𝗠𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 & 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲-𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗖 𝗛𝗞 & 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮

purposeledcalvin
Jul 25, 2024
5 min read

5 min read | Original published on Linkedin July 2024

My advisory and coaching journey with AIESEC HK & Mainland of China

As their External Advisor & Design Thinking Coach, I have been collaborating with AIESEC for the past two and a half year (Hong Kong & Mainland of China), between 2022 and 2024, we have co-designed and delivered over 50 hours of Design & Systems Thinking training for youth between the ages of 15 - 18, undergraduate AIESECers in Hong Kong, AIESEC Alumnus in Mainland of China, as well as AIESEC leaders in Europe and Asia.

Together we equipped over 350 youth and young adults with:

People-Centric Mindset: Design for the target user rather than assuming their needs
Eco-system perspectives: Identify stakeholders involved and understand power dynamics
User-centric design skills: Generate design directions and ideas to collect feedback and priortise quickly
Prototype & Test skills: Visualise ideas and validate them
Storytelling & Pitching skills: Articulate and communicate their ideas

Youth-Led & Centric NGO

AIESEC* (/ˈaɪsɛk/ EYE-sek[1]) is a global platform for young people to explore and develop their leadership potential. It is a non-political, independent, not-for-profit organisation run by students and recent graduates of institutions of higher education.

Since it was founded in 1948, AIESEC has engaged and developed over 1,000,000 young people who have been through an AIESEC experience.

AIESEC (pronounced eye-sek) was originally an acronym for Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales.

AIESEC is no longer used as an acronym but simply as the name of the organization.

Members of AIESEC are known as “AIESECers”.

My experience with AIESECers's 6 Core Values

Demonstrating Integrity

From my engagement with different AIESECers, they are always professional yet personable, they know what they are doing while being youthful. They always hold themselves and each other accountable to their core values and standards.

Striving for Excellence

All the AIESEC case competitions, summits, and conferences I participated in were carefully curated and well-organised. They are comparable to any commercial or corporate event and, at times, better - a great demonstration of Youth-Led Capability.

Enjoying Participation

AISECers have fun being AISECers, even when it requires them to work on the floor, which is one of the signatures in some AIESEC events.

I have also seen AIESECers living and working from their sleeping bags on the floor as organisers, fully dedicated and committed.

Acting Sustainably

All of the trainings I was invited to design and deliver for AIESEC were sustainability-focused or SDG-related. Topics ranged from Cultural Heritage, Well-Being & Mental Health, Quality Education... etc., activating sustainable mindset among youth.

Activating Leadership

Seeing how they 'roll', AIESECers are all about uplifting one another and the young people they serve, which aligns with my belief that 'true leadership is to create more leaders, not followers'. I see both AIESEC as a vision and AIESECers as that vision in action.

Living Diversity

AIESEC has a unique culture of having AIESECers leading AIESEC chapters outside of their home countries, a practice that embraces and nurtures diversity and inclusion.

AIESEC of Mainland China in particular has been focusing its development on global and cultural exchanges.

What AIESEC gave me: Sense Of Purpose

I feel a sense of pride wearing my AIESEC-HK t-shirt and accessories. Collaborating with them and Engineers Without Borders-HK, another NGO dedicated to youth development that I work closely with, has inspired and motivated my pursuit of a purpose-led career.

A drawing of me in AIESEC-HK Tee by an Art Student of HKU and my AIESEC-HK collection

It has been, and continues to be a privilege to be able to support young people to:

Find and understand their "WHYs"
Remember the WHO before designing the HOW
Test the WHAT and design based on needs, NOT assumptions

Youth To Sustainability Summit, June 2024

Feedback from youth participants of recent AIESEC events

Thank you for the Design Thinking Workshop. We were taught Design Thinking by our professor, but your approach helped us connect everything... would love to have you run similar workshops for us!

From participant of Youthpreneur Initiative! | March 2024

As a team leader, I am not always designing for my people, but to the expectations and rules, after this workshop, I have more clarity on how to change that.

Take things from & with different perspectives, and think logically and slowly with data. Don't rush into random action... people have many layers within layers, probe more questions first.

From participant of Design for Gender Equality, Bring You to China | April 2024

CHANGEMAKER opens my mind, especially in creating ideas for projects.

...I've understood the importance of asking for feedback. ...

Very fruitful & inspiring! Encouraged my multi-perspective thinking, think fast, act fast, fail fast!

I've taken 2 design training classes before this one, but your class is the first one where things clicked & made sense...

From Participants of Youth To Sustainability Summit | June 2024

Key takeaways from AIESECers

In our increasingly complex and ambiguous world, where artificial intelligence challenges our human essence, we "older" youths can still lear valuable lessons from AIESECers as we strive to thrive:

Self-discovery > Self-Love > Self-Development

Mental health is such an important topic in corporate and education sectors alike. I loved AIESEC-HK's consistent approach at the Youth To Sustainability Summit, where AIESECers led local youth on a self-discovery journey.

To understand and design for the world, one must look within, and often times deep within, so we can empathise, be relatable, and be heartfelt (i.e. People-Centric).

Youth To Sustainability Summit, 2022 & 2024 (Hong Kong)

Strong Identity from being IN it & WITH it together

AIESEC has a unique aura that radiates through individual AIESECers, embodying a sense of 'We Are All Connected', a feeling of being 'IN It & WITH It-ness', and an attitude of 'No prob! Let's GO!' Don't we all wish to incorporate this spirit into our projects or careers?

Design Thinking for Sustainability & Gender Equality, January & April 2024 (Shenzhen & Beijing)

Can 'DO' & Get 'SHXT' Done

By 'DO' I don't mean simply 'doing'. They do the 'RIGHT' thing, not the 'Easiest' thing. By get 'SHXT' Done', they mean getting 'SHXT' that 'MATTERS' done for the people they care about and for a future they want to see.

Youth To Sustainability Summit, May 2022 (Hong Kong)

Reminders of Fundamentals to an 'Older' Youth

To stay relevant and have a positive impact on the planet and humanity, I think it is important to constantly reflect and ask ourselves, WHY are we here and WHAT do we LIVE for?

AIESEC keeps reminding me to ask myself these questions, everyday, on my purpose-led journey for youth development and higher education.