Submitted
Last Updated June 17, 2020
Good Jobs & Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Global Exchange Programs
Team Leader
Cristina Viale
Solution Overview
Solution Name:
Global Exchange Programs
One-line solution summary:
Leadership development centric exchange programs across 120+ countries for youth to ensure skill development & providing equal opportunities
Pitch your solution.
Global Exchange program by AIESEC bridges the gap between the Corporate, startup & social across and the youth across 120+ countries to provide equal opportunities to youth from all backgrounds to enhance their skills while developing their leadership potential through practical experiences.
Through our exchange programs, we strive to provide equal opportunities to youth from all backgrounds to learn new skills that are needed in current work environments, it also strives to break the barriers between the cultures and develop an international mindset for the youth. The solution includes our Global Exchange programs which we run across 120+ countries. Through breaking the cultural borders and providing equal opportunities to youth across the countries to enhance their skills to adapt to the current needs, We are contributing to SDG 8 & SDG 10 Decent work and economic growth & Reduced equalities, while developing responsible leaders for the future.
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Worldwide, more than one out of five young people (under the age of 25) are without an occupation, meaning that they are unemployed, with no training and not in school.
-At the same time, 145 million young workers live in poverty. Today youth is not getting practical experience it requires developing critical skills in the work culture.
- Empirical studies have shown that increased trade openness has increased wage inequality in a number of Latin American countries (Milanovic and Squire, 2005; Pavcnik and others, 2002; Beyer, Rojas and Vergara, 1999; Attanasio, Goldberg and Pavcnik, 2003; Harrison and Hanson,1999). In those cases, the opportunities opened up by the forces of globalization have not reached the poorest groups since the expansion of employment is related to a level of skills that the poor do not possess
Due to Globalisation most of the sectors are becoming quite international which requires a workforce that can adapt to the diversity in the work environment and communicate effectively regardless of the cultural background. According to the biggest-ever survey on the subject, the QS Global Employer Survey Report, 6 out of 10 employers around the world give extra credit for international student experience. Youth in developing and underdeveloped nations are not able to access such opportunities.
What is your solution?
It provides a platform to the youth from 120+ countries to have professional experience to work with the corporate, startup and social sector abroad. We connect the youth to such opportunities provided by our enabler organisation through our global information portal (aiesec.org).
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Being accessible to everyone everywhere - Providing better opportunities to youth in all the corners in the world who doesn’t have access to such opportunities easily. Which will essentially help to have an experience which equip them with essential skills which a modern world requires. An exchange experience that helps them to give a head start to a better career.
Equal opportunities and social benefits - Through this exchange program we strive to provide the equal learning opportunities through practical experience to the youth from diverse backgrounds. We ensure that our exchange programs are aligned to the equal social benefits for the exchange participants regardless of their race, gender, religion or any other ethnic background
International experience & leadership development - As 6 out of 10 employers prefer to have a candidate with an international experience our solution provides a platform for youth across the world to have easy access to that.
We are engaging the youth through being present in most of the locations in the world and being presented across 2500 universities and with the help of our 75,000+ members.
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
- Equip workers with technological and digital literacy as well as the durable skills needed to stay apace with the changing job market
Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.
Our solution allows us to work on the given challenge in two different ways,
Providing the equal opportunities for the people from diverse backgrounds to develop their skills according to the globalisation and also experiencing the diversity and adaptivity through working in an international work environment. We ensure that all the participants are getting the same. social benefits regardless of their backgrounds or nationality; With all the partners we work with.
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We also inspire youth through our volunteering programs to understand the inequalities and take an active participation for it.
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In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Montreal, Canada
What is your solution’s stage of development?
- Scale: A sustainable enterprise working in several communities or countries that is looking to scale significantly, focusing on increased efficiency
Who is the primary delegate for your solution?
Cristina Viale (Global Business Devlopement manage
More About Your Solution
If your solution has a website, provide a link here:
aiesec.org
If your solution proposes an app that is currently live, provide a link to your app online or in an app store here:
-
If you have additional video content that explains your solution, provide a YouTube or Vimeo link here:
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
- A new business model or process
Describe what makes your solution innovative.
For youth by youth - The unique thing about our solution and organisation is that we only work to provide experiences to youth and people making this happen in our organisation is youth only. As people facilitating the experience are youth it helps us to stay along/ahead from a trend compared to our competitors. We understand what youth requires and values also we know how to provide it to them.
Wide talent pool for enablers / Multiple opportunities for youth Being present in more than 120+ countries across 2500+ universities and having a membership of 75000 young people gives us an advantage to create a wide talent pool of more than 70,000 candidates every year; Which includes diverse candidates that represent almost the entire world. Our wide team helps us to have 2000+ partners enabling 50,000+ opportunities to the youth every year.
Leadership development model
Through our exchange program we certainly aim to develop the youth potential and provide equal opportunities for them to enhance their professional growth; But alongside we have a leadership development model in place which helps us to develop the leadership potential by developing main four leadership qualities - Solution oriented, Empowering others, Being World citizen, Being self-aware.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
Our exchanges mainly depend on a multidimensional platform which is accessible for the exchange participants who are looking for an opportunity world wide (aiesec.org), Organisations who are looking for trainee or volunteer (partners.aiesec.org) and our membership who facilitate the exchanges (expa.aiesec.org)
Our platform uniquely connects the stakeholders to ease the process for the exchanges, Our membership helps the both parts to make the process easier through the interface that we use for our membership.
Our platform also includes an analytics function which uses BIG DATA to analyse the different trends and demand in the market.
Provide evidence that this technology works.
aiesec.org
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
- Big Data
- Internet of Things
- Software and Mobile Applications
What is your theory of change?
Our solution works on connecting talent all around the world and providing them equal opportunities regardless of their background. Through our exchanges we strive to to reduce inequalities by providing the same social benefits to the people from diverse backgrounds and also provide them an opportunity to enhance their skills and career.
Our solution provides youth an opportunity to learn new skills which are required in the everyday changing world because of globalisation. As we provide international exchange experience we enable the candidates to learn important skills like adaptability and working in a diverse environment.
Solution is aimed to have a equal rights in working environment for everyone regardless their ethinic background or gender and also to unlock the potential by providing a practical experience
Select the key characteristics of your target population.
- Urban
- Poor
- Low-Income
- Middle-Income
- Minorities & Previously Excluded Populations
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
- 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
In which countries do you currently operate?
- Albania
- Algeria
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Congo, Dem. Rep.
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt, Arab Rep.
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Malaysia
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russian Federation,
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Turkiye
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Hong Kong SAR, China
- Myanmar
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
- Albania
- Algeria
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt, Arab Rep.
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lithuania
- Malaysia
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russian Federation,
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Turkiye
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Puerto Rico
- Myanmar
How many people does your solution currently serve? How many will it serve in one year? In five years?
In 2019 we sent abroad more than 40.000 young people for a Leadership experiences.
In 2020, the numbers get drastically lower because of the current Covid-19 situation, but the plan is still to send on exchange around 15/20.000 youth, and the plan for the next 5 years would be to have more than 200.000 people going abroad with AIESEC.
The actual impact that can be created through each exchange is multiplied for an average of 50 people directly impacted by each exchange participant, which would mean that in 2019 we impacted around 2 millions people. In 2020 would be around 750.000 and in 5 years it would count overall around 10 millions
people positively impacted through our exchanges. The categories that we usually impact are coming from very vulnerable situations and environments for our volunteering exchanges that directly impact the Sustainable Development Goals, but also from the corporate environment when we talk about our Internships programs.
What are your goals within the next year and within the next five years?
Every 5 years we create a mid-term ambition that is updated and aligned to the current needs of youth and the world. For 2025 the following statements will be defining the direction that all our activities will follow:
Empowering Youth Leaders: Leadership is at the core of everything we do. By 2025 AIESEC experiences have distinctive qualities and their impact is measurable. Our leadership development model empowers more young people to become leaders, creating a community that continues to drive positive impact.
Building a Long-Lasting AIESEC: By 2025 AIESEC has sufficient resources to continue developing leadership for years to come. We consciously build on the knowledge of previous generations to move our organization forward. We ensure sustainability by creating value through our programs and empowering members to take on further roles.
Developing Purposeful Partnerships: By 2025 we build and keep long-term partnerships that enable growth, amplify our impact, and create value for both young people and partners. By delivering on our promises we make AIESEC a first-choice partner for leadership development.
What barriers currently exist for you to accomplish your goals in the next year and in the next five years?
Our main financial incomes are due to our exchanges. This is why, in times of COVID-19, our operations are almost at zero, because of course we put the safety of our customers first. Obviously, this is leading us to have big financial issues, because we are not receiving our normal incomes anymore. This pandemic will affect our basic operations a lot. For this reason we are trying to figure out new solutions and products that can still be able to develop the leadership potential of youth even with different products, still aligned with the core values and beliefs of the organization.
Technically speaking, we are continuously improving our platforms, to make them as user friendly as possible. As we know, these types of improvements require developers and a lot of economical investments in programming, which will be affected from the financial situation of the global organization, which means that in the next year we will have to choose what to prioritise in terms of platforms and information management.
Legalities are a continuous focus for all the Entities that are part of the global plenary, and this is also very connected with the fact that all Countries that AIESEC operates in, obviously have different rules and laws, which make us always in a very complex context in which we have to make the law of the Countries and territories and the internal rules of the Organization always match between each others.
How do you plan to overcome these barriers?
To still facilitate the exchanges we are trying to find and explore the opportunities to have a virtual traineeship program with our partners and provide experience to youth in this difficult times. Find our research here : https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1R6Ht3jmRoL-DnKFeOwn8FfH524oZj6Bb81HhV1T48xs/edit#slide=id.g89dc7f65f4_0_5
For our financial barriers we are currently trying to do the cost cutting in all the national offices and as well Global offices. Along with that we are also modifying the structure to have less HR for the essential roles only and also having a part time position.
As our exchanges highly rely on our platform we need to keep having a proper maintenance for the platform and also to keep updating it from time to time. This fund will help us to enable to have enough resources to keep our platform advanced for our stakeholders
About Your Team
What type of organization is your solution team?
- Nonprofit
If you selected Other, please explain here.
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How many people work on your solution team?
Members overall: 39,000
Paid members: 1.850
Product operations Professional exchanges: 7,300
Product operations Volunteering exchanges: 19,000
How many years have you worked on your solution?
Overall working on cross-cultural exchanges as an organisation since 1948 Working on Global Talent (including services under previous names) since 1948 Working on Global Volunteer (including services under previous name) since 2012 People within leadership roles in AIESEC change yearly to provide leadership experiences for a wide range of our members
Why are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
AIESEC is the biggest organization in the world that is only led by youth. It provides young people with leadership development through cross-cultural experiences in internships and social volunteering, so they can make a positive impact on society and develop themselves at the same time.
AIESEC is located globally in more than 110 countries and collaborates on global, national and local level with a variety of partners such as non-profit organisations, multinational enterprises, SME’s and start-ups. This builds a global network that enables leadership development and impact towards a sustainable planet.
Except national and global executive boards all positions in AIESEC are voluntary, filled mainly by students across the globe and all leadership roles are always elected for one year to provide leadership experiences also internally for a high number of young people.
What organizations do you currently partner with, if any? How are you working with them?
AIESEC hast the following global partners: Amplifon, Apple, Asian Development Bank, Assist Card, Codognotto, Cornerstone, DP World, DPDHL Group, EATON, Electrolux, Husqvarna Group, ING, International SOS, Lee Hecht Harrison, Microsoft, Mindvalley, Nexans, NOKIA, PwC, Schneider Electric, Tata Consultancy Services, UCB
On a global level AIESEC aims for long term value based partnerships to create impact together. Partnerships are normally operated in multiple countries and serve the individual needs of the respective collaboration. This includes skill building or awareness raising campaigns about topics important for youth next to engagements connected to AIESEC’s major exchange products.
AIESEC has around 5,500 partner organisations on national and local level with global enterprises, SME’s, start-ups, NGO’s and other organisations.
These partnerships are all shaped around AIESEC’s major exchange products and vary based on the specific needs and focus areas of every location.
AIESEC has a partnership with the United Nations in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), where AIESEC operates as the voice of youth.
Your Business Model & Funding
What is your business model?
AIESEC is an organization that enables the development of leadership for youth between 18 and 30 years. We do this through practical experiences in challenging environments, specifically through our programs of membership, international volunteering and international internships. In these experiences, individuals are able to experience diversity and to reflect upon themselves, and their role in the community gaining skills and abilities in our Leadership Development Qualities, Self-Awareness, Solution Orientation, Global Citizenship and People Empowerment.
We deliver these programs with the support of our partners that allow us to create the opportunities, attract young people, and extend the voice of youth in different spaces. Companies, NGOs, Education institutions and other organizations partner with us committed to the development of the individuals and the communities around them.
Our programs are sustained by the payment of a fee by both the young person and the partner, where the individual have access to the platform to find the opportunity that fits their needs and they receive the support necessary during the experience, and the partner gets access to a strong, diverse and top-quality poll of individuals to contribute to their organization, and the support necessary to allow their connection and enrollment.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, or to other organizations?
- Individual consumers or stakeholders (B2C)
What is your path to financial sustainability?
Our income comes from two main sources:
Membership fees
Our 114 offices worldwide pay a contribution for our services. This income covers 65% of our expenses.
Partnership fees
Our partnerships with several companies covers the other 35% of our expenses. Within these partnerships we provide the companies with several services, including: employer branding, placing interns, access to our membership.
Partnership & Prize Funding Opportunities
Why are you applying to Solve?
Through this fund we want to have enough HR after the pandemic to run our operations as mentioned earlier that due to the current pandemic we could not generate the revenue to keep our HR to run the operations, In every country we have been cutting the positions in the teams.
Also through this fund we want to support to the youth who cannot afford to participate in the exchange. Along with this we also would like to advance our platforms to make it more user friendly and also make the exchange process even easier.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
- Solution technology
- Funding and revenue model
Please explain in more detail here.
As we want to be more accessible to the youth so we want to evolve our platforms. Thus we want to have a partnership and resources which enables us to do so. Also through this fund we want to support to the youth who cannot afford to participate in the exchange.
What organizations would you like to partner with, and how would you like to partner with them?
MIT faculty or the team who can help us with the platforms
Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The GM Prize on Good Jobs and Inclusive Entrepreneurship to advance your solution?
Global Exchange program by AIESEC bridges the gap between the Corporate, startup & social across and the youth across 120+ countries to provide equal opportunities to youth from all backgrounds to enhance their skills while developing their leadership potential through practical experiences.
Through our exchange programs, we strive to provide equal opportunities to youth from all backgrounds to learn new skills that are needed in current work environments, it also strives to break the barriers between the cultures and develop an international mindset for the youth. The solution includes our Global Exchange programs which we run across 120+ countries. Through breaking the cultural borders and providing equal opportunities to youth across the countries to enhance their skills to adapt to the current needs, We are contributing to SDG 8 & SDG 10 Decent work and economic growth & Reduced equalities, while developing responsible leaders for the future.
Solution Team:
Cristina Viale