For the first time in the network, AIESEC Kenya is bringing to you….drumrolls!!!!!…
……the MANAGEMENT BOARD(MB).
What is MB? its a team in each Local Chapter that consists of team leaders in every portfolio. It works like NST for MC, so MB is for EB. Each Management Board will be coached by a member of the NST team….(#the uNSToppable team)
Here is what you can expect from the NST in terms of supporting the Management Board in every Local Chapter….
Knowledge and trainings:-
Myaiesec.net especially raising, matching and assigning roles in the system
Leadership skills, they need to learn how to manage or handle a team
Goal setting. For the MB role, for AIESEC career, personal future, short and long term. Team Leaders need to know what they want to achieve and how everything works for them as individual
project management.
Also what needs to be done by NST for the MB
Help the MB select an MB President if they don’t already have one
Help them come up with an MB plan, or strategies of how to work as a team to help implement the EB plan
Help them set team goals, rules and regulations (a sort of expectation setting)
Also, the Management Boards are ideally breeding grounds for future EB applicants for the LC. But just a quick reminder, each team leader(TLP) must have atleast 3 team members(TMP) in their team…so each member of the management board should be leading atleast three team members in the LC working directly with them.
For the management of the MB, Grace will be directly involved in assisting the NST’s as Management Boards are under MC VP OD i.e. Kemboi Maiyo, contact her where necessary for guidance.
Remember, we are still the AIESEC Kenya National Support Team….#the uNSToppables….
Video conferencing software and tools are an integral part of AIESEC. Part of the organization’s legacy has been the ability to integrate technology in our everyday work to enhance our productivity, efficiency and impact. At the last International Conference, such technology allowed for a virtual delegate system where delegates from anywhere on earth could watch and participate in conference activities, as long as they had an internet connection. We have, however, been slow in integrating Google+ hangouts in our everyday activities and responsibilities despite the fact that, like the Gangnam style or Asmara, this cool feature seems to have been made with AIESEC in mind.
While Google Hangouts score one over Skype in the free group chat feature, it has a limit of nine people excluding you, which means a total of ten people at the same time. During a Group chat, Skype highlights the person speaking by a blinking on their screen which can be very confusing when one has connectivity issues. Instead, in Google Plus Hangouts, the person speaking always has the bigger image so no one gets confused on who is speaking.
All you need is the most recent version of your Google Chrome, IE, Mozilla Firefox or Safari browser and any Windows including and after XP. There might also be a few connectivity issues, common in any video conferencing software due to the high demand on bandwidth. The trick is to have a good and reliable ISP (Internet Service Provider) and if possible, to schedule the Hangout during ‘off-peak’ hours when there is low demand across the network.
Before I give you the simple version of instructions on how to use Google+ hangout as a professional communication, let’s all agree on a few basics. One, you are already on Google Plus and the person/people you intend to chat with are in your circles. If not, please create a Google + account and get the recipients to create one and add you to their circles. Two, you have the necessary hardware for video conferencing (webcam, microphone, headphones or any other compatible output). In case of an official Hangout with a potential employer of for a professional activity, get a friend to conduct a few dry runs with you so you can check the connection, audio and video quality.
Are you ready to SAY AIESEC using Google+ hangouts?
1. 1. On the right sidebar of your Google + home screen, click on
2. 2. On the pop-up window, Check your hair and make sure your mic works. No one wants to chat with someone who is fixing their hair, or using a faulty mic.
3. Add more people by selecting specific circles. Everyone in the circle is placed in a field, if you do not want some people in the chat, just click on the ‘X’ next to the option of ‘Your Circles’ and search for the intended recipient.
3. 4. Click on the Hangout button to confirm your invitations. A pop-window will show you everyone else in the hangout and a host of options and tools on the bottom toolbar available.
You can always add more people (If you have not yet reached the limit) by clicking on the button at the extreme left of the bottom toolbar.
In case you want to change the settings of your camera, microphone or sound, choose the icon that’s second from the right.
There’s Even More!
If you are having an EB or OC meeting online and you need to watch a video that’s online, then Google Plus is just the perfect place. Where you have to share the link in Facebook or Skype and wait for the other person, Google Plus embeds the video in your chat so everyone in hangout can watch it. It’s like being in front of a computer, together, only Hangouts allow you to do this when you are miles apart. You will need to integrate YouTube accounts with the Google+ one to enjoy this feature.Another feature, available in all video conferencing software is the IM chat which comes in handy if you are having connectivity issues.
So you have set up your chat, and you need to refer to spreadsheets and shared Google Docs? What is one to do? Easy, import, collaborate and share Google docs, add the Slide Share app and pull in presentations during a chat and, when bored, go for the fun apps like group doodling.
Symphonical is an app that acts as a virtual wall where people in a hangout can make to-do-lists, projects and Key Performance Material (KPI). Granted, this tool is already available on myaiesec.net and yellow notes (I mean the physical, sticky notes currently blocking you from seeing the brand name of your screen). The data is created during the hangout and stored on Symphonical’s website where you can all access it once the hangout is complete.
Hangouts on Air are the town criers of Google+ Hangouts. Unveiled in May 2012, this cool feature allows you to broadcast a message to specific circles, people or to anyone with a link to your Google + or YouTube channel.
What are you waiting for AIESECers, let’s hangout!
The EXIT button is on the right, marked as an X. Not on this post, on your Google+ hangout J
Kinya Kiunga with a friend while still in Puerto Rico…
Q1: Which role were you in, before you joined AIESEC Kenya Nation Support Team? NST OGX AIESEC PUERTO RICO
Q2: How long have you been in AIESEC? Since September 2008, i.e. 4 years
Q3: What does your role entail? Dealing with externals securing partnerships and conducting research on potential employers for graduates.
Whom do you work with, report to and major responsibilities? I work with Achieng’ Aringo (MC VP BD). My major responsibility is the AIESEC GRADUATE EMPLOYER OF CHOICE AWARDS DINNER.
Q4: Your key milestones so far in your role? Researching on potential employers of choice, as well as coming up with an Organizing Committee (O.C.)
Q5: Random thing about you? I love traveling and have been to 20 countries+ in the last 6 yrs since I started traveling when I was 16years old.
Q6: What are your plans after you are through with the NST role? I would like to start a personal project within my community to impact it positively as well as go on exchange again.8 weeks GCDP and afterwards a 6 month GIP.
Q7: Parting shot to AIESEC Kenya? We are the difference that we seek in our country therefore we must leave an impression, mark, and positive legacy.
In the photo, her highness…. lady Tabiness poses for a photo during Natcof 2012…..
Just what is in a name? maybe she is called Tabiness because of her ‘finesse’…. well i don’t know why… but you only need to interact with her once and you will understand why i used the word ‘finesse’ to explain where the name could have come from.
Now to serious matters, she is the NST TT incharge of Project Management. Notice she is NST TT…why? you may ask…well it means she is a National Technical Trainer(NTT)…
She was an LC VP OGX in AIESEC Moi before joining the AIESEC Kenya NST TT 2012 Team. But she is also currently the LC Director at AIESEC Moi still… In our uNSTopables circle she is also know as one of the few who has multiple TMP/TLP experiences.
And so AIESEC Kenya is lucky to have someone with ‘finesse’ to handle the area of project management…
As shown above, Sami was picked as the OGXer of the month in August, 2012 by the MC VP OGX…
Q1: Which role were you in, before you joined AIESEC Kenya Nation Support Team? Which LC(s)?
I was the LC VP Communications and also Alumni manager at AIESEC Egerton.
Q2: How long have you been in AIESEC?
I joined AIESEC in November 2010. So i have been an active member for about two years.
Q3: What does your role entail? Whom do you work with, report to and major responsibilities?
My roles as the NST oGCDP EA entails working hand in hand with the MC VP OGX to ensure her plans for this term are realized.In short anything concerning Global Community Development Programme (GCDP) in East Africa that is in her Job Description can be delegated my way.
On a typical day, i can expect to receive email(s) from her with tasks she wants me to execute/assist her. I am based in Rift Valley and therefore our physical meetings are few so emails and skype meetings are our main means of communication.
We have been carrying out a massive bus campaign which is aimed at taking as many members of AIESEC Kenya to other countries especially those in East Africa.
Bus campaign poster.
Some of the routine tasks i have been doing include updating the EP list forms, keeping track of the performance of LC’s in terms of Raising, Matching and Realizing which we do by periodically filling a google spreadsheet and sharing this with all the LC VP OGX’s and hence they can see how their efforts are fairing. (The list is not exhaustive however)
Now to even more interesting tasks, I am also involved in Facilitating local conferences/Seminars and joining the MC VP when she makes coaching visits to the LC she is coaching.
I have also been behind the implementation efforts of the ”I am uNSToppable” campaign. The impact of this effort will be seen much later.
Q5: Random thing about you?
I was born on March 1st. Imagine if i was born 24hrs earlier, i would have to be celebrating my birthday after a couple of years when it was a leap year.
Q6: What are your plans after the NST role ends?
I intend to go for an internship/exchange….that way i will have gone through all the experiences that AIESEC offers apart from lifelong connection i.e. My plan is to go through Engagement with AIESEC, GIP, TMP, TLP, & GCDP …..
Q7: Parting shot to AIESEC Kenya?
”Believe, together we achieve” – AIESEC International, 12-13.
The NST Chair Kelvin Kuria (dressed in the yellow t-shirt) leading from the front, or is it ‘being the show stopper’
One chilly Friday morning I was walking down the streets of Nairobi. My normal curious self notices a group of people hurdled in front of a public notice board scribbling notes and copying contacts frantically on their phones. Out of curiosity, I walked towards the board rest I missed out on some “once in a lifetime become a millionaire opportunity”. Imagine my surprise upon realizing that they were job adverts on a colorful public board. While walking away, I couldn’t help thinking how effective the board would have been if it was online.
Two years ago, I was just a random guy walking in the busy streets of campus. This was not till I met this great organization called AIESEC and my whole life literally changed. Just like the board, the benefits of being in AIESEC are both Public and somewhat disturbing.
Somewhere down the AIESEC journey, I stumble upon a role so profoundly labeled as NST (acronym for National Support Team) and off go applying with my curiosity at the fore front again. An empowering review and an acceptance email later, I am part of the team that supports the National Board of AIESEC Kenya in operations. (I wish this was a conversation so that someone can ask me how it’s been so far but I will answer the question all the same.). Working in the NST has been an enormous challenge that brings with it a satisfaction and learning experience so great you can hardly imagine.
Imagine a seventeen person team gathered deep from the most experienced of AIESEC points, all with a deep passion for personal development but possessing a specific and developed talent skill set. Now stop imagining and try remembering the notice board story. That is the NST team for you, very visible yet with a very simple job role to it. Aid the National leadership board in implementation of strategy and overall development of the AIESEC organization.
An enthustiastic Kelvin Kuria during the NIS 2011 photo session.
As the chair of this amazing team, my role is not supervisory but supportive, not management based but direction oriented. Mine is to make sure that these prolific individuals do their jobs effectively and have fun while at it. In more diplomatic terms, my role in the team is that of a driver, the car is owned by the rest of us (but please note that I have a share in the ownership as well)
In conclusion, the NST team is one that has been thought out with the precision of a surgeon and the design of an automobile. Without the engine, the car is pretty much just an idea. Without YOU, the NST is just a cool acronym without any real impact and meaning. This, my dear friends is my little way of saying thank you for being with us this far and my great way of asking you to keep on keeping on because as some of us will tell you” the rest is still unwritten”
Answer: No concrete definition has been put forward yet, but if one may give it a shot; ‘NST is a team of individuals most of who have had EB experience and coordinate/implement the plans that the MC comes up with’. It’s a team that is in between the MC and the LC’s. The picture below explains it further.
Question: Who do we work with?
Answer: Just like the MC, the NST works hand in hand with the Local Chapter Vice President’s(LC VP’s) and LC Team Leader (TL’s) aka Management Boards (MB’s). With each MC VP having one or more NST member working under him/her, the NST’s also serve to coach the LC that the MC VP is coaching.
Still have any more questions about AIESEC Kenya NST? don’t hesitate to drop us an email via aieseckenyanst@gmail.com and we will be more than glad to answer you.
So the big question is why did we set up this blog? Why should you as a member of AIESEC, or AIESEC Kenya in specific; spend sometime once in a while to read what we have posted?
Just why?
This are some of the question the next post will answer….. ‘the purpose of this blog?’ because without a purpose, any thing goes.
But maybe a quick foresight of what this platform will share:-
– The reason why the NST roles exist
– The people we work with
– And what are our plans, progress and experiences
AIESEC Kenya NST 