Editing AIESEC (section)

=== Founding ===
[[File:ACkonverents.jpg|thumb|AIESEC in Estonia]]
The idea behind AIESEC started after [[World War II]], when representatives from schools across [[Europe]] exchanged information about various programs and schools that specialized in [[business]] and [[economics]]. Students had been carrying out internships in other countries, mostly on their own initiative, but this came to a standstill with the onslaught of World War II.<ref name=aiese>{{cite web| url= http://media.www.universitychronicle.com/media/storage/paper231/news/2003/10/02/Diversions/Aiesec.Helps.Interns.Make.Adjustments-512353.shtml| title= AIESEC Helps Interns Make Adjustments| access-date= 2008-02-11| last= Kern| first= Beth| date= 2003-10-02| work= University Chronicle| url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090130050156/http://media.www.universitychronicle.com/media/storage/paper231/news/2003/10/02/Diversions/Aiesec.Helps.Interns.Make.Adjustments-512353.shtml| archive-date= 2009-01-30}}</ref> In 1944, the neutral [[Scandinavia|Scandinavian countries]] were still exchanging students. Bertil Hedberg, an official at the [[Stockholm School of Economics]], and students Jaroslav Zich (of [[Czechoslovakia]]) and Stanislas Callens (of [[Belgium]]), founded ''AIESEC'' on July 2, 1948, under the name {{Lang|fr|Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques}} (''AIESEc'')  with a headquarter in [[Prague]] and Jaroslav Zich as the first President of the association.

At the time of AIESEC's founding at the end of the 1940s, Europe was in the midst of recovery from the war that dealt grave losses to its population. [[Factory|Factories]] and enterprises were in desperate need of executives, managers and leaders. The continent needed more than just business development, however; the war had severely damaged relations between European nations, and many members of the community felt steps needed to be taken to address this problem.<ref name="60 Years">{{cite web|title=AIESEC 60 Years|url=http://www.slideshare.net/afvh/aiesec-60th-23376006|access-date=2014-11-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217004417/http://www.slideshare.net/afvh/aiesec-60th-23376006|archive-date=2014-12-17|url-status=dead}}</ref> AIESEC was formed to address both of these concerns. In 1948, a renewing development of the association was initiated, with implementation of international meetings (congresses), replacing the practice of governance from the headquarter. The first broad meeting was held by students from 9 [[University|universities]] of 7 [[Country|countries]] in April 1948 in [[Liège]] ([[Belgium]]). Then the official, constitutive assembly (the [[congress]]) was organized in 1949 in [[Stockholm]] with Bengt Sjӧstrand as the President and [[Sweden]] as the Presiding Country for 1949/1950. Students from seven nations: [[Belgium]], [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Netherlands]], [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]], came together for that first International Congress of AIESEC.<ref name=history>{{cite web|title=AIESEC History|url=https://www.aiesec.org/#/about/history|website=www.aiesec.org|access-date=2014-11-27|archive-date=2014-11-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127095906/https://www.aiesec.org/#/about/history|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1949, 89 students were exchanged by AIESEC among the member nations. The next two annual congresses were conducted in [[Stockholm]], presided by Bengt Sjӧstrand, and in [[Paris]], presided by Jean Choplin, respectively. At those congresses the organization's mission was stated: "to expand the understanding of a nation by expanding the understanding of the individuals, changing the world one person at a time."<ref name=aiese/> Also a constitution for the organization defined a purpose: "AIESEC is an independent, non-political, and international organization which has as its purpose to establish and promote the friendly relations between the members."<ref name="60 Years" />