National Strategic Conference 2010

National Strategic Conference, or NSC, is the last conference of the year, held towards the end of October or beginning of November. This year, it is being hosted by AIESEC Pune. The delegates for this conference include the leadership bodies from 23 cities in India, and members that constitute the leadership pipeline of, not only the local chapters, but also of AIESEC India as a whole.

This year, however, is different. The reason for this is that this conference is not just another NSC, and why it is so pivotal to AIESEC India is because of what we call Vision 2015. Every five years, AIESEC creates a long term plan for the next five years, and envisions an ambitious end goal at the end of this period. This year, 2010, marks the coming of a new vision. It is at this conference that the smartest young minds in India get together for 5 days packed with an agenda that focuses solely on creating a future for AIESEC India that will impact the entire country for a much more positive societal change through providing a platform for the young, budding entrepreneurs to take forward their ideas and dreams for their country.

At National Strategic Conference 2010, we will be having the likes of Google, LinkedIN and Tata Consultancy Services coming to the Golden Pond Resort in Silvassa to address the delegates of the conference.

 OUR PARTNERS

 For NSC 2010, AIESEC Pune has partnered with:

 

Cesar Dantas - Trainee Case Study

This is César Dantas, from AIESEC Campinas, Brazil, and since July 2009 I am living in an incredible country called India! Now I am writing about my experience in Pune and about my work experience. I hope it can help you to take the right decision for you future!

Maybe you are asking yourself: why India? For Brazilians, India definitely is a different world, no doubt. India is amazing, but unfortunately many people just can see the barriers that living here could bring to them. On the other hand, if you are a person that is willing to discovery a new world, ideas and new ways to drive the life, India is the right choice for you, and the barriers, believe me,
will be just a small dust. After some time living in India I figured out some similarities between Brazil and India, as different people living together, colors of the clothes, mixture of religions and so on. For sure, now the Indian culture is part of me.

And a part from the culture, Indian economy is growing very fast, as Brazilian, and it is very
interesting for us, Brazilians, to pay attention in what is going on here. A country with many issues
to be solved, much more than in Brazil, is a huge challenge for local governments and private
companies in trying to develop this country. Working in India definitely brings to us a new vision
about what is development and how to face thousands of obstacles. Business between Brazil and
India tend to increase year by year, therefore I recommend come to India in order to give a boost
to your carrier. An Indian experience can be the differential in your CV that you are looking for.

MY EXPERIENCE IN PUNE

Pune is one of the best cities in India to live, definitely. Under a fast development, many
opportunities and quality of life you can find there. Many international students are living along with
students from different cities in India (and countries), what makes Pune an amazing city to live and
full of funny moments!

You are going to go out at night with Brazilians, Germans, Iranians, French, Polish and others,
travel many times to Mumbai to have fun or enjoy the night life there, and travel to many places
nearby Pune during the weekends (and everything is very cheap!).


If you are coming to Pune and want more information, please feel free to contact me.
My e-mail address is cesardol@gmail.com.

See you in Pune!

Aakriti Bhargava - Case Study

Aakriti Bhargava
Vice President Talent Management
AIESEC Pune

Aakriti is 21 years old, studying in Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (undergraduate), Pune, a student just like you.

This is her story.

I was a student of Business Administration when I decided to apply to AIESEC, an organization I had heard about but didn’t really know what was in it for me. AIESEC changed my life as it was more that what I ever imagined. 

I started my journey in AIESEC as a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility team in the Corporate Sector. After gaining a lot of knowledge of the corporate sector, I became team leader of the CSR project. I also initiated a project on Emerging Markets. That was my first real leadership experience where I gained skills, learnt to accept failure and work as a team. 

I then moved to the development sector for a more diverse experience in AIESEC. I was made team leader of the Children Issues project. I went on the lead the Development and Education Sector of AIESEC Pune for the year 2009. Today, I am handling the portfolio of Talent Management for my local committee.

AIESEC has helped me change as an individual. I am a more confident person today through my interactions with Corporates, NGOs and educational institutes. I have learned the importance of professionalism, punctuality and integrity. I am passionate, driven and focused and have learned to recognize my strengths and weaknesses. After working on various social issues, I have become more sensitive and believe that my actions can make a difference. 

Through my experience in AIESEC, I learned to relate my theoretical knowledge to practical application and have had first hand experience in marketing, HR and event management. I have also met people from diverse cultures and have made friends all over the world through the AIESEC network.

Project FOOTPRINTS - Event Report

AIESEC in Pune witnessed its largest and most memorable Learning event and Field Trip over the past weekend.  The event was organized by the development sector in coordination with Naomi, a Swedish intern from AIESEC in Pune who has been working for the Youth League Recreation Centre (YLRC), a residential school  situated in Buldhana, a district in Mahahrashtra , approximately 425 km away from Pune. She has been working for this organization for the past 6 months .This field trip gave an opportunity for 21 underprivileged boys from YLRC to come down to Pune to experience an unforgettable educational trip.

DAY 1
AGENDA
 

- Visit to the Katraj Zoo
- Visit to Aga Khan Palace
- Visit to Chokhi Dhani Cultural Centre

The boys accompanied by Naomi arrived in Pune at around 6:00am on Friday, the 19^th of March in two jeeps which would also be transporting them around the city for the next two days. Arrangements had been made by AIESEC in Pune for them to reside in the Club House of a housing society in Aundh, Pune. Refreshed after catching up on a few more hours of sleep, the boys along with a few AIESECers and Naomi paid a visit to the Katraj Zoo. They spent the rest of the morning and afternoon observing the animals there.

Following that, at 3:00pm, the boys reached Aga Khan Palace, the place where Mahatma Gandhi was kept under house arrest in the 1940’s. Aga Khan Palace also holds the memorials of Gandhiji’s wife, Kasturba Gandhi and his secretary, Mahadev Desai who died while under house arrest in this very palace. On arrival at the palace, they were provided with lunch. This was followed by a motivational lecture which took place on the sprawling lawns of the palace by a Pune based teacher, Mrs. Vibha Singh who encouraged them to fulfill their dreams and presented to them the limitless career options which lay in store for them. Next the boys were taken to the museum inside the palace where they viewed the extensive collection of pictures and items from important incidents in Gandhiji’s life including many of his personal items.  They took keen interest in this as they were aware of the life of Mahatma Gandhi and his involvement in India’s Freedom struggle.

Subsequently, in the evening, the boys were taken to Chokhi Dhani, an ethnic Rajasthani village themed resort. All meals and activities in the resort were sponsored by Choki Dhani itself. It was here that they came to learn of a whole new ethnicity and background apart from the one that they knew of and lived in Buldhana.  They got to experience Rajasthani food, snacks, drinks, music, dances, puppet shows, rituals and traditions. The boys participated in all the activities that they could, pulling Naomi along with them from Ferris wheel to the other rides, and magic shows to getting temporary tattoos. They also played in the huge park there. After working out an appetite, they had a filling, unlimited Rajasthani meal. Full and thoroughly exhausted after their first day in the city, the boys returned to the club house for the night. The first day of the learning event was exceptionally successful, for both the children and the AIESECers as they got a glimpse into each other’s worlds and a learnt plenty in just a day. The boys had the best learning experience and simultaneously enjoyed themselves.

DAY 2
AGENDA
 
- Visit to the Pune Blind School
- Visit to a mall
- Movie screening - 3 Idiots

The next day started at 9:00 am with breakfast at the club house. The boys were then treated by Naomi to their first burgers, French fries and coke from McDonald’s. They then left for the Pune Blind School for an introduction to Braille and interaction with the students there. Here, the teachers took them to each department within the school to demonstrate how the children learn how to dance, play musical instruments, read etc. The boys got an opportunity to interact with the blind children in their scouting activities where they helped them to dig and carry heavy items across the field.

After an enriching experience at the blind school, they visited Pune’s Kakade Mall where they devoured ice creams and took a look at all the branded stores within the mall.

In the evening, the boys were taken to AIESEC in Pune’s president, Varun Avasthi’s house, where the Hindi movie “3 Idiots” was screened for them since they were really eager to watch it. At the same time they got a chance to meet the current Executive Body and other members who came to watch the movie and interact with them. Then they had dinner and went back to the club house for the night.

It was this day that the boys realized how privileged they are after meeting the children from the blind school and how grateful they should be for what they have. 

DAY 3
AGENDA
- Visit to Sinhagad Fort
- Visit to Pune University
-Visit to Big Cinemas (mall and arcade)

On the morning of the last day, the boys visited the historically significant Sinhagad fort on the outskirts of Pune. Halfway up to the fort by car, they stopped to have snacks. After this they trekked right to the top and explored around the fort and enjoyed the breath taking view from the top. In the afternoon, they left the fort and stopped at a restaurant to have lunch on the way back to the city. After this, they arrived at the Pune University where it had been arranged for Poonam Mahapure, a resident of the University to give them a tour and show them each department in the university. This also made them more aware and knowledgeable about the vast career options available to them in the future. After an educational afternoon at the University, the boys were taken to Big Cinemas, a mall and multiplex theatre in the city where they were given 20% discount on all the games in the video game arcade. They were thoroughly entertained and amused and couldn’t get enough of the games.

At night, they were treated to Dominoes pizzas, their fist pizzas ever! They also interacted with the AIESECers in charge of the planning and organization of the event and gave their feedback regarding the field trip, after which they bid their good bye’s and immediately left back for Buldhana.

The event was an achievement thanks to the precise and excellent planning on the part of the DT department, changing the world, one child at a time.

Internship with L&T Infotech 2008 – Daniel Brath, Denmark:

There can be identified several different reasons for people to go on an internship and I guess people have very different reasons to put the studies on stand by and challenge themselves through a professional experience such as an internship abroad. My own reasons to go were both personal and professional. I had just finalised my Bachelor degree in Political science and need a break from the books before entering the final stage of my education. Second reason was connected to a lacking knowledge and professional experience which I needed to choose the right master program and to find out what I actually could do in my future career. I was well aware of the fact that my internship might not provide me with a complete picture but it might guide me or at least show me some of the work roles that you find in companies. Finding out what you don’t want to do can even be a very useful and educational learning to gain from an internship. The professional experience: The professional part of my internship at L&T Infotech was perhaps the most challenging experience I met in India. I was to work with business development in an IT company which seems quite far away from Political science. Further more the daily work would be conducted in cooperation with only Indians located partly in Pune and partly in Denmark and Sweden. The core work I was doing with L&T Infotech was marketing, sales and strategy work focused on Scandinavia. The working experience showed me that there is a huge gap between knowing the theories in the books and actually solving the problems in a real company, dealing with real issues, real people, real money and not least dealing with an entirely new industry. All these challenges both culturally and professionally made this internship extremely valuable to me and I would almost say I learned as much more during those 5 months as I have done during my Bachelor. At least the character of knowledge I gained in Pune is something I can use the rest of my career and something that for sure will give me a head start compared to those who “only” do the books!! At the end of my internship I was given a very interesting opportunity by the company. I was given the opportunity to work with the company from their Copenhagen office while completing my master studies at Copenhagen Business School. Since my master program is focused on how multinational companies act on a global market this opportunity was almost tailored to me and something that has made this internship even more valuable for me and even for my future career. I have also been offered to write my master thesis with the company so the impact of the internship actually goes far beyond those 5 months. The personal experience: When I decided to go to India I knew that this internship would give me a personal experience. I have earlier travelled in South America and seen cultures completely different from the Danish. From the very first day I spend in Pune I could see that this was going to be a very challenging experience on a personal level. India is so different from what we know in Europe. The similarities between India and Europe are almost non-existing which demands quite some tolerance and cultural understanding to be able to adapt and enjoy the culture. Cultural understanding has been around as a concept for quite some years but it is actually becoming increasingly important to gain cultural understanding as the interaction between Europe and India or China is increasing. Gaining understanding of the Indian culture is therefore essential for our future interaction with the country. Having stayed in lived in India I can see that there are many areas where we differ significantly. Level of hierarchy in any social setting or organization, way of communication, religion and personal values in general, the role of work in life. I could go on forever. Actually you really have to search to find the similarities between India and Denmark but I guess that might just have been the main reason why I found India so incredibly interesting. My internship with L&T Infotech was from a professional point of view a very good experience. I got challenged in all the ways I was hoping but I certainly also got challenged in ways I would never have imagined. I can therefore say with confidence that I got more out of my internship that I could have hoped for.

TRAINEE CASE STUDY

Here's the case study of Kim, who had come to Pune as an intern in the Footprints project to work with the NGO named Youth League Recreation Centre

Only 3 days remaining and then I will leave Buldhana. What an experience it has been.. Buldhana is a backward area in Maharashtra, India. I have been the only Trainee here, so that means that I was the only foreigner in Buldhana. The attention could be overwhelming at some occasions, but overall I could deal with it very well. My work involved 2 distinct social welfare organizations. The first is the Youth League Recreation Centre (YLRC) which consists of a primary school, high school, junior college and kindergarten. Furthermore there is a backward class boys’ hostel for approximately 140 children. I mainly focused my attention on these boys as they are part of your daily life, while living on the same campus. These boys are aged 10 to 16 years. Their background is basic and poor. Most parents are farmers. Some boys are very bright and speak good English. Past figures have shown that most boys pass their 10^th class exams. But what happens then? Most parents do not have knowledge about any college opportunities or just want their son to work on the fields. I believe that the role of the trainee is to inspire these boys and give them information about further study possibilities. To accomplish this aim I have organized a study trip to Pune for 15 hostel boys. Not only was the stay in Pune a great experience, but a visit to an engineering college really opened their eyes about their own prospects. The trip to Pune was an overall success and there will follow more, hopefully. Furthermore I organized leisure activities as cycling trips to Ajanta and Shegaon, dancing parties, a quiz night and a creative project. The contact with the boys is very nice and it is fun to interact about each other’s cultural differences, as there are many between HollandIndia. and

The second welfare organization is the Love Trust for Indian Children in Need. As the name already states, this is a lovely organization that takes care of unwanted children and unwed mothers. Unwed mothers can stay in the mother care center for a few months and deliver the baby free of charges. The baby will be nursed at the baby care center. After 2 months the babies are free for adoption. Abandoned children till the age of 6 years can also stay in the Love Trust. The main aim of the Love Trust is to find a family for these unwanted children. In last 10 years 255 children have gone for adoption. As a Trainee you can help a hand with caring for the babies. The interaction with the aayas, nurses, in the Love Trust is great and they will try to involve you with their work as much as possible. To raise awareness for the Love Trust, it is important to visit nearby village doctors and give information about the work that is been done. As a Trainee, it means a lot if you attend these doctor visits, the experience of seeing real Indian living standards in the villages is eye-opening. Above organizations are run by the lovely Agashe family. They speak well English and will always be a helping hand for you. A Trainee has her/his own room with bathroom and toilet. There’s even a cook who will prepare real Indian food for you daily. The accommodation is basic, but nice and clean.

Personally, coming to India has been the best decision I have ever made in my life. It has been a wonderful experience and I can really recommend the Traineeship.