Friday, August 8, 2008
Insert Catchy Title Here
Hi guys, this is Dave , LCP AIESEC Austin posting to update everyone.
Things have been...... interesting over the past 24 hours. Right after the last post, a delegation from the AIESEC U.S. Summer Conference arrived and invited us to a "fishbowl" meeting at the Sheraton Hotel where Summer Conference is occuring at around 8 p.m.. The structure of the meeting as I understood it would be 2 members of the National Plenary, 2 members of the with MC, 2 representatives of the Summer Conference, and 2 open chairs for people to come in and out to ask questions. This meeting would also occur in front of all of the members of the Summer Conference. The delegation stressed that this would be an emotional conversation to air grievances and there would be no conversation about working together for the future of AIESEC U.S.
We replied that we would be glad to attend a meeting at the hotel, but that we wanted the conversation to be focused on creating working points and an action plan to support the future of AIESEC U.S. We recieved no reply until after 8 when we heard that the meeting had been pushed back to 10 p.m.
A group of AIESECers including me, Alex Artushin, Frederico Pires, Michelle Fakler, Andrew King, Thomas Wehner, and Amanda Browne, went to SC to represent ourselves as individuals and talk with everyone there and see what kind of work we could get accomplished. Unfortunately, many of the members of the Summer Conference were in a closed door meeting. We waited until about 11:00 p.m., and then left to continue our night AIESEC-style.
On a very personal note, I felt really bad for the people attending Summer Conference this year, especially those for which this was their first major AIESEC conference ever. In the hour I was at the hotel, I met with people from AIESEC St. Louis, Arizona, and Purdue, who had never been to an AIESEC conference before and seemed very concerned with what was occuring. The session that had been planned for the first night ended up never happening, and I believe that this is a bad start for what should have been one of the most amazing experiences of their life. Personally I didn't take AIESEC to heart until after I attended my first Summer Conference last year. The things I saw and experienced at that conference left a long-lasting impression on me that instilled the desire to be a leader and get more involved with AIESEC. I am worried that new AIESEC'ers will miss out on that experience.
Another thing that I want to add is that though the meeting Thursday night didn't happen, we still ardently wish to discuss the future of AIESEC U.S. with members attending the Summer Conference.
On Thursday night, we finished the National Plenary's AIESEC U.S. Compendium. This was an amazing group effort. Over Thursday night through Friday morning, many of the delegates to the National Plenary had to return home. I wish them the best of luck with their future and I would like to thank them for their important contributions.
This morning, there was an update to the July 4th letter posting on the myaiesec.net forums. In this update, an AIESEC alum was able to collect the signatures of 1,090 AIESEC alumni that supported the National Plenary's efforts. Click here to view it at the bottom of the thread.
I would also like to let everyone know that the Plenary is very excited about working with AIESEC International, the Board of Directors, AIESEC Alumni, the Global Plenary, and all of the AIESEC members around the U.S, for the development of this organization that we love.
If anybody has any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at dave.mohan@gmail.com or any of the other National Plenary members any questions you have about anything. Our work here has been open from the beginning and we would love to answer your questions.
Also, I highly advise people to come to Madison, Wisconsin at least once in their lives during the summer. It is amazing here.
Things have been...... interesting over the past 24 hours. Right after the last post, a delegation from the AIESEC U.S. Summer Conference arrived and invited us to a "fishbowl" meeting at the Sheraton Hotel where Summer Conference is occuring at around 8 p.m.. The structure of the meeting as I understood it would be 2 members of the National Plenary, 2 members of the with MC, 2 representatives of the Summer Conference, and 2 open chairs for people to come in and out to ask questions. This meeting would also occur in front of all of the members of the Summer Conference. The delegation stressed that this would be an emotional conversation to air grievances and there would be no conversation about working together for the future of AIESEC U.S.
We replied that we would be glad to attend a meeting at the hotel, but that we wanted the conversation to be focused on creating working points and an action plan to support the future of AIESEC U.S. We recieved no reply until after 8 when we heard that the meeting had been pushed back to 10 p.m.
A group of AIESECers including me, Alex Artushin, Frederico Pires, Michelle Fakler, Andrew King, Thomas Wehner, and Amanda Browne, went to SC to represent ourselves as individuals and talk with everyone there and see what kind of work we could get accomplished. Unfortunately, many of the members of the Summer Conference were in a closed door meeting. We waited until about 11:00 p.m., and then left to continue our night AIESEC-style.
On a very personal note, I felt really bad for the people attending Summer Conference this year, especially those for which this was their first major AIESEC conference ever. In the hour I was at the hotel, I met with people from AIESEC St. Louis, Arizona, and Purdue, who had never been to an AIESEC conference before and seemed very concerned with what was occuring. The session that had been planned for the first night ended up never happening, and I believe that this is a bad start for what should have been one of the most amazing experiences of their life. Personally I didn't take AIESEC to heart until after I attended my first Summer Conference last year. The things I saw and experienced at that conference left a long-lasting impression on me that instilled the desire to be a leader and get more involved with AIESEC. I am worried that new AIESEC'ers will miss out on that experience.
Another thing that I want to add is that though the meeting Thursday night didn't happen, we still ardently wish to discuss the future of AIESEC U.S. with members attending the Summer Conference.
On Thursday night, we finished the National Plenary's AIESEC U.S. Compendium. This was an amazing group effort. Over Thursday night through Friday morning, many of the delegates to the National Plenary had to return home. I wish them the best of luck with their future and I would like to thank them for their important contributions.
This morning, there was an update to the July 4th letter posting on the myaiesec.net forums. In this update, an AIESEC alum was able to collect the signatures of 1,090 AIESEC alumni that supported the National Plenary's efforts. Click here to view it at the bottom of the thread.
I would also like to let everyone know that the Plenary is very excited about working with AIESEC International, the Board of Directors, AIESEC Alumni, the Global Plenary, and all of the AIESEC members around the U.S, for the development of this organization that we love.
If anybody has any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at dave.mohan@gmail.com or any of the other National Plenary members any questions you have about anything. Our work here has been open from the beginning and we would love to answer your questions.
Also, I highly advise people to come to Madison, Wisconsin at least once in their lives during the summer. It is amazing here.
Labels: aiesec, madison, national plenary, summer conference, the Dream
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The Long Road
"And the sun has set
The sun will rise again"
-- Eddie Vedder
Coming to the end of this meeting, there remains a lot of work to do, but much work has been done. A draft of the compendium has been completed which all LCPs from all LCs should be receiving to review and provide feedback as I write this, if they haven't received it already. I understand that there is also another compendium written with the help of the (former) national staff, though I could be mistaken as to whether or not that draft is finished. Personally, I think it would be great if over the next few days all of the LCPs could look over both compendiums in order to compile one unified document.
Compendium writing aside, I feel there are bigger fish to fry at the moment in terms of keeping AIESEC US from going under. The leaders need to find out what our legal, federal, and financial obligations are. We need to figure out how to transition out of the EVP+ program; we need to figure out where we will be financially if and when we lose certain customers and contracts; we need to know what our responsibilities and liabilities are as a J-1 visa sponsor... the point is there are a lot of immediate organizational issues that we need to deal with still.
These next few weeks will be critical in getting that information and putting together a way of approaching each responsibility until the Board establishes the interim MC members. We all have so much passion and love for this organization, I know that we can all figure out how to handle these objectives and keep this organization going.
The past few days in Madison were pretty intense and frustrating at times. Now is not the time to play games and let our emotions cloud our judgement. Now is the time to face the reality of the situation we are in at this very moment and step up to the plate.
The sun will rise again"
-- Eddie Vedder
Coming to the end of this meeting, there remains a lot of work to do, but much work has been done. A draft of the compendium has been completed which all LCPs from all LCs should be receiving to review and provide feedback as I write this, if they haven't received it already. I understand that there is also another compendium written with the help of the (former) national staff, though I could be mistaken as to whether or not that draft is finished. Personally, I think it would be great if over the next few days all of the LCPs could look over both compendiums in order to compile one unified document.
Compendium writing aside, I feel there are bigger fish to fry at the moment in terms of keeping AIESEC US from going under. The leaders need to find out what our legal, federal, and financial obligations are. We need to figure out how to transition out of the EVP+ program; we need to figure out where we will be financially if and when we lose certain customers and contracts; we need to know what our responsibilities and liabilities are as a J-1 visa sponsor... the point is there are a lot of immediate organizational issues that we need to deal with still.
These next few weeks will be critical in getting that information and putting together a way of approaching each responsibility until the Board establishes the interim MC members. We all have so much passion and love for this organization, I know that we can all figure out how to handle these objectives and keep this organization going.
The past few days in Madison were pretty intense and frustrating at times. Now is not the time to play games and let our emotions cloud our judgement. Now is the time to face the reality of the situation we are in at this very moment and step up to the plate.
The Eve of the Conference
We have just returned from a meeting consisting of those members who have chosen to attend National Plenary and those who have been involved with LTM and subgroup. The meeting served as a means for certain individuals to vent frustration and to voice concerns for the future.
Many of the questions posed to the group remain unanswered due to the uncertainty of the current situation. I think it's promising that these leaders were able to come together and to hear each other out for the betterment of AIESEC.
The group came to a few conclusions, in my opinion. Firstly, we need to finish composing the compendium. Currently, the National Plenary has FIVE sections complete and ready for review, TWO which need more revision, and ONE to write. The amount of work we have been able to achieve frankly astounds me. We will focus tomorrow on the completion of this document.
Secondly, tomorrow Summer Conference begins. Conference planning cannot be compromised for the sake of our members who are attending and of international guests - namely the Omani AIESECers! They stopped by to visit during their tour of Madison.
Thirdly, we must concern ourselves with the transition of National Leadership, particularly with the selection of an MCP. The board of directors requested suggestions for MCP candidates, so we need to determine how to approach this issue.
A lot of work has yet to be done, but by considering what we have accomplished thus far I must admit I am rather optimistic for the coming days!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
A flurry of new developments has surfaced over the last twelve hours. Last night we heard news of happenings at the meeting at Subgroup. Clarification came via email and through conversations at LTM this morning.
Moving forward we are working to unify AIESEC with Madison's amazing summer climate as our backdrop. Borrowing words from Andrew King, we are all “cautiously optimistic” about the events that will follow these developments.
Coming back from lunch we have split into working groups. One will focus on delivering a conference for those who will be flying in to
Much has happened, but there is much more to come.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
We finished the meeting just before 6:00. On time! What's going on?
During the session we were successful in completing three out of eight sections of the compendium. This is an amazing success in my eyes because we seem to have settled into an efficient method of writing that both incorporates ideas from all of the members present and will allow us to finish in time.
It seems emotions are running high concerning the division of LTM and the National Plenary Meeting. There are a lot of rumors going around about the future of AIESEC US. I urge anyone who hears this news to take it with a grain of salt. As passionate people who are dedicated to the work we do, and hasty statements can cause a lot of emotional frustration. Don't let it get to you. We don't know enough to make any assumptions about what they mean.
We'll be posting more in the morning.
Right, now with Afghan food in our bellies and hookah to fuel us late into the night, we'll be working a little more to edit what we came up with during the day.
During the session we were successful in completing three out of eight sections of the compendium. This is an amazing success in my eyes because we seem to have settled into an efficient method of writing that both incorporates ideas from all of the members present and will allow us to finish in time.
It seems emotions are running high concerning the division of LTM and the National Plenary Meeting. There are a lot of rumors going around about the future of AIESEC US. I urge anyone who hears this news to take it with a grain of salt. As passionate people who are dedicated to the work we do, and hasty statements can cause a lot of emotional frustration. Don't let it get to you. We don't know enough to make any assumptions about what they mean.
We'll be posting more in the morning.
Right, now with Afghan food in our bellies and hookah to fuel us late into the night, we'll be working a little more to edit what we came up with during the day.
National Plenary Meeting, Morning August 5
Today, after fewer than two hours of sleep, we begin the first day of the National Plenary Meeting for AIESEC US. Fifteen dedicated AIESECers have driven through the night, bused all day, flown in from far off lands, and crowded on top of one another to sleep on a hardwood floor to represent eleven LCs to help change the future of our organization. More AIESECers will be arriving as the day/week continue to provide input and work together, unfortunately no representative of AIESEC US national staff has taken advantage of the opportunity to work together for a better AIESEC US. Still, we want to hear all sides and to be both inclusive and transparent.
We have all come into this meeting enthusiastic, even knowing that the road ahead of us will be not only uphill, but S-curved and slick, to ensure that AIESEC in the United States can represent a true form of AIESEC where all members work together, develop not only themselves but also one another, have the ability to change and shape the organization, freely and openly speak without fear of being "kicked out" and most importantly, impact the world as truly global leaders and individuals. We all believe that soon, nobody will be asking "What happened to AIESEC US" because we will be right there with you, changing the world.
Today marks the first day in my AIESEC US experience where I've seen hard work without having ideas suppressed, notes taken away, exclusion, or being told that they are in the "wrong forum to address ideas". On top of that, We are using legislative procedures (such as voting, for the first time in my experience with AIESEC US) to create a compendium. We have made an agenda, outlined our vision for the new AIESEC US , and have began putting this into a compendium, considering the ways to keep all included. Not only that, but we have kept morale high (something I've NEVER seen at a legislative meeting in @US) with the spirit of AIESEC and, of course, dancing.
We have all come into this meeting enthusiastic, even knowing that the road ahead of us will be not only uphill, but S-curved and slick, to ensure that AIESEC in the United States can represent a true form of AIESEC where all members work together, develop not only themselves but also one another, have the ability to change and shape the organization, freely and openly speak without fear of being "kicked out" and most importantly, impact the world as truly global leaders and individuals. We all believe that soon, nobody will be asking "What happened to AIESEC US" because we will be right there with you, changing the world.Monday, August 4, 2008
Pre-Meeting: The Gathering
I am sitting with six LCPs and proxies in a second-floor apartment in Madison, Wisconsin right now, and we are planning the future of @ in the United States.
Many moments, movements, and threads have led up to this occasion. I hope that if you are interested in what we are doing right now you have filled yourself in on the recent history of the situation on the ground for @ in the United States. What you see there is the bringing together of over ten years of history of the downfall of responsible governance and the abandonment to the global mission and vision of @. What we begin tomorrow is the start of a new era of a student-run organization which sticks unwaveringly to its global mission and nature.
It has taken many hours of trial, tribulation, triumph, setback, soul-searching, collaboration, reflection, planning, compromise, and dialogue to arrange our congress here in Madison. We have chosen it for these dates and in this place, specifically because the sanctioned Leadership Team Meeting of the organization's established leadership core is set for the same time in the same city. The national staff have been invited to be a part, and we regret that we have not received a positive RSVP from them. This is an area in which we must work together. But we cannot be a part of the old way which places an undue burden upon students in the form of confidential non-disclosure agreements and promotes ideological coherence in place of a plurality of opinion. We are taking it back to the roots - 60 years ago, students from nine countries did things by and of themselves. We are their heirs and successors.
This is too important to stop for division. We have reached a crucial moment not only here in the United States, but by association for the whole global network. What does it mean to have an @ eXperience? How much is student-run leadership a necessary part of said XP? In the interest of the core, persistent and pervading mission of @ is an extra-judiciary action by the expected leadership of the national organization called for and valid?
My own personal journey - and answer - involves just what the worth of this network is in the first place. One of the beauties of the network is that even experiences like these, which do not immediately focus on generating exchange or a sponsored leadership experience, are experiences in growth and leadership nonetheless. I and many other students have taken a great part of ourselves and dedicated it to something we believe in, not for our own sake but for the future. That makes us truly alive, and it makes us leaders, great or small.
I quote an alumnus who led @ in the US decades ago in describing our situation:
While you are learning a lot in school, you are learning lessons now that will impact the rest of your life.
So I invite you to visit this space over the coming week to be a part of what we learn and what we create. We will update this space approximately once every eight hours with what is going on here in Madison. Stay tuned!
Many moments, movements, and threads have led up to this occasion. I hope that if you are interested in what we are doing right now you have filled yourself in on the recent history of the situation on the ground for @ in the United States. What you see there is the bringing together of over ten years of history of the downfall of responsible governance and the abandonment to the global mission and vision of @. What we begin tomorrow is the start of a new era of a student-run organization which sticks unwaveringly to its global mission and nature.
It has taken many hours of trial, tribulation, triumph, setback, soul-searching, collaboration, reflection, planning, compromise, and dialogue to arrange our congress here in Madison. We have chosen it for these dates and in this place, specifically because the sanctioned Leadership Team Meeting of the organization's established leadership core is set for the same time in the same city. The national staff have been invited to be a part, and we regret that we have not received a positive RSVP from them. This is an area in which we must work together. But we cannot be a part of the old way which places an undue burden upon students in the form of confidential non-disclosure agreements and promotes ideological coherence in place of a plurality of opinion. We are taking it back to the roots - 60 years ago, students from nine countries did things by and of themselves. We are their heirs and successors.
This is too important to stop for division. We have reached a crucial moment not only here in the United States, but by association for the whole global network. What does it mean to have an @ eXperience? How much is student-run leadership a necessary part of said XP? In the interest of the core, persistent and pervading mission of @ is an extra-judiciary action by the expected leadership of the national organization called for and valid?
My own personal journey - and answer - involves just what the worth of this network is in the first place. One of the beauties of the network is that even experiences like these, which do not immediately focus on generating exchange or a sponsored leadership experience, are experiences in growth and leadership nonetheless. I and many other students have taken a great part of ourselves and dedicated it to something we believe in, not for our own sake but for the future. That makes us truly alive, and it makes us leaders, great or small.
I quote an alumnus who led @ in the US decades ago in describing our situation:
While you are learning a lot in school, you are learning lessons now that will impact the rest of your life.
So I invite you to visit this space over the coming week to be a part of what we learn and what we create. We will update this space approximately once every eight hours with what is going on here in Madison. Stay tuned!
Labels: aiesec, madison, national plenary, the Dream
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