History

AIESEC history globally

AIESE, the predecessor of AIESEC.Richa Sharma is the OCP Informal activity “to help develop friendly relations between member countries” began in 1946, and AIESEC was officially founded in 1948. At the time, the mission was “to expand the understanding of a nation by expanding the understanding of the individuals, changing the world one person at a time.” In 1949, 89 students participated in the so-called “Stockholm Congress”, the first of many exchange programs.

Soon, AIESEC became popular: by the end of 1960, 2467 exchanges were reported, and 4232 by the end of 1970. A landmark in AIESEC history was the “International Theme Programme” that officially established all international, regional, and local seminars on specific topics, which in time grew to be a guideline for future AIESEC generations.In the following decades, debated topics were International Trade, Management Education, Sustainable development, Entrepreneurship and Corporate Responsibility. In the 1990s, intranets called Insight were established to facilitate networking.

AIESEC history in Estonia

AIESEC Estonia is one of the first NGOs in Estonia being established in 1989, already before Estonia was officially recognized as an independent republic.

Today our organization is among the most acknowledged youth organizations in the country, represented in all major Universities in Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu.

Our membership number is constantly growing and will reach over 180 participants in the team member and team leader programmes in autumn 2011.

During 22 years of activity, we have facilitated more than 300 international experiences for Estonian youth and for internationals which came here for social and educational projects or to explore their professional skills in Estonian companies.

We are strongly connected with the Baltic sub-region and Baltic cooperation is part of every national executive board’s role and responsibility. In AIESEC in Estonia you will not only get the experience of leading or being part of an Estonian organization, but also the feeling and knowledge of international co-operations between the countries.

Internationalism doesn’t stop with these for AIESEC in Estonia, as we have organized also some of the most important international conferences of AIESEC International, out of which one of them just happened in March 2011, with more than 200 internationals learning about leading a global organization right here, in Estonia.

Right now, AIESEC in Estonia is lead by a national committee with one President and 5 Vice President for the most important functions and operations which sustain the growth of the organization on the long term.

AIESEC in Estonia – Vision

Our vision was divided into five sections that are most important for us and where we should describe the desired state in year 2015:

STUDENTS Every year we engage more young people with diverse background in our programmes to develop leaders for a sustainable society.
ORGANISATIONS We are the first choice partner for organisations interested in talented young people.
We generate most of our revenue from private sector by offering a wide range of products.
AIESEC NETWORK We are recognized as the leading AIESEC entity for innovation.
We generate cooperation in the Baltic Sea region to achieve excellent results.
ALUMNI We consistently engage our alumni to create a network that is a source of knowledge, connections and support for AIESEC members and Alumni.
SOCIETY We encourage public discussions and taking initiative on topics relevant in the society

AIESEC in Estonia – Values:

• Leading by example. We are inspiring others through our actions and results. We take full responsibility for our role in the development of human potential.

• Acting responsibly. Our decisions and actions are consistent, and transparent. We fulfill our promises and act in a manner that is consistent with our identity.

• Striving for excellence. Our goal is the highest quality in everything we do. We are striving for continuous improvement, fostering creativity and innovation.

• Enjoying participation. AIESEC members are active and enthusiastic, participating in a dynamic, creative environment. We always enjoy what we do in AIESEC.

• Living diversity. We try to learn from different opinions and ways of living, which is represented in our multicultural environment. We respect and actively encourage the contribution of each individual.

• Acting sustainable. We act in a manner which ensures durability of our organization and society. Our decisions are taken with respect to future generations.

For 22 years, AIESEC in Estonia has been connecting its vision, values and principles, being an international platform which enables young people to explore and develop their leadership potential to have a positive impact in society.