The President of AIESEC International for the term 0607 is already elected:
Edyson David Dos Santos Gamez
Portuguese / Venezuelan
11-05-1974, San Cristobal, Venezuela
2005 - current: Director for Africa
2004 - 2005: MCP AIESEC in the Republic of Macedonia
2004 - 2005: Steering Team Member
2003 - 2004: MCVP Member Development AIESEC in the Republic of Macedonia
2002 - 2003: MCP AIESEC in Venezuela
2001 - 2002: Creation of the NNT AIESEC in Venezuela
1999 - 2000: LCP Local Committee UNITEC, Venezuela
1998 - 1999: MCVP External Relations AIESEC in Ecuador
1998: International Facilitator AIESEC in Germany
1998: Director of Programs AIESEC in Peru
1996 - 1997: LCVP Human Resources Local Committee UNITEC, Venezuela
1995 - 1996: LC Reception Officer Local Committee UNITEC, Venezuela
His Standing for AIESEC:
"I remember my first feelings when the Global Descriptor was launched.
‘It is cool, but all this potential stuff is so fluffy!’
Yes, I tended to be an over pragmatic person when it came to AIESEC stuff.
So I decided to clarify my own understanding of the concept and went to a dictionary. Surprise, surprise! The first things that I found where two choices: [1] Meaning of potential in mathematics and [2] meaning of potential in physics and engineering. After all, it seemed that potential was not so fluffy… In the end, potential meant ‘stored energy’.
My worldview was challenged once again by AIESEC.
‘Stored energy’ - I said to myself – ‘it is not so fluffy, actually I can feel it in myself. Sometimes I feel I want to do something, I feel all my body screaming out loud: MOVE! I think this is my potential being discovered!’.
Yes, it started to make sense.
Soon I forgot about the whole issue. Life moved on and I had a lot to do.
While in country visits in Africa, the question was raised again by one member, and I clicked back to my little personal discovery and shared it. It made sense for them as well, and from then on, it made sense for all members in each of the African countries that received a Director visit after that day.
Some days ago, while meditating about the approach I wanted to have while presenting this application, I questioned myself about this concept of potential. I wanted to talk about this stored energy that lies within AIESEC because I truly believe we underestimate our organization. I have the perception that members across the globe are not aware of the greatness of AIESEC, the power of our global reach and the relevance of our activities. And not being aware of those basic elements makes that stored energy to stay there, stored.
It was then when I realized that it is not a matter of being aware of the potential, the potential is there and will always be as long as we keep certain basics of AIESEC in place. Potential stopped being enough.
‘What is this concept I am looking for? What is exactly what I want to say?’
I asked myself then.
At some moment I also stopped asking questions to myself in search for answers and I asked:
‘What is the question I want to answer with the answer I am looking for?’
And my eyes went wide open, my heart starter pumping, beating faster, the ideas started to flash at an amazing speed in my mind. And I saw, I saw, I saw…
I saw my years in AIESEC, my experiences, but that was irrelevant in front of the sense of fulfilment and happiness that invaded my entire body.
‘I am part of something big, incredibly big and powerful!’
And I wasn’t consciously aware of that.
The question was simple: ‘When I see AIESEC, what do I see?’
And the answer came smoothly, like if it had been waiting for the door to be open:
“Value.”
Unfortunately, I do believe that many of us have been to busy solving small and big problems, going to company meetings, struggling to cover the budget, planning next steps, tracking plans, etc, etc… We are too busy to realize the value that lies within our organization.
My curiosity took me once again to the dictionary, I felt the word I was looking for was value, I sensed it; however I wasn’t so sure of its meaning.
- ‘Value is "that which one acts to gain and/or keep”.’ – I read. And I smiled.
It is the moment in the history of the organization to capitalize on our value, to deliver on that value, to sell, promote, package, and communicate value. It is the moment in AIESEC when everything converges to turn our potential into value- for members, partners, sponsors, TN takers, alumni, advisors, for every one and each of our stakeholders.
I invite you to read the following pages and discover my approach towards a mindset of value creation that will ensure our organization meets the dreams that are hidden behind each one of the four paragraphs of the AIESEC 2010 statement.
Ahhh, I almost forgot… Maybe you are wondering what all this stuff with the apple is.
I am very visual person as I guess you already realized it while reading the previous lines. Well, the apple for me represents that value, the potential lies inside, within the seeds; there is stored energy there, there is an apple tree kind of hidden inside those little seeds. But the value is within the entire apple.
The value of feeding, of enjoying, the value of the metaphor, of being presents everywhere
in every story in every culture.
However, for me today AIESEC is a better picture of what value means.
When I see AIESEC, I SEE VALUE."
Edyson dos Santos
