# The AIESEC Way The AIESEC Way is the foundation of everything AIESEC does. It connects the organization's vision, values, leadership development model, and exchange experiences into a single coherent framework. Understanding The AIESEC Way is essential for every member — it explains not just what AIESEC does, but why. ## Vision **Peace and fulfilment of humankind's potential.** This vision has guided AIESEC since its founding in 1948. The organization believes that developing leadership in young people and exposing them to cross-cultural experiences creates a generation capable of building a more peaceful and sustainable world. ## The 6 Core Values AIESEC's six core values define how members are expected to behave — toward each other, toward exchange participants, and toward external partners. | Value | What it means in practice | | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Striving for Excellence** | We aim for the highest quality in everything we do. We learn from mistakes and continuously improve. | | **Demonstrating Integrity** | We are consistent and transparent. We do what we say and we say what we mean. | | **Activating Leadership** | We lead by example. Every member — regardless of title — takes initiative and ownership. | | **Living Diversity** | We learn from the different ways of life and opinions represented in our multicultural environment. | | **Enjoying Participation** | We create a dynamic environment through active and enthusiastic participation. | | **Acting Sustainably** | Our decisions and actions take into account the needs of future generations. | {% hint style="info" %} The core values are not just aspirational statements. They are used in recruitment interviews, performance reviews, and conference reflections. You will hear them referenced regularly. {% endhint %} ## Leadership Development Model (LDM) The Leadership Development Model identifies **four qualities** that AIESEC develops in its members through the AIESEC Experience: ### 1. Self-Aware You understand your strengths, weaknesses, values, and emotions. You reflect on your experiences and use that reflection to grow. ### 2. Solution-Oriented You approach problems with a constructive mindset. You identify root causes, generate options, and take action rather than waiting for someone else to fix things. ### 3. World Citizen You appreciate and respect cultural differences. You understand global issues and feel a sense of responsibility toward people beyond your own community. ### 4. Empowering Others You enable the people around you to reach their potential. You share knowledge, delegate with trust, and create environments where others can contribute. {% hint style="info" %} The LDM is not a checklist you complete. It is a framework for continuous growth. Every role in AIESEC — from team member to MCP — offers opportunities to develop all four qualities. {% endhint %} ## The Global Leadership Experience (GLE) The Global Leadership Experience (GLE) is AIESEC's framework for how leadership development actually happens. It describes the journey a young person takes from their first contact with AIESEC to becoming a leader who creates positive impact. The GLE consists of three interconnected elements: 1. **The AIESEC Experience** — the internal journey of membership, team leadership, and committee leadership. 2. **The Exchange Experience** — the cross-cultural experience of living and working abroad through Global Volunteer (GV), Global Talent (GT), or Global Teacher (GTe). 3. **The Leadership Development Space** — the environment AIESEC creates through conferences, education cycles, reflections, and mentoring. Together, these elements form a cycle: members grow through internal experiences, deepen their growth through exchange, and then return to lead others through the same journey. ## The AIESEC Experience and the Exchange Leadership Development Path (ELDP) The Exchange Leadership Development Path (ELDP) is the structured framework that ensures every exchange participant goes through a meaningful developmental journey, not just a travel experience. The ELDP has five stages: | Stage | Description | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Awareness** | The exchange participant (EP) learns about global issues and AIESEC's connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). | | **Engagement** | The EP is matched with a project or opportunity and begins preparing for the experience (visa, cultural training, expectations). | | **Experience** | The EP lives and works in a new country, encountering real challenges and collaborating with people from different backgrounds. | | **Reflection** | The EP reflects on what they learned about themselves, about the world, and about leadership — guided by structured reflection tools. | | **Action** | The EP returns home and applies their growth. They may take on a leadership role in AIESEC, start a project in their community, or carry the values forward in their career. | {% hint style="info" %} The ELDP applies to all three exchange products (GV, GT, GTe). Each product has a different project focus, but the developmental journey follows the same five stages. {% endhint %} ## How The AIESEC Way connects to your daily work If you are a new member, The AIESEC Way helps you understand the "why" behind your tasks. When you recruit a new member, process an exchange application, or attend a conference session, you are contributing to a system designed to develop leadership. If you are a team leader or VP, The AIESEC Way gives you a framework for evaluating whether your team's activities are actually developing people — not just hitting numbers. If you are an LCP or MCVP, The AIESEC Way is the standard against which you design local and national strategy. Every KPI should trace back to the vision, and every programme should reflect the values. ## AIESEC Way Resources ### AIESEC Way in a Nutshell {% embed url="" %} AIESEC Way in a Nutshell.pdf {% endembed %} ### THE AIESEC WAY (Full Document) {% embed url="" %} THE AIESEC WAY.pdf {% endembed %} *Last updated: April 2026 · Maintained by: MC TM Manager* --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://hubby.aiesec.dk/general-knowledge/the-aiesec-way.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.