Genesis movin on over to myaiesec.net

Visit http://genesis.myaiesec.net

Hey all,

For those whom I've never met, my name is Femi Longe and I am the AIESEC International Director for Africa 04/05 till the next 3 weeks and as well the AI responsible for the Genesis Learning Network in 04/05...

I have been a contributor here for a couple of weeks now but I felt it better to stand by the sideline and follow the discussion happening...I must say, I am really impressed at this self-driven initiative which is symbolic of the kind of action and attitude we wish to see in the organisation particularly also as we make the Learning Network initiative go global...

So what has been happening from our end as far as Genesis and what more should you be looking out for…Sorry that in this posting I'll be sounding very administrative...

INITIATIVE GROUP SIGN-UP
As you may have seen, last week countries were asked to sign up for the 5 Global Learning networks launched. 13 countries signed up for the Genesis Learning Network namely Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Iceland, India, Ireland, Kenya, Malaysia, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, Zimbabwe…AIESEC in the United States is also considering joining and should be doing this in the next couple of days…

So what's happening next???
Right now we have defined topic areas around HIV/AIDS which the Learning network will be focused on…Of course they are broad that we can have spin-off discussion happening around personal areas of interest…These topic areas are:

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS
Understanding the reality and spread of HIV/AIDS in different countries and regions of the world

Prevention of HIV/AIDS
Understanding HIV/AIDS and how it is spread
Understanding the different methods of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS
Understanding and advocating behaviour and attitude change to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS (explore cultural influences)

Socio-Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS
Stigma: Managing interactions and integration of people living with HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS Orphans: Managing the implications of a generation of orphans of HIV/AIDS
Labour Market: Managing the economic impact of HIV/AIDS on the major workforce age bracket
Working place policies and corporate strategies around HIV/AIDS

Treatment of HIV/AIDS
Understanding and care for people living with HIV/AIDS (Linked to STIGMA above)

For all the topic areas, we will be addressing them from a youth perspective at all points with clear focus on:
How this area affects youth
How youth can and should be creating change in this area

GENESIS BLOG
As part of the whole learning network strategy and AIESEC experience implementation, we are in the process of launching myaiesec.net blogs which will help in capturing learning and experience of our members.

We have begun trialing with the AI blog on ai.myaiesec.net for some weeks and we are about to kick off with the Genesis Learning Network blog on myaiesec.net too… To this end, we have had discussions over the last few weeks on the modalities of transferring the content from here to the Genesis.myaiesec.net This will be done in the next couple of days…

On the 18th we will be closing applications for Initiative Group moderators who will be part time role facilitating our virtual platform including blogs- so they will be able to add considerable capacity from there. (more info on that below). If you are interested in this positions, do not hesitate to apply...

Global I.G Moderators around each of the Initiative Groups. Each member selected for these innovative teams will be playing two critical roles in activating our Global Learning Platform.

They will be Forum Hosts; facilitating the flow of information and dialogue on our virtual platform, from blogs to forums to the web.

They will provide Strategy and Resource support for IG MCs to achieve their planned activities.

If you or someone you know would like to be part of this exciting development return this application to ArthurJ@ai.aiesec.org by July 17th 23:59 GMT and prepare for a truly unique and impacting role.

Training and support will be provided to successful candidates.

Looking forward to seeing you posting more on your thoughts and experiences on this issue which is of passion, importance and significance to us all…And looking forward to your ideas, comments and suggestions

Femi

Email from an Aiesecer from the U.S. volunteering in Tanzania:

The defining moment of this program, in my eyes, happened this week. After teaching to a gathering of approximately one hundred people, in a field, under a massive tree, a village leader approached our teaching group. He informed us that the village suspected a woman had AIDS and that they wanted to get her tested. He and about ten other villagers then lead us to her home to find out more information about her condition. We were pretty shocked by the openness of the villagers on this topic. Our training and experiences up to this point told us that a huge amount of stigma existed and that Tanzanians are deathly afraid to know and share their status. We came upon a mud hut, no bigger than my bedroom in the US, amongst some cornfields. Entering inside, we met a friendly, middle aged woman. The room was partitioned into two by a mud wall and she informed us that the patient was in the other room. I was shocked by the scene in the next room- it was bare, except for a broken wooden bed frame and there was a huddled mass lying in the dirt, covered by a thin piece of cloth. Based on her voice and the tiny size of her body, I assumed she was an old woman. After more conversation with the caretaker, we learned that the patient was her daughter. When I heard “ishirini na nane,” which means 28 in Swahili, my heart sank, because this dying, crumpled mass of person was only 28 years old. We ending up learning that there were 3 smaller children (who at that time were peddling some vegetables, from the small piece of family land, in a larger village) and a father in the family, as well, all living in this tiny hut, watching their older sister waste away.

Our group was pretty torn about how to respond to this girl and her family. Unfortunately, our program only provides education and free testing, but no actual aid to those with HIV/AIDS. We’re told that our program can put people in touch with other organizations who can provide direct support, but we weren’t sure about that reality. We really wanted to give the family food, but we knew we would be leaving in 2 weeks and we wanted to help in a more permanent way. Ultimately, we decided to bring the family materials to make food the next day and arranged to test the girl two days later. We figured that if she did have AIDS (which was very likely considering her symptoms- she’d been sick since May with various opportunistic infections of the skin and mouth), our group would sponsor her ARV treatment for the rest of her life (approximately $1 per day). We delivered the food the next day, for which the mother was very thankful, and returned the following day (Thursday) to test the girl.

So late Thursday afternoon, we returned to find 25-30 villagers along the way and outside the family hut. The first two women we approached informed us that the girl had passed away earlier in the day. We had made comments in the days prior about the urgency of getting her treatment and the possibility of her body giving way at any time, but we were still a bit stunned.

As I walked by the villagers on the way to the hut, I felt powerless and ashamed. All I could do was say ‘pole,’ Swahili for sorry (regardless of the severity of the circumstance). I could see the expectation in people’s eyes, that I should have helped this girl or now would do something to rectify the situation, being the American HIV/AIDS expert. But all I could do was say my one word of Swahili. I felt ashamed, knowing that next week I would return to my carefree American life, while people like this girl wasted away in mud huts, fighting starvation and AIDS.

For the last seven weeks, we’ve all committed our HIV/AIDS curriculum to memory and preached transmission, prevention, and caring strategies to hundreds of people. But this week, the program became much more real than it was before. I’m not sure yet how I feel about what I saw- probably a mixture of anger and sadness. I know that this girl would still be alive, had she had access to American health care, or even the free antiretroviral medication that the Tanzanian government promises to AIDS patients (to the great majority of people here, it doesn’t actually follow through on this promise). I also know that our government is spending billions of dollars fighting "terrorism," while turning a blind eye to the real terror in Africa.

Life in my homestay is still terrific (smooth transition, eh?). My favorite part is hanging out with my surrogate mom while she cooks food in the back yard. Perhaps because of this, my Swahili has dramatically improved. Despite the language barrier, I can appreciate my mama’s sense of humor and she and I joke around all the time. My Babba is a great guy, too, even though he pulled a 22 caliber pistol from his pants the other night and organized his handful of bullets in some sort of clip. Don’t worry though, he informed me its only for self defense (he’s a miner of Tanzanite, an expensive gem found only in Tanzania) and showed my his permit- needless to say I found these revelations very reassuring (wink wink). Seriously though, this homestay family is awesome- I’m planning on buying them a live chicken at the market today!

This might be my last e-mail, as I leave for the US in less than a week, but thanks for reading and I’ll talk to you all soon!

Eric

LCP
Aiesec Arizona

What is happening?

Hello Guys,
What is exactly happening, there has not been a recent posting or contributions on the blog for some time. Is it that we are too busy or we have lost interest and focus on the main reason why we decided to blog. Please do let us contribute.

Trent how is the exams coming up ? are u thru yet.
Sere how far with SA, what is the latest..
leslie, oohhddd, people pls talk ooooo

take care and have a nice weekend

What is happening?

Hello Guys,
What is exactly happening, there has not been a recent posting or contributions on the blog for some time. Is it that we are too busy or we have lost interest and focus on the main reason why we decided to blog. Please do let us contribute.

Trent how is the exams coming up ? are u thru yet.
Sere how far with SA, what is the latest..
leslie, oohhddd, people pls talk ooooo

take care and have a ni eweekend

You CAN fit Aiesec into your job!

Hey AIESEC!
How's everyone's summer going? Good jobs? Good times?
I just wanted to share a quick story about an experience I had at work today, and to incorporate that into the potential this new design has for our incredible organization.
This summer I'm interning at America On-line outside of Washington, D.C. (The HQ of the best LC in the nation :) ). Early last week I got a "corporate" email about a guest speaker: Ashley Judd, speaking on behalf of her organization, YouthAIDS. My first thought was, wow she's gorgeous, then my second thought was to RSVP quickly to actually find out about this international organization.
The event was this afternoon, just about an hour ago. Ashley Judd spoke about her involvement in YouthAIDS, as well as the incredible AIDS prevention programs they have set up around the world. She, just like Bono, and many other celebrities, have become global leaders in their own right and have spread an incredible message. The most important thing for AIDS prevention, she said, was our ability to raise as much money as possible. We don't have a cure, and we will not for quite a long time; raising money for prevention programs and AIDS education is our best bet.
Although Ashley is correct in saying this, I fully believe that in addition to raising more money, there is a need for more global leaders like Mrs. Judd that use the skills, opportunities, and experiences available to them to create change on a global scale. So, when it came time to the 5 minute Q & A section, it occurred to me that I was surrounded by 500 employees, the top company executives, Ashley Judd, and the leadership of the non-profit DC-based organization, YouthAIDS; they needed to hear about AIESEC.
My question to Ashley centered roughly around..."As a university student intern here at AOL, I'm part of the most privileged 1% of the population on this planet. As a university student I have access to skills, opportunities, and experiences, such as the largest student-based educational organization on the planet, AIESEC, that will develop me into a global leader and agent of change. What advice/encouragement would you give to the young employee base here at AOL and university students everywhere about taking full advantage of global opporunities in order to become a change agent like yourself?"
She reaffirmed my point about the 1%, and confirmed that a new generation of global leaders/change agents had to evolve NOW. She then mentioned various events/activities I as a university student could organize on campus to fight AIDS and benefit the world. After the event, I spoke briefly with the President of YouthAIDS and Mrs.
Judd, got the president's contact information and thanked Ashley for her presentation.
In front of over 500 people, I mentioned AIESEC, got Ashley to confirm the necessity and need for what AIESEC provides, and exchanged brief plans for university events with the president of a prominent non-profit organization. Another university organization, SigEP, is involved with YouthAIDS, and I plan to see about organizing events with SigEP and YouthAIDS on campus.
I wanted to tell the nation about this because you never know where AIESEC can creap into your daily life (how about every aspect for me) and how relevant AIESEC is to every region and issue in the world.
Also, with the new design, we will have the capacity to put on a number of incredible events on campus that will be efficient and sustainable.
It's just a matter of time folks. Just a matter of time before we impact the entire world and everybody knows the name of AIESEC. With the passion and leadership this organization has, that time can be cut very short.
@ly,
Andrew Martin
--
Andrew Martin
Local Committee President
AIESEC Washington, D.C.

HIV /AIDS: GREAT CHALLENGE OF OUR AGE AND GENERATION

People... following the accidental deletion of the previous posting with the topic: HIV / AIDS : IS IT A POVERTY, VULNERABILITY OR A GENDER ISSUE. I will like to introduce this particular topic above. I guess that it will give us a direction and we will get to talk about the previous topic along the line.

The above topic can be linked to this particular link: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/sgsm9906.doc.htm. This is a press release that I would like itto challenge our mindset about what exactly what we aredoing on this blogger.

This few statements have some connections to the question of what really is HIV / AIDS.

If we say POVERTY: From recentUnited Nations finding, it is said that an average african lives on less than a dollar at worse. This among other things made the rapant increase ofHIV /AIDS in the third world countries especially Africa. People aretryingto survive by doing what it takes to survive and try to be somebody in life.
Taking for instance, from a discussion that was had around this topic, it could really be seen from here that an average student in school is putting his / herself through school. Our parents can barely send us to school and ifthey are able to pay our school fees, they can barely be able to feed us talk less of clothing us.. In the process of trying to live a very good life style in school.. we decided to do whatever it will takes, making the selling of ourbody in exchange for cash, comfortability amuch higher priority than our future.

If we say VULNERABILITY: in this case it is the young ones that arereally affected with this factor. We want to be able to communicate among our peer group. We do not wantto be seen as the odd one out.It becomes a case of everyone is doing it so why can't I do it. If we really look at the statistics of the people that are more affected, it si between the ages of 18 -30 yrs of age.
These particular grouo arethe future of any nation, so are we going to allow this epidemic to continue ruining our future? Also it could be said that most areas do not have easy accessibility to materials that educatethe youndg ones on the after effect of having unprotected and safe sex. More on the fact why they should not indulge in it.


If we say GENDER: In Africa it is known that due to alot of traditions and all the rest stuffs, that the female gender is always at the receiving end of whatever the male gender puts across their way. They have to take all sorts of attitude from their husbands all in the name of being married.

Steps to avoiding some of these issues that is being discussed are:

1. Easy access to materials and reading materials on the HIV / AIDS Epidemic

2. Eradicating of Customs that will not bring about progress to people.

3. Having laws laid down againg Gender brutality

4. Educating the young ones on what exactly the HIV / AIDS epidemic is all about.

Another major issue as AIESECERS that I feel we need to really talk about is the stigmatization against people living with HIV / AIDS.Once people have been discovered to be infected, they are treated like dirt. I believe that with real love, these people will live beyond the medicine that is being prescribed for them.
But the major questions I have to put to we all : DO YOU KNOW YOUR STATUS?

Please people do join me on tackling these issues, and which way forward please. I hope to read about more responses from people.

Nice one bibi!!!

Hello all,

Hey bibi, thanks for your contribution...so i guess the next step is to figure out how to start working together.. Here in the US, Leslie is working on grants and stuffs because it will be easy to send students when we have grants. Furthermore i think we will probably need some recommendations from NGO's and organizations that are working on Genesis at the moment, i think that might help as well. If you have any Contacts of NGO's, pls lets know about it and see possible ways of getting a recommendation letter for our grants hunt.

So also i think we also need to start working on ways to work together on PBoxes...

Anyways i hope y'all doing fine and we will here from you guys soon

thanks

D!
Hey trent whats up with you ?