THE GLOBAL VILLAGERS. Boisterous laughters from AIESEC organizers and participants lighten up the Arrupe Hall while extending the event with fun activities. (Photo by Joseph Nasser)

The AIESEC celebrated its annual Global Village last July 27, at the Arrupe Hall of Ateneo de Davao University. In line with the theme,“When Cultures Meet,” booths were set up to showcase the cultural heritage of certain countries around the world.

AIESEC Organizing Committee President Neil Esperanza explained what the Global Village was about.

“Global Village is an annual event of AIESEC Davao wherein it promotes the different cultures of our exchange participants. AIESEC is all about leadership and exchange so our interns come here [to] Davao to go on exchange.

“They work for different NGOs and they also work for AIESEC Davao. This is also a way for AIESEC Davao to promote outgoing exchange programs,” he said.

Exchange students guided Ateneans in introducing them to their cultures through interviews, food, and trinkets. Countries that were featured in this year’s Global Village included Egypt, Canada, China, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Sweden.

AIESEC member Raeniel Cornelio elaborated on what the Global Village hoped to achieve.

“The Global Village wants to break those barriers between us and other countries; by interviewing the foreigners you can really clear [out your perceptions about their culture].”

The AIESEC, which formerly stood for Association Internationale des Éstudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales, is a global network of youth leaders passionate about world issues, leadership formation, and cultural understanding.