CAIRO - Although he still a student in the Faculty of Political Science in the industrial nation of South Korea, 25-year-old Won Jang chose to do his internship in Egypt, after deciding to visit the Middle East and focus on human rights. Won, whose internship has been provided by the AIESEC Egypt, is finding living in Egypt to be a great cultural experience, although the culture is very different from that in his own country. "Being in Egypt, which is a member of AIESEC global network and one of the best performing countries in the Middle East, is a good opportunity, especially since the huge democratic changes Egypt currently witnessing since the revolution," Won told the Egyptian Mail. Won has joined one of AIESEC's four projects in Egypt, called Horreya, which is established in partnership with the non governmental organisation (NGO) Hoqook.com, for which a number of Egyptian human rights researchers and 15 journalists involved in the same field are working. Joining Hoqook.com has given Won the chance to meet with different journalists, lawyers and activists, and to see what they're hoping for their future in Egypt. Kareem Azayem, 24, said that AIESEC is an international platform to promote the principle of leadership for Egyptian students who have obtained international internships, allowing them to witness diversity in culture. "This global association was established after World War II, with the main aim of promoting peace between people all over the world and decreasing the hatred between nations," Kareem, a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine and a member of the Non-Corporate Incoming Exchange Sector, AIESEC Cairo University, told this paper. The association's basic aim is to build leadership among young Egyptians, making them more aware of their community requirements. In AIESEC Egypt, the exchange of cultures is stressed. The five local committees in AIESEC Egypt are working in Cairo University, the American University in Cairo (AUC), the German University in Cairo (GUC), AAST Alex, and Arab Academy for Science and Technology (AAST Cairo). In a world that has become a global village, non-profit and community development organisations are working individually in the local community to empower the principles of leadership, management, responsibility and planning among Egyptian students. The global network AIESEC, which is based in The Netherlands, stands for Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (International Association of Students in Economic and Business Science). AIESEC International Exchange Program is designed to give individuals the opportunity to spend time on an internship in another country to gain a different perspective and to gain skills that will enable this participant to take this experience with them throughout their life. The global network offers internships to university student or recent graduate from 1.5 months to 1.5 years in any of our partner countries. AIESEC Egypt was founded in 1974 by professor Heba Nassar, the current vice-president for Community Service and Development Affairs;the activities of AIESEC Egypt in that time was sending groups to some countries in Europe to recieve trainings and back again in two to three weeks In 2010, AIESEC Egypt got the highest performing country in the Middle East and North Africa region along with ranked as one of the first 20th in the global ranking of the 110 countries. Also, it achieved 360 exchanges (incoming and outgoing) in this year with more than 200 per cent absolute growth. Such skills are rarely found in Egypt, where the educational public system has been strangled by red tape. According to Kareem, about 110 countries are members of AIESEC International; in each country, there is LCs (Local Committees), responsible for organising internships. "In AIESEC Cairo University, with about 120 members, around 60 exchange internships have been provided for both Egyptian and foreign students," explained Kareem, adding that about 1,000 students have done an exchange, which literally means the exchange of culture, education and experience at the international level. The Egyptian student members are not just looking for internships abroad, as they also want to help their country. To this end, four projects have been launched by the non-corporate sector in AIESEC Cairo University that was founded two years ago. The projects are Horreya (Freedom), MaD (Make a Difference), Bader (Initiate) and Delleny (Guide Me). "My study is accounting and finance, I didn't have any experience at the begining in marketing, dealing with international organisations or leadership," says Omar el-Fakhrany, vice-president of external relations in AIESEC Cairo University. Omar added that he started his experience with AIESEC as a member till he reached his post, a case he thought is a great experience that he gained in a brief time, compared with any fresh graduate who worked in the same field. "The leadership opportunities offered by AIESEC corporate sector give our members a distinct advantage over their student peers in the eyes of potential employers. Employers place great value on the leadership and practical experience that our members develop while participating in and managing our programs," added el-Fakhrany.
