Alumnus experience: Tiia Stén

 By: Unknown    12:03  Alumnus experience, LC posts   No comments

Ever wondered what can AIESEC offer its members in the long run? Tiia Stén is an AIESEC alumnus, and this is what she had to say about working in LC Jyväskylä and how it's benefitted her in her studies, work and freetime!

"I joined AIESEC in 2006, the first year I started university. At first, my intention was to join a student organization as "an after school activity" and to meet new people in a new town. I got invited to an AIESEC info evening by the local committee president of that time, Ari Hautala, who convinced me in IRC that there was good food served at the event. However, soon after befriending like-minded AIESECers, AIESEC became like a part-time job and a second family to me, which I enjoyed.

Soon after in 2007 I got selected to the local committee executive board (EB) of AIESEC Jyväskylä 2007-2008 as the Human Resources & Development vice president (VP HR/D). At that time the concept of competences was trendy and rising in AIESEC. During the EB year I gained friends (who still are my best friends) and skills required for "running a small company", like the EB work almost was. During 2006-2010 I attended a countless number of national and international seminars, participated in organizing tens of projects and seminars throughout Finland, and worked as the alumni coordinator of AIESEC Jyväskylä and in the National Support Team of AIESEC in Finland.

The experiences and merits I have gotten in AIESEC have helped me numerous times later in my job and scholarship applications. The whole AIESEC experience I have had during my university years is unique and something I could have never experienced anywhere else. The friends I've gotten in AIESEC remain still after graduation, which is the thing I value the most of what the organization has given me. I don't think anyone can deny the power of connections all over the world - when travelling I always have someone to contact in different countries if I happen to need a place to stay. Reflecting on my own learning outcomes from AIESEC, I’ve noticed that now I am more open-minded, globally oriented and easily approachable than before. I am a kind of a Utopian.

I graduated as a M.Sc. (econ.) with Information Systems Science as my major in February 2013. Currently I am working on my Ph.D. as a doctoral student and project researcher in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at the University of Jyväskylä. My dissertation concerns globalization and innovation competence of professionals in the Information Systems field - a topic I began learning already in AIESEC. One of my thesis supervisor professors has also been in AIESEC in Germany during his university years, and I can say there truly are similarities in the mindsets of people who have been in AIESEC."

@SUCCESS seminar in 2008, LC Jyväskylä won the "LC Excellence Award of the year".
Our EB from the left: Toni Pienonen (VP ICX), Sami Vänskä (LCP), Heli Hietanen (VP OGX), and myself (VP HR/D) in the front. Our FC Ulla Leppänen is missing from the picture, but we all still love her!

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AIESECers' Experience: Anh Vu

 By: Unknown    07:26  AIESECers Experience, LC posts   No comments

More local AIESECer experiences coming your way! This time it's Amy's turn - read about her experience with us in LC Jyväskylä.

"My name is Anh Vu, but everyone has known me as Amy since I came to Finland to study. I originally come from Vietnam, a small but beautiful country in South-East Asia. I stepped on the plane to Finland in 2010 and since then, my journey has started and I can say that AIESEC is the biggest part of it.

Amy (center) with AIESEC friends

I joined AIESEC in June 2013 and it was because of one of my friends. She told me a lot about AIESEC and got me interested. At the fourth year of my studies, only doing my thesis I decided to join AIESEC in order to make more of my free time. I had no clue that AIESEC would later get me involved in a lot of awesome activities and that I would meet a lot of great people from the whole organization, from which I've learnt a lot. 

 

Sometimes there are questions I ask myself such as: What if I never knew about AIESEC? What if I never joined? Who would "AMY-WITHOUT-AIESEC" be? Every time I think about these questions, I realize how important AIESEC is becoming to me and my identity today. "Amy-before-AIESEC" was a shy girl who was afraid of expressing herself. I didn't have the guts to speak up about most things, I doubted myself and my abilities, and although I wanted to help people I didn't know how! 

Team meeting

I first joined AIESEC to be a member in Outgoing Exchange - Global Community Development Program (OGX - GCDP) team, the function of which is to attract and send as many volunteers abroad as possible. Being abroad, even just once in the lifetime, is definitely an important experience for everyone, and I think that going on exchange program with AIESEC is one of the best ways to make our student years super memorable. 3 months later I was becoming the team leader and the more I do, the more I learn, and the deeper I fall in love with how AIESEC is organized and working. 


The first month after joining AIESEC was a bit challenging for me because I had to get out of my comfort zone and gain the courage to interact with complete strangers due to my responsibilites in AIECSEC. Before I was very uncomfortable initiating conversations with strangers, but after a while I find it quite normal. 

Attending a conference

One special thing I like about AIESEC is that there are a lot of conferences where I can meet new people with the same ambitions and a lot of different interesting ideas and objectives to reach their goals. It's a great chance to go and learn new things, new skills, new ways of thinking and doing and simply enjoying a great atmosphere. And we'll never know which ones of those people will someday become important in our lives. 


 After a while in AIESEC, I've become more active and explored myself more and more. I've realized that our ability has no limit if we keep trying new things and talking to ourselves more. If we think we can do it, we will. The more we do, the more we get and the time in AIESEC has given me a lot of opportunities to improve and strengthen myself as well as my skills and competencies. I would never regret being in AIESEC and moreover I would want to stay within this organization for as long as possible. Everyday with AIESEC opens a new memorable and awesome challenge and experience."

Spending a fun, cozy evening together

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Team member recruitment: Why should I join?

 By: Unknown    05:43  LC posts   No comments

For recruiting new Team Members we've compiled a list of reasons why YOU should take the most out of your student years with us! These are anonymous thoughts of AIESECers past and present somehow affiliated with LC Jyväskylä. Check About Us and Our Projects for more practical info on us and what we do.

Social life
- enjoyable and meaningful time in-between and after school hours
- meeting new, awesome, motivated and ambitious people from around the world and different fields of study
- an international atmosphere
- global, national and local networking at conferences and online
- fun parties 
- learning languages and using them
- cultural exchange (- not to mention the unique AIESEC culture with it's quirks)
- flexible working schedules - we're all students here

Making a difference 

- chance to make a concrete difference in the world as well as on important issues in the Finnish society - act locally, influence globally
- valuable organization work
- helping people
- possibilities for volunteering and interning abroad 

Self-development, skills for the working world, benefits for the future
- lots of projects and teams to choose from that best support and develop your skills, area of study and interests
- clear plans and guidance for personal development
- developing and strengthening self-esteem/awareness, courage and public speaking 
- project planning and management, enterpreneurship
- taking responsibility in a safe environment  
- challenging your comfort zone
- practical experience
- learning team dynamics, communication and leadership skills
- finding your direction careerwise 
- establishing connections to people who might be important to your future career 
- conferences; interesting insight into the working world, goals and objectives and how to reach them
- many inspiring stories on how to be a charismatic leader
"After the first national conference my heart was sold for all the endless opportunities and experiences"

"Aiesec is not my work but my habit ;)"
"Jyväskylä is an exceptional LC where different types of ‘crazy and special’, but at the same time like-minded people meet generation after generation, work together to provide unforgettable times and internationalisation opportunities for students from all disciplines, and thus create lifelong friendships with people from all over the world."

"Sometimes there are questions on my mind, such as 'what if I never knew about AIESEC' and 'what if I never joined'. Who would I be now? Every time I ask myself these questions, I realize how important AIESEC is becoming to me."

"Working in AIESEC Jyväskylä brings me a feeling of being part of something important. I feel like I'm doing something meaningful and that my work is appreciated."

"I think that during my 2+ years here I have learned so much more than during 5 years of my studies. It´s the practicality that teaches the best!"

"Being a part of an AIESEC team has already taught me plenty about working in a project and how it all functions (e.g. finding funding and partners, planning the project and its content etc.). In AIESEC you can put all your skills into practical use."

"Nowhere else could I find such a practical chance for skill acquisition. After all, I truly think I can fly with my beloved Aiesecers’ encouragements."

 

Statistics about AIESEC alumni.
source: @AiesecinFinland on Facebook

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AIESECers' Experience: Sandra Jagić

 By: Unknown    06:38  AIESECers Experience, ICX, Kindergarten project   No comments

Sandra worked in the Kindergarten Project at Tenavat Myötätuulessa. Here are her experiences as an Exchange Participant in Finland. Check out this post to see what the Kindergarten thought of Sandra!

"So, my name is Sandra Jagić and I earned my Master's degree in psychology just recently. I live in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, but actually I come from the small village in east Croatia. Small village - big wishes I would say. My only wish during my student life was to travel...so I tried to do so. This program that I've heard of from people in AISEC Zagreb, Global Community Development, was ideal for me. I always wanted to go up north and I wanted to do something up there :) This time, at the very end of my studies I decided to do something for myself and just go, see what happens.

Kindergarten Project in Jyväskylä was my number one, from the beginning of my search (that lasted over a month, and yes, I was picky). I almost went to India! So I a had skype interview with Talvikki from AISEC Jyväskylä and waited for a few days until I got a confirmation letter and that was it! Why did I choose this project? I had a lot of experience with children, so I thought I could manage and I really wanted to go to Finland. It looked like the whole thing was well organised so I trusted them. Of course I thought it would be nice to say to my future employee that I've worked in kindergarten in Finland.
 

It was a hot summer, everybody in Croatia was going to the coast. My friends told I'm crazy, leaving the beach an the sun and going to Finland. ''It is winter out there''- my friends said. It's funny how we function according to stereotypes. I've heard that Finnish people are reserved, drink a lot of coffee and alcohol and have a bunch of crazy competitions like cellphone throwing?! Oh yes, Finland is also the home of Santa Claus, the one who walks in snow on postcards. I read a lot about Finland because I wanted to be prepared. Of course you can never really be prepared :)

I enjoyed working at the kindergarten where I was constantly reminded how great it is to be a kid. Some of the kids approached me right away, some later. I didn't really feel like a teacher or psychologist to them, we were friends, and I was one of them. When people here in Croatia ask me, ''but HOW did you talk to them?'', I don't know what to answer, because I just did. We communicated. They taught me more than I taught them! One time we were baking cookies with the children for grandparents' day and Laura [a co-worker] translated to me how Aapo, one sweet boy, told her he had dream about me. I was in his dream and I spoke Finnish. He asked himself, how is this possible - Sandra is speaking Finnish??!!. I think that is so sweet.

My co-workers were all really great to me. They didn't treat me as ''someone special'', I was just like one of them. I did almost everything that they did: played with the children, gave them food, took care of them, put them (and myself) to sleep at nap time, read them (in some undefined language in my case, which they liked), sang with them and all kinds of different things! Oh yes, we did a lot of creative work and even went treasure hunting! :)

My last day at the kindergarten was really bittersweet. The children made me a book of their drawings! I also got Moomin dishes. Those gestures were just beautiful. That day we sang, played, took some pictures, I gave them presents and each of them gave me a hug! I even cried a bit."

"There was one place in particular that I've wanted to visit since I came to Finland, Santa's village in  Rovaniemi. It is a small city up north, near the Artic circle. I planed to go alone by train - it was surely a long time to be alone, Lapland is so far away! In Rovaniemi I couchsurfed with a French girl called Marion, went hiking in the woods, met Santa, took a lot of pictures, saw the longest river in Finland: Kemijoki and just enjoyed my time! I really liked this little city.

What I loved about Jyväskylä, were the bike routes - you can go anywhere in so many ways. We don't have such things in Croatia. I enjoyed going to work by Saila's [host mother] bike, spending time on my own and thinking. one night around 11pm, I took my bike and went to the bridge. Everything was so peaceful and the city lights shone. I thought to myself: ''Who would have known, I'm in Finland on my own standing here on this bridge feeling so happy!'' I know it sounds funny, but that is THE feeling I like to have when I go somewhere.

What does Finland have that we in Croatia don't?

- forests and lakes, of course!

- flea markets and second hand shops, which I found very interesting

- recycling waste! You do it a lot more than us

- Salmon!

- Sports that I've never heard of, including sähly - (floorball) I played with people from work and some children's parents, I love it, I even scored one time!

- expensive alcohol

- chocolate that is almost good as ours ;)

What did I learn from all of this?

- I'm not afraid of being alone - in reality you always have someone to rely on, even far away

- I learned to be more brave and open, to let it go and see what happens

- I learned a lot about children and other people

- I've learned that communication does not mean words, you can say something in so many ways

- I also learned that Finnish and Croatian people are very similar

I would recommend this program for anyone who likes to travel, who enjoys working with children and just wants to experience a different little part of the universe, and see how they can change it - and return home truly happy" 

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Partnership experience: Kindergarten Tenavat Myötätuulessa

 By: Unknown    07:41  Kindergarten project, Partnership Experience   No comments

Now that the Kindergarten project has started up again with a new Exchange Participant it's a good time to reminiscence, reflect and look back a bit. Kindergarten Tenavat Myötätuulessa in Jyväskylä had an exchange participant from August until mid-September 2013. Here's what they had to say about the project and their feedback to both AIESEC Jyväskylä and EP Sandra. Sandra's own experience will follow up soon, stay tuned!

Compiled from staff experiences by Saila Raappana-Mäkelä. 

"At first we didn't really know what to expect from the project - we joined to gain cultural exchange and multiculturality into our kindergarten at least. It was the first time this project was conducted and we were all a bit nervous but also excited!

In the kindergarten our everyday life went smoothly. Language wasn't an issue at all - English became a means of communication effortlessly, and suddenly even the children knew how to say lots of things in English. Everyone spoke according to their own skill level and there was a lot of laughter. Many of the parents of the children talked to Sandra, and expressed their happiness over the fact that their children could experience a person from another country and make friends with her. Even today the kids say Sandra had fun games, their favourite was an elephant ballgame. The English songs have stayed, we still sing those with the kids. During the last week of her stay Sandra made Croatian baked goods with the children.

Our everyday in the host family went smoothly as well, Sandra stayed with my family for 5 weeks and one week in a customer's family. For us Sandra became like a daughter. In the evenings we talked a lot about children, families and the Finnish lifestyle in general. She didn't hesitate to ask questions and we laughed a lot - humour definitely brought us together. We baked karjalanpiirakka (karelian pie) together and often when I came home from work Sandra had prepared salad or baked something. She loved to go to the sauna, and whenever guests came over she blended in effortlessly. During her freetime Sandra spent time with some of our co-workers. Cycling around lake Jyväsjärvi was a memorable moment to one of our workers. Sandra's stay with us united us workers too, we for example visited each others' houses and did all kinds of things together.

Sandra was really independent and at the end had a lot of friends and things to do around Jyväskylä. Sandra even visited the Santa Clause village in Rovaniemi and brought back a picture of her with Santa! The children thought it was really exciting. 

We warmly recommend this unique experience to other kindergartens!"

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AIESECers' experience: Riku Lamberg

 By: Unknown    08:03  AIESECers Experience, LC posts   No comments

Interested in hearing more about team member experiences in LC Jyväskylä? Riku has been a member in LC Jyväskylä for almost a year now. For a few more weeks Riku is 23 years old and studies economics (accounting) for the third year. This is his experience in AIESEC Jyväskylä.

"When I joined, I had no idea what AIESEC Jyväskylä was all about. I just knew that it was some kind of international organization that sends people abroad. I thought that I would do an internship abroad someday, and that was one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to join AIESEC. Little did I know that AIESEC has a lot of different ways and practices that makes participation in AIESEC a lot more than just organizing internships. 

 

The first impression that I got from AIESEC was a bit odd because there were a lot of abbreviations that I did not understand, and also a lot of the people were from abroad so our spoken language was mostly English. I was interested in getting to know different companies from Jyväskylä so I joined the team that tries to get interns to come to companies in Jyväskylä, and I have not regretted that decision. I have attended many meetings with CEO´s from different companies and I feel like I am more comfortable in a professional situation such as a job interview. 

My time in AIESEC Jyväskylä has been rather challenging for me because of the limited amount of time that I have been able to give to this organization. This autumn was the busiest time of my life and it has not gotten easier in the spring. Even though I have not been able to be as active as many of the other members, it has not been an obstacle and I have been able to be a part of AIESEC Jyväskylä even if that means doing something just a few times a month. 

For me the best things in AIESEC are the other members and the interns that I have met during my rather short time as a member. I want to get to know other cultures and a good way is to meet a lot of people from around the world. Events such as Global Village (which is basically an event where people from many different countries make food from their home country) and many conversations with foreign students are awesome experiences that I will remember and maybe even miss a bit, when I have graduated, and think back to my years at the university."

For Riku AIESEC offers possibilities of networking, employment possibilities, gaining skills for the working world,  using English, learning about new cultures and meeting new people. It is possible to be a member even though as a student time is often very limited. Join AIESEC Jyväskylä and make the most out of your student years!

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Welcome to 2014!

 By: Unknown    11:31  LC posts   1 comment

New Year starts with a new exciting blog layout. Hopefully it's easier to navigate and find what you came for. Among other changes some new additions are info pages about us and our projects as well as contact information and direct links to our other online material. Some of it is still under construction, patience if everything doesn't work out right away! Also, please report any problems you encounter.

Our 2014 will kick off with Team Member recruitment where LC Jyväskylä seeks out more helping hands from JYU and JAMK to function in our Local Committee. Deadline for the TM recruitment applications is Jan 31st. AIESEC Jyväskylä is planning a bunch of recruitment and info events during the month of January, including campus cafés and info/movie evenings. Refer to our facebook page for up-to-date info on events.

Read our LC's posts here to find out what is it exactly that we do here in AIESEC Jyväskylä. Don't forget to refer to our blogposts on AIESEC events to find out what AIESEC has to offer, locally and globally. Get inspired and apply as a member!

In ICX our Kindergarten project will welcome it's second exchange participant at the end of this week - stay tuned for more material on Kindergarten project soon!

Comment on this post, contact us on Facebook or contact blog admin directly if you have any suggestions on what you would like to see on our blog in the future and what kind of changes would make it easier and more user friendly. With these news LC Jyväskylä wishes everyone good luck and loads of success for the upcoming year!

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