC. From what I

understand this team is placed between the local AIESEC teams and the national team. It exists of

(old) members AIESEC who were trained by the national support team before them to train other

members of AIESEC and to offer training sessions about whatever subject you want. So (if I

understand I right) if something in your team is not going well or you would like to develop a specific

skill you can ask for a training. What I think is so great about this initiative is that it keeps itself

running and provides the opportunity to spread knowledge and learn from someone else

experiences. And also because it exists of members of AIESEC it would feel really familiar I think. I

would like to make good use of this support team if I become the LCP of AIESEC.

What I would like to do as LCP is paying a lot attention to teambuilding and always make sure

everybody feels comfortable within the group. I can imagine for example that at the end of every EB

meeting everybody tells how what’s up. Or doing a tip and top cycle to make sure we also express

our irritations, but also remind everybody about their qualities. Teambuilding is good for the mood

and intimacy within a group, but it also promotes better work efficiency. Because it reduces the

amount of stress factors and creates a better work environment.

An issue all student boards in Twente are going to have to deal with in the coming year is TOM. This

is going to have an effect on the recruitment for the especially the part-time function. Because with

TOM 20 hours apart from your study is probably too much. Also for the full-time function TOM can

be a problem, because if you’re not a TOM student now delaying your study might cause becoming

one. So I think AIESEC has to think about how to get their board function filled in a different way.

Maybe think about reorganizing the board structure or the full-time/part-time organization.

How will I be leading the team?

I would like to lead the team with as much openness and transparency as possible. Because for me to

coach and lead the team putting trust in me is very important. I think this only can be achieved by

being honest and open. To demonstrate integrity, as is stated by one of the six values of AIESEC. I

would like for everybody to provide the best opportunity to develop their potential and to set and

achieve their goals. So I will do my best to provide the support they need with the sources I have.

I don’t think I will be a very firm leader, because I always seek for consensus between people. I think

this fits in an organization as AIESEC. Because it is not about who has the loudest voice, but about

really making a difference.

I think it is important to set realistic but ambitious goals for all teams, because it is crucial to stay

motivated. If a goal is too easy, people won’t put their best effort into it because it can be

accomplished without it. But when the goal is too ambitious your EB member will feel like it is

impossible to realize it, this can cause stress or stops people form trying to achieve a goal.

I understand I will have a lot of support trying to lead the AIESEC team as LCP. There is a national

support team, the Raad van advies, the Lokale advies raad, the other LCP’s in the Netherlands, the

National LCP and of course the other EB and board members (am I forgetting something?). This gives

me more confidence it will work out because there are a lot of people who can help me. I’m not

ashamed to ask for help and it does not make me feel less competent. On the contrary I think it is a

waste to not learn from other people and their experiences.

I hope you enjoined reading my manifest. I last I would like to say I’m ready to have an impactful

experience and make a difference. The challenge to lead the Aiesec board is what you are looking for.

I do not know in advance what this challenge will bring me exactly, maybe that is the biggest

challenge. I’m looking forward to see you Monday evening!

Kind regards,

Else van der Velden