Coming Full Circle

The time was approaching midnight, and all of the executive boards of AIESEC Macedonia were sitting around the room, at a row of tables configured like a U.  We were in the middle of a legislative meeting, and one of the procedural motions was slated to be addressed.  It read, “Motion for AIESEC Prilep to regain its status as a Full Voting Member.”  This motion was procedural, since we met all of the requirements to regain our status and no longer be “under threat”.  This moment was a culmination of how hard our committee worked over the past year to preserve our membership status in AIESEC Macedonia.  As I looked over at our counterparts, I noticed that one of them was crying tears of joy.  Seeing her cry now reminded me of the time she cried over a year ago at MILDs, when it was announced that LC Prilep was in danger of being shut down.

It was at this year’s PLANCO, which took place on July 10-14 in Koradzica near Skopje, that my Peace Corps experience with my organization had come full circle.  It seems like a fleeting memory that I had feared that I would need to switch organizations if AIESEC Prilep were to shut down.  Now, AIESEC Prilep has emerged from an impending doom and is on an upward path to becoming more active and successful in its operation.  

Strategizing made easier by the the beautiful view of the mountains

It was also here that I finally felt that I was leaving AIESEC Prilep.  From the beginning of PLANCO, it was announced that I would work with AIESEC Tetovo.  This made sense since my participation in all of the workshops would be geared toward strategizing for AIESEC Tetovo’s year ahead.  However, with no current members in the Local Committee, no contact with the university, and no idea about the mindset of the students or the corporate climate in Tetovo, all of the numbers and projects that I planned were, in many ways, shots in the dark.  I only had my experience with AIESEC Prilep to guide me.

After participating in every session, which pertained to almost every functional area, I realized that my role in AIESEC Tetovo was less Talent Management Team Leader, which is my official title, and more of the Specialized Unit President, which in a way organizes and manages every functional area of the LC.  A lot of my success will also depend on the success of the member recruitment and education, which will occur when I am technically still a Peace Corps volunteer for AIESEC Prilep (and still living in Prilep).  My hope is that I can transfer many of the responsibilities to the newly recruited members by December.  Therefore, the first few months will be challenging and crucial for the successful existence of the LC. 

 My motivation and decision to work with AIESEC Tetovo was also reinforced by our work in PLANCO.  After attending three national conferences and two planning conferences, I have witnessed how much AIESEC Macedonia and all of its Local Committees can achieve with time.  LC Prilep has emerged from a threat of being shut down, Stip has accomplished the unexpected in its first year of existence, and all of the LCs are bonding together for a shared cause.  The missing piece of the puzzle is AIESEC Tetovo.  Albanians constitute about a quarter of the population of Macedonia, and without a major presence in AIESEC Macedonia, this organization does not fully represent the voice of the youth of this country. 

Macedonia is also terribly separated by ethnicity in every general sense.  Students have the option to study in either Albanian or Macedonian (without learning the other language), and many ethnic communities segregate themselves, creating a bifurcated society.  Even though cities like Kumanovo and Skopje are diverse with Macedonians and Albanians, the barriers they have built within society prevents the youth from interacting with and learning about each other.  A few Peace Corps secondary projects are designed to integrate the two communities through activities, including Macedonian MUN, YMLP and GLOW, and the Spelling Bee.  But these secondary projects are fleeting moments, and many students do not build dependable relationships with students of other ethnicities and from other towns.

AIESEC serves as a great opportunity to bring the youth of Macedonia together due to its inherent values and its operations.  Students in university are at a major crossroad in their life, as they are finalizing their education and preparing themselves for their careers.  While high school students still hold onto the hope of a bright future, university students feel the pressure to realize that hope.  Thus, students who join AIESEC are ready to develop their selves and their backgrounds into the professionals that they wish to become.  AIESEC promotes certain values, like “living diversity” and “striving for excellence”, and it operates in a business-like process.  Through these values and through its operations, AIESEC has been able to connect young leaders from all over the globe.  So at a simpler level, AIESEC has the potential to connect young leaders from different ethnic backgrounds within Macedonia.  If AIESEC can connect young leaders from far-away places like Brazil and India, then it should be easier to connect young leaders within Macedonia, albeit of a different ethnic background.

AIESEC Macedonia leadership on its descent from the conference

All of this will not have potential if I do not succeed in building AIESEC Tetovo, especially during the autumn months.  Fortunately, through my work with LC Prilep, I have already experienced the challenges and potential strategies of building an AIESEC organization from the ground up.  My remaining months through Peace Corps are not expected to be easy.  But I did not extend to enjoy my time, but rather, to try to create an impact that helps bridge a gap in Macedonian society.