Project manager for AIESEC Giessen
From October 1992 to August 1995 I engaged honorarily for AIESEC Giessen, whereof one year in the board (Vicepresident Projects). The projects organised by me (as a member of a team or alone) during this period include:
Cultural Sensitivity Trainer for AIESEC Germany
AIESEC´s future trainees are prepared for the foreign culture in a three-day seminar, mostly called OPS (Outgoer Preparation Seminar). We teach them about what is culture, how culture develops and changes and what its functions are, how countries may differ culturally, culture-based communication problems, strategies of adaptation, do´s and don´ts, culture shock, reintegration and so on (more about culture and intercultural seminars). I trained on the following seminars:
AIESEC also has a special Train the Trainer Programme for Cultural Sensitivity, called TtCST (Train the Cultural Sensitivity Trainer Training). In March 1997, after returning from my four-month traineeship in Cameroon, I took part in a TtCST myself. After that I passed on my knowledge and training experience to future Cultural Sensitivity Trainers by facilitating two TtCSTs:
During the intercultural trainings culture simulations are used to give the delegates their first “culture shock” and to have them experience a foreign culture. I facilitated these simulations not only during the Outgoer Preparation Seminars, but also on other occasions:
intercultural trainings at the polytechnics of Lippe and Gelsenkirchen is “Five Tricks”. It is not only very effective and much fun, but it has the advantage that I do not need help facilitating it. Most of the other simulations are played in two groups or otherwise require two trainers.This is no problem during AIESEC seminars, because normally each group of delegates has two trainers.
Seminar of the department´s academic staff
I was member of the Organisation Committee of the 1998 and 1999 seminar of the Department of Economic Sciences, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, a seminar where the academic staff of the department will present and discuss their research findings. As former staff members take the opportunity to tell us about their practical experiences, the seminar is a platform for bridging the gap between theory and practice. Of course, it is also important to meet, to get to know the newer members of the department´s staff, and to have fun together.
Alumni´s Coordinator of the Department of Economic Sciences, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen
From March 1999 to July 2001 I was coordinator of the department´s Alumni Association. For this Organisation I took part in publishing an information broshure about the department and I designed an info-flyer about the Alumni Organisation itself. Besides there are many administrative tasks to fulfil, like organising the annual member´s meetings, drawing up circulars, answering the members´ questions reaching me by phone, fax, mail oder e-mail and making sure the homepage is up to date all the time.
The biggest project organized by me for the Alumni Association was the so-called WiWi-Tag. It took place on May 11th 2001. The WiWi-Tag is a big campus festival combined with the annual members´ meeting. During the day lectures by practitioners and professors of the department are were hold as well as a fair where 21 companies and 20 internal organizations (student initiatives and the chairs) presented themselves. For our amusement there was full-day Sumo Wrestling as well as live music, the MTV Giessen Cheerleaders and Hackysack.
Later on there was a barbecue. For the evening we rented a tent, in which live music, cabaret, juggling, rock´n´roll as well as an auction entertained the many guests.