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Solidarity Now!

By Michelle Gallant, Canada

Cheers from the crowd at Global Village in the centre of Warsaw.

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From beneath her black covering all but Kristina's eyes showed. People stared. Some looked at her with curiosity while others felt she didn't belong. A few stood in line to have their picture taken with her.

Dressed like many women from Qatar-the country where she currently lives and works-Kristina Janjic of Austria was participating in Global Village, part of the annual International Congress organized by AIESEC (a youth leadership development organization) held in Warsaw, Poland last August.

Janjic was one of over 800 AIESEC members participating in the event. Currently the President of AIESEC's Expansion Initiative in Qatar, Janjic is responsible for leading a team of primarily Qatari youth in establishing AIESEC in her country.

"Instead of 'Solidarity for the future,' it should be 'Solidarity for the NOW'. You are agents of change." -Pierre Giardier

This was the first Global Village for Qatar, which officially joined the AIESEC network as an extension initiative in 2006, along with Bahrain. AIESEC, the world's largest student organization, brought its network of over 95 countries together to showcase traditional food, drink and indigenous attire from participating countries. Enabling the public to "travel the world in a few hours," the event was intended to celebrate diversity and build cultural understanding - some of AIESEC's core organizational values.

"Qatar has one of the fastest growing economies in the world," said Janjic. "Currently Qatar is in a transformation stage from a former pearl-fishing centre to a business centre. In a time of such challenges AIESEC's contribution can add tremendous value by developing leaders the society desperately needs - leaders, who are able to guide the country through the transformation process and take it to the next level."

This year's Global Village congress was attended by over 150 supporters of AIESEC, including Lech Walesa, the former President of Poland (1990-1995). The founder of the Solidarity Movement in Poland, Walesa spoke to AIESEC's members from around the world about Solidarity for the Future. Walesa was joined by the CEO of Bank PEKAO S.A. Jan Krzysztof Bielecki and Richard Baird, Global Managing Partner, Pricewaterhouse Coopers who kicked off a day of panel discussions and workshops in Education, Finance, Corporate Social Responsibility, HIV/AIDS and Energy.

"It has just been an incredible experience to listen to the wisdom of two incredible political and corporate leaders," commented Oksana Arkhypchuk of Ukraine who is currently part of a team establishing AIESEC activities in Jordan. "I feel so moved and inspired by their words and actions."

AIESEC's Learning Networks Day brought students together with politicians and NGO's in an exchange of ideas, inquiries and experiences. "Remarkable is the openness from everyone to speak up," said Hans van Gendt, Senior Vice President of ABN AMRO. "There are no barriers and that is important for Learning Networks. People need to accept different opinions. One of the major elements to bring this forward is the respect we need to have for the other person wherever they come from, with different opinions and ways of presenting their ideas."

While those in attendance understood the need for cooperation and tolerance between different cultures to ensure a better future Pierre Giardier of World Bank felt that the conference needed a new name. "Instead of Solidarity for the future,' it should be called ‘Solidarity for the NOW'. We are counting on these leaders to become key actors in the fight against HIV/AIDS. You are agents of change."

AIESEC offers young people from all around the world an international platform to discover and develop their potential and have a positive impact on society. With 22,000 members in over 800 universities worldwide it is a microcosm of the leaders of tomorrow. Offering over 5000 leadership opportunities each year to facilitate its Global Internship Program, which sees the exchange of over 4000 students each year to live and work in another country, AIESEC is an organization that activates leaders, creating a culture of change agents for the future.