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Experiential Learning is receiving a lot of attention lately and it is very close to the heart of AIESEC, the world's largest youth leadership development organisation, which sends young Bahrainis across the globe to experience different ways of living and working.
Abdur Rehman, vice president of AIESEC Bahrain, said: "The ability to directly learn from a personal experience is not a new concept. In fact in 450 BC Confucius said 'Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand'. Though over two millenniums have passed since Confucius quoted this, the relevance of his quote is much higher for our generation."
AIESEC offers university students and graduates leadership experience as well as the opportunity to participate in a Global Internship Programme in more than 100 countries. The international work programme is an intense learning experience facilitated by an entire global network. Each year, 5,500 students have the opportunity to live in a foreign country while working in the areas of management, information technology and social development.
AIESEC Bahrain is an ideal forum for professional development, cultural exposure and personal growth and local youngsters, who travelled to Switzerland, Cyprus, Colombia and Brazil, were happy to share their experiences with GulfWeekly.
Sahar Haji Ghuloom, a 24-year-old Bahraini, is working with Swicorp, an investment banking firm in Geneva, Switzerland. Her job involves meeting clients, analysing finances and creating financial projections. Having seen the importance of programmes like these in helping students to learn more about themselves, the world and people, Sahar strongly encourages everyone to consider an international internship experience.
She said: "Through this internship, I learnt to never underestimate personal development in a career. Now, I am able to define my career as the ladder that takes me to discover my potentials, believe in them and develop them, every single day. AIESEC taught me the art of working with human minds and using their power to get things done for a better cause. However, most of all, this internship has helped me define the meaningfulness of my life and how I want it to be."
Marwa Yousif, a Bachelors student from the University of Bahrain (age to come) went to Brazil on a traineeship for a period of six months. She worked on a project called 'Make the Difference' with two other interns from Russia and the United States. The purpose of the social entrepreneurship project was to involve youth in the community.
"Life in Brazil is exciting, interesting, and very different from Bahrain. The culture is a major difference as it is more expressive and vibrant than Bahrain's," said Marwa. "It was definitely interesting for me to observe the culture, compare it and contrast it with my own and this, I think, is one of the characteristics of a unique, culturally enriching experience."
Sarah Yousif, a physiotherapy student from Ahlia University took an internship in Colombia with Fundacion Nutrir, an organisation which assists poor children, pregnant women and older people with nutritional needs. The plight of these children made her research and question this topic more and the internship helped Sarah understand a different culture, lifestyle and religion.
She said: "I have never been welcomed so warmly except in my own home. It felt like being on another planet because Colombia is very far away from my country, yet at the same time my friends made me feel at home! I left Colombia with lots of memories that are not stored on my facebook account or digital camera because this experience is beyond what pictures can explain!"
Amr Khusheim, 21, an IT graduate from NYIT Bahrain is experiencing a new way of living life in Cyprus. His international internship requires him to practice what he loves most - designing websites. He works for Hasel Ltd, a leading imports brand in Cyprus.
He said: "I never thought that I would learn this much in a six month internship. It's extremely valuable. It's a beautiful feeling to work in the field you like (web developing) and also experience living in another country. Simply theory at university. Practice in AIESEC." If you want to know more about AIESEC or are interested in exploring the possibility of undertaking an overseas internship contact AIESEC Bahrain at www.aiesec-bh.org or e-mail exchange@aiesec-bh.org.
