AIESEC is a youth organization that believes leadership is a fundamental skill that anyone can learn. Its main goal is to help youth develop confidence in leadership through cross-cultural exchanges. Operating in 126 countries so far, it is the world’s largest youth-led organization. We interviewed AIESEC Iceland’s president Mladen Živanović through an online platform.

I am very glad to see you through this dusty screen. Before we start, I would like to ask, how are you?

I’m fine. To be honest, I thought that this pandemic would be shorter and that I would cope better with it. In the first wave, everything seemed easier. But now that I know how isolating things can get, I have some anxiety and decided to visit my family in Malta. It was a smart move for my well-being, since I haven’t seen my family in almost a year.

You are not only the president of AIESEC but also a student at the University of Iceland. Is it easy to balance these two responsibilities?

It’s a lot of work, because I am ultimately responsible for the non-governmental organization (NGO), but I’m also making my studies a priority. It is difficult to balance out both commitments, I won’t lie. The easy thing, at least this semester, is that for some courses I can mostly watch all the lectures after they were filmed. It makes things more flexible. I have been doing time and task management since July when I started my position with the organization. I needed to have everything under control, so things don’t overlap. That happens. Let’s be honest. It is a useful skill to develop, and AIESEC helped me there.

Why should students get involved in AIESEC? What does AIESEC offer students in Iceland?

AIESEC has a mission to develop young leaders and to help them make positive changes. That’s simply what we do. My colleagues and I decided that, in the Icelandic context, we want to give our members a unique experience this year. The value for students is that we are providing a platform where they can learn soft and hard skills and learn how to be solution-oriented, self-aware world citizens, and how to empower others.

What kind of projects and exchanges do you organize?

One of the main projects that we undertake is Career Days (AKA Framadagar), which we have been organizing for the past 26 years. It’s interesting for students, but also for the companies that get to see and talk to the students and display their products. The other year-round project is volunteer opportunities for youth from all around the world with our partner Worldwide Friends. They work with projects connected to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is one of AIESEC’s objectives, creating opportunities for people to get out of their comfort zones and discover themselves. Even though these projects are usually just 8 weeks to 3 months, it is astonishing how much impact they can make on their own.

You mentioned the impact that COVID has had on your well-being and mental health. How is AIESEC holding up amid this whole pandemic situation?

Running an NGO in these times is confusing and difficult. Usually, NGOs have similar plans from year to year. In AIESEC, we have certain periods where we are more active, but now amid the pandemic everything seems all mixed up. Our plans first changed in August, then every other week since then, and lately we transitioned to being completely online. It is a bit weird. I worked with other presidents of the organization in Europe and elsewhere, and we have come up with creative solutions to both work and hang out online.

What are the main changes to AIESEC’s 2020 project planning?

This year, we must do many things digitally. Now it's 100 percent digital, but when COVID-19 cases went down, we had some physical touchpoints during the year. We are also trying to meet students’ needs; for example, there is high demand for learning how to teach and develop digital skills, manage your team virtually, and deliver presentations online. One team that is organizing Framadagar, for example, is learning how to organize a project online, and they are developing their skills in online sales, digital engagement, and online marketing.

Do you foresee any collaboration between AIESEC and the University of Iceland?

Yes. We are working on a partnership with the University of Iceland and some other European universities for global talents. These are opportunities for students to get international experience with a European company. By next semester, we will have a complete list of internships, and students from UI will be able to apply, go on an “exchange,” and work for European companies. UI’s aim is to have these exchanges evaluated like final projects, part of their degree. [...] Over 50 people from UI have been involved with AIESEC as members, volunteers, or exchange participants. So, thank you [to UI] for being there for us and helping us through the process.

Before concluding, I would like to point out that on the very day this issue will be released, the Student Council will turn 100 years old. Would you like to add anything?

I want to wish a happy 100th birthday to the Student Council. We will invite you to our 60th birthday next year, a big number for us as well.

Thank you for your wishes, we will see you at the AIESEC birthday party in 2021!

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Youth and Leadership: Interview with Mladen Živanović, President of AIESEC Iceland