A Message from AIESEC Canada

Hey AIESEC! Happy New Year!

It is my pleasure to write to you all during an important point in AIESEC Canada’s history. Today, we are pushing to accomplish results we have never seen before in AIESEC in Canada. In 54 years of presence in Canada, we have never come close to delivering 500 exchanges. This year, with your help, and the work of over 2,500 students across the country, we are closer than we’ve ever been and plan to hit this target in 2012.

Alumni have been a part of this success in so many ways this year, helping us find new National Partners, delivering trainings, taking on mentorship roles and helping raise internships. This support and effort allows us to reinstate a 7th person onto next year’s National Committee for the 2012-13 term. We also just recently opened a new chapter at Memorial University in Newfoundland. Are you looking to get involved or keep in touch? Read on to check out the opportunities available for you and the contact info for our local chapters across the country.

To keep up with AIESEC Canada’s activities this year, please check out www.aiesec.ca.

Sincerely,

Peter Gallivan

AIESEC Canada Member Committee President 2011-2012

Our Team Canada picture from National Congress 2012!

The Co-operators

This year, The Co-operators marked their 30th year of partnership with AIESEC Canada with a donation of $25,000. The Co-operators is AIESEC Canada’s biggest supporter, integrating national and local level support with AIESEC Guelph.

“The Co-operators and AIESEC’s long-running partnership is based on our mutual interests and desire to help develop young Canadians for future success,” said Kathy Bardswick, President and CEO of The Co-operators. “The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and the opportunity to gain hands-on skills outside of the classroom is invaluable.”

The Co-operators are celebrating the Year of the Co-operatives as declared by the United Nations General Assembly. At National Congress this year, The Co-operators ran a case competition that taught 350 AIESEC members about the co-operative business model, and the 7 globally recognized principles of co-operatives.

To read the official press release, please click here: http://bit.ly/uG7oV7

Also, we would like to congratulate Dennis Deters, Senior Vice President of Member Relations and Corporate Services at The Co-operators and a member of AIESEC Canada’s Champions Group, on his retirement this past December. Dennis has been a fantastic champion of AIESEC for the past 30 years. From helping us to secure a partnership with The Co-operators to participating in our conferences, we will always remember Dennis’ support for AIESEC Canada. We want to congratulate Dennis on his exceptional career, and wish him the best in his retirement.

Would you like to get your organization involved with AIESEC?

We’ve had a tremendous amount of success this year externally, as we are on track for more than 110 traineeships across Canada, have brought on new national partners (Hewlett-Packard, Syntegrity Group, Hult International Business School, BMO on the HR side) and have had success presenting AIESEC externally through media appearances.

Do you see there being potential for your organization to engage with AIESEC through taking interns, interacting/training our membership or sponsoring our activities? We could use your help!

Contact Derek Vollebregt, VP Business Development at derekv@aiesec.caif you are interested!

AIESEC Stories

We have the Alumni Blog up and running on the AIESEC Canada Website! http://bit.ly/tEHzx3

We have been featuring the stories of our alumni’s experiences in AIESEC including conferences, leadership experiences and, of course, exchange. The goal of this blog is to highlight the experience that AIESEC can give a member.

Please submit your story to Cassandra at cassandrar@aiesec.ca. We would like to highlight as many stories as possible, in order to inspire and motivate our new generation of AIESECers.

Possible topics you can include: How did you first join AIESEC? How did it change your University experience? Did you go on exchange? Where? How did that experience affect your global view? Your career choices? Etc.

Year-end Excellence Awards 2012

Every year at National Congress, AIESEC Canada gives out the prestigious Excellence Awards. We had some fantastic nominees, but in the end, only the best could win!

The AGF Growth Management Award for the most improved local committee went to AIESEC Concordia who had a year of growth in exchange, but more importantly in challenging the mindset of their members.

The Local Committee of the Year Award went to AIESEC McGill, who has broken Canada’s records with 62 exchanges realized in 2011!

The Portfolio Awards were given to the following Local Committees:

Excellence in Talent Management (HR) – AIESEC HEC

Excellence in Communications – AIESEC SFU

Excellence in Corporate Relations – AIESEC Guelph

Excellence in Finance – AIESEC Toronto

Excellence in Outgoing Exchange (Global Internship Programme) – AIESEC McGill

Excellence in Outgoing Exchange (Global Community Development Programme) – AIESEC HEC

National Contribution Award – AIESEC Laval

To help your LC reach for the excellence awards in 2012, get involved at the local level! You can find the contact information of our local committees here: http://bit.ly/zY9f61

Alumni Awards 2012

At National Congress, we also gave out the annual Alumni Awards, the Miville Ménard and Dr. Lewis Perinbam Award!

Miville Ménard was short in stature but everything he did was big! Miville was a leader, a dreamer, a man of action and an excellent team player. He would set challenging goals and never take no for an answer. His goals were attained because of his positive attitude and endless energy. His enthusiasm was infectious. His friends and colleagues fondly remember his warmth, sense of humour and generosity.

The Miville Menard award this year went to an alumnus that has done everything she can to involve herself at the local and national level, in order to support AIESEC to the best of her abilities. The Miville Menard Award went to Tricia Sabessar from AIESEC Guelph.

Dr. Lewis Perinbam was an avid advisor, Board member, mentor, and friend to countless alumni of AIESEC in Canada. He pioneered several initiatives to engage the private, non-governmental, and government sectors in international education and development including the founding of AIESEC in Canada. His appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada and his many awards and honorary degrees express the esteem in which he was held.

The Dr. Lewis Perinbam award goes to an alumnus who has been a mentor for AIESEC Concordia for many years. She has contributed above and beyond the advisory role and was a key part of AIESEC Concordia success this year. The Lewis Perinbam Award went to Maryse Patenaude from AIESEC Concordia.

Upcoming Events:

Friday, March 30th, 2012 – Ottawa

You are cordially invited to AIESEC Ottawa’s 5th Annual Wine & Cheese!

Whether you are in or near Ottawa on March 30th, please stop by and reconnect with fellow alumni! Join us to celebrate “AIESEC Cultivating Leadership for Global Impact!”

Location: Telfer School of Business, University of Ottawa

Time: 6:00-9:00pm

Contact Hailley Giffis:aiesecottawa.wc@gmail.com

To buy tickets visit: University of Ottawa General Store

Please Donate!

AIESEC Canada needs your help to reach our full potential this year. To donate to your local committee or to the national organization please visit: http://bit.ly/sEnvGC

Thank you, and please contact Cassandra Ruggiero at cassandrar@aiesec.ca if you have feedback or suggestions for the next newsletter!

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