Alexandra

Hutanu
Team Leader
ICX


-application booklet-






My Motivation

Although I may have some deep and reasoned fears, I feel like there is no point in waiting
anymore to make the next step for my own good and start being a leader for an awesome team. It is
high time that I start doing what I want to do inspire people.
Moreover, internationalism is one of my weak points. I just love having around people that have
a different perspective and a new mindset, especially because I feel inspired by them. I really
believe that people from outside the country can bring the most powerful impact upon our society,
because of this different way of thinking and their fresh ideas.
Also, I realized that I enjoy very much this communication area and I feel kind of sorry that I
dont study anything about this in the university. I hope I havent done the wrong choice.
But my utmost reason is that I want to share all my positive ideas and energy. I have so many
moments when I feel like my heart will explode if I wont tell everybody that life is so worth living
and that sadness and pain are just like clouds meant to enjoy beautiful days. I think that being a
team leader would be a great opportunity for me to spread this good vibe.

My objectives

1. Raising the awareness of our program in our LC till the end end of May:

- talk to the trainees to send us short movies with them (30 seconds - maximum 1 minute and a
half) and to present them at the LCM and our FB group before their arrival
- together with the Social Media and Design Responsible, continue to announce on our internal
group the arrival of each trainee, by posting personalized photos with them, 3 days before the
arrival
- involve the trainees in organizing every LCM, so they can take contact with the reality of our
local
- each LCM will have a moment for the trainees, when they can share their adventures here,
their culture etc.
- together with the Design and Copywriting Responsables, promoting better on our internal
group the activities we have with trainees, by using the visual part and a proper content,

2. Making a reception plan until the 1st of June, together with the iGCDP TL Reception



For this, we will need a Welcome Package of maximum 20 lei with:
- a Mini Booklet with: - their address
- useful phone numbers (emergency numbers, taxis, TLs, VP, LCP)
- exchange value
- the most used bus routes
- useful words (Buna ziua, Multumesc etc.)
- a sticker (Proud trainee in Iasi, for example)
- a bracelet with Proud Trainee in Iasi or with our flag

- each trainee will be welcomed by at least 5 of our members, which will have the Welcome roll
up
- the trainee buddy will be in charge of going with the trainee to the place they live

3. Raising the awareness of our program outside AIESEC until the end of July:

- together with the Copywriting responsible, increasing our visibility in the media by:
- sending a press release about the arrival of our trainees with 3 days before the arrival
- send least 3 articles that will appear in our local press
- after the trainee will leave, write an article about the impact brought
- together with Social Media & Events Responsible and TL Reception, have on the 2nd or 3rd of
August, an external outdoor Global Village with all the trainees (from GIP and GCDP)
- convincing the trainees to become brand-ambassadors: posting about the experience on their
personal FB page,
- till 15 June, together with the Copywriting member, restarting to use the blog, where the
trainees will post at least once a week something about their experience here, about their country
and cultural differences
- making a partnership with Iasi 21, Capitala Europeana, to promote Iasi through our trainees
- with the Social Media & Events Responsible, make an interactive external event where the
trainees will have the chance to talk about their culture, about the cultural shock etc. and
contributing, than, to the outgoing program
- work with the Social Media & Events Responsible for making an informal event before the
trainees leave (for example, lightning lampions that have an exchange-related message on them: I
want to go to Belgium etc)

4. 80% positive feedback from our communication campaigns

- start media partnerships
- work a lot with the Design Responsible for making the visual part very attractive
- the team will offer its support to the OCVP Promo on each project

5. An average NPS of at least 8,80 at the end of August



- good communication with the TL reception and the trainee buddies for knowing if the trainees
encounter any kind of problem
- organizing at least 2 informal meetings every month with the members from our LC, working
with one member from the OC and one from our subdepartment (paintball, picnic)
- together with the Promo Responsible on every project, make sure that the trainees have at least
3 informal meeting with the participants, if there is the case
- during their stay here, make a I like that you.. Box or envelopes which will stay here in the
office (instead of sugar cubes)
- organizing goodbye parties, together with the trainee buddies and a member from our team


My Possible Challenges

1. Me and my team wont be in Iasi during this summer
Before leaving Iasi, we will make an action plan to know what will be out tasks and we will
work online a lot. We will closely keep in touch by Skype meetings, hangouts and we will talk on
the phone.

2. The members of the LC wont be involved in the activities with trainees
We will insist more on this on our LCMeetings, post a lot of things on FB. The trainees buddy
can try to convince other members to become involved in this, by talking all the time about the
perks of being a trainee buddy. Also, we can start rewarding the members that are very involved in
the activities with trainees.

3. My members wont get along
I want to set the expectations from the beginning: TL-members, members-members. I want to
tell them that one of the most important expectations from my part is to be honest with each other,
because, in this case, we can avoid a huge conflict. However, if there will be a conflict, we will
have a session of frustration and we will ask the VP COMM to intervene, so we can find a solution
together.

4. We wont succeed in getting support from the media
We can promote the activity of our trainees on our FB page and on our blog. Also, after doing
some research, we can have bloggers as partners.

5. We wont have enough companies interested in having trainees
We will insist more on increasing our visibility outside AIESEC. We can organize an event for
presenting the advantages of having internationals working in a company, where companies that
worked in the past with our trainees can share how this experience was for them.

The structure of my department






The story of our outstanding summer
Once upon a time, there was a little minions army. Their boss was Exchange. All the minions
were in love with their chief and worked for the boss with all their heart and soul.
Exchange and the minions lived in the same house, but it wasnt just a usual house. Something
extraordinary was happening there: they had a looot of international guests!
Exchange was so happy to see that all his minions were hardworking, responsible, all caught up
in helping every guest, which were called trainees. Unfortunately, Exchange started to lose his
hearing because his minions Liked it Loud! They were so full of beans, passionate, happy and a bit
out of their minds.
The minions were like a little family. Everybody was deeply in love with everybody.
Sometimes, of course, there was some little fights between them, because everyone had a strong
personality and great ideas, and sometimes it was hard to decide which one is right. Exchange was
too busy with all the trainees and he didnt have time to listen to all their frustrations.This is why
they decided they need a mini-chief, who can be there for them anytime they want to talk their heart
out.

Weeell, this is how I see our summer. A bunch of strong-hearted, hardworking people in love
with exchange, who are there for one another, always ready to help each other. Although we wont
be together in Iasi for the summer, we will stay as closely as internet can allow us.
We will work together to increase the visibility of incoming exchange at a local level and to
reestablish the relationship with media. We will make sure that the experience in Iasi of our trainees
is going to be an unforgettable one and, in the same time, that the other people know about them. It
is not important just to have them and make sure that they live a great experience, but also that
Copywriting
Design
Social Media &
Events
ICX subdepartment structure


people from our LC and also from Iasi know that they are here, so they can interact with them and
get the best out of our trainees. This way, everybody will get inspired by exchange and, hopefully,
our outgoing program will have more and more seekers.
Our trainees will have the time of their lives, so they will give their best; the students from
Grow will love them so much that they will become ambassadors themselves; by showcasing, the
companies will see the impact brought by internationalism and they will become interested working
with us. After this summer, all our stakeholders can sing Happy together!
So I am ready to make my very own army of minions, in the sense that they will Act As One. I
want the people from my team to be extremely creative, cute, fearless, emotionally involved,
passionate, capable of helping everybody without being told and, last but not least, to love each
other as they were sharing the same heart! Lifetime friends. It may be utopic, but this is what I
envision that my team members will become.

How can I talk about ICX to

The director at an university
Dear Mister X,

My name is Alexandra Huanu and I am writing on behalf of AIESEC Iasi. Being in charge of
our incoming exchange program, I would like present you the opportunity to work with our
international students.
Through exchange, AIESEC brings international students in Iasi, who can work on two types of
programs: volunteering and paid internships. For entering in the volunteering program, the person
interested has to be a student of maximum 30 years old. For six weeks, they will work on projects
for poor children, high school students or NGOs. Experience is not required. During their
experience, they will not only help the community by their different perspective, but also develop
their skills.
For the paid internships program, there are more strict requirements: the age limit is also 30
years old, but the person has to be graduated a university. At least 3-6 months of experience in the
field they want to work on is required. The length of the program is between 6 months and one year
and a half.
Taking into consideration the international environment they come from, I think that our
trainees can have a positive impact upon the students of your university. We would like to offer to
your university some free training and seminars hold by our trainees. The volunteers can have
sessions for presenting the cultural differences between Romania and their country, presenting in
the same time the skills one can gain after volunteering, while the international students with
experience can have some professional seminars about IT, Education, Business Administration.
Our trainees can offer to your students and teachers also a new perspective, by presenting how
different fields are developed in other countries. Also, because we have a good relationship with the
media, the image of your university would improve.
I look forward to receiving your reply!

My mommy, while making my favorite birthday cake for me



You cant tell how the time passes. It was like yesterday when you were my little baby. Now I
barely see you. Its like youre not mine anymore.

I know, mommy, it feels like time is working against us and this is frustrating. So its our job
not to waste this little time we have and make the best out of it. You know how passionate I am
about AIESEC, because it makes me feel like I am contributing to a huge universal goal, along with
thousands of other people. It makes me want more and this is why I want to become a team leader
to be one step closer to the final goal. Besides, you know how much I believe in cultural exchange.
Just imagine, me and my team working for making sure that the international people come here, in
Romania, to bring a different view and to fall in love with our country in the same time; showing
them that, even though they dont have any experience, they can be volunteers here, working for six
weeks on project for poor kids, high school students or NGOs

But they already are a volunteer there; its not necessary to spend money for going abroad to
work for nothing Maybe it would be better for them to start thinking about a job...

They dont have to be in AIESEC for coming here. They have a training before coming. But,
however, just think about the cultural shock! Volunteering abroad is more than volunteering,
because you dont develop just your skills, but also learn how to be on your own in completely new
environment. And about the money, it depends on the project, but some of them pay for the
accommodation and food. Aah, and, there is another opportunity, paid internships, where you can
work in a company here as an employee, but you need experience. Now it depends what you are
looking for personal or professional development. But I think everybody should start with
volunteering. First, focus on growing yourself, and just after, when you have all that experience
behind you, start making money.
So youve seen how excited I am every time I talk about internationalism and volunteering. So
dont mind that I barely come home. And I am still yours. Its just that now I am to the world also.

A random student from the bus
- God, its hot and it smells bad! Such crowds shouldnt ever exist. Were like animals in
here.
- Think so? Hm, I guess you never heard about the trains in Mumbai. If you can survive in
a train there, you can survive anywhere in this world. I guess the word crowded was invented in
there. Just imagine: hundred of tired, sweat people how just finished their jobs and want to go home
and relax, but till home they must throw themselves in this unavoidable survival fight in that so
called lifelines without even doors. And this happens every single day
- How do you know how is it?
- My best friend is from India. Hes here with a volunteering program from AIESEC. We met
in the organization and we become very close. He stayed here for six weeks, working for kids from
orphanages. He is back in India now, but we still are best buddies. He told me his heart is still here,
in Iasi, and that he misses our buses. He started to tell me that he had to reinvent everything he had
known before since he got here. I still hear him saying: You cant hold on there with our flawless
eastern European view. People are sweat, tanned, and sometimes they smell bad because of the
heat.


- Sound like a life changing experience what he had, though great. How come that he was
a volunteer here?
- Oh, he told me that he felt down and useless lately. He wanted to do something great
with his life. He had a lot of friends that already were in several exchanges and he felt left aside. He
took it as a challenge. So he came in Romania and he wrote history here. He thought us how it is to
live a humble, but joyful life. Also, he thought me to eat so spicy, that in the beginning I used to
feel high after every meal.
- Is it difficult to go on exchanges like this?
- Not at all. As long as you are younger than 30 and you can pay for your travelling costs,
everything is good. You dont need any experience. Just an open mind and soul. However, if you
cant afford this, at least try becoming friends with an international, as I did. I reached my
destination now. It was a pleasure talking about my story. Go and write your own. Become friend
with an international!
- Pleasure, indeed

My lil sister

- Look at the birds, like breathing airplanes. Today it is warm outside and they are so happy, but
what happens in the winter? They cant have a house like eskimos, made of snow. So they just die
then?
- No, little pumpkin. During winter, the birds fly veeery far away, to another land, where there is
no winter. They live in an endlessly summer.
- But its not too sad to travel all your life? I love mommy and daddy so much, I couldnt be far
away from them more than 2 days.
- I know how you feel. But, when you grow up, there comes a time when you are not afraid
anymore and all you want is to spread your wings and go very far away. Remember the feeling you
have when you are thirsty? This feeling is exactly the same - you are thirsty to go on adventure, to
meet new people. Im sure its not easy to change your home every four months, but just imagine
how many friends these birdies have all around the world! See this little bird on that tree? It knows
how the ocean looks like. And the one right next to it? It has a friend in each country of this huge
world.
- So why are we humans and not birds? I want to be a bird! Do you know the spell for turning
into a bird?
- But you dont have to be a bird to travel the world. Believe me, being a human being is the
greatest thing in this world. You can travel anywhere you want to, without as much effort as birds.
Look, I have friends from so many countries. They came here through exchange programs and they
have the time of their lives. And you know what are they doing here? They are volunteers; they
work without being paid, because their only goal is to help other people, so they can grow
themselves also. This should be everybodys goal.
- Ok, so, when I grow up, I want to be this traveler who works all around the world for other
people!