AIESEC Experience FAQs General What is the connection between the AIESEC Way and the AIESEC Experience? The AIESEC Way serves as the essence and the compass for our organisation. It outlines WHY AIESEC exists and HOW we deliver to our customers. It also gives guidelines for WHAT AIESEC delivers. The WHAT is best summarised by the “Way We Do It” statement in the AIESEC Way. This statement says “AIESEC provides its members with an integrated development experience comprised of leadership opportunities, international internships and participation in a global learning environment.” The AIESEC Experience is the way AIESEC currently packages and delivers the “WHAT” that is outlined in our Way. What is the connection between the AIESEC Experience and 2015? The success of AIESEC 2015 and our movement toward AIESEC’s BHAG (Engage and develop every young person in the world) depends on the actions we deliver as an organisation. These actions are packaged and delivered as “The AIESEC Experience.” Constantly improving and adding to the programmes in the AIESEC Experience, while scaling up our capacity to deliver them, is the only way will be able to achieve AIESEC 2015. Why a difference between a programme and an experience? AIESEC offers many different experiences, all of which aim to provide young people with a values-based platform to explore and develop their leadership potential. The different experiences are lived differently and provide different contributions toward this end goal. To help distinguish them, we package these different experiences as “programmes.” This help young people and organisations understand the different value propositions of the various experiences. It also helps AIESEC entities to understand how to manage their operations to deliver high-quality experiences in a sustainable way. Is there are minimum number of programmes someone must pass through? The number of programmes which a member chooses to take depends on the experiences they feel they need to develop their leadership potential. As such, there is no minimum. There is also no order which the programmes much be lived. AIESEC strives to have many members who live as many programme experiences as possible, to provide as many comprehensive leadership development experiences as possible. Are these the only four programmes which AIESEC offers? As of 2011, AIESEC has only defined 4 programmes. However, our strategy of “improve and invent” means that we will constantly be developing new programmes to offer in an AIESEC Experience. These programmes could be part of any of the 3 phases of the AIESEC Experience. Where can I find more information on the programmes? You can find more information about the programmes of 2015 on the 2015 XP and Programme Wikis: http://www.myaiesec.net/content/viewwiki.do?contentid=10169681 Experiential Leadership Development: General What does it mean to enter a programme? The start and end of a programme are defined by the minimum conditions to be fulfilled by the entity and the participant, in mutual agreement. This must be reflected on the myaiesec.net authentically, with starting and ending dates and other factors specified as they actually occur. Am I in a programme automatically if I help AIESEC? Performing ad-hoc tasks, which may add to AIESEC’s performance without being a part of the programme, does not count as an ELD experience. To count as an ELD experience, an experience must fulfil the definition, conditions, and policies of one of the ELD programmes. How do we ensure the quality and standards of these programmes globally? Everything to do with quality and standards is defined in programme policies and ensured by delivery. Can an entity only run some of the ELD programmes? We encourage all entities to make sure that they are participating in every programme, because by doing so they deliver the most AIESEC experiences possible. However, it is not currently defined as a requirement for membership in the association. To add it as a requirement would be a decision of the Global Plenary. What happened to X+L? It is highly encouraged to have as many individuals passing through multiple programmes as possible. Taking various ELD programmes is a very important organizational behaviour for 2015. This will be focused on and driven by the concept of Up-sales within programmes. However, entities are allowed to customise, package and sell programmes together to make this happens. But the measures of success for each programmes will be the singular experiences delivered within each. Could we invent new ELD programmes? In 2011-12, we are focusing on improving the four programmes we have based on the Business Model Canvasses defined at IPM in Mexico and on the Programme Descriptions given at IC in Kenya. In the future, there might be more global programmes invented for ELD, but the responsibility and authority of doing so lies with AIESEC International to ensure brand adherence and global alignment. Customization How much can an entity customize, re-brand or re-design the programmes? An AIESEC entity can customize, re-brand or re-design any programme for their national and local market as long as it maintains the global standard programme definition, conditions, and policies including the objective and value propositions of the programme. What happens if an entity combines two or more programmes and sells a package? How do the conditions apply, and who decides on this? Two programmes can be packaged together. However, for the package to truly contain two programmes, the experience must maintain the individual value proposition and conditions of each of the programmes. Some policies may be slightly different for programmes lived together. If so, this will be explicitly stated in the programme policies when they are defined. Living Multiple Programmes Can a person live multiple programmes at the same time? So long as the experiences achieve all the value propositions as well as all of the conditions of both programmes, then the person is living both programs at once. It may be that some TMP or TLP policies will be waived if one is living an GIP or GCDP experience at the same time as TMP or TLP. If that is the case, that will be explicitly stated in the policies once they are defined. Experiential Leadership Development: Being a programme participant What is an AIESEC ELD programme participant? A person who is: • Raised, matched, or realized as an EP for GCDP or GIP • Accepted to a role in TMP or TLP Do all participants pass through induction and transition? Yes. Selection and induction processes should be present at the beginning of all members’ programme experiences, no matter which program they take. In the same way, each programme experience should end with a transition process, during which the participant closes his or her experience, passes on knowledge to the next generation, and is exposed to further options within and beyond AIESEC. Should induction be the same everywhere, for all programs? Selection, induction, and transition processes must be defined with certain standards by every AIESEC entity. However, It is necessary that all individuals participating in our programmes know the why, how and what of AIESEC clearly. They must also understand and align with AIESEC’s organizational values. Is it possible to have a person who is only joining any of the exchange programmes and nothing else? Yes, just like an individual can only join the TMP or the TLP. Any individual can live one or many programme, in any combination. What else can EPs do, other than go on exchange? Individuals who are only participants in GIP or GCDP have access to the AIESEC network, just like any participant of TMP or TLP. They can participate in any kind of AIESEC activities, as long as the entity and the EP mutually agree upon them. However, they cannot be considered a part of the TLP or the TMP programme unless their participation fulfills all the programme conditions. If I am part of a team at my workplace or in my GCDP project, does that count for an AIESEC TMP or TLP experience? No, it does not. In the conditions of TMP and TLP, it is written that AIESEC is the hosting entity of those programmes. So, if the company, organisation, or project is the hosting entity of your team experience, you are not living a TMP or TLP experience. A practical team experience can still be a value proposition of a GCDP or GIP program without that meaning it is a TMP or TLP experience. Can I live an experience virtually? Programmes are borderless. “Practical” means “experiential,” not “physical.” Who runs the programmes? The TMP and TLP programmes are important because their participants run all of AIESEC’s programmes. As a result, the quality of their experience and contribution is one of the major success factors of AIESEC 2015. Experiential Leadership Development: TMP and TLP When will further conditions and policies be defined for these programmes? As of IC 2011, TMP and TLP do not have globally standardized conditions and policies, apart from certain criteria for assigning a Team leader role on myaiesec.net (duration of 2 month and min 3 members). Since successful programme management requires the network to have these conditions and policies in place and implemented in 2011-2012, the launch of the programme standards will happen at IPM 2012 in Hungary. Should I innovate in the TMP or TLP before the full conditions and policies are defined? Until IPM 2012 in Hungary, the main focus on TMP and TLP should be implementation of programme definitions and prototyping 2015 programmes in the existing structures and operational framework. Adjustments and customization are already needed in this period of time, but there needs to be a strong consideration of the impact and scope of these actions. For example starting to run profile-based recruitment for TMP and TLP is suggested to be run for the already existing profiles until the network has the alignment and standard of opening towards new markets and new product packages. How does the GCM connects to AIESEC 2015 considering the refreshed AIESEC Experience model? The GCM defined in 2010 is the main guidance of an individual during his/her AIESEC Experience towards developing himself/herself to become a change agent and create positive impact in the future. Since the AIESEC Experience model is not a new but a refreshed model, its relation to the GCM is keeping the same logic. Engagement Phase: In this Phase, the interested young person needs to be aware of the Why, How and What of AIESEC and understand that these are leading to the development of change agents with characteristics based on GCM. ELD Phase: The GCM describes the ideal end state of development what an individual should reach by the end of the ELD Phase. As close the individual is to GCM when finishing the ELD Phase, as successfully can he/she move to the LLC Phase. LLC Phase: This is the Phase when the young person can create positive impact and deliver on our promise as an organization through practicing his/her competencies and characteristics based on GCM. How to drive transition process implementing the refreshed AIESEC Experience model in countries, where TMP and TLP are in lack of capacity? Our existing members and leaders are the first generation of living and delivering 2015, so it is inevitable for anyone of them to fully participate in the transformation process. Since they need to run the ELD Programmes and ensure the high performance of the organization, no matter how many of them are, they need to be part of the programmes themselves. The lack of capacity should not bring any diffrence into the implementation of the programmes, but rather emphasize focus on the most important deliverables (value proposition, duration, minimum conditions of a team experience) to provide sustainable pipeline of TMP and TLP for the future. Who is responsible for running TMP and TLP? There is no global standard on allocation of responsibilities for programme management. In term 2011-2012 it is recommended to look on role of Talent Management area as a possible connector and driver of ELD programmes, especially TMP and TLP. How can we make sure that the diverse portfolio of TMP and TLP experiences is providing quality to all participants? All experiences lived in AIESEC are individual and subjective, which requires careful definition and measurement of quality. Since all programme participants have different needs, goals and expectations, we need to make sure flexibility and standardization are both part of the programme delivery. Our approach has to be specific and segmented, our talent processes need to be run based on exact profiles (just as in GIP and GCDP) and participants need to be considered as customers and employees int he same time. What is the number one consideration I should have implementing these programmes? The most important thing is to balance the customer and employee approach towards TMP and TLP participants. The only way how we can ensure the success of these programmes is to ensure individual and organizational expectations are aligned and both needs are satisfied. Why do we measure TMP and TLP as an experience after 8 weeks in the system? Since these experiences are hosted by an AIESEC entity, we need to ensure that minimum conditions are fulfilled when counting the number of experiences in the system. Longer experiences might give different learning and development experience, but the duration itself does not determine the value or the validity of an experience. That is why we count the experiences as soon as they fulfill the minimum condition of a team leader or member experience for 8 weeks and 3 team members. Are new sub-programmes expected to be defined in TMP and TLP during 2011-2012 term? The main focus of the current term is to define a valid classification for the programmes based on which entites can run profile-based talent processes and start applying a segmented and specific approach for TMP and TLP. Entities can look into defining sub-programmes as customization of global standards for their own reality, following the global timeline of product development during the year. How should we connect TMP and TLP, GCM and Talent Selection process? As mentioned before, GCM is the development aim of an individual during the ELD phase, but not the entry-criteria of any programmes. The programmes need to be run with talent processes including Talent Selection, which are delivered aligned with the profile of the target audience. That is why selection criteria are specifically based on the ELD programme, profile and duration of the experience and in the meantime generally connected to GCM. Experiential Leadership Development: GIP and GCDP What is an AIESEC exchange programme? Both the Global Internship Programme and the Global Community Development Programme are AIESEC exchange programmes. Why do we have two exchange programmes? During the 2015 development process, we realized that we were running programmes that had different partners, value propositions, and management challenges. As a result, it didn’t make sense to measure them together. Based on this realisation, the exchange programme was divided into the Global Internship Programme and the Global Community Development Programme upon the recommendation of the Global Plenary at International Presidents’ Meeting in Mexico. Why do the exchange programme definitions matter? They align the network to a single understanding of our products, helping us to work together toward our common vision and the AIESEC Way. However, they also leave space for operational innovations that allow entities to customise the products to their own environments. Who can be a TN taker? How is this defined? The TN taker of a GIP experience must be an organisation in the public, private, or social sector. This includes governments and NGOs. For GCDP, the TN taker may be an organisation in the public, private, or social sector, or a project (which must involve one or more organizations as project sponsor, learning partner or TN taker.). An AIESEC entity cannot be the TN taker for any GIP or GCDP experience. All TN takers must fulfil the TN taker responsibilities in the Exchange Programme Policies (XPP). What is the number one consideration I should have in implementing these programmes? It is extremely important to note that no AIESEC programme should be run illegally. All GIP and GCDP programme participants should be working and living legally in their hosting entity. Entities whose contracting, visas, and intern employment practices are not fully legal should make this a priority immediately. How can I get help to improve the legality of my programmes? The best source of legal advice in any entity is a lawyer or other legal expert trained and prepared in the legal system of that entity. MCs should prioritise obtaining a consistent, reliable source of local legal advice, for example by having a lawyer on the Board of Advisors. Are there currently TNs on the system, which do not fall under the GIP or GCDP programmes? Yes. Before the 2015 programmes were defined, it was not clear what value proposition each of our programmes should have. As a result, there are some TNs that are currently on the system which do not fill the programme descriptions of either programme. Can you give me some examples of JDs that do not fall under either GCDP or GIP? • Being a bartender • Being a receptionist • Working in a call center, with no training or professional development • LC-or MC-hosted internships Is that all? How do I decide what fits? There are many other TNs that fit neither programme. The leadership of each entity must make a judgment call about which TNs fall under GIP, GCDP, or neither programme based on their fullest understanding of the programme descriptions. How should we treat these TNs? These TNs may be matched, so long as they comply with XPP. However, after IC, no more TNs that don’t fit either programme should be raised. EP suppliers should expect that TNs raised before August 2011 may not fill the new programme criteria, but that all TNs should fulfil the criteria in XPP. When will these regulations start to be enforced? As of September 1, the system will already reflect the split between GIP and GCDP, and entities should strive to make sure that all forms raised fit the descriptions of these two programmes. The period of September 1 to October 15 will be considered an education period, during which all countries should help each other and AI to be aware of improperly raised forms. After October 15, the education period will be over. Entities will be held accountable to making sure that no TN or EP forms are raised outside of the GIP and GCDP programme descriptions. What is my responsibility as a leader of the organisation? Please make sure that, by October 15, all members of your entity understand and have implemented raising under the new programme descriptions, and that this is properly reflected on the system. It is also your role to make judgement calls for your entity about whether new raises fall under GIP, GCDP or neither programme. Global Internship Programme Can an NGO or IGO host a GIP experience? Any organisation in the public, private, or social sector can be TN taker for GIP experience, as long as the internship meets the programme definition, conditions, and policies. This includes that the TN taker must provide an EP with a professional development experience. Why does it matter to deliver “professional development experiences”? AIESEC’s purpose is to provide a platform for young people to explore and develop their leadership potential for positive impact on society. The way we do this in GIP is by providing a professional development experience and a crossculttura working experience. The Global Plenary at International Presidents’ Meeting 2011 in Mexico defined this in the Business Model Canvas. What is a “professional development experience”? The basic indicators that an internship gives professional development are: 1. The intern spends at least 35 hours a week working in a host organization. 2. The intern is supervised and evaluated by one or more full-time employees of the host organization. 3. The intern has a training or learning plan, which specifies: • The job description the intern will fill • What professional activities, expertise, and/or skills the intern will develop • How the development of these skills will be evaluated, by whom, and when. 4. Additional training the intern will receive, if any. In addition, as stated in XPP, “the internship cannot aim to solely provide the intern the opportunity to earn money.” If an intern uses professional skills, does that automatically mean he or she is having a professional development experience? No. An individual can use professional skills, such as web development, language teaching, or project management, without participating in a programme whose purpose is to develop those skills. One good example from the outside world is the programmes run by Medicins Sans Frontiers. Professional doctors participate in MSF’s programmes, but they are volunteers having a volunteer experience. Can you give me some examples? Providing web development to NGOs, without receiving training or development in the use of web design skills, is not necessarily a GIP experience. It is only a GIP experience if the intern is living a professional development experience, as defined above. In the same way, teaching English in rural classrooms, without receiving training on what curriculum to deliver or a performance evaluation, is not a GIP experience. If these experiences fulfil the description, conditions, and policies of the GCDP programme, then they may be raised as GCDP experiences. Does a GIP intern need to receive a salary? As defined in XPP, the TN Organisation is responsible to “provide a sufficient salary that will allow the intern to live in the country and cover their basic expenses including accommodation, food, transportation, and basic reception activities for the duration of the internship. The organisation may provide this compensation in non-monetary format (such as offering lodging and food instead of a salary) provided this is indicated clearly in the signed Job Questionnaire. The salary must, at minimum, correspond to the local minimum wage.” Global Community Development Programme Can a GCDP Experience be delivered without any external involvement? No. For an experience to be complete as a GCDP, it needs to have an external organization involved either as project sponsor, learning partner and/or as TN taker. An AIESEC entity cannot solely deliver without any external involvement in the EP’s experience. Can a private-sector organisation be TN-taker for a GCDP experience? It is possible, but highly unlikely, that an organisation in the private sector would be the TN-taker for a GCDP experience. More commonly, a private-sector organisation would be the partner or sponsor for a GCDP experience, with a project, government, or social-sector organisation as TN-taker. Does a GCDP experience provide direct or indirect impact? GCDP provides an indirect development experience for the participant while enabling them provide direct societal impact. This does not in any way conflict with AIESEC’s indirect impact model. Is it possible that a GCDP participant might use professional skills as part of their JD? Yes. A volunteer who uses his or her professional skills for the main purpose of positive impact is a GCDP participant, so long as his or her experience fulfils all of the other elements of the GCDP programme description. For example, • Re-structuring the HR and financial processes of an orphanage • Building a website for a foundation • Giving medical help at a public clinic • Teaching a language to children in a community might all be included in the job description of a GCDP participant, so long as the main purpose of the individual’s activity is to develop personally while enabling positive impact on society. Should a GCDP intern receive a salary? As defined in XPP, the TN Organisation is responsible to “provide a sufficient salary that will allow the intern to live in the country and cover their basic expenses including accommodation, food, transportation, and basic reception activities for the duration of the internship. The organisation may provide this compensation in non-monetary format (such as offering lodging and food instead of a salary) provided this is indicated clearly in the signed Job Questionnaire. The salary must, at minimum, correspond to the local minimum wage.”