I recently met with an AIESEC representative who intended to recruit me into their program. The idea of AIESEC is to connect like-minded people from around the globe travelling for reasons such as leisure and internships. The organization is run by students, or so I was told. The idea of connecting globally with other international students is a rational move when opting to undertake an internship in whatever part of the world. I was interested to meet one of their representatives and was far from impressed on learning that the majority of their associations are in the “Global south” (Whoever came up with such a silly term) or worse off “Entwicklungsländer.” Anything with Entwicklung on it is toxic.
So the representative’s argument on why I should consider working with them ranged from the chance to travel, learn new cultures and impact people’s lives. For some reason it made me think of Christopher Columbus.

When you’re welcomed to their homepage with a picture of some privileged white person holding some black children and notes such as “If we don’t change the world, then who will?”, bore me skepticism. Inexperienced students working for such an organization, who mostly also manage their website neither justifies nor warrants such ignorance.

Also, the notion of having to pay a certain amount of in order to get their services every time you want to volunteer abroad leaves a lot to be desired, bearing the fact that almost all their student employees are unpaid. Where does the money go to?
I have never been fond of the idea of some privileged students travelling to some country in Africa, Asia, or South America to impact communities on issues like health, environment, or education. The irony is usually when say a non-native speaker from Bad Homburg who just started studying Anthropology going to teach English in some school in the outskirts of Accra.
 
The best one yet was a project on their website which “(…) aims to increase awareness of Chinese heritage and culture. You will have the opportunity to experience Chinese culture and educate the Chinese youth about the importance of protecting their heritage.” We are privileged white kids, let’s go to a country and teach them about their affairs. I mean one must really have a self-centeredness problem, when you think it’s your responsibility to go and change something, which cannot be solved locally without your assistance. Talk of the white man’s burden.

 Essentially what AIESEC perpetuates is as historian Agnieszka Sobocinksa clearly points out in her book, First Overland: London-Singapore by Landrover “the archetype of explorer or hero who use (…) travel as a means for personal development.” an incarnation of contemporary neo-imperialism.
Without forgetting the amount of jobs lost by the locals to accommodate some unskilled European students, further creating an automatic social and economic divide in which the “global south“ is further disadvantaged. The reeks of late capitalism are brought into play.
If you deem yourself reflective and altruism is your prime motivation for seeking to change anything, stay away from AIESEC.